I am naturally skeptical of Erin's claims

[Syndicate]

There is no polite way to say what I'd like to say, though I will try to be respectful.

I am spiritual person, though I am also a skeptic. I'd like to say that I believe in ghosts though I can't claim that I've have had any experiences that would allow me to be certain that they exist. I do believe in a supreme creator but I know that I can't possible know this in detail until I die. I would call myself a Deist.

I came across Steve's site a while back and a lot of his articles impressed me. Naturally, when I came across Erin's stuff, a I raised a defensive wall. Particularly, when I read things like the following:

When your loved one dies, he’s greeted on the other side by loved ones who have crossed over before him. He goes back to the light of Divine Love. To say he’s in a better place is an understatement. He’s happy, blissful even. It’s as exciting as winning the lottery. He goes through his life review, understanding and comprehending the lessons and experiences he had in life. He makes peace with himself, and crosses right on over into bliss.

--from Do the dead miss us?

I get even more defensive when I see the prices Erin charges for her calls. However, I wouldn't dare say that she is a fake without knowing more information about her and what she does. That would be ignorant. Instead, I am interested in proof that what she does is legitimate.

Could anybody provide me with some links with information on what Erin claims she can do? Does anybody now if Erin has heard of James Randi's Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge?

I mean no disrespect towards Erin at all, but I am hoping some users here could provide me with a few links. I know a lot of people in the past who have exploited people in this field.

I am looking forward to your responses!

[Savage]

Join the club. I'm skeptical that you even exist. I think it's likely that you only manifest when I pay attention to you and that at other times, you're nothing but an unmanifest void of potentiality.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Join the club. I'm skeptical that you even exist. I think it's likely that you only manifest when I pay attention to you and that at other times, you're nothing but an unmanifest void of potentiality.

I burst out laughing at this.

[Syndicate]

PWNED by Steve Pavlina...

;(;(;(;(

[James81]

Pwned by yourself brotha. Or the the dreamer.

[Syndicate]

Anyway, my post is still valid. We are talking about a lot of money here.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

Anyway, my post is still valid. We are talking about a lot of money here.

Mine is valid too. I wasn't joking.

If you can provide me with proof that you exist when my attention isn't on you, I can similarly provide you with ample evidence of Erin's skills.

[Angela]

What is there to defend yourself from? She offers a service, you're free to take her up on it if you're interested, and you're free to pass on it if you're not.

She's got lots of testimonials; she writes lots of stuff. Plenty of material to *hear* and to check in with yourself on to see if it calls to you. Why bother with any *proof* other than evidence that others you trust have gotten value out of it or not, and you can trust yourself to know whether or not what she says in her writing is a good indicator of whether you are willing to trust her or not.

No one's going on the offensive to get you to do a reading, are they?

[Syndicate]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Mine is valid too. I wasn't joking.

If you can provide me with proof that you exist when my attention isn't on you, I can similarly provide you with ample evidence of Erin's skills.

With all due respect (honestly), whether or not I exist when your attention isn't on me doesn't matter so much because I'm not charging several hundreds of dollars for a supernatural service that people should be skeptical of. Being skeptical isn't a bad thing when a lot of money is involved, is it?

People should be skeptical of things like this because there are a lot of bogus, self-proclaimed psychics in this world who love money. This isn't any new information here. I'm not suggesting that Erin is a fake by any means, but I also know that in times of desperation a lot of people will resort to finding information from "psychics" whether or not they can actually do what they claim they can do.

I'm hoping someone can provide me with a link or two outlining what Erin claims she can do. Does such a link exist? Let's pretend that I'm an interested potential client who wants to know more about Erin's services. She seems like a lovely person.

[Jasonistgut]

Don't think he was trying to be offensive, I would assume it's just an honest request for more information regarding her services. No need to get brutal.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

With all due respect (honestly), whether or not I exist when your attention isn't on me doesn't matter so much because I'm not charging several hundreds of dollars for a supernatural service that people should be skeptical of. Being skeptical isn't a bad thing when a lot of money is involved, is it?

