Derren Brown went to a London premier psychic training college to do some filming for his very first UK TV programme (2000/01). The idea being that it would show two psychics giving a reading to a subject and then Derren would give his own, non-psychic reading to the same subject, which would be more accurate (all cold-reading and watching body-language skills).
Unfortunately, they could not use the footage, because this was what the psychics came up with:
PSYCHIC: I sense that you live on your own, or you share a place.
SUBJECT: Erm...
PSYCHIC: Yes, definitely on your own, or with other people.
SUBJECT: Can you be more specific?
[PSYCHIC] INSTRUCTOR (angrily interjecting): Do you live alone or share a place? It must be one or the other!
SUBJECT (embarrassed): Well, I kind of live with my parents.
INSTRUCTOR (snapping): Well, then, that's with other people, isn't it? Don't just sit there and not answer, it blocks the energy.
From the book: 'Tricks of the Mind' by Derren Brown.
Very funny and one of the chapters is a great and entertaining lesson on how to reason.
Full Version: Psychics
QUOTE(Fran @ Apr 8 2007, 08:54 AM) 
Derren Brown went to a London premier psychic training college to do some filming for his very first UK TV programme (2000/01). The idea being that it would show two psychics giving a reading to a subject and then Derren would give his own, non-psychic reading to the same subject, which would be more accurate (all cold-reading and watching body-language skills).
Unfortunately, they could not use the footage, because this was what the psychics came up with:
PSYCHIC: I sense that you live on your own, or you share a place.
SUBJECT: Erm...
PSYCHIC: Yes, definitely on your own, or with other people.
SUBJECT: Can you be more specific?
[PSYCHIC] INSTRUCTOR (angrily interjecting): Do you live alone or share a place? It must be one or the other!
SUBJECT (embarrassed): Well, I kind of live with my parents.
INSTRUCTOR (snapping): Well, then, that's with other people, isn't it? Don't just sit there and not answer, it blocks the energy.
From the book: 'Tricks of the Mind' by Derren Brown.
Very funny and one of the chapters is a great and entertaining lesson on how to reason.
Unfortunately, they could not use the footage, because this was what the psychics came up with:
PSYCHIC: I sense that you live on your own, or you share a place.
SUBJECT: Erm...
PSYCHIC: Yes, definitely on your own, or with other people.
SUBJECT: Can you be more specific?
[PSYCHIC] INSTRUCTOR (angrily interjecting): Do you live alone or share a place? It must be one or the other!
SUBJECT (embarrassed): Well, I kind of live with my parents.
INSTRUCTOR (snapping): Well, then, that's with other people, isn't it? Don't just sit there and not answer, it blocks the energy.
From the book: 'Tricks of the Mind' by Derren Brown.
Very funny and one of the chapters is a great and entertaining lesson on how to reason.
Hehe. I did a trick like this in a pool hall after debating the 'validity' of psychics a few years ago. My cold reading was right on. It's really amazing what people can be summoned to believe. Sometimes on the weekends I listen to that coasttocoastam radio show just for kicks. I consider it to be fun Halloween type stories but in reality It's sad.
I didn't even stoop so low as to use the 'he may or may not have had a mustache' routine.....
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