Psychic Events Surge in UK as Researchers Warn of Harms

A growing number of pubs and community centers across the UK are hosting events where mediums claim to deliver messages from the dead. Researchers from the universities of Leeds and Kingston identify this trend as a rapidly expanding form of entertainment. Local online groups are flooded with advertisements for these gatherings, while Google searches for nearby psychic nights have surged by 550 percent over the last seven years.

While many attend these events for light amusement, health professionals and academics warn of serious potential harms. Experts fear that the surge in visitations from the other side could leave attendees deeply traumatized. Furthermore, recent court cases in Britain suggest that claims of clairvoyance often disguise predators targeting vulnerable individuals for financial or sexual abuse.

Caroline Starkey, an associate professor at the University of Leeds, notes that Victorian interest in psychic powers has evolved significantly. She explains that while past practices focused on predicting the future, modern sessions now target personal and private lives. Her team visited more than 14 events nationwide and interviewed attendees who had visited within the past 18 months.

The researchers found that many visitors bring issues of grief and loss to these nights. Dr. Starkey acknowledges that attendees can gain positive comfort, feeling deeply cared for by their families. However, she also witnessed distressing moments that raised serious ethical concerns about vulnerability and the lack of support structures.

One specific incident involved a teenage girl at a pub who trembled as a psychic claimed a message was for her unborn baby. The girl began to sob, revealing she had suffered a miscarriage. In another case, a medium told a woman her deceased brother, who had taken his own life violently, had a message for her.

The emotional intensity of these encounters can be profound, leaving customers traumatized when they receive shocking news without proper support. One male medium even told a woman she was being followed by a sex demon. Such claims highlight the ethical questions surrounding responsibility when dealing with grieving or vulnerable people.

Some mediums belong to the Spiritualists' National Union, which maintains a safeguarding system to minimize and report mistreatment. However, not all practitioners agree that they should avoid delivering distressing messages. One medium from Stockport wrote on his blog that he has received messages from spirits apologizing for childhood abuse. He argues that as long as the spirits operate on a loving vibration, he feels compelled to pass on their messages regardless of the emotional impact.

The Church of England warns that the comforting promises often sold by psychic entertainers can instead leave individuals deeply disturbed, a reality that frequently leaves clergy to manage the fallout. Spokesperson Nick Edmonds stated that encounters with mediums often leave people feeling more distressed, frightened, or confused rather than reassured.

Dr Louise Goddard-Crawley, a counselling psychologist in London, notes that those in emotional pain are particularly vulnerable. When individuals seek comfort, they may quickly accept messages that feel personal or significant without the time to question or process them. Consequently, if a psychic delivers unsettling content regarding sensitive areas like grief or trauma, it becomes extremely difficult for the victim to unhear or make sense of the claim.

While Professor Chris French, an emeritus professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, suggests that most pub psychics have benign intentions and sincerely believe they possess a gift, he highlights a critical lack of support. Unlike professional therapy, psychic consultations are typically one-off encounters where powerful messages are delivered without follow-up care. French warns that the situation becomes dangerous when a person's vulnerability is actively exploited, leading to manipulation into financial transactions or inappropriate relationships.

Recent legal cases in the UK underscore the severity of this exploitation. In March, 74-year-old John Starkey pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting two women he offered psychic readings to and awaits sentencing. In a 2013 case, Michael Ireland was jailed for 16 years for a campaign of sexual abuse against women and young girls, whom he told they were "carrying around demons" and needed cleansing from "emotional blockages."

Despite these crimes, French emphasizes that many psychics are merely trying to make a living by telling customers what they want to hear. However, he points out that very often, individuals who believe they are psychic are actually experiencing auditory hallucinations—hearing voices that are not there. According to the British Psychological Society, around a third of the population experiences these hallucinations in the past month, and a 2021 study in the journal *Mental Health, Religion & Culture* found that people identifying as psychic may experience them at higher rates than the general public.

Professor French advises the public to prioritize safety when receiving such communications. He states that if a bereaved individual needs an emotional crutch, a psychic offering positive messages from the "other side" is generally not a problem. However, if a psychic claims the individual is surrounded by demons and demands payment to lift a curse, they should run a mile.