The past year has brought immense stress that has permeated every crevice of society. Every time it feels like we are collectively taking a step forward, setbacks follow: a new, more contagious strain of COVID-19, a second wave, or intensified lockdown restrictions. The rapid transformations we have all undergone and the resulting heavy uncertainty has taken a significant toll on mental health. To soothe this immense, collective anxiety and provide reassurance for the future, virtual psychic readings have become a common phenomenon.
Psychic consultations provide insight on our futures, giving us a semblance of predictability that we are all craving.
Although psychics have always drawn attraction due to their mysterious, non-scientific approach, the current societal upheaval has boosted an interest in psychics as a way to cope with the loss of control over our lives and the physical loss of life. Psychic consultations provide insight on our futures, giving us a semblance of predictability that we are all craving. As a therapeutic form of healing amidst the uncertainty, loneliness, and despair that is heightened by lockdowns and isolation mandates, psychic readings provide hope for a brighter future. This is treasured at a time when we are flooded with unsatisfactory information on the course of the pandemic.
Aside from the constant instability and vulnerability that people are feeling due to the pandemic, many no longer have the same outlets to cope with mental health struggles that they once had. Things that we used to distract ourselves with before, like going to class, seeing friends, and going to restaurants, were ripped away seemingly overnight. The loss of regular outlets has resulted in the resurfacing of past mental health problems, and now that future plans are up in the air for many, spirituality has become an alternative.
I spoke to a McGill student about her experience with virtual psychic readings and what first drew her to them. For her, predictability was one of the most appealing aspects. In the beginning of the pandemic last March, she felt especially intrigued by psychics out of a need to plan for the future at a time when her fate was uncertain. She spoke to two psychics over the phone in March, one who was recommended to her by a friend and the other found through a quick Google search of Montreal psychics. Her conversations with the two psychics prompted a new interest in spirituality, meditation, and the law of attraction as a form of mental healing when she began facing mental health problems a few months into the pandemic.
Seeing a psychic in these uncertain and vulnerable times is about finding an outlet to express your self-compassion to someone who will listen to you.
It is important to note that although psychics can provide an outlet for those looking for reassurance and guidance, they are usually not trained mental health experts, and are therefore not under the same mechanisms of accountability as licensed doctors and therapists. While appealing, psychic services are unregulated which can leave those looking for psychic guidance at risk of being scammed.
Although we cannot rely too heavily on the accuracy of psychic predictions, the benefits of seeing a psychic may go beyond what they say about your future love life or your career prospects. Seeing a psychic in these uncertain and vulnerable times is about finding an outlet to express your self-compassion to someone who will listen to you. By framing psychic readings as an alternative style of healing meant to act as a catalyst for our journey of emotional well-being, we can become more accepting of the ways in which we seek reassurance and comfort.
