Svengali

When I tell folks about the 'Million Dollar Psychic' project, one person's name often gets mentioned. "You're learning to become psychic? Oh, you mean like that Derren Brown chap...?" Now, I'm not sure if this is because the people I'm speaking to think that I am wanting to learn to appear psychic. To these people, I clarify that the aim of the project is to see if I can actually discover 'genuine' psychic ability (if such a thing exists).

Alternatively, of course, it may be that they believe that Derren Brown achieves his impressive feats by using his own psychic abilities! This would be surprising, indeed, as Mr Brown is quite scathing about psychics and mediums and often presents his work as a demonstration of how a range of techniques can be used to create the effect of genuine mind-reading and so on.

It would be a touch ironic if many of his fans actually believed he might be genuinely psychic!

Million Dollar Psychic on Facebook!

Regular readers of this blog will know that I don't really 'get' Facebook. Well, I'm going to have to change that to the past tense. I'm starting to 'get' it. I can clearly see it has its uses. Which is why I have just set up a Facebook page for the Million Dollar Psychic project. In fact, it's something I should have probably set up a few months ago!

If you would like to follow how the project develops (and, of course, you are a Facebook user), please visit the page and click on 'like'. The idea is that this page will be a place to discuss psychic stuff in general and psychic development in particular whether you be a 'skeptic', a 'believer', or a 'I just don't know-er'!

You can also follow on twitter at twitter.com/skeptic2psychic.

Great face for radio

Off the back of the Derren 'n' Joe show on Monday, I was asked to take part in a local BBC radio show this morning to discuss whether psychics are real or fake...


You can listen along by clicking here (it's in the first hour). I even have an impromptu go at a bit of psychometry... with interesting results!

James Randi at TED

After yesterday's brief stray into politics (don't know what happened there...), back to the important matter at hand. Below is another clip of my soon-to-be-nemesis, Mr Randi. This was filmed at TED back in 2007, but was only posted online a little over a week ago.

Righteous Indignation

Ahead of Thursday's talk at the Merseyside Skeptics Society I was interviewed for this week's Righteous Indignation Podcast. The whole podcast lasts a little over an hour and includes plenty of discussion about the importance of critical thinking when it comes to making sense of the various claims that are often made about the paranormal and so on.

The interview with me is towards the end, and starts at around 45 minutes. And, no, I wasn't speaking from inside a metal box.

Skeptical Skousers

On Thursday this week, I will be returning to Liverpool to give a talk about the 'Million Dollar Psychic' project to the Merseyside Skeptics Society. In fact, it's my first public talk about the project so it's nice to be doing it in the city in which I have spent much of my adult life.

The talk begins at 8pm but earlier in the day I plan to try some psychometry. This, so the psychics tell us, where you try to pick up information about someone just from handling an object (like a ring, or a watch) that belongs to that person. I'm not making any claims about being able to do it but I need to practice at any opportunity I get!

The plan is to film my attempts and reveal how I got on as part of the talk in the evening. Nothing lik a little public scrutiny to help relax me...!

It's all happening at The Vines at 8pm on Thursday 15th April. More details here.

The man with the cash

A short clip of James Randi, he of the Million Dollar Challenge, courtesy of YouTube:



The clip dates from March 2008 and it is stated at the end that the challenge "...only lasts another couple of years." Fortunately (for me) the decision to withdraw the challenge in March 2010 was itself withdrawn last summer!

My Psychic Quotient

I'm currently reading Billy Roberts' 10-Step Psychic Development Programme. None-too-surprisingly, it's written by Billy Roberts (or Billy Roblets as Freya refers to him...). I met Billy for the first time a couple of weeks' ago even though he used to run a paranormal centre in Liverpool just a mile or so from the University I worked at for ten years!

I told Billy about my rather ambitious attempt to learn to become psychic (oh, and win a million dollars!) and he very kindly gave me a copy of his book on psychic development. How cool is that?

Towards the beginning of the book, in order to identify where you are on the psychic development path, your 'psychic quotient' so to speak, Billy very helpfully provides a quick test consisting of ten questions (another ten questions point to your psychic potential). I'm hoping he won't mind me copying them here so you, too, can discover your psychic quotient. All you need to do is answer 'yes' or 'no' to each question:

1. Do you feel an affinity with some people more than others?

2. Do you sometimes have strong feelings about imminent events, perhaps an inner voice telling you something is wrong?

3. Do you sometimes find yourself daydreaming in the middle of a conversation with someone, even though you are not bored?

4. Do you sometimes have vivid dreams about impending doom and disaster?

5. Do sweet or unusual fragrances sometimes remind you of someone who is dead?

6. Do you ever see images when staring at a carpet or curtains?

7. Do you sometimes think you can hear someone calling your name when you know you are alone in the house?

8. When lying in bed, do you ever feel pressure on top of the covers, as though someone were sitting on the end of the bed?

9. Have you experienced deja vu on more than one occasion?

10. When drifting off to sleep, do you see small faces passing quickly in front of you?

How many did you say 'yes' to? According to Billy, if you said 'yes' to between seven and ten of the questions above then you already have developed psychic abilities! I only said 'yes' to four of the questions, but that just means my psychic abilities simply need a little encouragement. Even if you found yourself saying 'yes' to just three or less of the questions, there is still hope... with patience and determination you'll still meet your psychic potential!

That million dollars is mine for the taking...

In it to win it

I'm not a regular buyer of lottery tickets. But I bought one this week, just in case my new found psychic skills were able to determine this week's lottery numbers.

