Psychic
The idea of psychics—individuals possessing extraordinary mental abilities beyond the five senses—has captivated humanity for millennia, appearing in ancient myths, spiritual traditions, and modern pop culture. From predicting the future to communicating with the deceased, these claims tap into our deepest desires for knowledge and connection. Yet, despite widespread belief, the scientific community largely regards such powers as unsubstantiated, leading to a fascinating tension between faith and evidence.
AI Summary
The idea of psychics—individuals possessing extraordinary mental abilities beyond the five senses—has captivated humanity for millennia, appearing in ancient myths, spiritual traditions, and modern pop culture. From predicting the future to communicating with the deceased, these claims tap into our deepest desires for knowledge and connection. Yet, despite widespread belief, the scientific community largely regards such powers as unsubstantiated, leading to a fascinating tension between faith and evidence.
- A psychic is generally understood as someone claiming powers like telepathy or clairvoyance, but scientific consensus finds no evidence supporting these abilities.
- The concept of psychics has a rich history, evolving from ancient seers and prophets to 19th-century spiritualists and modern commercial enterprises.
- Despite popular belief and media portrayals, rigorous scientific investigations and large-scale studies have consistently failed to validate psychic phenomena, often uncovering deliberate deception or self-delusion instead.
What is a Psychic?
At its core, a psychic is a person who purports to possess powers rooted in parapsychology. These can include abilities like extrasensory perception, or ESP, allowing them to gain information hidden from normal senses, particularly through telepathy—reading minds—or clairvoyance—seeing events beyond direct view.
Beyond perception, some psychics claim to perform acts seemingly inexplicable by natural laws. Think psychokinesis, the ability to move objects with the mind, or even teleportation—instantly moving from one place to another. These extraordinary assertions often blur the line between human potential and outright fantasy.
A World of Roles and Claims
Psychics appear in many forms. Some are theatrical entertainers, like stage magicians, employing cunning techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot reading to create the illusion of genuine abilities for an audience's delight. Others operate within a vast industry, offering advice, counsel, and predictions to clients, often for a fee.
Famous figures like Edgar Cayce, Sylvia Browne, and Miss Cleo have garnered significant public attention for their alleged psychic gifts. Beyond individual readings, some claim to use psychic powers in specialized fields, from assisting law enforcement as 'psychic detectives' to ventures like 'psychic archaeology' or even controversial 'psychic surgery.'
A History of Seers and Souls
The Root of the Word
The term 'psychic' itself traces its origins back to the Greek word 'psychikos,' meaning 'of the mind' or 'mental.' It refers directly to the human mind or 'psyche,' which in Greek mythology was personified by the maiden Psyche, the deification of the human soul. The root 'psychḗ' literally means 'breath,' implying the very essence of life.
While the concept is ancient, the word 'psychic' in its modern context is relatively new. French astronomer and spiritualist Camille Flammarion is often credited with first using the term. It was later introduced to the English language in the 1870s by Edward William Cox, solidifying its place in public discourse.
Ancient Visions and Prophecies
Elaborate systems of divination and fortune-telling stretch back to the dawn of civilization. Astrology, for instance, was a widely known ancient practice where practitioners believed celestial body positions offered insights into lives and future events. Beyond systems, certain individuals were believed to possess direct visions or foresight, earning them titles like seers and prophets.
These seers often held significant societal roles, serving as advisors, priests, and judges in cultures across the ancient world. Biblical accounts, like Samuel finding King Saul's donkeys, illustrate their function. In ancient Egypt, priests of Ra acted as seers, while in Assyria, they were known as 'nabu'—those who 'call' or 'announce.'
Perhaps one of the most famous examples from classical antiquity is the Delphic Oracle. From the 8th century BC, the Pythia, a priestess of Apollo, delivered prophecies from Delphi. It's often said she spoke in a trance-like state, her words interpreted by priests into the cryptic pronouncements that echoed through Greek history. Modern theories suggest natural gas vapors might have induced her altered state.
Centuries later, the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame, or Nostradamus, published during the French Renaissance, became an enduring reference. This French apothecary and seer penned thousands of enigmatic quatrains, often detailing disasters like plagues, wars, and earthquakes, which many enthusiasts believe predict major world events.
