Mediumship/Channeling

[eashanm]

So, what's your say on Mediums? Are they sucessfully able to talk to spirits of dead people?

 

[Darkover]

Mediumship is the pseudoscientific practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including séance tables, trance, and ouija. The practice is associated with spiritualism and spiritism. A similar New Age practice is known as channeling.

Belief in psychic ability is widespread[4] despite the absence of empirical evidence for its existence. Scientific researchers have attempted to ascertain the validity of claims of mediumship for more than one hundred years and have consistently failed to confirm them. As late as 2005, an experiment undertaken by the British Psychological Society reaffirmed that test subjects who self-identified as mediums demonstrated no mediumistic ability

 

[not_actually_human]

Mediumship is the pseudoscientific practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including séance tables, trance, and ouija. The practice is associated with spiritualism and spiritism. A similar New Age practice is known as channeling.

Belief in psychic ability is widespread[4] despite the absence of empirical evidence for its existence. Scientific researchers have attempted to ascertain the validity of claims of mediumship for more than one hundred years and have consistently failed to confirm them. As late as 2005, an experiment undertaken by the British Psychological Society reaffirmed that test subjects who self-identified as mediums demonstrated no mediumistic ability

Ok. Never looked into this because I don't put much stock into scientific community capturing everything now, heck, even the most obvious and pertinent things in very important fields, but nevertheless, on a cursory search -

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17234565/
> Conclusions: The results suggest that certain mediums can anomalously receive accurate information about deceased individuals. The study design effectively eliminates conventional mechanisms as well as telepathy as explanations for the information reception, but the results cannot distinguish among alternative paranormal hypotheses, such as survival of consciousness (the continued existence, separate from the body, of an individual's consciousness or personality after physical death) and super-psi (or super-ESP; retrieval of information via a psychic channel or quantum field).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830720301518
> Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis support the hypothesis that some mediums can retrieve information about deceased persons through unknown means.
> Results The overall standardized effect size (proportion index), estimated with a frequentist and a Bayesian random effects model, yielded a value of .18 (95% C.I. = .12 - .25) above the chance level. Furthermore, these estimates passed the control of two publication bias tests.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34147342/
> Conclusions: this study provides further evidence that some mediums are able to obtain accurate information about deceased people knowing only the deceased's name and with no interaction with sitters; it also supports the hypothesis that, in some cases, the sources of the information are the deceased themselves.

It couldn't even reasonably conclusively be said to be unscientific yet.

 

[Darkover]

Once someone dies they no longer exist that person ceases to exist

 

[QueenInsomnia]

Once someone dies they no longer exist that person ceases to exist

I appreciate you sharing that information and your perspective. While the scientific view is important to consider, this topic often involves personal beliefs and experiences that go beyond what science can currently measure or explain.

You mentioned that once someone dies, they cease to exist. I'm curious about what led you to this conclusion. Have you had experiences that shaped this belief?

Personally, I've had both successful and unsuccessful sessions with a medium. These experiences have left me open to the possibility that there might be more to this phenomenon than we currently understand.

Perhaps we could discuss how different cultural, religious, or personal experiences shape our views on this topic? It's a complex subject that means different things to different people, and I think exploring various perspectives could lead to an interesting conversation.

Ok. Never looked into this because I don't put much stock into scientific community capturing everything now, heck, even the most obvious and pertinent things in very important fields, but nevertheless, on a cursory search -

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17234565/
> Conclusions: The results suggest that certain mediums can anomalously receive accurate information about deceased individuals. The study design effectively eliminates conventional mechanisms as well as telepathy as explanations for the information reception, but the results cannot distinguish among alternative paranormal hypotheses, such as survival of consciousness (the continued existence, separate from the body, of an individual's consciousness or personality after physical death) and super-psi (or super-ESP; retrieval of information via a psychic channel or quantum field).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550830720301518
> Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis support the hypothesis that some mediums can retrieve information about deceased persons through unknown means.
> Results The overall standardized effect size (proportion index), estimated with a frequentist and a Bayesian random effects model, yielded a value of .18 (95% C.I. = .12 - .25) above the chance level. Furthermore, these estimates passed the control of two publication bias tests.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34147342/
> Conclusions: this study provides further evidence that some mediums are able to obtain accurate information about deceased people knowing only the deceased's name and with no interaction with sitters; it also supports the hypothesis that, in some cases, the sources of the information are the deceased themselves.

It couldn't even reasonably conclusively be said to be unscientific yet.

Thank you for sharing these studies. They present a more complex picture of mediumship research than the initial Wikipedia excerpt suggested. It's interesting to see that some scientific studies have found results that can't be easily explained by conventional means.

