A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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| Contradiction: Meeting "Francine"Browne's various versions of how she met her "spirit guide".  Page 7 of Sylvia Browne's book "Contacting Your Spirit Guide." BackgroundOne thing which has been mentioned to me by a few correspondents is Browne's changing story of how she first met her "spirit guide" Francine. I have examined three separate tellings of the story in as many of her books, and present the results in this article. The StoryIt would seem to me that the first time a person discovered that they have a being from "the other side" communicating with them would be a moment burned into that person's memory quite clearly. Instead, Browne has at least two major versions of the story, and variations on one of those. Let's take a look. (Note: Within the quoted passages in this article, all emphasis is mine.) Version 1: Contacting Your Spirit GuideHere is the version Browne tells in her 2003 book Contacting Your Spirit Guide. It is found on pages 7-8 of the hardcover edition, at the beginning of the chapter titled "How I Found My Spirit Guide".
Version 2: Adventures of a PsychicA very different account can be found in her 1991 book Adventures of a Psychic (originally published in 1990 as My Guide, Myself), co-written by Browne and Antoinette May. Found on pages 17-18 of the paperback edition of Adventures..., and on pages 27-28 of the hardback edition of My Guide..., in the chapter titled "Francine's Friend".
So, in this version, Browne was eight instead of seven. She was playing with a flashlight rather than brushing her hair. She sees "Francine" rather than just hears her. Her grandmother explains things to her upstairs in the guest room, rather than out back in the victory garden. And it is night instead of day (assuming that her grandmother did not do her gardening at night). Are these even the same incident? Or is Browne describing two different events: when she first heard "Francine," and when she (later) first saw her? They seem to me to be two versions of the same story. "Francine" says nearly the same thing in each story. If she had already been speaking with Browne, why wouldn't she just say "Hey, it's me, Francine"? Why would Browne be so afraid of her, if she knew all about spirit guides from the "brushing her hair" incident? Why would Browne's grandmother have to explain to her all over again what a spirit guide is? Another argument against these being two separate incidents: in this account, Browne is said to have become clairaudient (hearing spirits, etc.) at the age of eight. How could that be if Browne had heard "Francine" when she was seven, as the previous version describes? What about the possibility that this version was written by co-author Antoinette May rather than by Browne herself, and that accounting for the differences? I would find it hard to believe that Browne did not read the book and correct any such mistakes before it was printed. Also, the story is the same when the book was reprinted as Adventures... as it was in My Guide..., which makes it even harder to believe this version was simply some mistake on Antoinette May's part. (Note also the very different accounts of how Browne renamed her spirit guide "Francine." In the second account, a very specific reason is given, in the first, she says "Who knows?") Version 3: The Other Side and BackA different version of the "playing with a flashlight" story is found in her 1999 book The Other Side and Back (the book is written by Browne alone, so there is no chance that a co-author introduced a mistaken account). It is on page xxii of the section "A Note to My Readers" at the beginning of the book.
Here we have the same contradictions with the "brushing her hair" version, and it even contradicts the other "playing with a flashlight" version: this time, rather than her grandmother explaining things to her in the guest room, or in the victory garden, it happens in the kitchen. AnalysisThese stories simply do not add up. There are too many similarities between them for me to believe that these are accounts of two different incidents. And there are too many differences for them to be true and accurate accounts of the same incident. Browne was 66 when Contacting Your Spirit Guide was published in 2003, later than the other two accounts above. Could it be that the "brushing her hair" version is simply the faulty memory of an aging woman? I don't buy that either. As we get older, we tend to have trouble remembering what happened recently, but memorable events from our youth are still emblazoned clearly in our memory. An event as momentous as meeting your "spirit guide" seems like it would be just such an event. So, what does that leave us with? Given Browne's track record of taking liberty with the truth, I see no reason to believe any of it. ConclusionHave you ever known someone who told you an impressive story about themselves, then later you hear them tell a very different version of that same story to someone else, or even to you? They had forgotten their own lies. In my opinion, that is what we have here. Browne has made up so many lies, she cannot keep track of them all. My thanks to the email correspondents who pointed out these contradictions to me. Update: August 17 2007This article has been up on the site less than 24 hours, and I have already been shown more discrepancies, more contradictions. Version 4: Psychic ChildrenYet another version of the "playing with a flashlight" story is found in Browne's 2007 book Psychic Children.
So, in this version, she is seven (she was eight in the other "flashlight" versions), her grandmother is in the kitchen, and the biggest difference: instead of "Francine" appearing in the beam of the flashlight, Browne only hears her. Version 5?: Contacting Your Spirit GuideA totally different version of how Browne first saw "Francine" can be found again on pages 21-22 of Contacting Your Spirit Guide, in the chapter titled "Don't Rely on Your Guide to Make You Psychic":
So, in this version, Browne didn't see "Francine" when she was seven or eight, but did not even get a glimpse of her until she was eighteen years old. It wasn't in her bedroom alone this time, but in the living room with her entire family gathered around. In this version, she didn't actually get a good look at "Francine" until Browne was in her early thirties (she did not live alone with her sons until after her divorce from Gary Dufresne in 1972). Another ConclusionSo, is Browne "forgetting her lies," as I concluded above? Or does she simply change the story as it suits her, and doesn't particularly care whether her readers notice it or not? I'll leave the conclusion to you. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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