Am I Psychic?

The word ‘psychic’ frequently inspires images that belong in a Spirit Halloween storefront – crystal balls, fog machines, and tarot cards. Yet more often than not, ‘psychic’ simply refers to someone with sense that goes beyond normal perception. That can include a wide range of abilities from heightened empathy to the occasionally oddly prophetic dream. If you’ve sensed something similar, it’s no surprise you’re investigating ways to further explore the experience. Doing so can reveal new insights about the world, the people around us, and ourselves.

This makes the question ‘am I psychic?’ more than a silly hypothetical. It’s a way of connecting with others. A way to find meaning and better ourselves through a newfound understanding of our place in the universe. If you’re someone seeking that psychic connection, we recommend these reads and rituals to help deepen your talent for intuiting.

The first of our recommended reads is Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation by Mat Auryn. With over ninety exercises included in the text, Psychic Witch is a highly praised entry-level examination of our metaphysical senses. Auryn discusses not just psychic enhancement, but also the importance of self-care and our body’s relationship to its metaphysical abilities. Taking inspiration from Psychic Witch, we recommend that daily self-care rituals play a major role in your psychic exploration. Even the simplest of metaphysical practices can have a huge impact on your abilities.

Meditation, for example, doesn’t just do wonders for your mental or physical health, it also provides a unique opportunity to get in touch with your extrasensory perception. When left alone with our own minds, we give ourselves the space needed to explore our own experiences, memories, and perception. Many psychics and mediums recommend meditation as the first step toward eventual astral projection.

That may sound ridiculous to some, but there is scientific research to support the idea that partial and full sensory deprivation leads to out-of-body-experiences that some have described as "spiritual." This has led to speculations on the potential for sensory deprivation to be used in therapy just as meditation is currently. While you likely don’t have a sensory deprivation tank on hand, finding time to yourself in a quiet place to encourage a meditative state is a great way to get started.

Environmental awareness is another commonly recommended practice for beginning psychics. Author and psychic Aliza Kelley recommends taking in every detail of your perception when entering new environments in her article Am I Psychic? How to Tap Into Your Own Psychic Abilities. Noting the details of your own perception – sights, smells, sounds, and textures – will encourage your ability to recall those details. And in doing so, she argues “you’ll be able to extrapolate this skill to past memories, as well as future happenings.”

Kelley goes on to recommend dream analysis to aspiring psychics in addition to her other suggestions. She is neither the first nor last to do so. Everyone from neuroscientists to psychologists to mediums have an interest in the substance of our dreams.

Even daily tasks such as recording dreams each morning can be incredibly informative as to a person’s metaphysical wellbeing. While there are some who claim to have an exact translation of the symbols and stressors that appear in our subconscious, others recommend examining our experiences in the context of our present circumstances to gain a better understanding of how dreams reflect our inner thoughts and conflicts. Regular interaction with our dreams through a dedicated effort to record and reflect on them is one of the best ways to routinely interact with latent psychic abilities.

For more information about the power of dreaming, we cannot recommend Nightmare Obscura enough. In this incredible book, dream scientist Michelle Carr argues that our nighttime wanderings are more than just diversions from or regurgitations of our daily experiences. After two decades spent gathering data on sleep and dreaming, Carr believes that dreams are a key component of our mental and physical health as well as an essential pillar of the lived experiences that make us who we are.

Finally, if you’re looking for a title that includes everything from dream interpretation to signs of intuitive sense, look no further than Melanie Barnum’s Real Life Intuition: Extraordinary Stories from People Who Listen to Their Inner Voice. Barnum collects the stories of individuals changed by their psychic abilities and experiences, framing those stories alongside discussion of how they managed those transformations for the better.

Every psychic has their own journey to take. We hope these resources are just the first page in the story of your psychic connection with the world.

Claire van Doren holds degrees in English literature and journalism as well as a certificate in LGBTQ+ studies from Arizona State University. She is a volunteer reader for Uncharted magazine, a publisher of genre fiction. Her writing has been published by Inner Worlds, Zocalo Public Square, and ASU News.