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Accepting the Psychic Torch

RSL's better half said:
Aye, Brattus! Cool your gears. Francine does not have to divulge her true identity any more than you do. Does anyone ask if you are truly David Bowie as your avatar would suggest? Who Francine is truly is not important. The knowledge this person has to impart is valuable, as I see it, to any and all skeptics for use when dealing with Sylvia Browne believers. Get over who she says she is and listen to what she is saying, or ignore this thread. You are not a "bad guy," just disruptive and derailing at the moment.

You have every right to speak your mind on this forum, Brattus. Perhaps you could start another thread addressing your concerns. There are many here who want to encourage Francine to continue posting. If she meets more criticism than welcome, she will not feel welcome and we all could possibly lose an inside look at Sylvia's inner circle.
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I think his avatar is Sephiroth not Bowie... :)

Sephiroth

Francine, I know that Sylvia Browne is a psychic and that Robert Lancaster has set up a Stop Sylvia Browne website. But that's about all I know. Please continue to enlighten me. I'm wholly on RSL's side due to his excellent beard*, but it's always good to hear the evidence.



* And also because psychics are frauds of course.
 
CriticalSock said:
I think his avatar is Sephiroth not Bowie... :)

Sephiroth

Francine, I know that Sylvia Browne is a psychic and that Robert Lancaster has set up a Stop Sylvia Browne website. But that's about all I know. Please continue to enlighten me. I'm wholly on RSL's side due to his excellent beard*, but it's always good to hear the evidence.



* And also because psychics are frauds of course.
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:o my bad
 
AcesHigh said:
check out Derren Brown interview with Dawkins. They talk a lot about it. Many psychics really believe what they do. Just like people reading horoscopes, they fall for the confirmation bias. That is, they are prone to believe, and when they have a hit, they believe it was due to mystic powers, while when they miss it, they believe "it was a day where the mystic links were weak" or something like it.
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Dear AcesHigh and Other JREF Friends,

I would like to add that for a good part of her life, Sylvia has had people believing, confirming and encouraging her "psychic abilities". If you have people constantly validating that you have God given gifts, then I think it's possible (remember we are not dealing with a rational person here) that the truth and reality can be forgotten. Especially since it's been for so many years.

This might raise the argument that-

If she is the one that started this whole thing about her being a psychic and without her telling people (lying) that she is a psychic, those people couldn't perpetuate the madness. She would have to lead them to believe that in the first place and if she knew she lied about it then, she must know that she's lying about it now.

I honestly believe that she's heard enough times how many lives she's changed and how many people she's helped, and how she has this talent, and how she's special so now she has shaped her identity by this. Completely irrational, but I personally think this is the case with Sylvia. People throughout her career have treated her as a messenger from God. It might be hard for you to believe but they do. Some people really think she is a religious pioneer. By having people tell you that they didn't commit suicide because they read your book, or they quit their drug addiction because of a lecture they saw, or she brought religion to them when they could never believe in anything before- that has got to give someone a huge power trip. These are only a few examples and there have been many many more stories like this.

Whether she told them anything significant or true, I am not debating that. To the people that come back and say all that stuff to her, to them she must have said something worthwhile. Whether it was general information or not. The people in this forum could probably have the same kind of effect by giving your advice too. I am not defending her psychic abilities. But trying to give you my thoughts on how she really is as a person.

She has, however, been very vague and wrong about many things. The wrong things don't affect her, she just dismisses them as being human (and fallible) because she says only God can be 100% right. These "misses" don't affect because her believing that she is a psychic and can't always be right (perpetuating it in her mind), in her own twisted way, she believes she's psychic even more. If that makes sense.

Your friend,
Francine
 
Dear Francine,

This is all so fascinating! It must be so interesting to be a spirit guide.

I am wondering if Sylvia Browne is actually a happy person. I know from others that she has gotten more irascible with the passing time... I wonder if her chosen lifestyle has actually made her happy, or if the crabbiness is an indication of an unhappy person.

Thank you! You made me LOL with the "Pizza! Pizza!" post. :D Happy trails,

Amapola
 
I think Francine is spot on with how Sylvia feels about her "gifts" it is totally conformation bias over and over. Remember she has been doing this for many years, she is rarely confronted, and does not seem to be an intellectual. She just accepts what people are telling her, that she has helped them.

As far as being happy, I suppose you make your own kind of happiness. I think physically she is a mess. She has been divorced several times and has children with different daddies. I'm sure that was pure drama. Also remember that she is around people who all day praise her, that has to be really annoying. She is never on equal footing with the people around her, she is "on" whenever she is in public and that must be really tiring as well.