Nostradamus remains a controversial figure. While legions of fans credit him with remarkable foresight, most academic scholars argue that any associations between his prophecies and real-world events are products of misinterpretation, mistranslation, or simply vagueness, rather than genuine predictive power.
The Rise of Spiritualism
By the mid-19th century, a new movement, Modern Spiritualism, swept through the United States and the United Kingdom. Its defining belief was that mediums could contact the spirits of the dead to provide guidance to the living, fueled by countless anecdotes of alleged psychic powers. Daniel Dunglas Home, for example, gained fame for his reported levitations and communications with spirits.
This era also saw the founding of the Theosophical Society in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky, who claimed numerous psychic abilities herself. Theosophy blended spiritualist ideas with Eastern mysticism, profoundly influencing early 20th-century thought and laying groundwork for the later New Age movement of the 1970s.
Psychics in the Modern Age
By the late 20th century, psychics had become closely intertwined with New Age culture. Psychic readings became a commercial staple, readily available for a fee via phone lines, home visits, or at popular psychic fairs, reflecting a growing consumer market for spiritual guidance and future predictions.
Belief, Skepticism, and Pop Culture
Who Believes?
Despite the commercial popularity, the scientific community holds a vastly different view. A 1990 survey of US National Academy of Sciences members found that only 2% believed extrasensory perception had been scientifically demonstrated, with an equal percentage thinking it happened sometimes. Most considered research into it either unnecessary or to be approached with extreme caution.
Yet, public belief remains significant. A 2005 Gallup poll revealed that 41% of Americans believed in extrasensory perception, 26% in clairvoyance, and 31% in telepathy. Curiously, a 2006 study of college students suggested that belief in psychic phenomena actually increased with academic seniority, with graduate students showing higher belief rates than freshmen.
It's a popular notion that psychic abilities aren't exclusive to a gifted few, but are latent within everyone, awaiting activation through practices like meditation or divination. Another common belief suggests that these powers can be hereditary, passed down from one generation to the next within families.
Psychics in Fiction
In science fiction and fantasy, psychic abilities—often termed 'psionics'—are a common and compelling trope. From the 'Force-sensitive' characters of Star Wars who can move objects telekinetically and see the future, to the detailed psionic powers explored in Frank Herbert's Dune novels, these narratives imagine worlds transformed by extraordinary mental capabilities.
The X-Men universe, with characters like Jean Grey and Professor X, showcases powerful telepaths and telekinetics. Even Disney Channel series like 'That's So Raven' and 'American Dragon: Jake Long' feature psychic protagonists, demonstrating how these concepts continue to capture imaginations across diverse media.
The Scientific Verdict
Research and Its Limitations
Parapsychology, the field that investigates psychic phenomena, has employed various methods, from using random number generators to test for psychokinesis to the mild sensory deprivation of the Ganzfeld experiment for ESP. However, critics like Ed J. Gracely argue that the evidence produced simply isn't robust enough for scientific acceptance, especially given the inherently low probability of such phenomena existing.
Prominent skeptics, including Ray Hyman and institutions like the National Science Foundation, classify parapsychology as pseudoscience. A key reason for this stance is the consistent failure of independent experimenters to replicate results claimed by parapsychologists, suggesting fundamental methodological flaws rather than paranormal explanations.
In 2008, a neuroimaging study designed under optimal conditions to detect telepathy, clairvoyance, or precognition found no distinguishable neuronal responses to psychic stimuli. The researchers concluded this was "the strongest evidence yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental phenomena," reinforcing the scientific community's skepticism.
Exposing the Tricks
Many purported psychic abilities, particularly in mediums and public performers, can be attributed to non-paranormal techniques. These include 'cold reading,' where a psychic uses vague statements, flattery, and keen observation to appear insightful, or 'hot reading,' where prior information about a client is secretly obtained and then presented as psychic insight.
Magicians like James Randi and Derren Brown have famously demonstrated how to achieve effects identical to those claimed by psychics, using only physical and psychological principles. They illustrate that what appears supernatural can often be achieved through skilled showmanship and an understanding of human perception and psychology.
