A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory

perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the

normal senses, particularly
involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts
that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws. Although
many people believe in psychic abilities, the scientific
consensus is that there is no proof of the existence of
such powers, and describe the practice as pseudoscience.
The word "psychic" is also used as an adjective to
describe such abilities. In this meaning, this word has two
synonyms, which are parapsychic and metapsychic.
Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some
are theatrical performers, such as stage magicians, who
use various techniques, e.g., prestidigitation, cold reading,
and hot reading, to produce the appearance of such
abilities for entertainment purposes. A large industry and
network exists whereby people advertised as psychics
provide advice and counsel to clients.[1] Some famous
psychics include Edgar Cayce, Ingo Swann, Peter
Hurkos, Jose Ortiz El Samaritano,[2] Miss Cleo,[3] John
Edward, Sylvia Browne, and Tyler Henry. Psychic powers
are asserted by psychic detectives and in practices such
as psychic archaeology and even psychic surgery.[4]
Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to
self-delusion.[5][6][7][8] In 1988 the U.S. National Academy of
Sciences gave a report on the subject and concluded
there is "no scientific justification from research conducted
over a period of 130 years for the existence
of parapsychological phenomena."[9] A study attempted to
repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments
that appeared to support the existence of precognition.
Attempts to repeat the results, which involved
performance on a memory test to ascertain if post-test
information would affect it, "failed to produce significant
effects," and thus "do not support the existence of psychic
ability,"[10] and is thus categorized as a pseudoscience.
 Psychics are frequently featured in science fiction. Two
fiction series, Talent and The Tower and Hive,
encompassing eight books by Anne McCaffrey tell the
story of telepathic, telekinetic individuals who become
increasingly important to the proper function of an
interstellar society. People with psychic powers appear
regularly in fantasy fiction, such as the novels The Dead
Zone, Carrie and Firestarter, by Stephen King, among
many others.

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Etymology
o 1.2Early seers and prophets
o 1.3Nineteenth-century progression
o 1.4Late twentieth century
 2Popular culture
o 2.1Belief in psychic abilities
o 2.2Science fiction
 3Criticism and research
 4See also
 5References
 6External links
History[psychic sciences]
Etymology[psychic sciences]
The word "psychic" is derived from
the Greek word psychikos ("of the mind" or "mental"), and
refers in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. "psychic
turmoil"). The Greek word also means "soul". In Greek
mythology, the maiden Psyche was the deification of the
human soul. The word derivation of the Latin psȳchē is
from the Greek psȳchḗ, literally "breath", derivative
of psȳ́ chein, to breathe or to blow (hence, to live).[11]
French astronomer and spiritualist Camille Flammarion is
crpsychic sciencesed as having first used the word
psychic, while it was later introduced to the English
language by Edward William Cox in the 1870s.[12]
Early seers and prophets[psychic sciences]
Elaborate systems of divination and fortune-telling date
back to ancient times. Perhaps the most widely known
system of early civilization fortune-telling was astrology,
where practitioners believed the relative positions
of celestial bodies could lend insight into people's lives
and even predict their future circumstances. Some
fortune-tellers were said to be able to
make predictions without the use of these elaborate
systems (or in conjunction with them), through some sort
of direct apprehension or vision of the future. These
people were known as seers or prophets, and in later
times as clairvoyants (French word meaning "clear sight"
or "clear seeing") and psychics.
Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often
serving as advisors, priests, and judges.[12] A number of
examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of 1
Samuel (Chapter 9) illustrates one such functionary task
when Samuel is asked to find the donkeys of the future
king Saul.[13] The role of prophet appeared perennially in
ancient cultures. In Egypt, the priests of the sun
deity Ra at Memphisacted as seers. In
ancient Assyria seers were referred to as nabu, meaning
"to call" or "announce".[12]
The Delphic Oracle is one of the earliest stories
in classical antiquity of prophetic abilities. The Pythia, the
priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi,
was believed to be able to deliver prophecies inspired by
Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC.[14] It
is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied
state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that
she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo,
which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies
preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe
records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke
intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice.[15] The
Pythia was a position served by a succession of women
probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of
the temple. The last recorded response was given in 393
AD, when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan
temples to cease operation. Recent geological
investigations raise the possibility that ethylene gas
caused the Pythia's state of inspiration.[16]
One of the most enduring historical references to what
some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies
of Michel de Nostredame(1503–1566), often Latinized to
Nostradamus, published during the French
Renaissance period. Nostradamus was
a French apothecaryand seer who wrote collections
of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide
and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is
best known for his book Les Propheties, the first psychic
sciencesion of which appeared in 1555. Taken together,
his written works are known to have contained at least
6,338 quatrains or prophecies,[17] as well as at least
eleven annual calendars. Most of the quatrains deal with
disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods,
invasions, murders, droughts, and battles – all undated.
Nostradamus is a controversial figure. His many
enthusiasts, as well as the popular press, crpsychic
sciences him with predicting many major world events.
Interest in his work is still considerable, especially in the
media and in popular culture. By contrast, most academic
scholars maintain that the associations made between
world events and Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the
result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes
deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them
useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power.[18]
In addition to the belief that some historical figures were
endowed with a predisposition to psychic experiences,
some psychic abilities were thought to be available to
everyone on occasion. For example, the belief in prophetic
dreams was common and persistent in many ancient
cultures.[19]
Nineteenth-century progression[psychic sciences]