Mark Edward said at the beginning of the show he saw that she said she didn't like one of her sons. She said that you should cut people out of your life, family or not.

This is probably a miserable woman.

She is so rude to people, but I wonder if this is because she is so bored with the whole thing. Imagine how much drama and sorrow she has seen, she must be jaded. She just spits out answers without any thought. Maybe she does feel like the answers are coming from God as she isn't even thinking about it.

I think people put up with her rudeness because they feel that must mean she is real. If she were fake she would be much nicer.

Anyway, just my thoughts. I surely wouldn't want to be her child. What a life!

Susan
 
True to Sylvia's nature, not too long after the story on RSL's website (the one about Sylvia's ex husband, Gary Dufresne) was published, Sylvia proclaimed that Christopher is not Gary's son.

Another example of her changing her own reality.

Since then, she insists that he is not his father and has even convinced Christopher to believe this.
 
Francine said:
True to Sylvia's nature, not too long after the story on RSL's website (the one about Sylvia's ex husband, Gary Dufresne) was published, Sylvia proclaimed that Christopher is not Gary's son.

Another example of her changing her own reality.

Since then, she insists that he is not his father and has even convinced Christopher to believe this.
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Didn't DNA testing prove Gary is Christopher's son? Or perhaps I am misremembering.
 
Francine said:
True to Sylvia's nature, not too long after the story on RSL's website (the one about Sylvia's ex husband, Gary Dufresne) was published, Sylvia proclaimed that Christopher is not Gary's son.

Another example of her changing her own reality.

Since then, she insists that he is not his father and has even convinced Christopher to believe this.
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So does she claim it was an affair? I'd found a reference to that in one of her books - that Gary wasn't his father and that Paul and Chris had different fathers. It sounded like she was saying she'd had an affair but I don't have the book in front of me.

Anyway, sad for Chris. What a messed up situation.
 
ExMinister said:
So does she claim it was an affair? I'd found a reference to that in one of her books - that Gary wasn't his father and that Paul and Chris had different fathers. It sounded like she was saying she'd had an affair but I don't have the book in front of me.

Anyway, sad for Chris. What a messed up situation.
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Seems like she said something about Chris being the result of a one-night stand with a used-car salesman or something like that.
 
ExMinister said:
So does she claim it was an affair? I'd found a reference to that in one of her books - that Gary wasn't his father and that Paul and Chris had different fathers. It sounded like she was saying she'd had an affair but I don't have the book in front of me.

Anyway, sad for Chris. What a messed up situation.
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Dear ExM,

Do you remember which book she wrote this in? My guess is it MUST be something that was written after the article about Gary went up on RSL's website. I have questioned who the father is myself and never get a straight answer.<insert alphabetical cold reading technique. I'm getting a B..Bob? Bill?>

But I don't know how this happened. I'm always with her. Admittedly I did go through a Kentucky Fried Chicken (what you would call KFC these days) phase back in the 60s and it's possible that something could have gone down while I stepped out for a two piece and biscuit.

I doubt it.

Your Friend,
Francine

RSLancastr said:
Didn't DNA testing prove Gary is Christopher's son? Or perhaps I am misremembering.
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Dear RSL,

There was talk about a DNA test but only by Sylvia. She said the testing proves that he's not the father. The only problem that remains for me is which one of Sylvia's lies do I believe, sort of.

1. She said there was a DNA testing taken. I doubt this because I never heard of any talk of a different father until your story about Gary was published. Somehow she thinks this is payback to Gary by saying Chris is not his son. Also, she thinks that since her fans know her Golden Son is so gifted, he could not possibly be spawn from the "dark entity" Gary Dufresne.

2. If, and this is a big IF, there was DNA testing taken, she says it came back saying that Gary is not the father. Again, I have yet to see the results and I believe she's lying. She rather enjoys making DNA claims because she did this with one of her new husband's sons conveniently after there was a family scuffle between them.

Either there was or there wasn't DNA testing and if there was she most likely is lying about the results. Evidence points to there was none at all but the point is she lies so much that you never know what to believe.

Sincerely,
Francine
 
Wow. Pretty awful behaviour for a "trusted" psychic.

If a politician did any one of these things, let alone all of them, they would never be able to hold public office again.
 
Francine said:
Dear ExM,

Do you remember which book she wrote this in? My guess is it MUST be something that was written after the article about Gary went up on RSL's website. I have questioned who the father is myself and never get a straight answer.<insert alphabetical cold reading technique. I'm getting a B..Bob? Bill?>

But I don't know how this happened. I'm always with her. Admittedly I did go through a Kentucky Fried Chicken (what you would call KFC these days) phase back in the 60s and it's possible that something could have gone down while I stepped out for a two piece and biscuit.

