Do all psychics and mediums share the same gifts? And if they all have the same skill, is the advice I should expect from each reading going to be the same? If not... what are the differences? How can I tell a real, authentic psychic or medium from someone who is just pretending, or making it up, or is still learning on the "job"?

Let me share with you the one consistent truism I've encountered in 2 decades of writing, researching and exploring psychic phenomena, both personally and professionally alike.

As a self confessed paranormal junkie... the ONE challenge, over and above all else, has always been to be able to spot a psychic scam, before I waste my time, energy, effort and income... on a reader who is trying to pull a fast one.

And the good news is, while this may be surprising to some....there really are very few "scam" artists out there, although there are certainly a small minority who make a lot of noise and news.

The bad news?

There are lots of professional intuitive's who aren't really all that psychic... and who may have good people skills, aren't worth paying for their predictive powers, insight or illumination at all (I tend to find that only about 1 in 10 of the professional psychics are really impressive and worth paying to see).

With that in mind, lets' look at 3 qualities every good psychic or medium WILL have (bar none)

1 - An Area of Specialty

Good psychics specialize. It's really true. I've rarely found that a really gifted intuitive was a "jack of all trades" and did many things really well. For example? A gifted medium will NOT do future predictions, or do detailed "love readings" or tell you about your past lives. (unless of course that information is coming through from your loved one "on the other side". The key to getting a great reading is to know what you need ahead of time, and stick with psychics and mediums who do that one thing REALLY well.

2 - Humility, And an Open Mind About Themselves....AND Their Abilities

I'll never forget speaking to famous medium John Edward last summer in a small group session, and he told us that he was always skeptical of the information that comes through, and where it's coming from. Losing that sense of wonder, and curiosity about HOW exactly these things work.....even when you HAVE the power, in my experience, is almost always a bad sign. As a matter of fact, after hundreds of readings, I can honestly tell you that the more over-confident a clairvoyant is, the more insistent they are that they are always right, the less confidence I have in their ability to deliver what they promise.

3 - A track record of success (and the fans and followers that go with it!)

There are very few "amazing" psychics, from your local community to the more popular online networks that are unknowns. If a reader is GOOD, they have fans, friends and followers who are anxious to spread the word. If a reader or a psychic service has been around for a while but has no "history" to check, it's a bad sign and NOT someone I would trust paying a large fee to speak with. The good news is, there are lots of well established, well credentialed clairvoyants who ARE as good as advertised....and who are willing to offer you a performance promise to back it up.

Remember, much like any other professional services industry, there are LOTS of amazing mediums and gifted intuitives out there, and plenty of quacks and crackpots to go along with them. Learning to separate out which group is which is the KEY to having great psychic experiences, and the 3 simple traits above are a great place to start!