Psychics

[Fran]

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.

Edited April 8, 2007 by Fran

[RTB]

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.

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.....