Transcript and analysis of psychic reading - read on Thursday 23rd March 2000.
The 'psychic' started the reading before pressing record on the machine so our transcript comes in after 'contact' had apparently already been made with the subject's grandmother.
"…. Very strong character this lady, very dominant sort of lady would be known at most readings that you go to. I am sure she does come through most of the time. Not very tall would have worn glasses or put glasses on. Slight curl in her hair and you know one of those Victorian type lady's, at the same time a good woman she had a heart in her, took a bit of understanding and where she was coming from and would have liked to wear blue or bluey type colours and you'll have to think about that."
Although having made contact with the grandmother a surprising lack of information comes from this and is very vague. She describes a classic elderly woman, born early 1900-1930 with Victorian values and almost certainly wearing glasses, the 'psychic' allows herself a 'get out' clause by stating that had she not worn glasses she would have needed them for reading. The fact that she may have enjoyed blue as a colour would seem to be irrelevant information. Why would Bobs deceased grandmother be rambling on about her favourite colour??
"I don't know whether you've needed a bit of a push lately and you've been feeling a bit flat but she's trying to..you know?"
At this point the 'psychic' has asked a question but has cleverly covered that fact up,"I don't know whether you've needed a bit of a push lately..?" ...that was a direct question but she goes on to close the sentence knowing that the question has registered and will receive feedback as Bob now answers the question..
- "Bob: Yeah, I know what you're saying"
"Have you been a bit apprehensive about work recently?"
- "Bob: Umm, pretty much I think we're all the same though aren't we?"
"Yeah, I didn’t feel you were changing work and I didn't feel that change was with work, so I'm sorry about that. But I just felt apprehensive."
- "Yeah, pretty much"
I honestly feel something's going to come in and you'll think 'I'll go for that' because you tend to, sort of, stay with the devil you know and not the devil you don't, a bit cautious that way".
- "Bob: yes."
So somethings going to come in and you'll look at it and you'll think 'yeah', and this little lady's going to say 'go' and you'll think 'I will have a change' alright?"
- "Bob: yeah."
Having made contact with our subjects grandmother all that our subject received was vague generalization and clichés ("better the devil you know" and so fourth)
After a long pause the grandmother is forgotten and then......
"Who is David on the earth plane?"
Our man looks confused and is trying to think, the 'psychic' clearly realising that this 'David' cannot be THAT important to our subject and certainly not family she adds....
"A Friend."
The subject is still having problems connecting this name.
- "Bob: Umm,"
"And who is George in spirit?"
Hang on!!!!!, what happened to David?
"Don't worry, who is John?"
Now the name George is again quickly forgotten as is david and the name 'John' is tried-on.
- "Bob: Umm…."
Our subject cannot connect with these names, amazingly the 'psychic' tries another.
"Stephen?"
and another!
"Mark?"
"People on the earth, or people you've worked with or just happen to come into contact with.?"
Here the 'psychic', who is starting to sweat, has no choice but to dramatically widen the field for bob to try and accept these numerous rather common names. He has been invited to select anyone from a deceased close relative to someone he may have bumped into at Tesco.
- "Bob: Well mark rings a bell and there was an Uncle George?"
Knowing that none of these attempts have excited our subject she goes on to try others...
"I also want the name Harry in spirit and I want the name Tom in spirit so there are a lot of people around you who want to be remembered."
The 'psychic' states that there are 'a lot of people around bob who want to be remembered' ...really?? Certainly the names George, Harry and Tom were designated as 'spirit' but the other names (Stephen, John, Mark and David) were not and could have been anyone?
"Bob: There is a Tom yeah."
"Theres a gentleman bearing your fathers look and your dads on the earth?"
Note the subtle use of questioning to establish the status of bobs father.
- "Bob: Right"
Although Bob has seemed to confirm this information it is not correct. The connection of 'Tom' is in fact a deceased Uncle and was not his grandfather.
"Nice old boy this one, very much around you again, can I ask you, did your family ever lose a dog?"
Let's pause here for a moment, having apparently just made a significant contact with Bobs grandfather to the point she could state he was 'a nice old boy' the 'psychic' immediately turns to some dog!!! Does this make any sense?
- "Bob: Possibly, my dad may have done."
