A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".

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Email: "A Story" From 1984

A woman has questions regarding her mother's mysterious death, and seeks answers from Sylvia Browne.

Published: Dec 30, 2007
Written by: Robert S. Lancaster

Sylvia Browne expressed her condolences and then proceeded to tell me the most gruesome story, so gruesome and farfetched that before she was even finished -- in my mind -- it far surpassed the point of absurdity.

- email author

Background

A few days ago, I received an email from a woman saying that she had a story about Sylvia Browne she wanted to share. After I replied, telling her that I would be interested in seeing it, she emailed the story, which I reproduce below, with her permission.

As with all emails I share on the site, this is simply one person's account.

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The Email

Subject: a story
From: [name] <[email address]>
Date: Sat, December 29, 2007 10:50 am
To: <[email address]>

Hello,

I just spent some time writing it out this morning after I sent off the email to you. Here it is:

In November of 1984 my mother’s body was found drowned in an outdoor wooden spa tub at her home in Carmel, CA. The police did a full investigation and ruled out an accidental drowning (since the tub hadn’t been used for years and was full of cold rainwater and snails; and she had never used it recreationally). By autopsy they determined that there were no drugs involved (my mother was a Christian Scientist and never took pills of any kind); there was no sign of physical coercion, and no other physical injuries. In retrospect I believe that she committed suicide by drowning herself, either with or without physical assistance, and/or possibly with verbal / emotional coercion on the part of someone else.

Needless to say, I was in a state of extreme confusion and grief in the days and weeks after her death. It occurred to me to consult with Sylvia Browne to help solve the mystery, since my mother herself was a fan. I traveled a hundred miles to where S.B. was conducting a taped show with an audience of about one hundred people. Each member of the audience paid $100 and were allowed three questions to ask Sylvia who sat under stage lights while her people recorded the event with video cameras.

Luckily, I was only the third audience member to ask questions, since I sat in the front row to the far right and they started methodically with the persons sitting in that corner. I do not remember the exact wording of my questions, but I do know that I was very careful not to tell her any details of what the investigators had already found out; I kept it purposefully vague and just said that my mother had been found dead and would she please tell me whether it was a suicide or not, and if anyone else was involved.

Sylvia Browne expressed her condolences and then proceeded to tell me the most gruesome story, so gruesome and farfetched that before she was even finished -- in my mind -- it far surpassed the point of absurdity. She told me that an obese Italian woman in her late fifties, who was dressed in a nurses uniform, had stabbed my mother to death with knitting needles!

Sylvia moved on to the next person and I got up from my seat and walked out. I walked down a very long hallway to the entrance and found the woman who had taken my money sitting at a table counting out the cash. I went up to he r and leaned over the money and stated to her that if she didn’t immediately refund my $100 I would go back in the studio and cause a scene. She responded that perhaps I had misunderstood the reading and that there were always different ways to interpret Sylvia’s words. I said I understood Sylvia’s words perfectly and they had nothing whatsoever to do with the reality of what happened to my mother. We glared at each other for a few moments and I turned and swiftly started walking back to the studio. The woman caught up with me before I reached the entrance and pushed a hundred dollar bill in my hand without a word. I looked at her and said ‘you’re a pack of liars and thieves’ and left the building.

Twenty years later I continue to be amazed that S.B. still gets airtime on major television shows. I am relieved that at least now with the internet there is a venue to express the truth of what this woman is getting away with. It’s an astonishing phenomenon and speaks volumes about human nature. Perhaps these insights are the only real gifts that Sylvia has to offer us.

Cheers, and good luck in your endeavor!

[name]
[City, state]

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Conclusion

It is unclear where exactly this took place. It was more than twenty years ago, in the days before Browne was a regular on the Montel Williams Show, so it was not there.

I asked this woman where this video taping had occurred, and this was her reply:

I believe it was in Los Gatos, CA . . . or near there. Somewhere between Highway 17 coming north from Santa Cruz, and San Jose. I’m not very clear about the exact location; I drove there at night, in December; it was rainy and dark.

Perhaps it was part of Browne's appearances she used to make via The Learning Tree. Or perhaps, since it was so close to Browne's headquarters, it was simply an appearance she and her staff had arranged.

Wherever it occurred, without a recording or transcription, it is difficult to even guess why Browne would have come up with such an outlandish story. But it certainly fits in with what I have seen of her callous treatment of those who come to her seeking help.

My thanks to this woman for sharing her story, and for allowing me to place it here on the site.

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