18 December 2016

Mic: Here's why people keep going to psychics and fortunetellers

And with that, I am now among the 15% of Americans who have admitted to visiting a fortuneteller or psychic. In spite of the fact that claiming to commune with the supernatural realm is widely dismissed as a sham — and is also a class B misdemeanor in New York City that could cost a fortune teller up to $500 in fines — palmists and Tarot card readers occupy storefronts throughout the city and advertise online. And people continue to seek them out: according to a 2016 survey of paranormal beliefs conducted by Chapman University, 14.1% of those surveyed believe astrologers, fortune tellers and psychics can foresee the future and nearly half (46.6%) believe that places can be haunted by spirits. [...]

While McBride sees clients of all ages, she's noticed that young people come mainly for a particular drama, such as relationships or family issues. "It can get pretty specific as far as astrology goes," McBride said. "I can get right to something immediately. A therapist has to get to know you, hear your story."

Norton believes Tarot card reading and the like have helped her to analyze her relationships with different people. Often, she was surprised at how accurately the reader would talk about their personality traits and motives. "It can kind of give hope to some people that things are gonna work out," she said. "Even if it is a scam, it's just an interesting way to look at your life in a different way and [be] introspective."

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