Alvaro Prieto | August 17, 2011
20 comments

Beyond Belief – ABC Nightline Special on Psychics

Jamy Ian Swiss, James Randi, Michael Edwards, and Steve Shaw(Banachek).

Tonight at 10pm, the Nightline Special – Beyond Belief aired on ABC. I first heard about it at The Amazing Meeting 9 in Las Vegas. I don’t remember if it was James Randi or Banachek that mentioned they had taped the show, but did not know when it would be airing. I was happy to hear work from the JREF make it onto national TV.

TAM9 had a scheduled tests for the Million Dollar Challenge the last day of the event, but since no one showed up, Banachek took the stage. He described how the challenge works, and how they are making it easier for people to apply, simplifying the rules, etc… Later on, he described several of the failed attempts at winning the challenge. The stories were quite entertaining to say the least.

The special began by showing a self-proclaimed medium, James Van Praagh. He ‘reads’ the interviewer and pulls out some fairly detailed information, but we later find out, it’s exactly what was covered in several interviews in the past, available to anyone with access to Google. Van Praagh was also able to ‘read’ some people on the street, but when they asked him to read the producer of the show, he drew a blank. (Hint: He didn’t know he would be reading her in advance, and she probably knows about cold reading.)

Later on, Banachek tests several candidates for the Million Dollar Challenge. A palm reader, tarot card reader, and a stock broker/psychic (who happens to wear a PowerBalance bracelet.) As you might expect, all of the psychics failed under mutually agreed conditions. Unfortunately, they did not show the psychics going over the testing conditions with Banachek and giving them the ok. Banachek mentioned at TAM that this is a requirement before being tested for the Million Dollar Challenge, and they did in fact agree to those tests.

Other things were covered in the show, like the fact that there is not a single case where psychics have helped solve a police investigation. They even showed a clip of the time when Sylvia Browne told a family with a missing child that he was dead on live TV. He wasn’t. They found him alive two years later, he had been kidnapped.

Banachek did a few demonstrations of mentalism tricks psychics use to fool people. Unfortunately these were rather brief. I was happy to see that they mentioned the results of Project Alpha, where Steve Shaw (Banachek) and Michael Edwards fooled parapsychologists at a university for three years. They used a variety of tricks to make them believe they possessed psychic abilities and only revealed themselves right before a research paper about them was published.

Up until the last segment, the special showed psychics like they really are. Not one was able to demonstrate actual psychic abilities. Unfortunately, the last segment covered two psychics that ‘read’ another interviewer. One of them happened to mention a rainbow and, guess what, when they walked out, there was a double rainbow! They ended the show right there, it was rather disappointing.

Did they mention that it had just rained, or was raining, while they conducted the reading in the psychics house? No.
Did they mention how no one would have remembered, or thought much of, the mention of a rainbow during the reading? No.
What if the reading had been done in a day without rain?
Did they explain how cold reading works, and how it was probably used by every psychic on the show? No.

Ignoring that last segment, I thought the show was pretty good. There is a trailer for the show, and the full episode is available here.

 

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  • Georgia

    Hi there, I was the palm reader on Beyond Belief. I’ve written a rather lengthy response because I thought you might be interested on a behind the scenes perspective on what happened on the show.

    I would assume that the show failed to show my pre-interview with Banachek because when he asked/stated “but you would say this is a fair test” I never said yes which was obviously what he wanted to have captured on camera. Instead I clearly stated that in no way shape or form was this the way I was used to working but I would have a bash at it (mainly out of curiosity). 

    I would have loved Beyond Belief to have shown that footage as it clearly indicated this was not a test that dealt with the kind of style of work I do but sadly this was left out, as well as a lot of other footage which would have shown a more even handed portrayal of what happened there and also what the psychic experience is about. Unlike what the hosts emphatically repeated, I do not claim to have “special powers” but rather abilities developed over time, much like a singer or a musician has and said as much on the show. Beyond Belief also did not show the positive feedback from the random person I did a genuine palm reading and energy treatment on. Why not?