Why would bob worry about the details of this dog? Since bob has already indicated that the dog has no significance why would he care about the colour of this animal. The 'psychic' then decides to fill more time talking about this insignificant dog after apparently contacted his Grandfather.
"Umm, it’s a dark coloured dog, not a big dog but not a small dog…. average size dog"
- "Bob: yeah."
Bob agrees that an average size dog is not small or big !!!
"Dark colour, could be mongrely or just…err, all I could see was a dark coloured animal sitting next to you."
"Your mum still on the earth?"
- "Bob: yeah."
Another direct question to attain the status of bobs mother; strange though that she hadn't already been told by bobs grandmother or grandfather.
"Not been too well has she?"
- "Bob: Umm, not really."
Bobs reply to this question on the tape sounds half-hearted and is quickly picked up on by the reader.
"Just down nothing serious. This lady says not ill just a bit down."
- "Bob: yeah she has been."
The 'lady' being referred to must obviously not be the grandmother as she was referred to as 'Nan' previously.
"And according to the lady again she has been trying to be around your mum so lots of things going around, there's a young lady in your life?"
Another direct question to probe bobs social situation.
- "Bob: umm…sort of"
Another direct question.
- "Bob: yeah I'm a bit dubious I suppose I'd like it to."
Their follows more probing about bobs relationships then the recording is paused. The reason for this was supposedly due to the personal nature of the conversation but since bob himself had provided the cassette and the recording was for him this does not make sense. When the recording is resumed the reader is in full swing having undoubtedly obtained further information whilst the machine was on pause. The conclusion of this discussion must therefore be discounted from our study, as there is no evidence to explain how the information was obtained.
"Can I ask did anyone you were connected to ever lose a child? Anybody miss-carry or terminate?"
- "Bob: not that I'm aware of, erm..lets think."
Note the 'addition' added after bobs negative response, now the child can be treated as a mystery and easily forgotten, had bob of responded the other way it would have been yet another display of her supernatural abilities.
"Welll theres a child stood by the side of you, so you'll either accept that or you don't, theres actually two nans here in spirit, you've got quite a collection of people here."
So much for the child!
"Somebody in your family was in the navy as well, now the work that you do, can I ask you, do you have to use a lot of mental pressure with the job that you do?"
- "Bob: hmm."
- "Bob: yeah"
question!
- Bob: hmm.
- "Bob: yeah that’s right."
For those really following this and think I've missed one…I have not. Bob does look and sound as though he would work in an office and is always smartly dressed and does not look like your average bricklayer!
"..he also tells me you've not been sleeping 100%, you've still got a lot going on - emotionally, and it is emotional stability you're looking for at the minute, job changes? Not yet, better the way are at the minute, I think theres too much going on around you at the moment to change jobs."
"Bob: yeah."
"Does that make sense?"
"Planning to go abroad?"
This is yet another direct question and lets not forget this was supposed to have been a READING!
- "Bob: I'd like to have but its sort of.."
- "Bob: yes."
"I do want the name please of somebody called Joan on the earth?"
A massive connection with this name as Joan is the name of bobs mother and she is indeed on the earth.
- "Bob: that’s my mum."
"Because the little lady here has said would you say hello to her for me?"
"Bob: right."
"So, Say hello to her,.her daughter ...which is your mum, and she's also saying happy birthday, because I've got birthdays around?"
There were no significant birthdays around that week, the reading ended shortly after. It is human nature to walk away from these sessions retaining in our minds the 'hits' that the psychics stumble across and we forget all the misses...all the duff names and dogs!! This is how this industry survives and it is only by recording your sessions that you will know the truth....the sad boring truth....but at least it is the truth. We may one day meet our departed loved ones....I don't know?? but I know it won't happen while we're still on the earth.
Did we spot the tricks of cold reading during this session? The answer is yes they were all there for all to read as you have just done. What follows is a summary of the hits and misses during the reading.
WORRIED ABOUT WORK MISS
DAVID MISS
GEORGE MISS
JOHN MISS
STEPHEN MISS
MARK MISS
HARRY MISS
TOM WRONG RELATIONSHIP
DOG MISS
LOST CHILD MISS
NAVY MISS
GOING ABROAD MISS
JOAN HIT
BIRTHDAYS MISS
Thank you but especially to my friend, Bob.