Edgar Cayce (1877–1945) was a psychic of the 20th

century and made many highly publicized predictions.
In the mid-nineteenth century, Modern
Spiritualism became prominent in the United States and
the United Kingdom. The movement's distinguishing
feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be
contacted by mediums to lend insight to the
living.[20][page needed] The movement was fueled in part by
anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed
to have extraordinary abilities was Daniel Dunglas Home,
who gained fame during the Victorian period for his
reported ability to levitate to various heights and speak to
the dead.[21]
As the Spiritualist movement grew other comparable
groups arose, including the Theosophical Society, which
was co-founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky (1831–
1891). Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements
with Eastern mysticism and was influential in the early
20th century, later influencing the New Age movement
during the 1970s. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous
psychic powers.[22]
Late twentieth century[psychic sciences]
By the late twentieth century psychics were commonly
associated with New Age culture.[23] Psychic readingsand
advertising for psychics were very common from the
1960s on, as readings were offered for a fee and given in
settings such as over the phones, in a home, or at psychic
fairs.[24]
Popular culture[psychic sciences]
Belief in psychic abilities[psychic sciences]
In a survey, reported in 1990, of members of the National
Academy of Sciences, only 2% of respondents thought
that extrasensory perception had been scientifically
demonstrated, with another 2% thinking that the
phenomena happened sometimes. Asked about research
in the field, 22% thought that it should be discouraged,
63% that it should be allowed but not encouraged, and
10% that it should be encouraged; neuroscientists were
the most hostile to parapsychology of all the
specialties.[25][26]
A survey of the beliefs of the general United States
population about paranormal topics was conducted by The
Gallup Organization in 2005.[27] The survey found that 41
percent of those polled believed in extrasensory
perception and 26 percent believed in clairvoyance. 31
percent of those surveyed indicated that they believe in
telepathy or psychic communication.
A poll of 439 college students conducted in 2006 by
researchers Bryan Farha of Oklahoma City University and
Gary Steward of University of Central Oklahoma,
suggested that college seniors and graduate students
were more likely to believe in psychic phenomena than
college freshmen.[28] Twenty-three percent of college
freshmen expressed a belief in paranormal ideas. The
percentage was greater among college seniors (31%) and
graduate students (34%).[29] The poll showed lower belief
in psychic phenomena among science students than
social science and education students.
Some people also believe that anyone can have psychic
abilities which can be activated or enhanced through the
study and practice of various disciplines and techniques
such as mpsychic sciencesation and divination, with a
number of books and websites being dedicated to
instruction in these methods.[30] Another popular belief is
that psychic ability is herpsychic sciencesary, with a
psychic parent passing his or her abilities on to their
children.[31]
Science fiction[psychic sciences]
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Psychic abilities are common in science fiction, often
under the term "psionic". They may be depicted as innate
and heritable, as in Alfred Bester's The Demolished
Man, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, Anne McCaffrey's Talents
universe series or setting, and the television
series Babylon 5. Another recurring trope is the
conveyance of psychic power through psychoactive drugs,
as in the Dune novels and indirectly in the Scanners films,
as well as the ghosts in the Starcraft franchise. Somewhat
differently, in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the
Doorand Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land,
psychic abilities may be achieved by any human who
learns the proper mental discipline, known as kything in
the former work. Popular movies include The Initiation of
Sarah. Psychic characters are also common
in superhero comic books, for instance Jean
Grey, Professor X and Emma Frost as well as many
others from the Marvel comics' "X-Men". More characters
include the characters Raven Baxter and Booker Baxter
from the Disney Channel Original Series That's So
Raven and Raven's Home.
Criticism and research[psychic sciences]