Specific investigations into celebrity psychics have often revealed stark discrepancies. A detailed study of Sylvia Browne's predictions about missing persons and murder cases, for instance, found that despite her claims of being over 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case." Similarly, exposés on television psychics have highlighted how heavy editing can fabricate an illusion of accuracy.
The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project
To rigorously test psychic claims, Richard Saunders, Chief Investigator for the Australian Skeptics, spearheaded 'The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project.' Over 12 years, he and an international team meticulously collected and analyzed over 3,800 psychic predictions made by 207 psychics in Australia between 2000 and 2020.
These predictions, focusing on celebrities, scandals, natural disasters, and more, yielded compelling results. The psychics were found to be correct only 11% of the time, wrong 35% of the time, and a significant portion of predictions were either too vague to characterize (19%) or so obvious they were expected (15%).
The project's resounding conclusions were unequivocal: "Psychics are appallingly bad at predicting future events." The team determined that individuals claiming to see the future do not perform with a success rate better than mere educated guesswork, chance, or luck, even when accounting for a margin of error.
The Dark Side: Psychic Fraud
Unfortunately, the vulnerability of those seeking answers or comfort can be exploited. Cases of psychic fraud, where individuals are scammed out of significant sums, are disturbingly common. One Ontario woman, depressed after selling her home, paid $46,000 to a psychic who claimed to be removing 'evil spirits' threatening her and her sons.
These scams can devastate victims financially, sometimes resulting in the loss of entire life savings. Investigator Bob Nygaard, who specializes in psychic fraud cases, often assists victims who have been swindled out of tens of thousands of dollars, highlighting the severe impact of such deceptions.
Article
Psychic
A psychic is a person who claims to use powers rooted in parapsychology, such as extrasensory perception (ESP), to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance; or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, such as psychokinesis or teleportation. Although many people believe in psychic abilities, the scientific consensus is that there is no proof of the existence of such powers, and describes the practice as pseudoscience.
Psychics encompass people in a variety of roles. Some are theatrical performers, such as stage magicians), who use various techniques, e.g. prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot reading, to produce the appearance of such abilities for entertainment purposes. A large industry and network exist whereby people advertised as psychics provide advice and counsel to clients). Some famous psychics include Edgar Cayce, Ingo Swann, Peter Hurkos, Janet Lee), Miss Cleo, John Edward, Sylvia Browne, and Tyler Henry. Psychic powers are asserted by psychic detectives and in practices such as psychic archaeology and even psychic surgery.
Critics attribute psychic powers to intentional trickery or to self-delusion. In 1988, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences published a report on the subject, which concluded that there is "no scientific justification from research conducted over a period of 130 years for the existence of parapsychological phenomena". In 2012, a study attempted to repeat recently reported parapsychological experiments that appeared to support the existence of precognition. However, efforts to replicate the results, which involved performance on a memory test to ascertain if post-test information would affect it, "failed to produce significant effects", and thus did "not support the existence of psychic ability" of this kind.
Psychics are sometimes featured in science fiction and fantasy fiction. Examples of fiction featuring characters with psychic powers include the Star Wars franchise, which features "Force)-sensitive" beings who can see into the future and move objects telekinetically, along with Dungeons & Dragons and some of the works of Stephen King, amongst many others.
History
Etymology
The word "psychic" is derived from the Greek word psychikos ("of the mind" or "mental"), and refers in part to the human mind or psyche (ex. "psychic turmoil"). The Greek word also means "soul". In Greek mythology, the maiden Psyche was the deification of the human soul. The word derivation of the Latin psȳchē is from the Greek psȳchḗ, literally "breath", derivative of psȳ́chein, to breathe or to blow (hence, to live).
French astronomer and spiritualist) Camille Flammarion is credited as having first used the word psychic, while it was later introduced to the English language by Edward William Cox in the 1870s.
Early seers and prophets
Elaborate systems of divination and fortune-telling date back to ancient times. Perhaps the most widely known system of early civilization fortune-telling was astrology, where practitioners believed the relative positions of celestial bodies could lend insight into people's lives and even predict their future circumstances. Some fortune-tellers were said to be able to make predictions without the use of these elaborate systems (or in conjunction with them), through some sort of direct apprehension or vision) of the future. These people were known as seers or prophets, and in later times as clairvoyants (French word meaning "clear sight" or "clear seeing") and psychics.
