Why can't all of us read people/situations like "The Mentalist" and "Pychic" can?

Because this isn’t television and we live in the real world.

@AstroChuck But they show exactly how it is done, can’t we learn from that?

I interviewed a “psychic” once for an article. His self-assigned mission is actually to expose frauds and con artists. and so he uses his skills to delude people and then explains that it was a con game. He said that if you want to be a “psychic” and do cold readings, you study the techniques and learn how to do it the same way you learn anything else. To someone who doesn’t know the tricks, it can look real, but it’s actually just a learnable skill. (Presumably some people also have more of a knack for it than others.)

So I think the answer to your question is—the same reason all of us can’t walk on the high wire, play concert piano, or compete in Olympic gymnastics: because we haven’t done the necessary study and practice to learn how.

For some of those performances, it is also necessary to be wired and have a confederate offstage.

@Jeruba GA, thanks.

“The Mentalist” and being psychic are two completely different things.

“The Mentalist” is a person who has studied the art of reading people’s reactions, and manipulates them to do what he wants to get an answe by saying or doing things people don’e expect. That’s one school of manipulating and reading; the show “Lie To Me” is another wonderful example of this practice, and it is fascinating.

Being psychic is something you are born with. It’s a talent just like someone has a talent for the piano. Everyone has some level of psuchic ability, the level is just different. I can sit at a piano, but the noise I make in trying to play is pathetic. A friend of mine would love to have psychic abiliy, but she is a world famous jazz pianist with several CD’s and she just composes and it’s easy for her. We both are jealous of each others abilities :) .

I lecture at high schools explaining what psychic ability is really about when they study ESP. I also do readings on the radio, and there could be no way to do more of a cold reading where I can get no ‘physical prompts’, and I don’t let people tell me anything, just ask one quetion, then I tell them the answer.

Psychic ability can be enhanced, learned, and increased if you really want to work on it. My husband has worked very hard at increasing his psychic ability. He has gotten to the point where he can concentrate on a person and have them look around as if their name has been called out, and it’s very funny; it’s an exercise I have him do.

I know there are lots of people that try to debunk the ability, or doubt it. I just don’t have them come over to my house for readings. :) . I know what I can do, and I know what my clients get from what I do for them. I don’t allow readings more than twice in six months because people have to do the work in their life that they came to find out about. My work ethic is very strict. Unfortunately there are lots of people out there that aren’t, and that makes me so angry.

If you are truly interested in developing your psychic abilities and see what you may have strengths for, I would be happy to talk to you.

@glassglitterandbeads I lumped the two TV shows together because both of the main actors use the act of observation to know things about other people. The Psychic only pretends to have mental abilities, but uses keen observation.

Thank you for your kind offer for developing my psychic abilities, but I will pass.

How about CSICOP’s standing offer of $10,000 to anyone who can prove paranormal abilities under scientific testing conditions? That offer has been open for several decades, as far as I know. James Randi’s organization offers a million dollars. You’d think some one would have claimed it by now if it could be done.