Friday, March 8, 2013

Psychics and Missing Children

Psychics claim to have information accessed beyond the boundaries of the laws of nature. Psychics have not located a single missing child.

A miracle is defined as a "suspension or negation of the laws of nature."

Psychics claim to have the ability to access information beyond the restrictions of the human senses and police departments often waste valuable and precious resources following up on tips from psychics.  It got so bad in the case of Baby Ayla, that police took the extraordinary and brave step of publicly stating that they do not want any more 'psychics' to call in tips.

The polygraph is said to be at least 90%- 95% effective.  It is so effective, in fact, that President Barak Obama, like all leaders, relies upon it to help keep him safe.  Those of whom there is no financial restriction employ its use in security.  If you'd like to get a job, for instance, protecting the world's most powerful leader, you'll have to pass a polygraph first.

Statement Analysis has an even higher success rate than the polygraph. It can not only discern deception, but can glean additional information from the subject, something a polygraph alone cannot do.  I believe that when used in tandem, it is a most powerful weapon against deception and fraud.  Even the use of polygraphs in the classification of pedophiles has shown to be valuable in the protection of children.

We once explored the usefulness of various tools for investigators to use and I asked,

"Would you authorize the use of a tool that has a 90% or higher success rate?"  with readers enthusiastically embracing any such technique.

"Would you authorize the use of a tool that has a success rate of less than .00001%?"

Would you spend money basically on the basis of a lottery ticket odds?  Likely not.

Psychics, in spite of the growth in popularity on television ("reality" shows?), have failed to locate a single missing child.

I am unable to think of a more vulnerable time in life than a parent who is missing his or her child.  I can only imagine what heartache, frustration, and feelings of utter impotency exists, after, perhaps, years of getting up, day or night, to help the child, only to be told, "there is nothing you can do but sit and wait."

It is in this most vulnerable of times that the psychic preys upon the vulnerable parent with offers of "help" to find the child.

Whether it is the Facebook psychic, manufactured new daily, or the John Edwards hoax, the impact upon a vulnerable and suspecting parent can be devastating.

Some will stay safely within the confines of vagueness, while others will say that they have 'communicated' with the child, yet give no concrete answer as to the child's location.

It is a most cruel hoax in an attempt for notoriety.

15 minutes worth of fame is not worth devastating an already beleaguered parent's heart.


15 comments:

JerseyJane said...

Yup, no psychic police departments! The psychics are firmly staying in the entertainment industry where the money is, and that they found!! Hehe

I think it is horrible how they prey on temporary weakened people, be it a family of a missing child, the elderly, or the many that are desperate for some form of answers
in their unique situations ( not unique to the seasoned psychic).

John Mc Gowan said...

Oooh you've hit a raw nerve here Peter,I think you know my feelings toward's those charlatan's !!!!

Katprint said...

"Would you spend money basically on the basis of a lottery ticket odds? Likely not."

Therein lies the explanation why anybody spends money on psychics.

I actually do spend money ($1 every month or two) on lottery tickets. The lottery promotions say, "If you don't play, you can't win" as though there is a strong likelihood of winning if you do play. Intellectually I know I won't win but the small cost is worth the pleasant daydreams until the drawing conclusively proves I didn't win.

I think this is why some people consult psychics i.e. the emotional benefit. Same reason why some people utilize dubious holistic treatments like aura alignment, biomagnetic massage, colorpuncture, etc. All of which is fine if the cost is free or trivial. The problem is when the cost escalates into the unreasonable and/or when the unlikely method becomes the only method, like a gambler quitting their job so they can spend their days at the track or the casino. In missing person situations, cost includes unnecessary expenses incurred by law enforcement chasing down bogus psychic "tips" as well as money paid outright to the psychic. OTOH I think law enforcement is right to investigate psychic tips because sometimes the so-called psychic providing the tip turns out to be the culprit trying to insert himself/herself into the investigation as they often do.

Katprint said...

To clarify my post, I didn't mean that the professional psychics are out kidnapping and murdering people. I was referring to how suspects often describe having had psychic premonitions or dreams about what happened to their victims.

Tania Cadogan said...

Hand up who remembers kate's premonition Kate McCann had a haunting premonition about the holiday on which daughter Madeleine went missing. She told a close pal before the trip had been booked: “I don’t know why, I’ve just got an uneasy feeling about it.”

