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James Van Praagh Information

James Van Praagh (pronounced /væn ˈprɑːɡ/; born August 23, 1958, Bayside, New York) is a self-proclaimed medium who has written several books on spirituality and spirit communication.

Contents

Early life and career

Van Praagh was born in Bayside, New York and is the youngest of four children. Raised Roman Catholic he attended seminary at the age of 14; however, he has described himself as experiencing spiritual phenomena from a young age that eventually drew him away from conventional religious practice and into Spiritualism.

He graduated from San Francisco State University, majoring in Broadcasting and Communications, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles. It was there that he first discovered a direct interest in metaphysics and began working as a medium following a prediction by another medium who suggested it was his destiny.

Van Praagh built his early career performing private readings for clients by communicating with the spirits of their dearly departed, and quickly graduated to wider audiences through the sale and distribution of a series of audiotapes, books, and eventually the television appearances that gave him wide national exposure.

Career as a medium

On an episode of the radio show Loveline Van Praagh said his first reading came in first grade. He claims to have informed his teacher her son had been hit by a car, but it was not serious and he had only suffered a broken leg. The teacher told him to sit down, but a few minutes later the principal told her that her son had, in fact, been in an accident, and broken a leg. The teacher was shocked and asked how James knew that. Van Praagh's teacher has been dead long before Van Praagh made this claim, and it has not been verified.

Van Praagh claims that through his mediumistic abilities he receives messages from spirits and feelings about their presence that provide "detailed evidential proof that a loved one survived death."

In 2002, he hosted his own daytime talk show, Beyond with Van Praagh, in which he gave readings to audience members.

His work continued to inspire his own brand of successful television shows with CBS and produced the miniseries Living with the Dead and The Dead Will Tell, and the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer. Van Praagh often appears in the media to promote his group readings, seminars and workshops. One such appearance on the TV show "The Circle" shows Van Praagh giving a 5 minute reading to several audience members.[1]

Skepticism

D.J. Grothe, President of the James Randi Educational Foundation, released a public letter to Van Praagh on October 10, 2011 through the Huffington Post. Grothe challenged Van Praagh to take the JREF million dollar challenge to test his psychic abilities. "If your 'psychic powers' are real, hiding from our offer makes as much sense as throwing away a winning lottery ticket."

The JREF has issued challenges to Van Praagh, Allison DuBois, Sylvia Browne, Carla Baron, John Edward, to prove their abilities in controlled experiments.[2] Ben Radford, an investigator and journalist with CSICOP, quotes Magician James Randi: "James Van Praagh and Allison DuBois have turned the huckster art of ‘cold reading' into a multi-million-dollar industry, preying on families' deepest fears and regrets. . . . They should be embarrassed by the transparent performances.”[3][4][5]

JREF members dressed as zombies tried to infiltrate Van Praagh's "$100-a-head 'spirit circle'" October 2011 in Laguna Beach, CA. Grothe said they want Van Praagh to take the JREF million dollar challenge proving that he can communicate with dead people. "'We're not rabble rousing,'... He gets people when they are at their lowest and sees them as his target market'". The zombies were thrown out by security after being promised that someone from the psychics camp would come out to talk to them. Grothe states that "'even dead people get the silent treatment'".[6][7][8][9]

Josh Elliott investigates Van Praagh for ABC's Nightline Beyond Belief program which aired August 17, 2011. Elliott's interview begins with a visit to Van Praagh's home with a reading Elliott called a "moving experience". He saw that Elliott was adopted, his mother's name was Susan and that a man named Leo was watching over him. Impressed at first until he remembered a personal online interview stating all these details was easily available on the Internet. Elliott asks Van Praagh, "You knew I was coming here...did you Google me?" to which Van Praagh states, "No I didn't know who you were."

During a walk on the beach near his home, Nightline watched Van Praagh stop complete strangers who were amazed with their impromptu readings, Elliott states that after observing several of these interactions it seemed obvious that the stranger was helping Van Praagh because they "wanted to believe." When they asked Van Praagh to do a on-the-spot reading for the show's producer, Van Praagh stated that he was "tired". Nightline then followed Van Praagh to a group spirit circle where his followers paid $100 each to attend. Elliott states that he "asked general questions that were sure to resonate with someone." Elliott's conclusion at the end of the show was that "Van Praagh failed to make a believer out of me that day . . . . after all he has plenty of those." [10]

Skeptics suggest Van Praagh uses the mentalism technique of cold reading to simulate psychic powers.[11][12] They point to several incidents in which Van Praagh's claims have been wrong, such as when he suggested to the parents of the abducted Shawn Hornbeck that the boy's body might be found in a railroad car.[13] Hornbeck was found alive four years later, having been abducted but not killed, and the kidnapper was not a railroad plant worker as Van Praagh had suggested.[14] Van Praagh has responded by asserting that his messages are often vague and hard to interpret and sometimes he mistakes their meaning.

