Sylvia Browne gives "The Truth About Psychics"

[Questioninggeller]

Sylvia Browne's latest ghost-written book, The Truth About Psychics, will "explain" how "to tell if a psychic is giving you a good reading" among other things. (Amazon.com listing) According to Publishers Weekly:

Quote:

Nonfiction Book Reviews: 10/12/2009
...
The Truth About Psychics: What’s Real, What’s Not and How to Tell the Difference Sylvia Browne. Fireside, $23.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-4391-4972-0

People who think psychics are bogus won’t touch this book, but the uncommitted, the curious and the convinced will find something they didn’t know in the newest by prolific bestselling author and psychic Browne (Psychic Healing). The book’s premise is a can’t-lose proposition that bolsters Browne’s trustworthiness: yep, says the psychic author, some psychics really are frauds, and I’ll tell you how to spot them. One chapter debunks the notions of possession and curses and offers information on tricks mediums can play. Browne knows what she knows and offers a whirlwind tour of world religions as background for a more in-depth presentation of spiritualism and practices—and practitioners—of divination using various means. The author also tells the story of discovering her own psychic powers, writing about the paranormal in a disarming commonsense way. Browne’s view of an afterlife as “home” makes death less fearsome for a death-averse culture. This book is particularly good for those who are curious about the psychic trade, because it covers so much ground. (Nov.)
...

That leads to the obvious question. While I don't doubt Browne knows about the tricks psychics can play on their clients, how can Browne say what a good reading is when Browne has never been correct in 115 missing person/murder cases?

If people want to know how psychics operate I'm sure they'd get more use out of Randi's "Secrets of the Psychics".

[Sledge]

I was hoping this would turn out to be her confession she was just trolling before it became fashionable.

[foxholeatheist]

Originally Posted by Sledge

I was hoping this would turn out to be her confession she was just trolling before it became fashionable.

Damn! Me too!!

I love this:

Quote:

The author also tells the story of discovering her own psychic powers, writing about the paranormal in a disarming commonsense way.

Commonsense?

[Eyeron]

I just started reading reading a book called "The Art And Science Of Cold Reading". I suspect that book tells the real truth about psychics.

[rjh01]

Sylvia Browne is probably an expert in showing the believers that psychics are fake. After all they will read anything that has her name on it and then when they use HER criteria to show she herself, is a fake, well that can only be good news for everyone.

[EeneyMinnieMoe]

Sylvia Browne warning about fake psychics who use tricks and exploit the idea of curses and how to spot them. Hilarious.

I can spot a fake psychic, Sylvia. For instance, there's this one on TV selling a blender. She's wearing baggy shirts and long necklaces and has long nails and dyed blond hair. Watch out for her!

[Sledge]

To be fair, Sylvia should be very good at spotting the techniques fake psychics use if the old adage about poachers making the best gamekeepers is true.

[GrandMasterFox]

I don't understand what all the fuss is about. It makes perfect sense for her to write that stuff for the same reason that Ghost Hunters debunk stuff.

1)Get more credibility
2)Get rid of the competition.

The more interesting question is what will she write. I doubt that she will say stuff about Cold Reading or vague readings.

Most likely, she'll say stuff like "If they say that Angels have no wings they are fraud because you know, they contridict me".

[ExMinister]

That contradiction comment reminds me of a tired old cliche - Sylvia Browne has more contradictions in her material than the Bible. What Robert Lancaster has posted so far on his web site is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

Maybe I'm just grumpy from too many days with no sleep, but I can guess what she's going to say. Here it is in a nutshell:

1. Never trust people who appear to be in it for the money by charging large sums of money. Well, er, unlike her humble self who, for the thousandth time, drives around in a Volkswagon and lives in a simple apartment and has to because she has churches and a giant staff to support. (Maybe no one but Robert Lancaster is going to mention the properties, the money, the little matter of the churches paying tithes back to her, having a relatively small staff, etc.)

2. Never trust people who tell you there's such a thing as curses or voodoo or possession or charge you to remove same. Enter lengthy commentary on why. Thanks, Sylvia, for having told us that now about 1000 times in your previous 1000 similar books.

3. Never trust a psychic who reads from a script. She never does this. No she just says the first thing that comes to mind, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, possibly because she can/doesn't care/is being paid $850 anyway. Be sure and mention the time she turned down the 1-800 psychic gig due to her having a high sense of morals and honor, etc.

4. Point out that real psychics never have to use silly things like tarot cards or crystals that she herself of course doesn't use, because real psychics just know stuff (see #5 below), and because she comes from a long line of psychics going back to about 1300 A.D. (the line has gotten quite a bit longer in the past 20 years, first going back to her grandma and now back quite a ways further, 200 or years or so - I assume there's no reason it won't continue to grow and reach back to before recorded history eventually).

