Anita actually managed to confirm publicly the true nature of her abilities. She is the poster child for Confirmation Bias, Postdiction, and Turning Misses into Hits. Let's look at her history.
Lactobacillus Testing
She claimed to have success, but her protocol was horrible. When she changed her protocol to what was suggested here, the ability disappeared. She then began changing the protocol by making it easier for her to guess. After a few successes, she quit and refused to ever test it again because a mere 10 minutes of testing would make her ill.
Perceptions via Photos & Videos
She claimed great accuracy with this at first. A few of us, myself included, submitted pictures for her to read. She failed miserably. When I offered that there was an additional ailment I failed to list, she tried to claim that she detected that but didn't say it. Turns out I had confused whether it was my left or right wrist, so her postdiction was wrong anyway. After this fiasco she refused to do anymore tests like this because it's not her "strongest" claim.
Crushed Pills
She agreed to a test to identify crushed pills mailed to her by Pup. She was given the names of the four medicines. After receiving them, she demanded reference samples despite agreeing to the protocol in advance. She claimed she could not afford the $10 to buy them on her own (nor could she ask anyone for aspirin or Ibuprofen). She later claimed that she could not complete the test, especially since she perceived that two were similar. She neglected to mention that she knew the chemicals by name, so of course she knew two were similar. She never offered *which* two were similar.
Readings at FACT
She tried to turn misses into hits by saying she detected someone's Adam's apple. She also changed her reading for "Heather" from Anxiety to Excitement and gave it a "1" instead of a "2 or higher" because she was being "modest" and didn't want to offend the woman who willingly volunteered to be read. Of course, she missed things like Wayne's huge scar from surgery.
Dr. Carlson's Kidney
We all know the story with this one, but the IIG test revealed a new element. Apparently she *lied* about the results because she was worried that if she was wrong nobody would investigate her other claims. I wonder how many other "perceptions" she has hidden?
Sensing my Wife
In one an exchange over Skype Anita asked if my wife was in the room. Her explanation later was that she wanted to know because she "perceived" her presence but didn't want to tell me that the perception was wrong (my wife wasn't there).
Study
In the weeks leading up to her "study" she grossly mangled the Health Questionnaire in order to grant herself as much wiggle room as possible. She devised a scoring system where just about any guess would be counted as a hit (and nearly drove Ashles insane in the process). The end result is that she scored 3rd out of 4 people. She explained this away as teaching her about the limits of her abilities.
Study on Induced Information
In this self-administered study she tried to detect all sorts of things (clenched fists, hand in water) under various conditions. She did no better than chance. She explained this away as further refinement of an ability she has yet to reliably demonstrate.
Survey
She did a "survey" in the mall where she "read" people. Some of her claims were not factually sound such as claiming that black people have different (from what?) tissues and body chemistry. She dismissed that as just being the way she perceives things.
Reading me at my Desk
She gave me an elaborate reading about how she sees me sitting at my desk. I won't bore you with the details, but it was very detailed and very wrong. Again, it's just her perception.
Diaphragm
She claims she detected a diaphragm in a woman. There was no confirmation, but she believes it.
Ovulation
She claims she detected a woman ovulating. Again, no confirmation, but she believes it.
Talking with Ghosts
She has had multiple conversations with ghosts including Ben Franklin, George Washington, Alexander Hamiltom, Adams (she didn't say which one) and Abraham Lincoln. She shared the lengthy conversation with Hamilton and concluded by telling me, "However, at least I'm *as good* as the other psychic mediums out there who attempt to talk to spirits. Combining that with skepticism, maybe I can debunk this whole thing."
The Real Reason She Persists
In one of our many conversations where I was pushing her to seek professional help she said, "I don't want to be told that they're [perceptions] not allowed." She went further and said, "If I see and feel ghosts then I want to be entitled to that."
I said, "So, you are afraid that you would be considered mentally ill because those things are not real?"
She replied, "I guess so. I just feel that I am entitled to be the way I am."
Look at the big picture. It seems that Anita is always having some sort of perception about something. She reveals them when she thinks she might be "right" if it is spun properly. She keeps quiet when she might be wrong. She accepts as fact many of these unconfirmed experiences though she denies it. When confronted with contrary evidence she either spins and/or refuses to accept the results.
The reality is that deep down she knows she has two choices: Either these things are real or she is making it all up in her head. She knows what a mental health professional would say, but she doesn't want to face it. She says that she is not a "danger" to anyone she should be "entitled" to her "subjective perceptions" that are above and beyond reality.
Should we Drop it?
At this point I'm thinking that she is beyond help. She has been thoroughly debunked. When the IIG puts the full data on-line, I will use it to create a comprehensive examination of her claims. Meanwhile, her classmates and the faculty at UNCC have seen first-hand what is going on.
Anybody searching for the name
Anita Ikonen will find my website as the first link, so I doubt she stands much of a chance of getting a foothold in building up a career in woo. Most Believers acknowledge that at least *some* psychics are frauds, and I think my site will convince those people. It won't have much effect on the True Believers, but what does?
I invited Anita to a live chat on my board, but I have not heard back. What I would like to do is have one final chat, and then drop it. I'd be interested to hear what others think.
