What You Should Know Before Consulting a Psychic
Contributing expert: Dr. Sam Youssef, Ph.D. - Updated: Feb 16, 2023
People who possess extrasensory abilities often become professional psychics or clairvoyants and offer their services to the public. Working with a psychic can be a unique and enlightening experience for people looking for answers to life’s big questions. Before booking a reading, it’s important to do a little research about what that entails. We’ve written this article to discuss the need-to-know information on consulting a psychic and some of the things you should consider in the process.
What Is a Psychic Reading?
Within the professional psychic community, a practitioner offers their services to clients in the form of psychic readings. For example, mediums can converse with the spirits of the dead, tarot card readers interpret images and symbols to answer your questions about life, and psychics are often using their intuition and clairvoyance to give guidance and psychic messages. If you’re interested in working with a psychic, you’ll first have to choose what type of reading you’re wanting.
Types of psychic readings
Now that you know what a psychic reading is, let’s get into detail on the different types of readings that practitioners usually offer.
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Psychic
General psychic readings can impart insight and guidance within the categories of your life including love, career, and finances. Psychics may use different tools like tarot cards, astrology charts, and crystals to enhance their abilities and your experience.
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Tarot
When you book a tarot reading, you’ll bring your questions to them and they give you answers through their interpretations of the cards that come up. The tarot reader will likely be working with the standard 78-card deck that was first developed in the early 1900s.
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Palm
A palm reader reads and interprets the map within your palms through the creases, shapes, and texture of your hands. Information like personality traits, talents, and future predictions can be revealed during a palm reading. These readings are based on a long history of palm reading teachings, rules, and laws.
How does a psychic reading work
Each psychic practitioner has their own unique style and way to prepare themselves for a reading. When it comes to being the client, all you usually need to do is show up with an open mind and maybe a few questions. You can book a psychic reading online through one of the popular psychic websites. If you go this route you’ll create an account, set up a way to pay, and find the psychic you want to work with. Most sites charge on a per-minute basis and each practitioner will have their own rates. Once you connect with a psychic, you’ll set up a phone or video call and the reading will be conducted for the length of time you’re wanting to pay for.
You can also book a psychic reading in person with someone local to you. Psychics who set up in-person sessions likely offer a variety of packages to choose from ranging in price and timeframe. Many practitioners offer the ability to pay through their website while some may require cash upon arrival to their workspace.
What Is the Best Type of Psychic Reading for You
If you’re wanting to get a reading from a psychic practitioner, it’s important to establish what it is you’re looking for. Do you need advice on a romantic relationship? Are you wondering how you can best manage your finances? Psychics can help you answer these questions and offer guidance as well. So, first you need to get clear on what exactly you’re wanting to get from a psychic reading.
Types of psychic readings for love
Romantic relationships are connections that we hold close to our hearts. They can bring so much joy and adventure to life, but they can also bring complexity and sometimes conflict. Psychics, tarot card readers, palm readers, astrologers, and even mediums can be wells of inspiration and guidance that can offer an outside perspective on your love life.
Types of psychic readings for money
If you’re needing an extrasensory screening of your finances, then a money reading could be a good option for you. The same types of psychic practitioners listed above can be consulted on the topic of money. Predictions, advice, and pattern identification can all be helpful tools to improve your financial situation.
What questions should I ask during a reading?
Preparing for a reading is one of the best ways to get the most out of the time you’ve purchased with a psychic. Oftentimes a practitioner will even request that you spend a moment before your reading reflecting on what it is you’re seeking to know. Here are some example questions:
- What do I need to know about my love life right now?
- How can I best move forward at my job?
- What can I do to improve my financial situation?
- What guidance would you give me in regards to my life purpose?
How Much Does a Psychic Reading Cost?
The pricing for psychic readings is typically based on things like reputation, experience, demand, process, and the type of service provided. Psychic websites are usually set up on a per-minute basis and can range anywhere from $1 per minute to upwards of $30 per minute. If you know how long you’d like to talk to a practitioner, you can decide on a timeframe and you’ll be able to predict how much it will cost you. Some large websites have started using coin credits, where you purchase an amount of coin credits and use them to interact with the psychics in their system.
Here’s a table comparing the pricing of popular psychic websites:
Psychic Reading Costs | |||
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Website | Introductory Offer | Lowest Price | Highest Price |
Purple Garden | $10 credit on first purchase | $0.99 per minute | $14.99 per minute |
Oranum | 10,000 bonus coin credits | 1,000 coins per reading | 3,000 coins per reading |
PsychicOz | First 3 minutes free | $2.99 per minute | $9.99 per minute |
Psychic Source | First 3 minutes free | $0.66 per minute | $15.00 per minute |
There are also psychics who work individually and price out their services in packages. The pricing for this method is usually based on what service is offered and the time frame allotted within a package. These prices can be as low as $65 and can go as high as over $300.
Beware of Psychic Scams and Fraud
It’s important to know that there are scams out there carried out by people pretending to be psychic practitioners. With the ability to fake positive reviews and hide negative ones, it can be even harder to distinguish authentic psychics from frauds. Luckily websites like Trustpilot are creating neutral spaces for consumers to share their feedback without being silenced.
While the threat of fraudulent practices are real, we can help you scammer-proof your reading process. There are few commonsense practices you can use as a first defense:
- Never give out your bank account or credit card information to someone who asks for it.
- If you feel uncomfortable or something seems off, believe your intuition — it doesn’t lie.
- Know exactly what services you’re paying for with an itemized list of services rendered and read the fine print for hidden costs.
Warning signs to look out for
Most of these scammers stick to similar scripts and use emotional manipulation, threats, and false promises to get money from their victims. There are reports of people losing thousands and even millions of dollars to psychic scams because the con artist is able to convince them that there’s no other way to solve their problems. Here are some red flags to be aware of:
- Promising good fortune or large amounts of money will come to you if you pay a fee
- Predicting a troubling time to come and offering the only solution for a price
- Claiming that you’ve been cursed and the only way to remove it is if you buy more and more services
What to do if you’re a victim of psychic fraud
If you’ve been the victim of a psychic scam, know that you’re not alone. Thousands of people have been scammed into thinking someone is offering them psychic help, when in reality their promises go unfulfilled and their money is never seen again. You should always report any kind of fraud to your financial institutions and the local authorities.
Unfortunately, law enforcement doesn’t seem to be able to help much in this area of fraudulent activity. Technically no one is stealing money if you’re the one sending it to them. The law doesn’t account for the emotional abuse and false promises these con artists use to manipulate people. Often, psychic scammers aren’t held accountable unless enough people report their experiences and some kind of scheme to deceive customers can be proven.