    I was also not shown one of the “bios”, or even an example of a bio until in the room filming the test. As soon as I saw the bios it was obvious it was going to be an impossible task as they contained very little information and some as completely useless as the last meal the person had eaten. Many of the bios also had the same information, for example there were 2 Magicians (presumably from JRI) and many of them used the same adjectives to describe their personalities (3 words for each person). I was told by one of the subjects that although I picked the wrong bio it did have some of the correct information on it.
    Additionally none of the psychics were ever told that the “psychic investigators” we would be “tested” by were from the James Randi institute, although I repeatedly asked the guy, who turned out to be the president of the James Randi Institute, D.J. Grothe, who they were and were they genuinely interested in exploring psychic phenomena. He repeatedly said they were and never that they were professional debunkers which, as I’ve discovered, is actually the case. If this was really a fair experience why keep that a secret from us? The first time I saw it was on the release I signed right before going into being filmed and it barely registered with me. 

    I think its fair to say few of the psychics present expected to win the million dollars but were curious to see what kind of tests would be conducted and, as in my case, is it even possible to fairly test this stuff and/or test it under the stressing conditions of being on tv. I also agreed, on D.J Grothe’s request, to switch from my chosen modality (Tarot) to do palmistry because they had already filmed a tarot reader and it had taken a lot of time and they were concerned about losing their “live” test subjects. I mention this not because I expect I would have done any better, with tests so obviously pitted against the participants, but that the intuitives there were genuinely cooperative and there in the spirit of real exploration of this stuff. They also did not thoroughly explain the tests to us before we had to choose a specific modality, giving us the opportunity to decide what test would most align with our particular abilities as many intuitives work with a combination of skills during a reading. For example they could not tell me if I would be able to touch or talk to the live subjects when I was deciding whether to do the palmistry test but clearly they knew that I would not be able to. Again, if this was a fair experience, why keep that information from us?

    I agree that people should be genuinely careful when looking for an intuitive to work with as there are many scammers out there. I have spoken publicly about this. Check this out

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to5UHz2Sy-s

    and I also spoke about this on the show in my interview with Juju which also wasn’t shown, because sadly the show ultimately wanted to go with a black/white, right/wrong, psychics vs skeptics debate. 

    My question is, is there any space in this debate to be skeptical about the skeptics themselves and their tactics behind “proving” us wrong?

    And does it really help people to stay in this old paradigm? Or would it be more useful to open up the story up to how people can educate themselves to find people who are legitimately, ethically and caringly trying to assist people through this work? I think people should be as careful about finding a psychic as when they try to find a lawyer, a “credible” field where there are as many sketchy, unethical people as there are people with a genuine desire to help.

    I do wish you luck in uncovering your own truth in this area.

    Best,
    Georgia Jean
    http://circleevolution.com/

    • http://www.MolecularFossils.com Dan!

      Oh my gosh, you got to meet D.J. Grothe? I’m jealous!

      • Georgia

        Yes, I did meet DJ and in fact he bought me a drink after and told me that he understood that there is an energy connection that happens when you touch someones hand and that the tests weren’t open minded enough to that. He was actually a nice person and that he does hope that James Randi Institute will open itself up to a more in depth study of psychic phenomena instead of just being straight debunkers. I think that would be great.

    • Science4All

      Lol. U Fail Georgia. Your “skill” is nothing more than making up stories and misleading people. You appear to claim the tests were unfair, well, they weren’t. They just showed that none of this astrology tarot mindreading psychic stuff is worth anything when pitted against reality. The skeptics ARE skeptical of the skeptics, that’s their job. That is how they come up with good tests and also why none of you scam artists has ever outsmarted the tests. Please get a real job that actually benefits society, we have enough leeches.

    • http://profiles.google.com/sakodak Jason Balicki

      “My question is, is there any space in this debate to be skeptical about the skeptics themselves and their tactics behind “proving” us wrong?”

      Yes, it’s called the “scientific method,” the fruits of which have produced things like computers, microwaves, vibrators and nuclear weapons.  What has “palmistry” produced?  Nothing.  

      Also, the burden of proof isn’t on them, it’s on you to prove your “abilities” are real.  You must understand that a lot of the most vehement skeptics started out as believers in this kind of woo, and wanted to prove to others that it was real.  As mentioned, the only way to do that is through scientific experiments.  When absolutely none of you woo-peddlers ever come through with the goods — well, let’s just say you’re fighting a losing battle.