Seers formed a functionary role in early civilization, often serving as advisors, priests, and judges. A number of examples are included in biblical accounts. The book of 1 Samuel (Chapter 9) illustrates one such functionary task when Samuel) is asked to find the donkeys of the future king Saul. The role of prophet appeared perennially in ancient cultures. In Egypt, the priests of the sun deity Ra at Memphis acted as seers. In ancient Assyria seers were referred to as nabu, meaning "to call" or "announce".
The Delphic Oracle is one of the earliest stories in classical antiquity of prophetic abilities. The Pythia, the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, was believed to be able to deliver prophecies inspired by Apollo during rituals beginning in the 8th century BC. It is often said that the Pythia delivered oracles in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature. Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in her own voice. The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor Theodosius I ordered pagan temples to cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that ethylene gas caused the Pythia's state of inspiration.
One of the most enduring historical references to what some consider to be psychic ability is the prophecies of Michel de Nostredame (1503–1566), often Latinized) to Nostradamus, published during the French Renaissance period. Nostradamus was a French apothecary and seer who wrote collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide and have rarely been out of print since his death. He is best known for his book Les Prophéties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Taken together, his written works are known to have contained at least 6,338 quatrains or prophecies, as well as at least eleven annual calendars. Most of the quatrains deal with disasters, such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, and battles – all undated.
Nostradamus is a controversial figure. His many enthusiasts, as well as the popular press, credit him with predicting many major world events. Interest in his work is still considerable, especially in the media and in popular culture. By contrast, most academic scholars maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power.
Englishwoman Mother Shipton demonstrated psychic abilities from her youth and foresaw historical events in the 16th century. In addition to the belief that some historical figures were endowed with a predisposition to psychic experiences, some psychic abilities were thought to be available to everyone on occasion. For example, the belief in prophetic dreams was common and persistent in many ancient cultures.
Nineteenth-century progression
In the mid-nineteenth century, Modern Spiritualism) became prominent in the United States and the United Kingdom. The movement's distinguishing feature was the belief that the spirits of the dead could be contacted by mediums to lend insight to the living. The movement was fueled in part by anecdotes of psychic powers. One such person believed to have extraordinary abilities was Daniel Dunglas Home, who gained fame during the Victorian period for his reported ability to levitate to various heights and speak to the dead.
As the Spiritualist movement grew, other comparable groups arose, including the Theosophical Society, which was co-founded in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky (1831–1891). Theosophy coupled spiritualist elements with Eastern mysticism and was influential in the early 20th century, later influencing the New Age movement during the 1970s. Blavatsky herself claimed numerous psychic powers.
Late twentieth century
By the late twentieth century, psychics were commonly associated with New Age culture. Psychic readings and advertising for psychics were common from the 1960s on, as readings were offered for a fee and given in settings such as over the phone, in a home, or at psychic fairs.
Popular culture
Belief in psychic abilities
In a 1990 survey of members of the National Academy of Sciences, only 2% of the respondents thought that extrasensory perception had been scientifically demonstrated, with another 2% thinking that the phenomena happened sometimes. Asked about research in the field, 22% thought that it should be discouraged, 63% that it should be allowed but not encouraged, and 10% that it should be encouraged; neuroscientists were the most hostile to parapsychology of all the specialties.
A survey of the beliefs of the general United States population about paranormal topics was conducted by The Gallup Organization in 2005. The survey found that 41 percent of those polled believed in extrasensory perception and 26 percent believed in clairvoyance. 31 percent of those surveyed indicated that they believe in telepathy or psychic communication.
A poll of 439 college students conducted in 2006 by researchers Bryan Farha of Oklahoma City University and Gary Steward of University of Central Oklahoma, suggested that college seniors and graduate students were more likely to believe in psychic phenomena than college freshmen. Twenty-three percent of college freshmen expressed a belief in paranormal ideas. The percentage was greater among college seniors (31%) and graduate students (34%). The poll showed lower belief in psychic phenomena among science students than social science and education students.