People should be skeptical of things like this because there are a lot of bogus, self-proclaimed psychics in this world who love money. This isn't any new information here. I'm not suggesting that Erin is a fake by any means, but I also know that in times of desperation a lot of people will resort to finding information from "psychics" whether or not they can actually do what they claim they can do.

I'm hoping someone can provide me with a link or two outlining what Erin claims she can do. Does such a link exist? Let's pretend that I'm an interested potential client who wants to know more about Erin's services. She seems like a lovely person.

I'm sorry but I honestly don't buy your skepticism. I suspect it's an act and that you're not being truthful about your agenda.

I think it's reasonable to make sure you're really a genuine skeptic in search of truth and that you aren't faking it for some other purpose. Suffice it to say we've seen a lot of fake skeptics here in the past, such as religious fundamentalists who want to discredit psychics because it's against their belief system. So how do we know you aren't one of those?

Erin and I post under our real names. You use a handle. I think it's reasonable to be a bit suspicious under the circumstances, especially since you're inquiring about Erin's finances.

Maybe you are a legitimate skeptic, but I'd like to see some evidence of that first.

[Syndicate]

I am genuinely skeptical of all people who claim to have supernatural abilities for very good reasons. That's not to say that I can discredit all psychics. I certainly can't. It is, however, a very interesting area of discussion for me.

You offer a lot of practical advice on your blog which has immediate benefits for me and has changed my life. Erin, on the other hand, seems to deal with matters that are beyond the physical world. So, I'm actually just interested in the supernatural abilities Erin claims to have to see what she could possibly offer me since you promote her services and because of the fact that your own work has been valuable for my growth.

Seriously, no offense intended.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

I am genuinely skeptical of all people who claim to have supernatural abilities for very good reasons. That's not to say that I can discredit all psychics. I certainly can't. It is, however, a very interesting area of discussion for me.

You offer a lot of practical advice on your blog which has immediate benefits for me and has changed my life. Erin, on the other hand, seems to deal with matters that are beyond the physical world. So, I'm actually just interested in the supernatural abilities Erin claims to have to see what she could possibly offer me since you promote her services and because of the fact that your own work has been valuable for my growth.

Seriously, no offense intended.

What you define as supernatural is a very natural and common ability. My world is filled with many psychics and intuitives. Has been for years. I've even channeled a dead relative to a couple I just met once, and they were in tears. I can do a lot of this myself. It's not as big a deal as you're making it to be.

There is a learning curve though, and it takes years to get really good at it, such as Erin has done.

What you label supernatural suggests a strange bias in my view, like maybe you haven't bothered to develop your own skills in this area or are somewhat intuition-blind. Often I see that in people who eat pretty unhealthy diets with lots of processed foods, caffeine, sugar, alcohol, etc. Go 100% raw vegan for 30 days, and you're likely to see a huge opening in this area.

What's supernatural about it? It's not beyond the physical world. It's an integral part of it. Psychics are everywhere.

Go Google the word psychic, and you'll get 86.7 million search results. That's hardly something I'd label supernatural. Seems pretty darned mainstream to me.

From my perspective, it's like you're doubting the existence of the Internet because you can't physically see cyberspace. And then you're asking for proof of cyberspace and wondering why servers cost so much.

So how does one respond to that. All I can say is that if you want proof, the only real way to get it is that you must personally go online. You'll never understand cyberspace otherwise because it's experiential.

Once you experience cyberspace, you'll no longer be so doubtful of its existence.

You can't really put the onus on someone else to prove the existence of psychic stuff to you. There's a certain lameness to that kind of request. If you want to understand it, then you're the one who has to go online and see what's there.

[danas]

Spend as much as you can afford. That's my advice. Psychics are not god. They have some hits and some misses most of the time. Do it lightheartedly, and enjoy it. I wouldn't go into debt expecting that phychic will give me a persice reading a see everything I need to know. This isn't math we are talking about here. Most likely you will have great insights along with stuff that doesn't resonate 100%.
That's why I say pay as much as you can afford to, with pleasure, not stress

[Syndicate]

So how does one respond to that. All I can say is that if you want proof, the only real way to get it is that you must personally go online. You'll never understand cyberspace otherwise because it's experiential. Once you experience cyberspace, you'll no longer be so doubtful of its existence.

