Psychic Addiction
May 29th, 2008 by BohemianMoon
***DISCLAIMER*** As with all my articles or blog entries, these are of my own opinion, your mileage may vary.
As potentially unhealthy as I feel that drive-through readings can be, there is a darker aspect of psychic readings that is not only unhealthy, it can be downright dangerous.
Psychic Addiction.
Contrary to what I have heard some other readers across the web state, psychic addiction is very real, and like any addiction can become utterly debilitating. Unfortunately, like any other addiction as well, the person that is in the throes of said addiction very rarely wants to hear about it, and particularly from the psychic that is reading them.
As was such the case with a client I had a few days ago on another site in which I read….and boy did she ever shoot the messenger!
OUCH!
But I would rather be “shot” than to not gently mention the dangerous. I care about my clients, even if they “hate” me for it. It is my hope that in time she will accept the observation and words I offered her, and realize that I was only trying to help her see that she was acting obsessively, compulsively and was headed for emotional and financial danger if she continued the course that she was presently on, and had been for some time, with psychic readings.
We live in an addictive society, and quite frankly we always have, so there is no surprise there. What may be the surprise is how vast addiction is, and that is is not simply a compulsion, over use and abuse towards drugs and alcohol. It is compulsion, over use and abuse towards anything….sex, gambling, food, people, shopping…..and yes, psychic readings. Any form of dependency is harmful and psychic dependency can be all the more insidious since the client is, more times than not, in a relatively vulnerable state when they call on a reader. This is why it is imperative that one find and stay with an honest, ethical reader or readers that have proven their ability,(I suggest no more than three), instead of jumping from reader to reader to reader. As a note, an ethical reader will not read a person on the same situation over and over and over again in the course of weeks, or even months. Of course there are exceptions to this, but as a rule a reader should explain to the client that allowing things to play out, and to stay in the NOW, is vital.
How did I know that my client was consulting too many readers and headed for trouble? Well, I am an empathic intuitive, after all, lol……but more than that, the amount of what I call “‘psychic dust” was piled on her energy like the dirt that collects on the top of curtains that have been neglected for a year. With every reading that a person receives, an imprint of the energy of another reader is left behind, particularly if the reader does not cleanse themselves (hands, working area, etc) between clients. It builds up and it is unmistakable to someone that reads energy, as I do. It also tends to skew readings.
This reading was via email which, like anything, has its merits and its challenges. I love email readings because I can take my time and am not bound by a ticking clock as I am on one site in which I read in live sessions. If there is psychic “muck” to break through, as was with this reading, I am usually able to do so, and see the situation clearly. One of the problems, however, with email readings is if there is what could be percieved as “bad news”, I prefer to break that to a client live so I can help them through it in real time, assuming that they want the help. All of my emails are affordable, comprehensive and quite frankly, generous. I do not charge per word, I charge per reading, and if that reading turns out to be 3, 4 or 5 pages, that is what it is. I offer the information that is presented to me in a clear and concise manner as I possibly can. I also, in every reading, offer strategies for growth and for moving forward. These are offered at no charge to the client, but of course, it is up to the client to accept that help and further, to do that work. The point being, I read to hopefully HELP people facilitate learning, growth and evolution of soul in their own lives. Unfortunately in this day and age of drive through and instantaneous, it is all too easy to find someone 24/7 that will tell you what you want to hear, and not necessarily what you need to hear. Because of this many times people will “psychic shop” and go from reader to reader until they hear what they want. Yet, hearing what you want to hear will not solve your problems. Neither will calling over and over again about the same situation. To do so fosters dependency on something outside of yourself, and thus a vicious cycle of addiction may start.
Moon’s Red Flags for Psychic Addiction:
1. Seeing an advisor more than once or twice a month regarding the same issue/situation. Now I am going to qualify this by saying that there are cases in which a person may need to consult their advisor more than this if the situation warrants it and the advisor is actually qualified to counsel and coach their client.
“What is he thinking now?” or “Is he going to call me tonight?” doesn’t cut it.
2. Psychic hopping. Also known as going from reader to reader to reader for “clarification” or “another opinion”. As I stated above, I have no problem with a person going to a couple of ethical advisors with whom they have a solid connection. Again, an ethical advisor is not going to read a client over and over and over on the same situation, and will let their client know that early on in the advisor/client relationship.