Some people also believe that anyone can have psychic abilities which can be activated or enhanced through the study and practice of various disciplines and techniques such as meditation and divination, with a number of books and websites being dedicated to instruction in these methods. Another popular belief is that psychic ability is hereditary, with a psychic parent passing their abilities on to their children.
Science fiction
Psychic abilities are common in science fiction, often under the term "psionics". They may be depicted as innate and heritable, as in Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man, A. E. van Vogt's Slan, Anne McCaffrey's Talents universe series or setting, and the television series Babylon 5. Another recurring trope) is the conveyance of psychic power through psychoactive drugs, as in the Dune) novels and indirectly in the Scanners films, as well as the ghosts in the StarCraft franchise. Somewhat differently, in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wind in the Door and Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land, psychic abilities may be achieved by any human who learns the proper mental discipline, known as kything in the former work. Popular movies include The Initiation of Sarah. Psychic characters are also common in superhero comics, for instance Jean Grey, Professor X and Emma Frost as well as many others from the Marvel Comics' X-Men. More characters include the characters Raven Baxter and Booker Baxter from the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven and its spin-off Raven's Home. The Disney Channel Original Series American Dragon: Jake Long features recurring characters Cara and Sara, who are twin psychics claimed to be the descendants of the Oracle of Delphi, their visions also contrast their personalities (Cara is a Goth that sees only positive visions, while Sara is always in a good mood despite only seeing negative visions).
Criticism and research
Psychic
Parapsychological research has attempted to use random number generators to test for psychokinesis, mild sensory deprivation in the Ganzfeld experiment to test for extrasensory perception, and research trials conducted under contract by the U.S. government to investigate remote viewing. Critics such as Ed J. Gracely say that this evidence is not sufficient for acceptance, partly because the intrinsic probability of psychic phenomena is very small.
Critics such as Ray Hyman and the National Science Foundation suggest that parapsychology has methodological flaws that can explain the experimental results that parapsychologists attribute to paranormal explanations, and various critics have classed the field as pseudoscience. This has largely been due to a lack of replication of results by independent experimenters.
The evidence presented for psychic phenomena is not sufficiently verified for scientific acceptance, and there exist many non-paranormal alternative explanations for claimed instances of psychic events. Parapsychologists, who generally believe that there is some evidence for psychic ability, disagree with critics who believe that no psychic ability exists and that many of the instances of more popular psychic phenomena such as mediumism, can be attributed to non-paranormal techniques such as cold reading, hot reading, or even self-delusion. Cold reading techniques would include psychics using flattery, intentionally making descriptions, statements or predictions about a person vague and ambiguous, and surreptitiously moving on to another prediction when the psychic deems the audience to be non-responsive. Magicians) such as James Randi, Ian Rowland and Derren Brown have demonstrated techniques and results similar to those of popular psychics, but they present physical and psychological explanations as opposed to paranormal ones.
In January 2008 the results of a study using neuroimaging were published. To provide what are purported to be the most favorable experimental conditions, the study included appropriate emotional stimuli and had participants who are biologically or emotionally related, such as twins. The experiment was designed to produce positive results if telepathy, clairvoyance or precognition occurred, but despite this, no distinguishable neuronal responses were found between psychic stimuli and non-psychic stimuli, while variations in the same stimuli showed anticipated effects on patterns of brain activation. The researchers concluded that "These findings are the strongest evidence yet obtained against the existence of paranormal mental phenomena." James Alcock had cautioned the researchers against the wording of said statement.
A detailed study of Sylvia Browne predictions about missing persons and murder cases found that despite her repeated claims to be more than 85% correct, "Browne has not even been mostly correct in a single case". Concerning the television psychics, James Underdown states that testing psychics in a studio setting is difficult as there are too many areas to control: the psychic could be getting help from anyone on the set. The editor controls everything; they can make a psychic look superior or ridiculous depending on direction from the producer. In an Independent Investigations Group exposé of John Edward and James Van Praagh they discovered that what was actually said on the tape day, and what was broadcast to the public were "substantially different in the accuracy. They're getting rid of the wrong guesses... Once you pull back the curtain and see how it's done, it's not impressive at all."