I just I don't think that we can relate the two situations. We can very easily access the Internet and see that it exists. We can quickly find out what it can offer by using it at a public library, for example, and not have to worry about a financial loss. If I want to find out if Erin actually has the ability to contact a dead relative of mine, I have to pay several hundreds of dollars for a half an hour session that may or may not connect me with my dead relative. The ability to speak to someone who has passed from this world to the next is not any ordinary claim that should be taken lightly.

You can't really put the onus on someone else to prove the existence of psychic stuff to you. There's a certain lameness to that kind of request. If you want to understand it, then you're the one who has to go online and see what's there.

In my opinion, the burden of proof is put on the person who claims to have supernatural abilities (and yes, the ability to contact dead relatives is considered supernatural), and so I don't see anything necessarily wrong with my skepticism. Perhaps we don't agree on everything but I am really just interested in learning what her abilities are that allow her to bear the title of "psychic".

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

charging several hundreds of dollars for a supernatural service

I suspect this is simply due to supply and demand. If nobody was buying, her prices would be lower (I remember reading a post somewhere where she said she didn't even WANT to raise her prices, but she had to, in order to lower the demand for her service).

Originally Posted by Syndicate

I am genuinely skeptical of all people who claim to have supernatural abilities for very good reasons.

If she can do what she says, then it isn't really "super"natural, now is it?

[Syndicate]

If she can do what she says, then it isn't really "super"natural, now is it?

Certainly not.

I suppose a certain part of me gets very frustrated when people claim they can speak to the dead. If they could actually do this, why wouldn't they do things like devote their entire life to helping with the countless number of unsolved mysteries in the world? What about children who have passed while their murderers have not been found? Wouldn't something like this not only add to their credibility but also be one of the best ways they could use such an extraordinary ability for the benefit of society? On top of that, doing something like this could only be beneficial because it would open the world more to the idea of the paranormal.

[Angela]

Why do you choose to distrust yourself? Do you feel you are not trustworthy?

[Anna Conlan]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

In my opinion, the burden of proof is put on the person who claims to have supernatural abilities (and yes, the ability to contact dead relatives is considered supernatural), and so I don't see anything necessarily wrong with my skepticism. Perhaps we don't agree on everything but I am really just interested in learning what her abilities are that allow her to bear the title of "psychic".

To me, this stuff is not supernatural. It's very natural. I recently did an experiment with readers on this thread: Want to practise using your intuition? - Psychic experiment

And people were very accurate. People also sent me emails and commented on my blog and it was common for people to tell me 3 things that were spot on and 1 thing that was not.

I work as a professional psychic and when I started out, I used to think that it was just me and a few others who were good at picking things up about other people. Now I work with other people to help them develop their abilities and I am seeing that it is pretty much anyone who comes to me who can do this, if they work on it and have a genuine openness.

I think that the burden of proof is on YOU, unless you're asking Erin to read for you. Explore this area and develop your own abilities if you want to see evidence.

[Syndicate]

Hi Anna,

I tried your psychic experiment for about five minutes. I viewed the real answers.

Everything I was guessing about the young man was just speculation based on the way he looks and and on the photo itself. I don't exactly see how this was practice for developing my psychic abilities. Am I missing something?

[Syndicate]

I actually just read something by Steve in another thread:

Erin and I have discussed having her offer a no quibble money-back guarantee for her readings, so if you get a reading and aren't happy with it, you get a full refund. I really liked the idea at first, since I'm a strong proponent of risk reversal, meaning that the seller should assume as much of the risk as possible.

As we explored it further though, we couldn't find a way to make it work. Unlike downloadable products, where a return doesn't cost you much, and physical products, where a returned product can be restocked or refurbished, Erin's reading time can't be recouped. She only has a limited amount of time for readings, so any refunds would displace other potential clients. Given that this is obvious, it opens the door to easy abuse.

The problem is that if Erin offered a money-back guarantee, the open door would likely invite abuse from people who didn't really want a reading and just wanted to satisfy their curiosity, which would be a waste of Erin's time and would displace legitimate clients. To my knowledge Erin has never had a refund request or a chargeback after doing several hundred readings now, so I don't think a money-back guarantee would add much value for her clients anyway. It would only lower the bar for the clients she did attract, but Erin is already booking herself to capacity, even after doubling her rates since she started.
...