These findings align with my personal experiences to some extent. As I mentioned earlier, I've had both successful and unsuccessful sessions with a medium. The successful ones left me wondering if there might indeed be phenomena at work that we don't yet fully understand.

It seems that the scientific community is still exploring this topic, and there's no definitive consensus yet. This reminds us of the importance of keeping an open mind while also maintaining healthy skepticism.

I'm curious what others think about these studies. Do they change anyone's perspective on mediumship? And for those who have had personal experiences with mediums, how do you reconcile them with the scientific research, whether supportive or skeptical?

 

[divinemistress36]

Most are bullshit . A few of them Ive gotten readings from though and she told me things only I could have known . There a are a lot of frauds out there though

 

[Darkover]

You mentioned that once someone dies, they cease to exist. I'm curious about what led you to this conclusion. Have you had experiences that shaped this belief?

Consciousness is rooted in the brain. The brain is the primary organ that generates consciousness. Consciousness refers to the state of being aware of and able to think, perceive, and feel one's surroundings, thoughts, and emotions, we are just biological machines with a off switch everything you are is inside these atoms that make up what you are once the machine ceases to function you die gone rip

Personally, I've had both successful and unsuccessful sessions with a medium. These experiences have left me open to the possibility that there might be more to this phenomenon than we currently understand.

cognitive bias you lack analytical skills logical reasoning

 

[QueenInsomnia]

Consciousness is rooted in the brain. The brain is the primary organ that generates consciousness. Consciousness refers to the state of being aware of and able to think, perceive, and feel one's surroundings, thoughts, and emotions, we are just biological machines with a off switch everything you are is inside these atoms that make up what you are once the machine ceases to function you die gone rip

cognitive bias you lack analytical skills logical reasoning

I appreciate you sharing your perspective on consciousness and the brain. Your view aligns with a materialist understanding of mind and consciousness, which is indeed one scientific approach to the topic.

However, the relationship between consciousness and the brain is still a subject of ongoing research and philosophical debate. Some researchers and philosophers argue for more complex models of consciousness that don't necessarily end at brain death.

Regarding your comment about cognitive bias and analytical skills, it's worth noting that even highly trained scientists can experience cognitive biases. That's why the scientific method involves peer review, replication of studies, and ongoing questioning of results.

The studies mentioned earlier in this thread suggest that there might be more to investigate in this area. Science progresses by exploring unexplained phenomena, not by dismissing them outright.

Perhaps we could discuss how to approach topics like this with both skepticism and openness? After all, many scientific discoveries throughout history seemed impossible at first.

 

[Darkover]

i live in reality not some delusional mindset where people are talking to the dead

 

[divinemistress36]

i live in reality not some delusional mindset where people are talking to the dead

Have you ever had a reading?

 

[QueenInsomnia]

i live in reality not some delusional mindset where people are talking to the dead

I understand that you have strong beliefs on this topic. While we may disagree, I respect your right to your opinion. This is clearly a sensitive subject that evokes strong reactions. Perhaps it's best we agree to disagree and move on. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

 

[Darkover]

Have you ever had a reading?

why would i i don't believe in it, it's nuts just like believing in god which most of humanity believe in just goes show how a large group of people can have it so wrong

 

[QueenInsomnia]

why would i i don't believe in it, it's nuts just like believing in god which most of humanity believe in just goes show how a large group of people can have it so wrong

I find it interesting that you have 'LOVE' in your signature and a Terence McKenna quote as your profile picture. McKenna was known for exploring consciousness and alternative states of being, often challenging conventional materialist views. His quote about 'realms of unimaginable power and light' seems to suggest openness to possibilities beyond our current understanding.

Perhaps there's room for both skepticism and wonder in our approach to consciousness and existence? After all, love itself - which you highlight in your signature - is a complex phenomenon that science is still working to fully understand.

Regardless, I respect that we have different views on this topic. Thank you for the discussion.

 

[Darkover]

I find it interesting that you have 'LOVE' in your signature and a Terence McKenna quote as your profile picture. McKenna was known for exploring consciousness and alternative states of being, often challenging conventional materialist views. His quote about 'realms of unimaginable power and light' seems to suggest openness to possibilities beyond our current understanding.

Perhaps there's room for both skepticism and wonder in our approach to consciousness and existence? After all, love itself - which you highlight in your signature - is a complex phenomenon that science is still working to fully understand.

Regardless, I respect that we have different views on this topic. Thank you for the discussion.