      • Georgia

        Oh my goodness, I think Einstein would roll over in his grave at the idea that the “scientific method” was upheld during this scenario. Just the prejudicial bias against psychic phenomena held by Banachek is enough to preclude these tests results as being valid. 

        I was actually hoping I was showing up to something that had some kind of scientific basis, not a couple of magicians with an obvious agenda. It’s a shame Nightline did not show the results of these test being scrutinized by some real scientists for validity of execution. That would have made for a far more interesting and even handed program.

    • Álvaro Prieto

      Georgia,

      Thank you for taking the time to respond to the post. Having heard the story from Banachek, it’s nice to hear what you have to say as well.

      I agree that Nightline should have shown the pre-testing discussion and agreement. Now that they can put show segments that did not air on the web, they have no excuse for leaving it out. They should also explain how the experiments were designed and why. Since I did not see any of the biographies provided, I cannot really say much about it.

      From what I understand, the experiments are designed so that the only way to succeed is to have paranormal powers. They have to make sure that non-psychic techniques, such as cold-reading, are not used. Mentalists, like Banachek, use several techniques to achieve the same effects as psychics. Maybe the JREF can explain how they design the experiments and why they do it. From what I understand, they are working toward a more open process for the Million Dollar Challenge.

      One thing I must disagree with you on, is that the JREF people are psychic debunkers. I know James Randi himself is open to the idea of paranormal powers, but only if they can be shown to work under proper scientific conditions. Yes, every psychic they have tested failed the experiment, but that does not mean that the JREF began the experiment expecting them to fail it. That’s the great thing about skeptics, when confronted with proper scientific evidence, we willing to say we were wrong and change our views. So far, there is no scientific evidence that shows anyone has paranormal powers.

      You mentioned that the conditions of the experiment are very different than what you are used to. Having no contact with the subjects provides feedback that could let you know a lot about them. You could in fact be using many of the techniques mentalists use, even unconsciously! You probably refine your people-reading skills constantly, and might have learned to do it over several years. The thing is, you can be great at reading people, but that does not mean you are using paranormal powers to do it. I would recommend reading this article by Karla McLaren. If anything, it will help you see what we are trying to do from a different perspective. (http://www.csicop.org/si/show/bridging_the_chasm_between_two_cultures/)

      What James Randi is fighting against (and I believe you agree, from watching that video) are the people that use paranormal claims to take advantage of people. You might have nothing but good intentions when providing your services, but that does not mean it is risk free. Psychics, unlike psychiatrists and other physicians, are not trained to notice certain disorders and conditions someone might have. The problems happen when clients believe they are being cured by supernatural powers and do not seek the proper medical attention.

      There is always space to be skeptical about the skeptics, in fact, we encourage it! One great thing about science, is that it is self-correcting. Skeptics follow the same rules. Show us what we did wrong and we will do our best to fix it. Don’t take anything we say for granted, question everything, but at the same time, be open to change yourself. If either one of us decides to take a dogmatic stance on our beliefs, we will never be able to have a proper, rational, discussion.

      I hope this helps you understand where I’m coming from.

      Thank you again for the reply,

      Alvaro

      • Georgia

        Hey Alvaro,

        Thanks for your great response and willingness to enter into a reasonable discussion about this without the need to hurl insults. I really respect and appreciate that, and what you say regarding JREF does reflect the attitude I found in DJ Grothe, despite how Banachek and JR appeared on the show.

        I read the article by Karla McLaren and it was very interesting. Doing this work I naturally consider deeply the implication of my effect on my clients and my responsibility to them. I NEVER recommend my work over medical treatment and frequently direct clients towards seeking professional mental, emotional, physical treatment. The question of ethics and good practice are high on my agenda.

        I also will say that skills such as palmistry and tarot reading can be done without paranormal skills as simply understanding the meaning of the lines, flexibility and texture of a palm or of the meaning of the cards can help an intuitive see an accurate picture of someones personality or story and for many years I read in that way (not professionally). 

