CONNIE SONNE, Dowser

[Denver]

I thought the test went very well though, and Connie conducted herself very professionally. Congrats to Connie for taking this test.

 

[ohms]

I almost felt sorry for her checking all the other envelopes at the end of the failed (from her point of view) test. I wonder if she will give any reasons for her failure to get any right.

 

[GzuzKryzt]

Another controlled test of a paranormal claim is in the books.

Nice following through with your claim, Connie. How do you interpret the results?

 

[laca]

Too many negative energies in the room I suppose.

 

[Pixel42]

She said before she took the test how she would interpret failure - that the mysterious entities responsible for her abilities had decided that the world was not ready for them to be revealed after all.

 

[laca]

How convenient.

 

[rjh01]

Do not expect to see a response from her in this thread. She has not visited the forum since about 21 June 2009

 

[BayAreaGuy]

I hope Connie reads this!

I attended the preliminary test today in Las Vegas, and wanted to compliment you on your amazing courage in coming to be tested in front of so many of us who are skeptical of such "powers." You handled yourself with grace and decorum, and are to be commended, in my opinion, for doing so. I was sad to see that you did not pass the test, and felt very bad that the protocol made it necessary for you to cut open nearly 30 envelopes. That must have been tedious and boring, especially since you probably just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. (I do understand why it was necessary, as I'm sure you do).

Take care, and I wish you the best of luck in the future! : )

-- Sheldon W. Helms, San Ramon, California.

 

[BayAreaGuy]

I'd like to make a general comment about the lack of decorum in this thread. I'm surprised by the vitriol being shown in here. As I said in my earlier post, I attended the "Million Dollar Challenge" preliminary testing today with Ms. Sonne, and from what I saw, she really does not deserve the treatment some of you are dishing out. She handled herself very professionally, and was very graceful after failing the test.

In my opinion, each of you should take a long look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're showing that level of maturity and/or decorum in your positions as representatives of the Skeptic community. If the answer is no, you should begin to change your behavior, even when it is relatively anonymous and you're hiding behind a computer screen.

 

[steenkh]

It is quite convenient, but she is so convinced of her abilities that she is not merely deluded, but she has probably serious psychological problems.

I always found it strange how she headed directly for the disaster, refusing to make even the simplest self-test of something she admitted she had never tried before. It is as if she wanted to fail.

 

[laca]

I'd like to make a general comment about the lack of decorum in this thread. I'm surprised by the vitriol being shown in here. As I said in my earlier post, I attended the "Million Dollar Challenge" preliminary testing today with Ms. Sonne, and from what I saw, she really does not deserve the treatment some of you are dishing out. She handled herself very professionally, and was very graceful after failing the test.

Yes, she did not start accusing the protocol and/or the negative energies from the crowd at site, I'll give her that.

However, I've read here that she already knew what to say in event of failure:

She said before she took the test how she would interpret failure - that the mysterious entities responsible for her abilities had decided that the world was not ready for them to be revealed after all.

Now that is not graceful. Nor prefessional. Whatever that means in case of a self-proclaimed psychic. What that shows is an enormous amount of self-delusion. We should not encourage anyone who is delusional.

 

[laca]

It is quite convenient, but she is so convinced of her abilities that she is not merely deluded, but she has probably serious psychological problems.

I always found it strange how she headed directly for the disaster, refusing to make even the simplest self-test of something she admitted she had never tried before. It is as if she wanted to fail.

She couldn't fail in her own eyes. In case of apparent failure she had the explanation already: mystical entities deciding the world is not ready for her powers. In case she did the dowsing for the very first time at the live MDC, that would seem also an out for her.

 

[Pixel42]

From earlier in the thread, in response to questions as to how she would react if she failed the test:

Jackalgirl and Yairhol, where it all comes from, there`s a lot of humor. If it will happen, that I fail the test..there`s a reason. Then I will make the new step afterwards, not by testing again, but something else..Yeah, no matter what is going to happen, I will never make a doubt about my abilities. In a year now, my life and the things I`m doing is like a puzzle, but ALWAYS I do the new step to go on...and I already have many evidences and more will come,.

And for Dann, God dosn`t excist...there is something else. It`s not about belief or faith, it`s about knowing, Our planet is ready for the truth only now, therefore other people couldn`t come through the challenge...they were not allowed to.

She has already made clear what her explanation for failure will be (here and here). She will conclude that the mysterious powers with whom she is in contact have decided that the world is still not ready for the paranormal to be revealed.

Erlando, I allready have answered that like Pixel42 told you. That must be enough .

 

[steenkh]

Now that is not graceful. Nor prefessional. Whatever that means in case of a self-proclaimed psychic.