Was she instead telegraphing what was going to happen?
The brain wants to tell the truth whilst the subject tries to deny.
Her own words tell me Maddie is long dead, it also tells me kate has mental health issues. Is this because of what happened or is the death of maddie a result of those issues?

Kate said: "It really isn't easy," coping. "Some days are better than others. ... There's days when you think, 'I can't do this anymore,' and you just want to press a button, and we're all gone, and it's all finished, and we're all together and gone. Wherever. But you can't, you know. Just occasionally you'll have a -- if you're having a really bad day, which we do. And you can't help but think that."

Anonymous said...

Could some of the things that others have found odd or deceptive in ER's language be due to her having knowledge from LE that she has been asked not to share or additional information that hasn't been shared publicly yet?

Skeptical said...

Recently I was reading "Bony by Bone" by Carol O'Connell and she had one of the best descriptions of psychics I have come across. She said, "Psychics are never harmless. Psychics are the precursors to blowflies lighting on a fresh corpse and their favorite prey is the parent of a murdered child."

Trigger said...

Skeptical said..."one of the best descriptions of psychics...etc."

My heart broke when I read, "their favorite prey is the parent of a murdered child."

Those poor parents. All that distress and then they become prized prey for a psychic to gain media exposure and a famous name in the "psychic" phone book that has never found a missing child.

It is cruelty beyond anything that I could imagine.

Trigger said...

Hobnob said,

"...who remembers Kate's premonition...I've just got an uneasy feeling about it...I can't do this anymore...and we're all gone...we're all together and gone...etc."

Whoa, there, what mother of a missing child says things like that? Something is amiss with this kind of desperation, I agree, Hobs.

Jen said...

Hi trigger-

To me that statement is crazy not only for the foreshadowing but more because Kate McCann has pushed the idea that Madeline is alive and kidnapped for years...so if she wants to push a button, and they are 'all' gone...then she knows Madeline is also dead. Either that or she would want to orphan her kidnapped daughter, leaving her in the hands of her captor.

Anonymous said...

Some years back psychic shows were very popular on courttv. One was with a guy that had "worked with hundreds of police depts across the country and solved DOZENS of missing person, child abduction,murders" and blah blah- I was sold. Every episode he was in a new town, that was alwaysa lil off the map,he knew no details of the case but would touch a picture or a key chain and BOOM! The cops were blown away and converted into believers. The show nearly always ended with a tearful, mother thanking him for giving her closure. Because what is more gut wrenching than to see a momma suffering without her baby? I used to think, God forbid if I ever needed some answers he'd be the guy I'd call.
Then I read in a news paper it was all scripted and the shows quietly went off the air POOFI no longer believe in such stuff. EXCEPT when I read about cases like Dylan's and i consider if I was his mother. I dont know if I could resist listening to ANYONE that said they have information that could bring my son home safe. If someone told me they could crack an egg on my head, read the yolk and give me some hope, no matter how smallI'd be an egg cracking so and so. I cant think of a more vulnerable position to be manipulated & taken advantage of than the parent of a missing child.

LVmommy73

ME said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Statement Analysis Blog said...

Anonymous said...
Could some of the things that others have found odd or deceptive in ER's language be due to her having knowledge from LE that she has been asked not to share or additional information that hasn't been shared publicly yet?
March 8, 2013 at 4:56 PM >>

Theoretically, yes. Do you have a specific?

Also, if police share info that a child is likely dead, the parent's language could be impacted.

Peter

Listening said...

Hey, Hobnob! Interesting you should point that out. It's funny (ironic), Justin DiPietro is psychic too. He also had a "premonition" of someone taking Ayla, which he telegraphed/texted to Trista. It's making me wonder how many parents of missing children, became temporarily psychic.

I'm being lighthearted, but the reality is so sad. :(

Statement Analysis Blog said...

Katprint,

At Christmas, Heather and I put lottery tickets in everyones' stockings and when they come to the table (Thanksgiving also), everyone has one beneath their plates.

Birthday cards get them too.

It's a lot of fun and the most anyone has ever won, in all the years of doing this, is $10.

These are the scratch off types so they are not the mega-money ones, but it is still fun to dream.