The Truth About Psychics: What's Real, What's Not, and How to Tell the Difference

In this fascinating look into the history of spiritualism, celebrity psychic Sylvia Browne tells all: what’s real, what’s not, and how to tell the difference. Starting with her own personal odyssey, Sylvia covers the history of psychics dating from biblical times and reveals the truth about everything from witches and talking boards to angels and astral projection. Did you know…

-If someone tells you that an object is “haunted”…they are probably fooling you.
Objects can retain impressions of prior owners, like a photograph, but they don’t contain the spirits of those on the Other Side.

-If you get rid of one item in your house… it should be the talking board.
Using one is like leaving your front door unlocked, inviting anyone (good or evil) to waltz right in.

-Why Sylvia didn’t believe in “living ghosts”…until she had a terrifying experience that changed her mind.
The phenomenon called a doppelganger happened to her more than forty years ago.

-How to tell if a psychic is giving you a good reading…or just following a script.
There are a few key phrases that can give away a fake.

Through a wealth of personal stories and research into the lives of great psychics, Sylvia offers solid advice on how to put valid procedures to use and ignore the rest. The Truth About Psychics explains how you can spot a fraud and shows you how to tap into your own spiritualism and develop legitimate psychic skills!

Sylvia Browne grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and revealed her psychic gift at the age of three, announcing that her grandfather was dead (he was) and predicting she would have a baby sister in three years (she did). Browne began her professional career in 1973 with a small meeting in her home. Within a year Browne’s practice had grown so much that she incorporated the business as the Nirvana Foundation for Psychic Research.

Browne was a true professional: she maintained required business licenses, was a member of a national consumer protection agency, and donated a large portion of her time to charitable organizations and also worked with police to investigate missing persons and other criminal cases. She consulted with police and FBI on several high-profile cases, including the disappearance of Chandra Levy and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. She was the president of her business, now known as the Sylvia Browne Corporation, Browne also founded her own church, the Society of Novus Spirit. Her most recent business venture was The Sylvia Browne Hypnosis Training Center, where her unique, proven hypnosis methods for personal and professional use are taught.

With twenty-two New York Times bestsellers, Browne was an accomplished author of more than 46 books. She appeared regularly on the Montel Williams Show for seventeen years, and was a frequent guest on Larry King Live, traveled the country at sold-out lectures, and regularly appeared in the print media. She lived and practiced in California, where she passed in 2013.

Lindsay Harrison is a creative professional with ten years of experience in media, as well as the author of Missing. She holds an undergraduate degree in literary arts from Brown University and an MA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. She lives in Brooklyn.