I doubt it.

Your Friend,
Francine



Dear RSL,

There was talk about a DNA test but only by Sylvia. She said the testing proves that he's not the father. The only problem that remains for me is which one of Sylvia's lies do I believe, sort of.

1. She said there was a DNA testing taken. I doubt this because I never heard of any talk of a different father until your story about Gary was published. Somehow she thinks this is payback to Gary by saying Chris is not his son. Also, she thinks that since her fans know her Golden Son is so gifted, he could not possibly be spawn from the "dark entity" Gary Dufresne.

2. If, and this is a big IF, there was DNA testing taken, she says it came back saying that Gary is not the father. Again, I have yet to see the results and I believe she's lying. She rather enjoys making DNA claims because she did this with one of her new husband's sons conveniently after there was a family scuffle between them.

Either there was or there wasn't DNA testing and if there was she most likely is lying about the results. Evidence points to there was none at all but the point is she lies so much that you never know what to believe.

Sincerely,
Francine
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Hi Francine,

I'm away from home and don't have access to my books at the moment. When I get back, I'll see if I can find it. I think it was Blessings From the Other Side but it might have been If You Could See What I See. I'll be able to find you the exact page. It will just be a day or so.

ExM
 
It was in Blessings From the Other Side, first printing November 2000.

My option line is family. So I guess it makes sense that while I chose a wonderful father and a grandmother I idolized, I also chose an abusive mother and a sister I'm still occasionally estranged from to this day. I've had four husbands. My two sons, whom I cherish, have two different fathers and have only recently reconciled (thank you, God!) after not speaking to each other for years.
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At any rate, either she is making it up for her own nefarious reasons, or she cheated on Gary Dufresne and had Chris - and she says he was the bad guy in the relationship. :rolleyes:
 
Thank you, ExM.

The only time I heard about Christopher having a different father was after the Gary Dufresne article on RSL's site was published. Sylvia was extremely upset by that article. I suppose that may have triggered more talk about the subject.

Like I said before, I don't know if there was DNA testing or not. If there was, I certainly don't believe her when she says the results proved that Gary is not the father.

Maybe now that Montel's show is over, she could apply for an appearance on Maury??

I have heard that there was a vicious battle when Christopher was getting divorced from the mother of his children. Apparently, from what I hear, Gary was involved in that fight because someone felt that Sylvia was trying to push her "psychic-ness" on the kids. I believe Gary was helping build a case against Sylvia.

This would have been around the same timeframe she wrote the "different father" scenario into her book. Again, most likely to bother Gary.

So the fact that she put it in that book makes perfect sense.
Why wouldn't she have put it in her Adventures of a Psychic book if she knew it all along?

Oh that's right, she's a liar.
 
Francine said:
Thank you, ExM.

The only time I heard about Christopher having a different father was after the Gary Dufresne article on RSL's site was published. Sylvia was extremely upset by that article. I suppose that may have triggered more talk about the subject.

Like I said before, I don't know if there was DNA testing or not. If there was, I certainly don't believe her when she says the results proved that Gary is not the father.

Maybe now that Montel's show is over, she could apply for an appearance on Maury??

I have heard that there was a vicious battle when Christopher was getting divorced from the mother of his children. Apparently, from what I hear, Gary was involved in that fight because someone felt that Sylvia was trying to push her "psychic-ness" on the kids. I believe Gary was helping build a case against Sylvia.

This would have been around the same timeframe she wrote the "different father" scenario into her book. Again, most likely to bother Gary.

So the fact that she put it in that book makes perfect sense.
Why wouldn't she have put it in her Adventures of a Psychic book if she knew it all along?

Oh that's right, she's a liar.
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It looks like she long ago lost track of the line between reality and fantasy and now lives in a world of her own creation where things can be changed at her whim.

It seems to be a hazard of cult leadership.
 
Dear JREF Pals,

To expound on what I had posted in this thread regarding Sylvia somehow believing that she has psychic powers, I wanted to post a video I found interesting.

For those who enjoy arguing, this is not intented to prove anything. It is merely an example of what I have described- that it is possible that some people start believing that they are psychic and then shape their reality around it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cEadctJdwM

Watch the video. There is a striking resemblance in physicalities between the person being interviewed and Sylvia. Except I find that Sylvia's voice is a tad more masculine.

Until my next post.
Francine
 
Francine that is an excellent video. I had no idea that Orson Wells was a skeptic. We need more people like that.

Susan
 
Wow! Sylvia's voice IS more masculine! That's amazing!

Great video, too. He explained it so clearly. Who is this Orson Wells fellow? ;)
 
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