Participant of a Ganzfeld Experiment whose results have

been criticized as being misinterpreted as evidence
for telepathy
Parapsychological research has attempted to use random
number generators to test for psychokinesis, mild sensory
deprivation in the Ganzfeld experiment to test
for extrasensory perception, and research trials conducted
under contract by the U.S. government to
investigate remote viewing. Critics such as Ed J. Gracely
say that this evidence is not sufficient for acceptance,
partly because the intrinsic probability of psychic
phenomena is very small.[5]
Critics such as Ray Hyman and the National Science
Foundation suggest that parapsychology has
methodological flaws that can explain the experimental
results that parapsychologists attribute to paranormal
explanations, and various critics have classed the field
as pseudoscience. This has largely been due to lack of
replication of results by independent
experimenters.[32][33][34][35][36]
The evidence presented for psychic phenomena is not
sufficiently verified for scientific acceptance, and there
exist many non-paranormal alternative explanations for
claimed instances of psychic events. Parapsychologists,
who generally believe that there is some evidence for
psychic ability, disagree with critics who believe that no
psychic ability exists and that many of the instances of
more popular psychic phenomena such as mediumism,
can be attributed to non-paranormal techniques such
as cold reading, hot reading, or even self-
delusion.[37][38] Cold reading techniques would include
psychics using flattery, intentionally making descriptions,
statements or predictions about a person vague and
ambiguous, and surreptitiously moving on to another
prediction when the psychic deems the audience to be
non-responsive.[39] Magicians such as James Randi, Ian
Rowland and Derren Brown have demonstrated
techniques and results similar to those of popular
psychics, but they present physical and psychological
explanations as opposed to paranormal ones.[40]
In January 2008 the results of a study
using neuroimaging were published. To provide what are
purported to be the most favorable experimental
conditions, the study included appropriate emotional
stimuli and had participants who are biologically or
emotionally related, such as twins. The experiment was
designed to produce positive results
if telepathy, clairvoyance or precognition occurred, but
despite this no distinguishable neuronal responses were
found between psychic stimuli and non-psychic stimuli,
while variations in the same stimuli showed anticipated
effects on patterns of brain activation. The researchers
concluded that "These findings are the strongest evidence
yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental
phenomena."[41] James Alcock had cautioned the
researchers against the wording of said statement.[42]
A detailed study of Sylvia Browne predictions about
missing persons and murder cases has found that despite
her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct,
"Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single
case."[43] Concerning the television psychics, James
Underdown states that testing psychics in a studio setting
is difficult as there are too many areas to control: the
psychic could be getting help from anyone on the set. The
psychic sciencesor controls everything; they can make a
psychic look superior or ridiculous depending on direction
from the producer. In an Independent Investigation
Group IIG exposé of John Edward and James Van
Praagh they discovered that what was actually said on the
tape day, and what was broadcast to the public were
"substantially different in the accuracy. They're getting rid
of the wrong guesses... Once you pull back the curtain
and see how it's done, it's not impressive at all."[44]
Skeptical activist Susan Gerbic has summarized a number
of techniques, which she says are used by psychics to
create their effects.[45]
See also[psychic sciences]

 List of psychic abilities

 List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
 Ann O'Delia Diss Debar
 Psychic fraud investigator
 Houdini's debunking of psychics
 Mentalism
 Omen
 Palmistry
 Panpsychism
 Psychic Blues: Confessions of a Conflicted Medium
 Psychic Friends Network
 Psychic reading
 Séance
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External links