Why would that not be graceful? She is not (yet) claiming that she has been treated wrongly, or that the MDC as a scam, which would be disgraceful in my eyes. As for professionalism, I have no idea what profession you are talking about. What would a professional dowser or psychic do?

What that shows is an enormous amount of self-delusion. We should not encourage anyone who is delusional.

That could be true. But the value of the MDC is not the effect it has on the psychics and other who line up for the test, but for the rest of the world that believes that such powers exist.

 

[the_anxious_medic]

Serious psychological problems? really?

It is quite convenient, but she is so convinced of her abilities that she is not merely deluded, but she has probably serious psychological problems.

I always found it strange how she headed directly for the disaster, refusing to make even the simplest self-test of something she admitted she had never tried before. It is as if she wanted to fail.

If there is one thing that was repeated not only at TAM this year but by other luminaries suchas Carl Sagan and Michael Shermer - people who believe that they have supernatural powers are not dumb or crazy they just are making some mistakes in how they perceive the natural world. In other worlds, they are using heuristics that make them come to false conclusions - they are creatures that are a result of evolution -just like the rest of us.

Calling them crazy does nothing to advance the conversation, it only serves to make the claiment feel more self-important and superior.

 

[steenkh]

If there is one thing that was repeated not only at TAM this year but by other luminaries suchas Carl Sagan and Michael Shermer - people who believe that they have supernatural powers are not dumb or crazy they just are making some mistakes in how they perceive the natural world. In other worlds, they are using heuristics that make them come to false conclusions - they are creatures that are a result of evolution -just like the rest of us.

Calling them crazy does nothing to advance the conversation, it only serves to make the claiment feel more self-important and superior.

In this case we have a person who believes she is given special powers by supernatural aliens with whom she regularly communicates. While not being a psychiatrist, I believe there is a possible diagnosis for people who hear voices and base their life on them.

 

[laca]

Why would that not be graceful? She is not (yet) claiming that she has been treated wrongly, or that the MDC as a scam, which would be disgraceful in my eyes.

Well in my definition of graceful there is the thing where you admit that you were wrong. I might be wrong though.

As for professionalism, I have no idea what profession you are talking about. What would a professional dowser or psychic do?

That was my point exactly.

That could be true. But the value of the MDC is not the effect it has on the psychics and other who line up for the test, but for the rest of the world that believes that such powers exist.

Yes, I agree that the point is not to make the contestants realize they're wrong. However, that does not mean we should encourage them in their delusions.

 

[rjh01]

Dann...I have written in this thread and in danish Para-nyt, that I have evidences on what I´m saying, and in your PM that I could show you several things, also without dowsing....but you didn`t ask...only in your answer, where you used a lot of time to tell me, that I`m crazy, judge me to be someone I´m not. I told you that friends, my family and other people KNOWS what I can do, they have seen and heard !!
<snip>

She did not practice? How could her family and other people KNOW what she can do if she has not shown them? I guess the answer is that they know she can do nothing paranormal.

At least she turned up.

I did advise her to practice (post 183). Other people agreed.

 

[steenkh]

She did not practice? How could her family and other people KNOW what she can do if she has not shown them? I guess the answer is that they know she can do nothing paranormal.

Not necessarily. She claims she has done other paranormal stuff in front of her family, and others. See the interview with Alison Smith here:

Connie: I have tested all my abilities in different way with different witness many times. The first time ever, I told my parents of this, I convinced them like that: I wrote all the letters down on cardboards. Placed them in a horseshoeshape on the table with the backsid up. It was very thick cardboards, so I couldn`t see the letters at all. My dad mixed the cards and placed them on the table in front of me. His name is Viggo, and I spelled his name, by dowsing, without one missing letter ! He was convinced.

Several people have seen me dowsing and my parents and other people have a connection too now. With my mom as a witness, I placed my foot/leg in a pond in winthertime 2007 without being wet at all. I grew tropical gardenplants (orchids) in my garden( in frost and snow) and several people have seen me talking with animals, where they answered me. So yes, all my abilities are tested with witness too. And this is only a small part of it.

 

[Cuddles]

On the one hand, it's a shame (although not really surprising) that she refuses to accept failure. On the other hand, there is something to be said for her making that clear before the test, rather than just coming up with excuses after the fact. She may be wrong, and unable to accept being wrong, but at least she's honest.

people who believe that they have supernatural powers are not dumb or crazy

Correction - people who believe that they have supernatural powers are not all dumb or crazy. However, many of them actually are dumb or crazy (or both). I agree with you that simply calling them crazies doesn't help matters in the slightest, but that does not mean we should pretend that stupidity or insanity are not often reasonable explanations. I'm not convinced that is the case for Connis Sonne, who appears to be rather more rational and coherent than many who come here, but saying that no believers are crazy or dumb is no more sensible that saying they all are.