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This image shows Helen Duncan in trance sitting in a circle in different seances in which allegedly produced these ectoplastic forms. Helen Duncan is seen materializing Peggy in a seance conducted in her own home. This photograph is an example of the reason to belief "patternicity:" It appears to show Peggy to be a creature with a paper-mache and cheesecloth. At a seance held at her home in 1933, the Physical Medium Helen Duncan produced the materialized form of her alleged Spirit Guide Peggy. Helen Duncan is wearing a blindfold to stop any sudden shock from the flash of the photographer. Also, notice the two people at either side of Mrs. Duncan they are holding her by the hands, they could have been manipulating the form which was supposed to be covered in cheesecloth.

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Ouija boards have their roots in Spiritualism, which began in the United States in the late 1840s. (Claims that ancient Ouija boards existed are unfounded). The new movement was led by mediums, who claimed to be intermediaries between the living and the dead.  There were a number of ways mediums made followers believe that they were communicating messages from those who had passed. One, table turning, involved the table moving or knocking on the floor in response to letters called out from the alphabet. Another method used planchettes, heart-shaped devices with two wheels at one end and a pencil at the point; users would place their fingers on the device, which would then be guided by spirits who would “write” messages. An example of a red flag "proof by verbosity," this is because a lot of information is provided during a ouija board session and it's possible that someone will eventually find out something that resonates with them. This could potentially lead people down the path of believing in this on a serious level. One particular reason for belief is simply the "Unexplained." Because people might think there is some unexplained phenomenon behind it that explains why it works.

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The founder of this directory is Bob Olson, a former skeptic and private investigator who has researched psychics and mediums since 1999. He created this psychic medium directory to set a new, higher standard within the psychic and medium industry and to help people find the most credible and reputable psychic mediums. Some red flags that can be seen in all of this include: "Confusion Of Correlation With Causation and Confirmation Bias." His so-called directory seems to conclude that if a medium is acting a certain way and perform their divination's in a certain way then they must be legitimate. This isn't a correct way of thinking because it allows you to make assumptions with no critical thinking really involved, which can allow you to be scammed.

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James Van Praagh launched The JVP School of Mystical Arts, an online academy where students can tap into their psychic, intuitive, healing and mediumistic abilities, and be personally guided and mentored by him. An example of a red flag - "Mystical energy:"  the scientific word “energy” is used throughout his website which is meaningless. In the beginning of JVP's career, he was actually an actor and at one point played a medium. Should we think that he's still acting or that he suddenly and mysteriously discovered special powers beyond normal people? And if these powers are special, how can he TEACH them?

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MESSAGE FROM JAMES VAN PRAAGH

Welcome Dear Friend!

I'm so grateful you're here. One thing I know about you is... YOU are a gift to the world. The world needs you-your unique talent, your healing voice, the love only you can give. That's why I created the James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts. I want you to be able to live your soul's purpose, to heal on the deepest level, to experience love in every breath, and to share your gifts with the world. I want you to have it all!

This school is your home for creating a soul-filled life and spiritual career. And I'm here to be your guide, teacher, and friend. Through our courses together, I share everything I've learned over the last 35 years as one of the world's top spiritual teachers and mediums. We cover every spiritual topic under the sun, from intuition and mediumship to healing grief and embracing your sensitivity. The James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts is more than a learning experience. It's a place of like-minded souls where you're empowered to shine.

Always remember, you're here for a reason.

Can't wait to "see" you in class!

Love,

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James Van Praagh | School of Mystical Arts

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MESSAGE FROM JAMES VAN PRAAGH Welcome Dear Friend! I'm so grateful you're here. One thing I know about you is... YOU are a gift to the world. The world needs you-your unique talent, your healing voice, the love only you can give. That's why I created the James Van Praagh School of Mystical Arts.

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This article is featured on Oprah's website. She is a believer in mediums and often promotes them. An example of a red flag would be "Appeal to authority:"  Oprah is seen as an authoritative figure. She is an entertainer, not an educator, and we shouldn't expect too much from her by way of enhancing whatever critical thinking is already going on by viewers of entertainment programs that feature people with paranormal or supernatural powers. Still, it would be nice if she did a follow-up program with some knowledgeable people who could clearly explain things like wishful thinking, deception, subjective validation, hot and cold readings, and the search for statistics as evidence of pathology, not wisdom. She could educate herself and millions of others in the bargain. It could even be entertaining. Oprah's website is a place where you can express your beliefs about the paranormal and the supernatural. Not surprisingly, almost all visitors to her website believe in both the paranormal. An example of reason to belief would be "Emotional connection:" Playing with people's emotions and giving false hope is wrong, especially since she is profiting from it.