What is usually the case with psychic hopping is a client going from reader to reader to reader chasing the words that they want to hear, and unfortunately there are plenty of unscrupulous readers that not only have no problem telling them what they want to hear, but actually encourage it, fostering dependency. Why? Because it keeps them coming back for paid readings. CHA-CHING!
I sound like a broken record, but one more time here: a good reader is going to encourage you to live in the now. To realize that you are the captain of your own ship. To emphasise that nothing is written in stone, and to allow time for choices and decisions of your own making to unfold.
3. Spending money that you don’t really have to spend on psychic readings, or using money for a psychic reading that is bookmarked for another area of your life, especially finances that are for bills and other basic necessities of life such as food, gas, clothing and shelter.
4. Opening up credit cards or running up balances on credit cards wherein most of the balance is for psychic readings.
5. Getting anxious, irritable and/or angry because you cannot call an advisor due to finances or even when you can, and you cannot reach the one, two, three or five that you have been calling.
6. Getting angry at an advisor that suggests that you may have been getting too many readings and suggests that it may be time for you to look at this issue and get help for it as they would for any serious addiction. If it pisses you off that an advisor has stated this, ask yourself why, and be honest with the answer.
As with any article on addiction, I would be remiss if I did not cite some support sources for help. There is presently a Google Group called (approprietly) Psychic Junkie that deals with psychic addiction. I have read the articles and information of the group and feel that it is a solid resource for those that are presently addicted to psychic readings or think they may be. You may find the link to the group through:
www.psychicjunkie.net
While the group does advocate that psychic readings are totally unnecessary, and I would obviously beg to differ with that, they do stress taking control of one’s life and of course offer the support that only those with the same addiction can. Which is, in my opinion, priceless.
Why would I suggest a site that speaks so offensively against psychic readings, being a spiritual advisor myself? Because addiction to anything can be a grave life issue and that is the bottomline. Because I have an ethical duty as a practitioner in the spiritual field to be honest and to empower my clients in anyway that I can. Because in my practice I am all about self growth and evolution.
Because I don’t care if anyone hates me for it.
Well if there were more psychics like you- there would be less psychic junkies!
Just FYI I don’t consider my group or website or even myself to be anti-psychic. I’m just anti-psychic addiction.
Thank you for writing this article. I’m sure it will help many people.
Sarah
Hey there Sarah~
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment:) I appreciate your clarification on my impression of your site. I did get the impression that you and the posters there are anti-psychic, but to qualify that, I definately understand why the members would, and I am good with that.
In my experience dealing with addiction, when the person has faced that they have an addiction and is in recovery for same, it is quite common for them to hate what ever substance it is that they are addicted to, and in this case, psychic readers. It helps to give them a ground in which to propel themselves forward and realize that they do not need this substance to be happy and live a fulfilled life.
Hey, we all want to stay away from those things that we hate! It makes perfect sense to me:)
Your ground breaking book and site is helping a great many people, and I applaud you for it!
As always~
Peace and good from the Moon!
I don’t know. I feel like all online psychics get a bad rap and that’s just not fair. Granted, so many of them are just not who they say they are. However, I have met a few psychics who are totally accurate and really do know what they are doing.
For instance, I went to http://www.PsychicAnswersNow.com and got a reading with Jeremiah Skyler. His page has plenty of testimonials and he is what he says he is, an honest and accurate psychic. I’ve been going to him for a while now and frankly don’t really need to go elsewhere.
When I hear all these stories about psychic addiction, I hope that people won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are bad apples in every industry, but not all of them are bad.
Hey there Shelia~
I decided to leave your blatant advertisement in your comment, because well, it is so blatant that any of my readers will see it as such, and draw their own conclusions as to why you left it (DUH!).
As for your comment, had you read my “About Page” for this blog, my article on Psychic Addiction itself, or visited our site itself (www.psychic-wisdom.net) you would know that I am a reader, as is my husband, David James. While I have not been in the industry as long as my husband’s 22 years, I have been around long enough to see what damage, emotionally and financially, unscrupulous readers can do to their querents. Further, you can bet that it is something that I will speak out about and against as long as I am able.
I personally know nothing about the reader that you have mentioned above, so I cannot comment on his abilities or his professionalism. I can, however, comment on “Testimonial” pages in general.