Senior Research Fellow at CSI (formerly known as CSICOP), Joe Nickell reviews Van Praagh's February 26, 1999 appearance on Larry King Live with a detailed analysis of the phone readings given during the show. Nickell writes, "in no instance...did the purported medium reveal anything of a substantive, convincing nature. Instead he appeared to be practicing "cold reading"..."[15]

Investigator Joe Nickell believes modern day self-proclaimed mediums like John Edward, Sylvia Browne, Rosemary Altea and James Van Praagh are avoiding the Victorian tradition of dark rooms, spirit handwriting and flying tambourines as these methods risk exposure. They instead use “mental mediumship” tactics like cold reading or gleaning information from sitters before hand (hot reading). Group readings also improve hits by making general statements with conviction, which will fit at least one person in the audience. Shows are carefully edited before airing to show only what appears to be hits and removing anything that does not reflect well on the medium. [16]

In 2003 the Independent Investigation Group IIG attended a taping of James Van Praagh's syndicated series “Beyond,” in order to document the difference between what actually occurred at the taping and how it appeared on TV after editing. As suspected, there were many significant differences, the IIG concluded that Van Praagh’s power emanates from the editing room. IIG director James Underdown writes that in one of the live shows they witnessed, Van Praagh was observed signing books and chatting with a woman he learned was from Italy. During the taping he asked that same section if there was "someone from another country". To the TV audience this would have looked impressive when that same woman raised her hand, we knew that he had used the hot reading technique of gaining foreknowledge and had clearly "cheated". [17][18]

Barbara Walters publicly called out Van Praagh on The View for telling her that he saw she had elevated levels of white blood cells in her body. She went to her doctor and had tests run on her blood and discovered that she was perfectly normal. She stated that "its a dangerous thing to do, looking at someone and saying you have elevated something, there's an aura...".[19]

Personal life

On the Larry King Live episode on May 26, 2009, it was revealed that Van Praagh was in a same-sex marriage. He is openly gay and has been with his partner since 1995.

Books by James Van Praagh

Listed by versions most likely available, not original publication date.

Signet Book ISBN 0451191722

Button Books ISBN 0525944818

Pocket Books ISBN 0743227263

New American Library ISBN 0451201698

Fireside Books ISBN 0743229436

Fireside Books ISBN 0743229428

HarperOne ISBN 0061553387

HarperOne ISBN 0061778141

References

  1. ^ "James Van Praagh failing miserably at cold reading on The Circle, Channel 10.". YouTube. March 10, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t07UzTcApMI&feature=youtu.be. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  2. ^ "What Is James Van Praagh Hiding From?". Huff Post. October, 10 2011. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dj-grothe/james-van-praagh_b_998908.html. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  3. ^ "Calling All Psychics: Prove Your Worth for $1 Million". TIME. 2011. http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/08/24/calling-all-psychics-prove-your-worth-for-1-million/. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  4. ^ "Psychics Challenged, Offered $1 Million to Prove Powers". ABC News. August 27, 2011. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/psychics-james-randi-offers-million-james-van-praagh/story?id=14382858. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  5. ^ "A Message to James Van Praagh". JREF. September 7, 2011. http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/1417-a-message-to-james-van-praagh.html. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  6. ^ Matt Coker (October 25, 2011). "James Van Praagh, Psychic to the Stars, Confronted by "Zombies" in Laguna Beach". OC Weekly. http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2011/10/james_van_praagh_randi_amazing.php. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  7. ^ David Moye (October 25, 2011). "Skeptical 'Zombies' Attack Alleged Psychic James Van Praagh (VIDEO)". Huff Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/25/zombies-attack-alleged-psychic-james-van-praagh_n_1029726.html. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
  8. ^ Ed Stockly (October 26, 2011). "'Zombies' challenge James Van Praagh to speak to the dead". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/10/talking-to-the-un-dead.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26.
  9. ^ Alex Knapp (2011-10-27). "Zombie Horde Challenges Psychic to Prove He Talks to the Dead". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/10/27/zombie-horde-challenges-psychic-to-prove-he-talks-to-the-dead/. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  10. ^ "Primetime Nightline: Beyond Belief Psychic Power". ABC Nightline. August, 17 2011. http://abc.go.com/watch/primetime-nightline-beyond-belief/SH55131205/VD55140044/psychic-power. Retrieved 2011-08-19.
  11. ^ Review of Psychic Medium Van Praagh on CNN's Larry King Live
  12. ^ Salon.com:James Van Praagh's friendly ghosts
  13. ^ Randi, James (January 19, 2007). "SWIFT Newsletter January 19, 2007: Another Fabulous Failure". James Randi Educational Foundation. http://www.randi.org/jr/2007-01/011907tam.html#i1. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  14. ^ "Living with Evil", Newsweek, 29 January 2007, pp. 48–55.
  15. ^ CSI | Review of Psychic Medium Van Praagh on CNN’s Larry King Live
  16. ^ "Investigative Files: John Edward: Hustling the Bereaved". CSI. Nov/Dec 2001. http://www.csicop.org/si/show/john_edward_hustling_the_bereaved/. Retrieved 2011-05-12.
  17. ^ Underdown, James (Sept/Oct 2003). "TV psychics John Edward and John Van Praagh". Skeptical Inquirer (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) 27 (5): 41–45.
  18. ^ "How come TV psychics seem so convincing?". The Straight Dope. 2003-11-18. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2132/how-come-tv-psychics-seem-so-convincing. Retrieved 2011-03-12.
  19. ^ "Barbara Walters exposes James Van Praagh - FRAUDSTER !!!!!!". You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4B8tD0ey8k&feature=related. Retrieved 2011-10-10.

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Name Van Praagh, James
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