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I'm 33 years old, happily married, a working mother of two boys and reside in Denver, Colorado. I'm a regular gal like many of you. There's just one little twist: I'm a professional psychic medium. I communicate with spirits on a regular basis, connecting the living with loved ones on the other side. But this "gift" is not something I was always aware of possessing, nor was I raised in a household where we talked about psychics or paranormal phenomena. Let me share with you how spirit entered into my life one day, 13 years ago, and forever rocked my world.

As a 20-year-old sophomore in college at the University of Florida, I went through big changes in my personal life. I started to withdraw from my sorority and many friends. I realized I was suffering from depression, yet I didn't want to reach out for help. I started unconsciously turning to food to find comfort from my suffering. At night, I would sleepwalk into the kitchen and eat, until minutes later I "woke up" confused and went back to bed. This started happening more and more, going from one time per night, a few nights a week, to several times, every night. I was in constant battle with myself-my mind vs. my soul. I started gaining weight, and my unhappiness grew stronger. I felt like a prisoner to myself. A year later, I told my parents what was going on and, in turn, sought a doctor. I tried antidepressants for six months, yet this did nothing more but dull the pain that remained deep within. So, with the permission of my doctor, I took myself off them and again fought this battle on my own.

Two years and 30 pounds later, I decided I'd had enough. I began to journal my feelings, crying out for help. A few months later, I ran into an "angel board," like a Ouija board, and began playing around with it, with my college roommates. What started out as a game turned into my therapy. I would take the board into my room at night and connect with my angels. One night, my deceased grandma Babe came through and told me to take care of the dripping candle behind me. Confused, I turned around only to find my candle dripping wax all over my carpet! It was then I knew there were more eyes in that room than just my own. Then, a few days later, I was at a bookstore journaling about my frustrations, and my grandma started to talk to me through my own hand...a process known as automatic writing. She started channeling information through me, and my hand flew furiously across the page. Fifteen pages later, she had told me things only my father would know, just to confirm it was truly her. After reading the words to my dad, he confirmed it all as being true. And thus began my work with my grandma and guides on the other side.

How her spiritual guides led her to her soul mate

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oprah spirit inspiration rebecca rosen psychic medium intuition intuitition guidance other side contributor paranormal meet new ouija board angel board grandmother talk dead deceased communicate communicating story clair senses clairaudience clairvoyance

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I'm 33 years old, happily married, a working mother of two boys and reside in Denver, Colorado. I'm a regular gal like many of you. There's just one little twist: I'm a professional psychic medium. I communicate with spirits on a regular basis, connecting the living with loved ones on the other side.

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She's one of the most popular reality stars on TV today. For three seasons now, Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium, has amazed viewers and brought people to tears by communicating messages from beyond. Caputo states on her hit series "I have a very special gift. I talk to the dead,"

She’s bringing comfort under false pretenses, and taking advantage of vulnerable, grieving people. When looking at reasons of belief one method I noticed that encompasses them all is "simplicity." This is because a good amount of people who do visit mediums usually believe in having a "destiny", meaning they would rather not try and explain mediums and critically think about their divination's but rather they would just accept it as it is easier. An example of a red flag would be "proof of verbosity"  Theresa Caputo is providing a huge quantity of information on her website to give the appearance that with that much information her claim must be true.

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I'm the Long Island Medium (maybe you've heard of my reality show?), a New York Times best-selling author, and an incredibly busy mom, wife, and all-around family gal. I was born and raised on Long Island in Hicksville, NY and have been married to my husband Larry for 28 years. We have two children, Larry and Victoria, and I'm close to my parents, who are still very much alive. I also have a brother named Michael and a feisty Yorkie Louie, and two french bulldogs Bubba and Bentley (yup we have them now!).

I've been seeing, feeling, and sensing Spirit since I was four years old, but it wasn't until I was in my 20s that I learned to communicate with souls in Heaven. After suffering from debilitating anxiety and trying to manage it on my own and with a therapist for years, my mom introduced me to a spiritual healer and teacher named Pat Longo. After just one session, she told me that I was suppressing Spirit's energy, which caused a lot of my anxiety, and helped me learn to channel Spirit through my chakras and release it with my words. I began to heal and come into my own.

When I accepted my gift, I decided to use it to deliver healing messages that would help people learn, grow, and embrace life. I've been a practicing medium for over ten years now and tour the country with my live show "Theresa Caputo Live The Experience." I've also written three books: There's More to Life than This: Healing Messages, Remarkable Stories, and Insight from the Other Side (Atria Books, 2013), which debuted at #2 on the New York Times best seller list, "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Life Changing Lessons from Heaven (Atria Books, 2014) I'm very excited for you all to read my new book NY Times bestseller "Good Grief" Heal Your Soul, Honor Your Loved Ones, and Learn to Live again (Atria Books 2017). Considering I started this work with just a business card and word of mouth, I pinch myself when I think about what a crazy ride it's been for a typical Long Island mom!

