I’ve been a “psychic” for over 20 years. Before then, I had gifts as a child, but no real conscious awareness of them. Nor did I have any idea of how to use them properly. It was when I studied Reiki Level I that the lid was blown off the proverbial container and there was no turning back. At first, I didn’t really want these gifts. (Though, if I’m honest, I privately embraced them because it felt like it explained a LOT of things for me.) Mostly, I didn’t want the responsibility that seemed to come with what I could do, nor did I know what it all meant. In other words: Having gifts scared me. So I ran. For three years.
At the time, there were a few people in my life who I shared all of this with, and they were incredibly supportive. (And there were also some who were destructive and disparaging.) A few of the supportive ones saw the stress it was causing me in my mind and encouraged me to take a step back if I needed to. They didn’t have to tell me twice…
In truth, though I thought I was stepping away, what I was actually doing was slowing down. When the lid blew off, everything felt urgent. It was all a bit too much. Running away felt like the best option, but what I actually needed was a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a “psychic”. There was no part of me that wanted to be branded or labeled as a charlatan. Nor did I intend to live the life that we often see portrayed in the media of a hippie-esque character wandering through life and not engaging in the “real” world. That wasn’t me. I like sushi, nice hotels, and beautiful handbags (I was a fashion buyer, after all). So, I ran because I didn’t think I fit into the model presented to me… nor did I want to.
Running away gave me the space I needed to come back to my gifts with more clarity, grounding, and sense of self. Taking time allowed me to connect with teachers/mentors and receive appropriate guidance and support to be who I am—who I have always been. This pause also made me realize that while my gifts were a starting point, I wanted more. I wanted the ability to not only know things (psychic), but to understand them (therapist), and be able to apply them (life coach). In that way, I knew I could help people the best way possible, because as I’ve said for two decades: It’s not enough to know something; it’s what you do with it that matters.
Even though I pursued the healing arts methodically through extensive training over a fair amount of time, I still struggled with the word “psychic.” To soften it, I would say “intuitive psychic medium” because it feels easier somehow—less negative and disparaging. However, the truth is: I am a psychic in the truest sense of the word and the negative connotations associated with the word aren’t mine and have nothing to do with me. If someone thinks that way, that’s theirs. I have no interest in convincing them otherwise. But, in exploring my feelings around this, it prompted me to ask: What is a psychic, really? So, I thought I’d answer that now, in case you were wondering, too.
Short answer: A psychic reads energy.
Long answer: Psychics read energy but are not energy “healers” like a Reiki practitioner or others; rather, they are an energy interpreter. Different psychics read energy differently and get their reading from different sources. Some know their sources, some just grab anything that comes to them without vetting the source. Most psychics read the energy “through” the person in front of them, which means that the information will be infused with that person’s thoughts and emotions. This can be why a lot of people feel “validated” when they work with a psychic. It’s also why a lot of psychics get things “wrong.” Additionally, this is why a reading can change from one day to the next: Because something in the person’s life (energy) has changed; therefore, the potential has shifted and the reading changes.
Now, there are psychics that work solely with things like the Akashic Records, or who prefer to work with the deceased (typically called mediums), but it’s all “psychic” work. Even someone who calls themself an “intuitive” is using psychic skills or gifts on some level. Regardless of which word they use, the concept is the same. Therefore, the difference between psychics will always come down to:
What source they are using (and, importantly, whether they are vetted and confirmed)
How they interpret the energy (which they rarely get trained properly to do and often involves their own human biases)
What boundaries they hold (some have none and boundaries are very important)
Their own spiritual hygiene (possibly the most important, because the etheric world is just as complex as the human one, with just as many issues and personalities)
What I have found over the years (and one of the reasons I ran from my gifts) was that many psychics don’t practice boundaries, good hygiene, or actually go through the process of being trained and mentored in a way that vets and validates their gifts and sources. In fact, I was once stopped in a parking lot in Florida by a “psychic” who told me that she had message for me and that she needed desperately to tell me what she saw. I declined and walked away (even though she pursued me). This has happened several times in my life, because of the energy I carry. I have learned to steer clear of anyone that I haven’t vetted myself, personally, because only once was it valid and worthwhile. Plus, this kind of unsolicited behavior is not aligned with the highest frequency. So, chances are that kind of interaction would result in a psychic attack instead of true information. (And yes, psychic attacks happen. More often than you might think.)
So, why am I sharing this aspect of who I am more and more? Mainly because I have recently seen many people who are hurting and I know that I can help, especially because what I offer is unique: I combine three very different disciplines into one comprehensive approach. In other words, I can get the answers someone is seeking, from the highest frequency available, and I can then help them understand this information and figure out what to do with it. Beyond, helping others, I’m also tired of feeling like I need to hide the best parts of me because of other people’s judgment, fear, beliefs, or lack of understanding—especially when I see how my gifts have helped people along the way.
I also know that in the age of social media there is a lot of misinformation floating around the internet with a lot of false promises being made by others who purport to have gifts, but have done no training or study. It feels more predatory than service-oriented, and that can do harm. I’ve helped clients who were unnecessarily hurt by these practices, and it’s upsetting to see. So, I hope to be a beacon in the midst of the noise, offering real solutions instead of soundbites. Because, when it comes to psychic work, there is often a lack of vetting and critical thinking, which is fine if you’re using a “psychic” for entertainment purposes; but not okay if you actually want to heal.
Ultimately, it all comes back to discernment, like most of life. As the saying goes: Garbage in, garbage out. If low-vibration energy is what’s being “read” it will give you low-vibration information. Understanding that a psychic is an energy reader (and interpreter) can help you practice that discernment. By shifting the narrative, I want to empower people to scratch beneath the surface and understand that psychic work is not benign. It can be incredibly life-changing and is 100% worth the time and investment to be taken seriously. Because when it’s good… it’s really good. But when it’s bad… well, you get the idea.
In my opinion, being a psychic carries a responsibility of care, similar to being a therapist or life coach, doctor or nurse. As Hippocrates wrote in Of the Epidemics: “The physician must... have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm.” May we always be aligned with doing good and helping those who are in need. At least, that’s my goal and guiding light.
Now that you know more of the basics about what it means to be a psychic, do you have any questions? Leave them in the comments below.
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