5. Here are some tricks-of-the-fradulent-trade to look out for: (Enter smattering of cold-reading/hot-reading tricks that Sylvia Browne doesn't use because in fact she uses nothing. She doesn't bother. She makes plenty of money without having to go to all that trouble.)

6. Mix in a bunch of hooey about other supposedly historical and genuine famous psychics she wants people to think she's similar to, add some famous debunkings (ectoplasm, maybe, since no one believes in that anymore anyway, do they?) for believability, ramble on for many pages on the history of the psychic thing, pulling material from previous writings.

Oh, and 6. Remind people never listen to anything the skeptics have to say because they are all godless pagans anyway, and we all know, well, er, we all know that means something bad. Sylvia herself is just doing this for God and here she is, being persecuted by the skeptics, but alas that is part of her noble mission, to have to deal with all of that.

There, buyer beware.

[pakeha]

Time will tell how close you were.

[bluesjnr]

Originally Posted by ExMinister

1. Never trust people who appear to be in it for the money by charging large sums of money. Well, er, unlike her humble self who, for the thousandth time, drives around in a Volkswagon and lives in a simple apartment and has to because she has churches and a giant staff to support. (Maybe no one but Robert Lancaster is going to mention the properties, the money, the little matter of the churches paying tithes back to her, having a relatively small staff, etc.)

2. Never trust people who tell you there's such a thing as curses or voodoo or possession or charge you to remove same. Enter lengthy commentary on why. Thanks, Sylvia, for having told us that now about 1000 times in your previous 1000 similar books.

3. Never trust a psychic who reads from a script. She never does this. No she just says the first thing that comes to mind, no matter how ridiculous it sounds, possibly because she can/doesn't care/is being paid $850 anyway. Be sure and mention the time she turned down the 1-800 psychic gig due to her having a high sense of morals and honor, etc.

4. Point out that real psychics never have to use silly things like tarot cards or crystals that she herself of course doesn't use, because real psychics just know stuff (see #5 below), and because she comes from a long line of psychics going back to about 1300 A.D. (the line has gotten quite a bit longer in the past 20 years, first going back to her grandma and now back quite a ways further, 200 or years or so - I assume there's no reason it won't continue to grow and reach back to before recorded history eventually).

5. Here are some tricks-of-the-fradulent-trade to look out for: (Enter smattering of cold-reading/hot-reading tricks that Sylvia Browne doesn't use because in fact she uses nothing. She doesn't bother. She makes plenty of money without having to go to all that trouble.)

6. Mix in a bunch of hooey about other supposedly historical and genuine famous psychics she wants people to think she's similar to, add some famous debunkings (ectoplasm, maybe, since no one believes in that anymore anyway, do they?) for believability, ramble on for many pages on the history of the psychic thing, pulling material from previous writings.

Oh, and 6. Remind people never listen to anything the skeptics have to say because they are all godless pagans anyway, and we all know, well, er, we all know that means something bad. Sylvia herself is just doing this for God and here she is, being persecuted by the skeptics, but alas that is part of her noble mission, to have to deal with all of that.

There, buyer beware.

Hey, you should have agreed a protocol before making these "predictions"!

[Sledge]

He wouldn't have been able to make the predictions if we'd known about them. Too much negative energy coming from the skeptics would block his ability.

[ExMinister]

Originally Posted by bluesjnr

Hey, you should have agreed a protocol before making these "predictions"!

Well, supernatural ability to make predictions would be nice, but... nah, this just falls under the category of highly predictable based on past experience, mixed with a bit of crankiness, and maybe a little cynicism.

[sonofgloin]

Originally Posted by ExMinister

That contradiction comment reminds me of a
4.Point out that real psychics never have to use silly things like tarot cards or crystals that she herself of course doesn't use, because real psychics just know stuff

Real psychics, what real psychics? Harry Houdini searched for a genuine psychic world wide, and he knew the tricks of the charade. In his death he had arranged with his wife that if he was in spirit after death he would communicate a pre determined code via a psychic if not directly to his wife. She went to psychics all over the globe and no result. The Houdinis were looking for and wanting a positive outcome but with a "crirical mind", and they found nothing....good enough for me

Quote:

There, buyer beware.

That is the issue with those who seek enlightenment, they are not aware, unlike the Houdinis they do not have critical minds, they want to believe and therefore are more accomodating of what is presented to them.

[Questioninggeller]

Looks like that will be Browne's last book with that publisher. MediaBistro reports:

Quote:

HarperOne Gets Exclusive with Sylvia Browne
By Ron Hogan on Oct 20, 2009 08:00 AM
mediabistro.com

HarperOne, the "mind-body-spirit" division of HarperCollins, announced late yesterday that it had become the exclusive publisher of Sylvia Browne . . . the exclusivity begins with the May 2010 publication of a memoir, Psychic—and also includes a promise to launch "The Sylvia Browne Collection," a series of books by other authors about the supernatural and spirituality which Browne will promote through her website as well as personal appearances.
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