#31. The Shock-Effect

We are dealing with one of the most socially risky topics in the world, psychic and paranormal phenomena.  It is very far outside of what is considered normal, and nothing showed me the weight of my work like some of the reactions I got from some of my mind-reading subjects.  I’ve seen lots of people get excited in many ways, a couple panic attacks, one person felt sick afterward, but what bothered me is the people who would have an amazing read and pull a 360 degree turn as soon as the peers showed up.  The case that sticks out in my mind was with a friend of mine, I’ve referred to him before as Nick.  I successfully read him one day, he was thinking of a chalice, and he had an existential moment right in front of me.  He was so amazed that it all could be a simple case of  “nobody told you that you could.”  Anyways, the friends showed up, and it’s like it didn’t happen.  That was disappointing, but this is a topic where instinct can take over, and it’s about their own personal struggles, it’s no reflection of you, or the relationship between the two of you.  You cannot judge people on how well they handle it, they still have plenty of time to come to terms.  Some people are actually, in a way, emotionally counting on it not being true. I heard an amusing theory that I wouldn’t doubt, stating if an alien beamed down and slapped you across the face and beamed away, you probably would barely notice it. I heard this concept taken further steps in a story about the natives being unable to see the ships of Columbus approaching, it seemed impossible to verify, but I do believe in the psychological mechanism that causes this.