ANYONE can put anything they darn well please on their own site. It is THEIR site, and they regulate it. Who is to say that the testimonials on ANY reader’s site (just not the one mentioned above) are real and not construed by the site’s owner, webmaster, etc? I hardly think that Myspace addresses warrant total believability. It is curious to me why there are no negative comments listed on his page. Why is that?
Are you catching my drift now regarding testimonials?
Now if you want to talk about the two largest psychic reading sites on the web wherein clients can leave ratings which cannot be edited in any way by the reader themselves, then I would put more stock in their validity.
Psychic Addiction is real and it is a major concern for ethical spiritual practitioners. I never insinuated that if a person is suffering from this addiction it is soley the fault of psychics. Obviously the client has a hand in their own addiction. My purpose for the article was to draw attention to the warning signs of addiction for those who get psychic readings, and to let the unscrupulous readers among us know that I am working to educate the public on what to and to not look for when they choose a reader….or when they continue with the same reader.
Forwarned is forarmed, as they say.
I thought it would be good to say something positive about someone who is honest.
I thank you for your comment.
Hi, I was just reading this discussion as I’m really interested in this phenomena (psychic addiction). I’ve personally been addicted to numerous things and can easily see how it’s possible to become addicted to calling psychics, in desperation of finding solutions to one’s problems. In fact, I’m planning to make a short documentary series on different kinds of addictions (mine isn’t the psychic one) and I was wondering how I could find ‘normal’ people, whose lives are affected by psychic dependency. I think like many addictions, it’s very difficult for the addicts to talk about it, and even though I can imagine it’s a growing problem in today’s world, I can’t really find an awful lot of material on the net about it. Can you suggest anything, where I could go for further research or get in touch with people who are affected by psychic addiction? Sorry if I’m rambling beside the point a bit.
#7 HV~
Yes, there is an author/actress, Sarah Lassez, who was addicted to readings and wrote a book called “Psychic Junkie a Memoir” and she has a internet support group for those that are suffering with this addiction and those that are in recovery for same.
This is her site. Her contact information and link for the group can be found there:
http://www.psychicjunkie.net/
I wish you luck in your recovery and in your documentary!
Peace and good!
im VERY lost. i have been calling psychics not for about 2 years. at first it was ok…maybe once a month…..once every two months. NOW, most of my paycheck goes into calling psychics! I feel i need to talk to an advisor about once a week. and it is usually more than one with in that week. I go “psychic hopping” as well. When i am done with the reading i feel reassured but then i look at my bank account and say “WHY DID I DO THAT?” i live paycheck to paycheck because of psychics i probably spent 600 on psychics this year. I NEED HELP
kandyce~
im VERY lost. i have been calling psychics not for about 2 years. at first it was ok…maybe once a month…..once every two months. NOW, most of my paycheck goes into calling psychics! I feel i need to talk to an advisor about once a week. and it is usually more than one with in that week. I go “psychic hopping” as well. When i am done with the reading i feel reassured but then i look at my bank account and say “WHY DID I DO THAT?” i live paycheck to paycheck because of psychics i probably spent 600 on psychics this year. I NEED HELP
Welcome to my blog, Kandyce, I am happy that you have found it.
This is a HUGE problem in not only the US, but in many other countries as well and something that I have written about extensively. As with any addiction, no one can do this for you, but there is help to be found. One of the greatest resources that I know of on the web that is comprehensive and FREE, as I mentioned in the entry you just responded to is: Sarah Lassez’s site. Sarah is an actress/writer who was addicted to psychic readings and wrote a book called “Psychic Junkie~ a Memoir”. She runs a Google Support Group for those that are addicted or think that they may be. Her site and link to her group can be found at this address: http://www.psychicjunkie.net/html/book.html
I have talked to and helped a great many people over the years that are addicted to psychic readings, so please do not feel that you are alone. Many people find it a harder addiction than most simply for the fact that they feel that they cannot talk about it due to the nature of the addiction – psychic readings. Again, you are not alone and it is an addiction that had reared it’s ugly head with the event of readings via the phone and now the internet and it is, like all addiction, nothing to be ashamed of. However, just like with any addiction, you have to be willing to be proactive in your desire to overcome your addiction, which the the first, yet most challenging, step. Please check out the foregoing link to Sarah’s site as a first step, and feel free to email me at anytime via the “Contact Moon” button on the home page of Musings.
It is not easy taking the first step towards facing any addiction, but from your post I see that you already have – admitting that you have a problem. Now on to step number two!
Peace and good to you~
Bohemian Moon