Of course, prior to tonight's draw, Rachel and I had had the obligatory conversation about what we'd do with the money if we won. Tonight was a £7 million rollover, so around £3-4 million would go to charity, up to a million on a nice new house, and the rest in gifts, etc. We had it all worked out.

I won't beat around the bush. We didn't win. Not even £10. Two numbers came up. But I suppose my chances of winning the lottery are even lower than winning James Randi's million dollar challenge!

From flukey to spooky!

Things got even weirder today. I tried my hand at psychometry, which is where you try to pick up information 'psychically' from just holding an object that belongs to someone. I had four objects to pick from: A stone, two finger-rings, and a watch. I picked up the stone to see if I could 'sense' anything using my new found psychic skills (!)

It was smooth and just felt cold to the touch, but with a little questioning from my 'tutor' I eventually said it made me think of Brighton beach and I could imagine it being picked from the beach by a young girl (the stone had child-like patterns painted on its surface). When asked to suggest which decade it was picked from the beach, I immediately came back with the 1970s, as that would have been when I was a young child. It turned out the stone was indeed from Brighton beach, and was picked up from the beach by a child (a boy, not a girl) in 1972! Not a bad start, eh?

Even more bizarrely, a little later on, when I was recapping on what I had done I jokingly made out that I had really known that it was a boy who had picked it up and, yes, I sensed it was in 1972.

"...And his name was Michael," I joked.

"No, his name wasn't Michael, but that's his father's name and he's the one who gave me the stone," my tutor told me.

"...Joseph," I quickly added.

"Yes, Joseph is his middle name. Michael Joseph!"

What are the odds?

Talking of weird experiences, this morning we were in the centre of Oxford doing a bit of filming for the 'Million Dollar Psychic' project I mentioned a few months ago. The plan was for me to stop people on the street and try to guess their mother's first name. The idea was to see if I had any signs of hidden psychic abilities before I started my attempt to learn to become psychic! We'd film, say, three or four different attempts and see me getting it wildly wrong time and time again. At least that was the plan.

The first person I approach was a young woman whose name, I quickly discover, is Helen. Not through psychic means; she tells me. I briefly explain what we're doing, and ask her if she would mind helping us for a couple of minutes. Reluctantly, she agrees.

As she's thinking of her mum's name, I close my eyes to see if anything comes to mind. Nothing. So, instead I try gazing off into the middle distance, and I notice a sign at the entrance to the college behind her. "Balliol College."

"Does your mum's name have a B in it?" I ask.

"Er, yes..." she replies.

"Does it begin with B?" I ask again.

"Er... yeah..." I think I'm more impressed than she is. She eyes me up suspiciously. I just go for the first female name I can think of beginning with B.

"Is her name Barbara?"

"Yes!"

I'm completely flummoxed. Helen walks away as I'm left open-mouthed. She no doubt thinks it's some kind of trick.

I know it was just a lucky guess, but I'm wondering if I could be psychic already?

Just in case, later in the day I buy a lottery ticket for this Saturday's Lotto draw... well if I'm on a roll I don't want it to go to waste!

Stop Press!

Press Release

For immediate release 30 September 2009

From Sceptic to Psychic?

Can a scientist become a psychic and win a million dollars?

Dr. Matthew Smith leaves behind the safety of academic life today to pursue a unique and rather ambitious project. After more than fifteen years of researching ‘paranormal’ experiences from a scientific perspective, Matthew will set aside his scepticism to see if he can discover and develop his own hidden psychic abilities. In a year-long project, he will work with some of the world’s leading mediums and psychics to discover if he has any hidden psychic talents. Leading parapsychologists will monitor his progress by subjecting him to scientific tests along the way.

At the end of the year he will take the million dollar challenge offered by American magician and sceptic James Randi for anyone who can demonstrate genuine paranormal abilities.

'It’s one heck of a challenge, but I’m really looking forward to delving into the world of the psychic. There’s only so much you can learn from conducting experiments on other people. Sometimes you just have to get in there and try it for yourself!', said Matthew.

Matthew’s first challenge will be on Saturday 3rd October when he will be giving readings at a psychic fair in Witney, Oxfordshire. ‘They will be readings based on tarot, and maybe a little cold reading!’, explained Matthew, ‘I’m keen to find out how good my readings are before I’ve even started any psychic development.’ Matthew will give readings for free and ask his clients to compare his with those they get from other readers at the fair.

Deb Blakeley, organiser of the psychic fair said, ‘I applaud Matthew for trying this out for himself. He may surprise himself! And I welcome any attempt to find out more about how psychic readings might work.’

Matthew leaves his post as Associate Professor of Psychology at Liverpool Hope University on Wednesday 30th September after ten years at the University. Shortly after he arrived at the University, he was asked to be the resident parapsychologist and sceptic on Living TV’s Most Haunted Live to pass a critical eye over the ‘paranormal’ activity experienced by the investigation team.

Matthew added, ‘This challenge takes me outside of academia, and out of my comfort zone, to explore these topics from a very different perspective.’

Matthew is writing about his experience for a book, Million Dollar Psychic, to be published next year.

Saturday 3rd October: Psychic Fair, Langdale Hall, Market Square, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX8 6AB. For details, contact Deb Blakeley: Tel. 01993 702233; Email opalhealing@aol.com.

Matthew Smith Email spiritualjunkie@me.com

Ends

Links
Million Dollar Challenge (James Randi Educational Foundation)
Third Eye Workshops
Liverpool Hope University