How do I know what you are doing is not a scam?


In my opinion, having a "no quibble money-back guarantee" would only add to the credibility of the psychic and their services. It's sort of like saying "if you don't feel like I have given you an accurate reading, or if you feel that I haven't given you sufficient information and shown to you that I can connect with your loved one who has passed, you have only wasted your time and not your money." I only see this as a win-win situation for both parties involved.

I'm not sure what you mean Steve when you say that such a strategy would only open the door to abusive people who didn't really want a reading. Typically, people who are seeking advice from psychics are in search for answers, right? Even if you happened to run into a few skeptics, I don't see what the problem is? If your services are legitimate, why would that even matter? You could turn a skeptic into a believer. If you found that your money-back guarantee was being abused, isn't it something that you could later on decide to remove? I see this sort of system as only being beneficial by adding to Erin's credibility and making potential customers more inclined to seek her help. Maybe you can clarify this more for me.

At the end of the day, if you receive value from something it is unlikely that you are going to ask for your money back. Why? Well, for starters it would be embarrassing to have to explain to someone who offered you a service was useful that you want your money back if you have already shown to them that they were very accurate. I would be embarrassed to do that.

Also, here's a question I'd like to ask: Is there a problem with being a skeptic who is also looking for guidance?

[Syndicate]

To be honest, I don't want to come off as a troll. I am really just interested in what Erin claims her abilities are. Sorry if it comes off that way.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by Syndicate

I just I don't think that we can relate the two situations. We can very easily access the Internet and see that it exists. We can quickly find out what it can offer by using it at a public library, for example, and not have to worry about a financial loss. If I want to find out if Erin actually has the ability to contact a dead relative of mine, I have to pay several hundreds of dollars for a half an hour session that may or may not connect me with my dead relative. The ability to speak to someone who has passed from this world to the next is not any ordinary claim that should be taken lightly.

In my opinion, the burden of proof is put on the person who claims to have supernatural abilities (and yes, the ability to contact dead relatives is considered supernatural), and so I don't see anything necessarily wrong with my skepticism. Perhaps we don't agree on everything but I am really just interested in learning what her abilities are that allow her to bear the title of "psychic".

What you've said is like demanding that Bill Gates prove that cyberspace exists because he makes a lot of money from it.

Verifying psychic phenomena is easy enough, much like learning to use the Internet. If that's your intent, don't squawk at an expert and expect to be treated like a golden child.

Start with the beginner stuff. Go to the bookstore and grab a book on developing your psychic skills, for instance. It's inappropriate (and rather immature) to go to a top psychic and demand proof of something they've been practicing for years just because your own skills in this area are lacking to the point where you can't fathom something that's obvious to others.

To say that the burden of proof is on Erin is crazy nutso. To try to bait a top psychic by saying they're supernatural and therefore must prove their abilities to you is equally nutso. It makes you sound like a stalker or something. The burden of educating yourself in this area falls squarely on you.

You say you consider it supernatural to contact the dead. To me that's like saying the Internet is magic.

I say it's just a communication skill. If you're having trouble with this skill, you can start by educating yourself and then practice a lot.

Your lack of skill doesn't obligate a top teacher to bring you up to speed. Again, it just makes you sound uneducated in this area.

I'm sorry you were deprived of a decent education in such a basic skill set. It's disappointing that you consider this to be some kind of magical ability.

[Syndicate]

Can we be friends now?

[Anna Conlan]

It's not guesswork. Many of the people who do the exercise already know how to 'tune in' and get information. There's a technique to it that you can learn.

Originally Posted by Syndicate

Hi Anna,

I tried your psychic experiment for about five minutes. I viewed the real answers.

Everything I was guessing about the young man was just speculation based on the way he looks and and on the photo itself. I don't exactly see how this was practice for developing my psychic abilities. Am I missing something?

[Anna Conlan]

I've thought about offering a money back guarantee. It would work if people came to me wanting facts about things they can verify now. But that's not what a reading is always about.