        It has only been in recent years that I have begun to have experiences where the information I received was beyond what I could explain from any kind of deductive technique including what I understand cold reading to be (I’ve never consciously studied this)  that I have even called myself “psychic” and it was accompanied by a kind of physical and energetic experience that was the “proof” I needed to over come, not necessarily my own skepticism, but my own lack of belief in myself as being able to do this. Additionally it has been the feedback of my clients who have come back with some great confirmations for me that have helped me grow more confident with this and I do believe my skills in this arena continue to improve all the time.

        I genuinely went on the show with a deep curiosity of how my growing abilities, which appear in many different areas, could be tested and if I could over come the nerves that interfere with the relaxed state I best receive information in. Mostly I would LOVE to be scientifically tested around the energetic experience I have, to see if the energy I feel that flows through my hands, body and face could be measured by some kind of equipment eg MRI so I could have a better understanding of what is happening.

        Prior to the airing of the show I watched many videos of other mediums and psychics on tv and was mostly startled and saddened at how much hatred and anger was directed towards them in comments. Naturally I resonate with what a lot of them have to say, that we all have these abilities, that it isn’t a special power, and that we are not all freaks and over the top new agers. I really hope together we can take some of the rage out of this debate and, as Karla McLaren said, find a way to open a true communication about this.

        All the best,
        Georgia

        • Georgia

          PS. Yes, lets hope Beyond Belief does release more of the footage of the show that they filmed.

        • Álvaro Prieto

          I don’t believe hatred and anger are useful in actually understanding and solving problems. If you saw the segment with Sylvia Browne, you’ll understand why many people were outraged. I will do my best now to explain where some skeptics are coming from, which I hope will help you understand our perspective better.You mention that palmistry can be done without paranormal skills. If the lines, flexibility, and texture do in fact mean something, then extensive studies of a significant sample of people can be done. A sample of individuals can have their palms read (although you might only be able to see/handle hands behind a wall, to prevent getting information from facial expressions, etc…) and later compare the readings with the individuals themselves. If the readings have information from the future, that’s ok, run the study over several months/years and confirm that what was predicted actually happened. If palmistry does work, the results would speak for themselves. The positive results would have to be significantly above what would happen by random chance though.As a skeptic, I think, why do simple versions of this test fail? If a large, properly designed study is done, and shows good results that can be replicated, skeptics will not be able to tell you ‘it doesn’t work’. As a skeptic, I can tell you this hasn’t been done, and that is why we don’t believe it works. As I mentioned before, show us the evidence and we will happily change our minds!A similar experiment could be done for tarot cards.Another area that raises flags comes from your mention of confidence in your skills. You said that the positive feedback from your clients has re-assured you that you are doing something right. The problem with this feedback, is that it comes from humans. The first problem you will run into is confirmation bias. For example, say you make 10 predictions, or statements, during a reading. If one or two happen to be right, the client will notice and come back to tell you how right you were. Unfortunately, they are only noticing what confirms their preexisting beliefs. In this case, the beliefs are that your readings are true.The clients don’t, however, come back and tell you every single wrong prediction/statement that might have been done. They just ignore it, forget it, or don’t even notice! And these are not just your clients, everyone, does it! Don’t believe skeptics are immune to this. We know about it and try not to fall victims to it, but that’s just how the brain works. So in our mind (and science backs this up), all the confirmation from your clients is far from being evidence of the readings being accurate.I asked Banachek about the experiment design and selection process for the Million Dollar Challenge. I’ll be doing a post about it later. One thing he did mention is that the JREF will be writing a behind-the-scenes blog about the Nightline show. I really hope they can get those videos, that way we don’t have to be speculating about what actually happened.I hope this information is useful in understanding where skeptics are coming from in certain situations. I also hope people (from both sides) can take a less aggressive approach to the conversation, so we can continue to understand each other and hopefully reach an understanding. (Many skeptics don’t believe this is possible, and if past events are used as a reference, they are right, but I’m a bit of an optimist.)Alvaro

