Confessed Mediums or Psychics?

[princhester]

This is essentially a rehash of a question asked over on the Straight Dope that I thought you guys could help with.

Have been any mediums or psychics (who initially seriously contended they were for real) who subsequently confessed to not having any special powers and to not being able to talk to the dead etc?

Obviously there are any number of examples of showmen like Randi who have pretended (for the duration of a particular performance) to be "psychic" but are there any who have maintained a Sylvia-style facade for a goodly period but then 'fessed up?

I feel sure I've heard of a few examples but I can't think of any names.

[Darat]

I presume you already have M. Lamar Keene of "Psychic Mafia" fame?

[princhester]

No. Tell me more.

[Darat]

Just do a Google search on M. Lamar Keene and "Psychic Mafia" there are lots of sites and articles about him and his book.

[sophia8]

Just do a Google search on M. Lamar Keene and "Psychic Mafia" there are lots of sites and articles about him and his book.I've not read his book, so I could be completely wrong about him. But to me, his story always seemed rather too much like those "I was a baby-eating black-witchcraft-Satanist until I was saved by Christ" whackjobs. Has he actually got proof of the major points of his claims?

I was once a Spiritualist and in mediumship training. But I could never fully beleive that I, or anyone else, was really talking to spirits. So I never got into the mediumship circuit.
Offhand, I can't think of any major medium who "turned".

[Darat]

I've not read his book, so I could be completely wrong about him. But to me, his story always seemed rather too much like those "I was a baby-eating black-witchcraft-Satanist until I was saved by Christ" whackjobs. Has he actually got proof of the major points of his claims?
[/quoute]

Yes - really suggest you read the book it may be an eye opener for you. (Some of his claims were also substantiated by some of Joe Nickell's investigations.)

[QUOTE=sophia8;1565436]
I was once a Spiritualist and in mediumship training. But I could never fully beleive that I, or anyone else, was really talking to spirits. So I never got into the mediumship circuit.
Offhand, I can't think of any major medium who "turned".

Keene was one who turned so now you can say "Offhand, I can only think of one major medium that 'turned'". :)

[CFLarsen]

Margaret Fox (http://www.skepticreport.com/psychics/foxconfession.htm), the one who started modern day necromancy.