Occasionally you tell people things they are not sure about when you first tell them. Later on, it shows itself to be true. If that person was a skeptic who wanted to try before they buy, then they'd get their money back for a perfectly good reading. Then later realize the truth in the reading.

It does open psychics up to people who want to abuse their service. I always want people to get the most out of my services but I would never offer a money back guarantee for that reason.

Originally Posted by Syndicate

I actually just read something by Steve in another thread:


How do I know what you are doing is not a scam?


In my opinion, having a "no quibble money-back guarantee" would only add to the credibility of the psychic and their services. It's sort of like saying "if you don't feel like I have given you an accurate reading, or if you feel that I haven't given you sufficient information and shown to you that I can connect with your loved one who has passed, you have only wasted your time and not your money." I only see this as a win-win situation for both parties involved.

I'm not sure what you mean Steve when you say that such a strategy would only open the door to abusive people who didn't really want a reading. Typically, people who are seeking advice from psychics are in search for answers, right? Even if you happened to run into a few skeptics, I don't see what the problem is? If your services are legitimate, why would that even matter? You could turn a skeptic into a believer. If you found that your money-back guarantee was being abused, isn't it something that you could later on decide to remove? I see this sort of system as only being beneficial by adding to Erin's credibility and making potential customers more inclined to seek her help. Maybe you can clarify this more for me.

At the end of the day, if you receive value from something it is unlikely that you are going to ask for your money back. Why? Well, for starters it would be embarrassing to have to explain to someone who offered you a service was useful that you want your money back if you have already shown to them that they were very accurate. I would be embarrassed to do that.

[Andrew Brunelle]

Erin seems to be doing quite well, so whether or not you believe that she is legit doesn't really matter so much. I can't say for certain whether she is a real psychic, having never had a reading with her, but I'm sure there are plenty of people who have had a reading that would love to share their experience with you. It's fine to be a skeptic, but demanding proof of psychic abilities is just going to end in disappointment from an objective lens where proof is actually needed. Relax and open your mind to a world outside of what you currently believe in and see where it takes you.

[doablefinance]

Why look in the past?
The dead is past.

Talk about the future.
Life is future.

All humans have the ability to see the future but
only when it has occurred.

Has Erin contacted anyone to say what is behind
the big curtain?

We hear a lot about hell and heaven.
Has anyone contacted someone what's behind the curtain if
these two concepts are real. Or perhaps folks that
have gone behind the curtain are in the dark as well.

I strongly believe once you are "deleted" from the
surface of the earth, you become a "disconnect",
never to return or never to be contacted.

In my mind then that rules out the existence of ghosts.
Except probably Christianity, other religions have no
concept of ghosts.

And because all humans are in the dark concerning
the hereafter (life after death???), it creates belief as well as
disbelief among humans. Then it becomes your faith or
lack of it.

But then again everyone is different. Thank God for that.

[rickrock]

I do understand what you are feeling, and at a time I wanted to contact a psychic for a free reading also. That was a few years ago, I studied everything I could find on paranormal and psychics. I read books, blogs, and what ever I could find on the internet that I could deem "real". Yes, there are some "cold readers".

Now, I have actually developed my psychic abilities for a while now and its stranger than anything I could ever read. Sceptic is a different word than unsure. At first it felt like you wanted it to be real but as your posts continued it seemed more like you wanted them to be fake.

Follow Steve's advice and get a book. Once you get some experience nothing anyone can tell you about it can influence you. You will know for yourself.

[RomanHD]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Verifying psychic phenomena is easy enough, much like learning to use the Internet. If that's your intent, don't squawk at an expert and expect to be treated like a golden child.

Start with the beginner stuff. Go to the bookstore and grab a book on developing your psychic skills, for instance. It's inappropriate (and rather immature) to go to a top psychic and demand proof of something they've been practicing for years just because your own skills in this area are lacking to the point where you can't fathom something that's obvious to others.

Although I am not the OP, let me reply to this. Steve, I did. I went to the book store. I searched the Internet. I tried the stuff. I believed it. And guess what, nothing happened. THEN I became a sceptic, not the other way around.

Maybe you can point me and others to some books/web sites which you can actually make work in a 30 day trial?