+- Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum (https://www.scivillage.com)
+-- Forum: Culture (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-49.html)
+--- Forum: Religions & Spirituality (https://www.scivillage.com/forum-124.html)
+--- Thread: Misunderstanding mediums: Rediscovering the psychic placebo effect (spiritualism) (/thread-21533.html)
Misunderstanding mediums: Rediscovering the psychic placebo effect (spiritualism) - C C - Oct 9, 2026
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/misunderstanding-mediums-rediscovering-the-psychic-placebo-effect/
EXCERPTS: In her recent New York Times Op-Ed piece titled “Go Ahead and Laugh at Mediums. They May be Onto Something” senior staff editor Sarah Wildman demonstrates several common yet fundamental misunderstandings of skeptics, psychologists, and the nature of psychic mediumship.
[...] In fact Wildman doesn’t seem to realize that she has simply rediscovered the placebo effect in an unexpected context. When she writes that “mediums may be onto something,” that something is a version of the placebo effect—a treatment that often brings temporary comfort to those in pain despite not having any active ingredient. It makes you feel better because you expect it to.
[...] Relatedly, Wildman doesn’t seem to recognize which direction the information is flowing. In the examples she cites, the psychic asked open-ended questions ... These are questions, not answers. They are literally requests for information and validation. (MORE - details)
RE: Misunderstanding mediums: Rediscovering the psychic placebo effect (spiritualism) - confused2 - Oct 9, 2026
If 'therapy' works then there's every reason to suppose mediums can work in much the same way .. possibly better. You can't make or keep friends by constantly going on about dead things, I've found rat infestations are another thing best not talked about too much. So you get attention beamed in on you and Tiddles the dead cat .. and Tiddles is there for you and wants you to know he loves you. The fact that Tiddles only ever came home for food, didn't care whether you lived or died, all washed away. I haven't seen any rats for 3 weeks and 4 days now (cameras don't lie) .. I feel better just for having shared .. would be even better if somebody actually showed they cared in some minor way but I guess that's not going to happen.
RE: Misunderstanding mediums: Rediscovering the psychic placebo effect (spiritualism) - Magical Realist - Oct 9, 2026
Quote:When she writes that “mediums may be onto something,” that something is a version of the placebo effect—a treatment that often brings temporary comfort to those in pain despite not having any active ingredient. It makes you feel better because you expect it to.
Half of whatever happens and CAN happen is due to our own mental state. This is proven time and time again with synchronicities and serendipities and precog dreams and relative clairvoyance and manifestations and gambling and winning games and prayer and meditation and dating and quantum phenomena and even healings both physical and psychological. Such compelling and across-the-board efficacy is usually taken to be evidence of an authentic phenomenon instead of as evidence of subjective delusion. Unless of course you have a standard party line to push and magazines to hawk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3HTkkORCt4