          • Georgia

            Yes, I thought a lot about how the test could have been conducted in a more fair fashion. Since for me palmistry is more of a personality read, rather than a fortune telling experience, I thought it could be interesting for the reader and the participant to fill out some kind of multiple choice questionnaire or standard personality test and then grade for accuracy in that way. And yes have the participant hidden except for the hand. And then maybe some way to grade additional intuitive information received beyond the scope of what is determine by the palm. As mentioned in former messages, palmistry was not my first choice as its not something I do on a professional basis (you can check my website for verification of that) but the skill I first learned. I chose it because doing energy work I often received information of the more, “there is no way I could have know that fashion”,  or make a connection to a cross over relative when I touch people. Not being able to make a connection to the subject either verbally or physically completely inhibits that.
            In general many “modern intuitives” are not about predicting peoples future and old school fortune telling, but about helping people discover where their blockages are and helping them make the best decisions to empower them to create the life they want. I dont believe in absolute destiny, but I do feel there are trends of energy that are more supportive to certain activities or actions at some times over others. That’s what I tap into for my clients. But its true that in that process I have had experiences of connecting with crossed over relatives who wish to also be of assistance in that process. I agree with what you say about accuracy and personal bias but I believe my clients return to me for the overall experience. Receiving “psychic” information is just one aspect of the work I do as I also teach my clients meditation and visualization techniques. I do make full or partial refunds when a lack of connection between my client and I results in an unsatisfactory experience for them or inaccuracy.

            Holding the torch for optimism and understanding :)

            Georgia

          • http://www.MolecularFossils.com Dan!

            Hi Georgia,

            I’ve appreciated your conversation with  Álvaro thus far, but I was wondering something. You said, “In general many “modern intuitives” are not about predicting peoples
            future and old school fortune telling, but about helping people discover
            where their blockages are and helping them make the best decisions to
            empower them to create the life they want.”

            So, is it accurate to say that you believe this to be a supernatural ability? If so, do you think people without any sort of supernatural abilities are able to do this?  If so, do you think there is a way to tell the difference?

          • Georgia

            Great question Dan,

            I would answer this by asking you this.. Do you consider a dogs ability to hear sound beyond our generally accepted perceptual range to be a supernatural I ability? 

            I believe I have an ability to perceive and translate information that vibrates at a different level that what is generally perceived by the 5 senses. I believe this was partially an innate ability but also an ability that has been honed through practice and training. I believe everyone has the potential to open their abilities if they have the interest and desire much in the same way as everyone can probably sing Mary Had a Little Lamb but not everyone has the interest or desire to become an opera singer.

            The “flavor” of my ability is that I tend to be very good at picking up information around the emotional energy people have and events from the past that are relevant to that emotion. I can attune to this without receiving information of the their history as may be typical with a session with a therapist. 

            There are other forms of information I receive, such as undeniably specific names of relatives or locations etc, sometimes better than other. Much in the same way that a musician may be a great trombone player but not as good on the guitar, or sometimes better than other times on the guitar depending on “the night.”

            It is my intention, as I believe it is with many other well known mediums, to take these abilities “off the pedestal” or out of the realm of supernatural, special powers, gift, magical etc etc and to in some way normalize them for all people to explore as the interest draws them to it and to use them as tools to help themselves in there own lives.

            Cheers,
            Georgia

          • guest

            Hey, just wanted to say good luck, Georgia. If I was a practicing psychic I doubt I would put myself in the crosshair as you have.

          • Georgia

            Thanks. Appreciate it. Probably my years as a stand up comedian makes me a glutton for punishment LOL

          • http://www.molecularfossils.com Dan!

            Hi Georgia,

            Thank you for your reply.  I am trying to understand what you mean, but you seem to be contradicting yourself.  In no way is a dog’s hearing ability supernatural, nor would be any ability to sense vibrations – even if your sensitivity was far beyond the normal human ability to do so.  For me, this is an important distinction, because on one hand you are claiming that these are not unique abilities, that everyone can possess them, and yours are simply highly developed.  But then on the other hand, you seem to doubt there is a material basis for these abilities, and seem to doubt if there is any test of your abilities that you would consider “fair.”  If this is not the case, could you describe how you would have changed the experiment?  But please keep in mind that the design of the experiment must enable us to discern if you are getting information from the palms (or tarot cards, etc.), or simply from the person if it is to be useful at all.

            Cheers,
            Dan

          • Georgia

            Hi Dan,

            I wrote a long reply to your last question but it either didn’t load or was removed. If you would like to continue the discussion about creating a fair test please feel free to email me at georgia@circleevolution.com

          • Ellen Lundgren

            Sorry for the error! We haven’t been removing any comments if you would like to try posting again.