Drive-By Psychic Shootings
What do you do when a psychic comes up to you and insists that they have to tell you something, or otherwise gives you a reading or makes a prediction and you didn’t ask for it? A psychic walked up to me at a psychic expo, saying she could tell I was worried about my daughter, and something terrible was going on with her I needed to know about. I was startled and upset, and frankly I didn’t want to hear that — my wife was having serious surgery in a week and I was focused on her. (The psychic insisted that the problem was with my child, not just a vague “a woman in your life” thing.) And it turned out nothing unusual was going on with my daughter anyway — so it was extra worry for nothing. How do you keep people from doing that?
Jerry
To be blunt, Jerry, you’ve hit one of my hot buttons — I call this a “drive-by psychic shooting.”
Some psychics do feel that, when they get an intuitive message for a stranger, it has to get through. Most have the courtesy to ask “May I tell you something?” or say “I have a message for you” and wait for permission to continue.”
A psychic who insists they have a reading for you and you MUST listen to then or something dire will happen (sometimes even grabbing you by the arm or otherwise stopping you) is trampling on your free will and invading your personal space — inappropriately, inconsiderately and unprofessionally so. It happens to many of us: A week before my wedding, I was introduced to a high-profile, well-known psychic who is on the same “show circuit” as I am. He shook my hand and immediately intoned, “Ohhh… stomach cancer, within two years, and you’ll have a terrible time getting rid of it.”
I didn’t need that unsolicited advice days before getting married! As we’ve all seen, he was wrong. Still, it shook me up for some time until I got it dismissed from my own consciousness.
Anyone can feel pole-axed when this happens. It comes out of the blue, you are unprepared, and those fearful and negative thoughts can take root right away unless you stop them in their tracks. The appropriate response is to interrupt the message-giver mid-sentence and say “EXCUSE ME, but I did not ask for a reading and I do not want to hear what you have to say.” If they keep pushing, raise your voice if you have to and say “I did not ask for a reading and I refuse your information.” And walk away. If they follow, you are being stalked and harassed and should handle it the same way you would in any harassment situation — find someone in charge, report the person and leave it for the authorities to handle.
I view reading people “across the table” in the same fashion. Psychic abilities are still misunderstood in a lot of places, and people are scared that we read their minds as they walk by. A psychic who leans across his booth and says “your dead grandfather has a message for you” or “there’s a dangerous accident you can avoid; let me tell you about it” is trying to hook your emotions in order to get you to have a session with them. Don’t fall for it.
It’s the reason why I refuse to intuitively focus on people outside my own “office,” wherever it is at the moment (private party, expo, etc.). How would you feel if your wife said hello to her OB/GYN at a cocktail party, and the next thing you knew he was lifting her skirt and discussing a diagnosis? Pretty darned upset, because (a) it’s not an appropriate venue and (b) she didn’t ask him to!
Having your privacy and free will honored is paramount if you are to trust what I tell you in an intuitive session. And that goes for every single psychic you ever work with. If they consider their will more important than yours, and cross your comfort boundaries — leave!
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