Clients, fans, and the media always ask me to describe how I receive information, and it's hard to put into words because I see, hear, and feel things differently than we do in the physical world. Spirit mostly speaks to me through a sixth sense-a kind of feeling and knowing. When I get information, it feels like very strong intuition, or recall. Spirit also uses a vocabulary of signs and symbols that they show me during a reading; over time, I assigned words, phrases, and meanings to certain images I was shown, and then through trial and error, Spirit helped me add new ones until we created an entire vocabulary for us to work with. I translate my signs and what I feel as best I can, and then deliver the messages, but it's the client's job to interpret how the meaning is significant. It's like piecing together a puzzle, and can sometimes sound like guesswork, but Spirit speaks "another language," at another speed, and in another dimension. My job's not easy lol!

I'm grateful for an ability that's brought countless people comfort and joy, helped many believe in an afterlife, led others to trust that their loved ones are safe and at peace, and shown them that those souls are guiding, encouraging, and loving them from the Other Side. My wish for everyone I meet is that Spirit gives them a message that brings them the most peace at that moment.

If you're interested in a reading, please know that I was booked for two years before the show first aired, and in addition to that I had a very extended waiting list. The people that have emailed, written in or filled out the online form have been added to that list. Unfortunately being on this list does not guarantee an appointment. The people featured on Long Island Medium are selected from all of the lists. Factors include location, availability, and who feels comfortable being on television are taken into consideration.Because it's just impossible to schedule so far out.I am so incredibly honored and grateful for all of your love and support! I am truly blessed by all of you! Thank you for all your patience and understanding <3

XOXO THERESA

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I'm the Long Island Medium (maybe you've heard of my reality show?), a New York Times best-selling author, and an incredibly busy mom, wife, and all-around family gal. I was born and raised on Long Island in Hicksville, NY and have been married to my husband Larry for 28 years.

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This video depicts a spiritual community (Lily Dale) in New York. People come to visit for many reasons, such as private readings and workshops. The Lily Dale community has based both its traditions and world view on the modern spiritualism established by the Fox Sisters (one of which admitted to their fraud). The red flag"Appeal to authority":  the use of authoritative imagery such as the police officer to lend the appearance of credibility to the community of Lily Dale. A reason of belief example would be "Simplicity:" people who attend Lily Dale look into pseudoscience since it easier to understand rather looking into the scientific evidence.

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Psychic Twins Prediction Of Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Divorce

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Inspiration , & Spiritualism | Lily Dale Assembly

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Spiritualist Village of Lily Dale, New York

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This story, from 2000 when I was still learning to shoot, has some seriously messed-up shots. I apologize in particular to the poor woman whose nose I shot up. But the place is fascinating, and the people are amazing, hilarious and sweet (especially the town historian and the cop).

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This is a video of medium James Van Praagh failing miserably at cold reading. Cold reading is a technique without prior knowledge of a person, a practiced cold reader can still quickly obtain a great deal of information about the subject by analyzing the person's body language. For example: asking a crowd of people who lost a husband and then "reading" the person that reacts the most to the question. An example of a red flag would be "confirmation bias." In the case, people will remember James making 100 probing guesses and only 10 were correct – but they'll remember the 10 correct guesses.

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James Van Praagh failing miserably at cold reading on The Circle, Channel 10.

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James Van Praagh failing miserably at psychic / cold reading on the TV show The Circle on Channel 10.

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This is a seance, conducted by psychic medium Derek Acorah. This footage shows a presence in the room and fans gather around the table to join hands and speak with Michael Jackson. This video shows an emotional connection. Derek constitutes a powerful method for deception. These victims already have an inclination to believe and are in an emotionally vulnerable state so much as so one of them changed their last name to "Jackson." The red flag "proof by verbosity" is present. Derek is providing a huge quantity of evidence and background information on Michael to give the appearance that with that much information his claims must be true.

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Michael Jackson Live Seance - Featuring Glenn Jackson - UK's Number 1 M.J. Tribute Act

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An intimate and unique TV event. World - renowned psychic Derek Acorah attemps to contact the spirit of The King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. Featuring Glenn Jackson, UK's No1 Michael Jackson Tribute Act. Will Derek and the four fans on the programme be able to contact their idol from beyond the grave ???

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A medium is a person who claims to be a messenger between the living and the dead. They communicate messages in a variety of ways-seances, dream interpretation, during private consultations, or in front of television cameras. Some think all people have the power of a medium because of a random mysterious coincidence, but most reject that suggestion. Most mediums have private offices and mostly work alone.