Terence McKenna was obviously a extreme optimist believing in higher dimensions and the ability to step out of matter, life can't exist without atoms.

We may not fully understand how consciousness is produced, Consciousness is almost certainly a result of neuron's in our brain/to a much lesser degree our gut. Consciousness doesn't exist in 99% of baryonic matter. It's pretty localized to planet Earth (and probably a handful of other planets in other galaxies) in an immensely massive universe. There's definitely still a lot we don't know about the universe, but there's a lot more scientific evidence indicating life (consciousness) ends when electricity stops running through our neurons because our heart stopped. None of the unknowns in science show any indication in life after death or that consciousness is fundamental in anyway to the universe

 

[divinemistress36]

I understand that you have strong beliefs on this topic. While we may disagree, I respect your right to your opinion. This is clearly a sensitive subject that evokes strong reactions. Perhaps it's best we agree to disagree and move on. Thank you for sharing your perspective.

Once somebody has their mind made up there is no point in

I appreciate you sharing that information and your perspective. While the scientific view is important to consider, this topic often involves personal beliefs and experiences that go beyond what science can currently measure or explain.

You mentioned that once someone dies, they cease to exist. I'm curious about what led you to this conclusion. Have you had experiences that shaped this belief?

Personally, I've had both successful and unsuccessful sessions with a medium. These experiences have left me open to the possibility that there might be more to this phenomenon than we currently understand.

Perhaps we could discuss how different cultural, religious, or personal experiences shape our views on this topic? It's a complex subject that means different things to different people, and I think exploring various perspectives could lead to an interesting conversation.

Thank you for sharing these studies. They present a more complex picture of mediumship research than the initial Wikipedia excerpt suggested. It's interesting to see that some scientific studies have found results that can't be easily explained by conventional means.

These findings align with my personal experiences to some extent. As I mentioned earlier, I've had both successful and unsuccessful sessions with a medium. The successful ones left me wondering if there might indeed be phenomena at work that we don't yet fully understand.

It seems that the scientific community is still exploring this topic, and there's no definitive consensus yet. This reminds us of the importance of keeping an open mind while also maintaining healthy skepticism.

I'm curious what others think about these studies. Do they change anyone's perspective on mediumship? And for those who have had personal experiences with mediums, how do you reconcile them with the scientific research, whether supportive or skeptical?

There is so much science cant explain

 

[QueenInsomnia]

Terence McKenna was obviously a extreme optimist believing in higher dimensions and the ability to step out of matter, life can't exist without atoms.

We may not fully understand how consciousness is produced, Consciousness is almost certainly a result of neuron's in our brain/to a much lesser degree our gut. Consciousness doesn't exist in 99% of baryonic matter. It's pretty localized to planet Earth (and probably a handful of other planets in other galaxies) in an immensely massive universe. There's definitely still a lot we don't know about the universe, but there's a lot more scientific evidence indicating life (consciousness) ends when electricity stops running through our neurons because our heart stopped. None of the unknowns in science show any indication in life after death or that consciousness is fundamental in anyway to the universe

Thank you for elaborating on your perspective. I appreciate your acknowledgment that there's still much we don't understand about consciousness and the universe. You're right that current scientific evidence points towards consciousness being closely tied to neurological processes.

However, the nature of consciousness remains one of the most debated topics in neuroscience and philosophy. Some theories, like integrated information theory or quantum consciousness models, propose more complex views of consciousness that don't necessarily end at brain death.

While it's true that we don't have conclusive scientific evidence for consciousness surviving death, we also don't have a complete explanation for how subjective experience arises from physical processes. This 'hard problem of consciousness' keeps the door open for further exploration.

My personal experiences with mediums, both successful and unsuccessful, have left me curious about phenomena that our current scientific models can't yet explain. I believe it's valuable to maintain both skepticism and openness as we continue to explore these complex topics.

I appreciate this more detailed exchange of ideas. It's through respectful dialogue like this that we can challenge our own assumptions and potentially make new discoveries.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

I don't believe in Mediums, I think there is a lot of people taking advantage of others and I don't see how one can confirm that what a Medium is saying is true. Without confirming it, how do we know we're not being lied to?

I do believe in other methods that science can't explain however, like fortune telling with cards. This is because one can confirm whether it worked or not. If I use fortune telling cards to try and predict what will happen next week in your life, you can wait a week and see whether the prediction was true.

I've used this system for several years and I keep track of how many of my predictions turn out to be true or not. Currently the percentage is 70% after 100+ questions. I find that too high to be a mere coincidence, statistically speaking it shouldn't be that high if it's something "made up", therefore I believe it has value that science can't explain.