The goal of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project was to collect and then vet the accuracy of every published psychic prediction in Australia since the year 2000. The team analyzed over 3800 predictions made by 207 psychics over the years 2000 to 2020. While a few of the psychic predictions were about events outside of Australia, the predictions primarily focused on celebrities, scandals, natural disasters, weather patterns, sports, and real estate trends.
The results of the analysis of the predictions found that psychics were correct 11% of the time, wrong 35% of the time, and that some predictions were too vague to characterize (19%) or the predicted outcome was so obvious it was to be expected (15%). Two percent of the predictions were unable to be categorized.
The Project confirmed that even when considering the margin of error, it is difficult to come to any other conclusion except that people who claim to see into the future cannot do so with a rate of success better than that of educated guesswork, chance, or luck.
Psychic fraud
Psychic
In an article reported by Pat Foran in CTV News-Toronto, an Ontario woman, known as Marie Jean, depressed after having to sell her home, began seeing a psychic who went by the name of Maha Dev. Marie Jean reported that Dev claimed she was surrounded by "evil spirits" and that "(her) life could be in danger and (her) sons could lose their lives." The initial payment requested was $10,000 to remove the spirits, but in subsequent visits Dev indicated that the spirits were "too strong" and more money was needed. In total, the woman paid $46,000 before deciding she had been "duped." After Marie Jean reported the incident to CTV News, CTV News contacted the psychic. While Dev did not admit to knowing the woman, the money was refunded in full the next day.
Falling for a psychic scam can result in a loss of one's entire life savings. In an example given in an article by Rob Palmer a woman gave a psychic $41,642 over a period of 10 weeks. The woman had contacted Palmer for help, who put her in contact with Bob Nygaard, a private investigator who specializes in psychic fraud cases. Palmer had previously written articles about Nygaard and the work he was doing.
It is apparently difficult to get cases of psychic fraud prosecuted as a crime. Palmer states "when someone reports to law enforcement that they are a victim of this type of fraud, they are often turned away and told it is a civil matter." Palmer goes on to discuss Thomas John) and other famous "psychics" who were proven to be frauds. Investigator Ben Radford states that "scammers use various psychological principles to ensnare their prey". Their state of mind, belief in psychic abilities, unhappiness with something happening in their lives and looking for answers. The psychic will instruct the client not to tell their friends or family as they know they may be warned away from the psychic.
With curse removal, the psychic may say that the magic will not work or get worse if they do tell anyone about their involvement with the psychic. The con games from psychics, according to Radford, can "play out over the course of weeks, months, or even years." The psychic is playing the long game and looking to extract as much money as possible. Radford claims that when a victim realizes they have been scammed, often they are too embarrassed to come forward.
Skeptical activist Susan Gerbic has summarized a number of techniques, which she says are used by psychics to create their effects.
History
Nineteenth-century progression
Popular culture
Psychic
!"Psychic Love Specialist" in [San Francisco. The business advertises palm and crystal readings, and tarot cards.](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/PsychicLoveSpecialist.jpg/250px-PsychicLoveSpecialist.jpg)
Criticism and research
Psychic
!Participant of a [Ganzfeld Experiment whose results have been criticized as being misinterpreted as evidence for telepathy](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Ganzfeld.jpg/216px-Ganzfeld.jpg)
Richard Saunders), Chief Investigator for the Australian Skeptics, and producer and presenter of The Skeptic Zone podcast sought to answer the question "Can self-proclaimed psychics predict unlikely future events with any greater accuracy than chance?" To answer that question he launched "The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project". Over the course of 12 years, Saunders and then Saunders and his international team of skeptics - Michelle Bijkersma, Kelly Burke, Susan Gerbic, Adrienne Hill, Louis Hillman, Wendy Hughes, Paula Lauterbach, Dr. Angie Mattke, Rob Palmer, and Leonard Tramiel - searched through Australian published media for individuals making psychic or otherwise paranormal predictions.
The main conclusions of the Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project were: "Psychics are appallingly bad at predicting future events." "Most predictions were too vague, expected, or simply wrong." "Most of what happens is not predicted, and most of what is predicted does not happen."