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But not so fast. There are some problems. Although psychic hotline companies are not forced to publish their financial statements (a policy that releases them from public accountability), according to an unofficial survey published in February 1998's Harper's Magazine, 70.2 percent of phone-psychic users belong to minorities and 48.3 percent are very poor. Yet the price per minute is approximately $4.00. |
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Hotline psychics are often called into question for using an interrogation technique called cold reading. It relies on making insightful statements that could apply to anyone, and on repeating information that a person may have unconsciously alluded to in an earlier part of the conversation. For example, the statement ''You handle stress by becoming angry at others" could apply to anyone, but when you hear it you think about an instance when you have done just that. Any response you make could later be brought up in a way that seems highly insightful. Yet there's no way of proving whether a hotline psychic is on the level or not. Most likely, they cover a broad spectrum: Some are highly intuitive and others are less so. |
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You can find many people and organizations involved or interested in psychic phenomena on the World Wide Web. In the case of psychics, the Web site provides you with more information about them than a simple psychic hotline does. A Web site may include information on a psychic's background, a philosophical statement, and maybe even the psychic's picture. (Check out my Web site at http://www.lynnrobinson.com!) |
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Having background information is helpful, so use it to help you sort out what feels right to you. Some psychics may prefer to write back and forth to you and then e-mail you a reading; others may suggest using a chat room; still others, such as myself, prefer to schedule an appointment over the phone. I recommend the more direct type of personal contact, so you can sense your comfort level and rapport with the person who's doing the reading. If you'd like to take a peek at the wide variety of information on the Internet, you'll find a list of Web sites in Appendix C. |
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Trusting Your Own Intuition |
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No psychic is perfect. Giving a reading is often a very inexact science. It often involves interpreting different types of data, including feelings, impressions, and images. Remember that your own feelings can count as intuition, too. If you receive a reading that doesn't feel right to you, trust your own intuition and get a second opinion from another reader. |
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