Sylvia Browne made a cruel false prediction

Monday, January 22. 2007

Sylvia Browne, a very known psychic reader in the US, made a very unpleasant prediction about the possible fate of Shawn Hornbeck. Shawn was kidnapped at the age of 11, in late 2002. Sylvia appeared on TV on the "Montel Williams Show" in February 2003 and told Shawn's parents that he was dead and advised as to where to search for his body, which has led to shifting search team's efforts in that direction. It's painful to imagine how the family must have lost all hope after her reading.

This January Shawn was found alive just miles from his home living with a man who's kidnapped him.

The family of the kid also tells that Sylvia tried to offer more advice at the rate of $700 for half an hour.

This story doesn't make a good reputation to the psychics. Sylvia Browne is famous psychic, appearing on TV, writing books on the subject, who's been many times accused of being a fraud. I don't know enough about doing psychic readings but it surely doesn't look well.

What are your thoughts of Sylvia Browne and of psychic readings in general?

For more detailed information about this incident you can read She told them boy was dead from NY daily times.

Discuss this and other posts in the mind-energy.net forum.

in Higher Dimensions, Parapsychology at 07:55 | 32 Comments

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I am not surprised!!! I have always felt instinctively when I watched this women that she was a fraud. Her cleverness comes from when she is wrong about something she quickly moves on.

People who are not perceptive will get drawn into her. I couldn't understand why Montell Williams could not see it!!! He is a great guy from what I see on TV and I cannot believe that this phoney fraud was able to manipulate him in. I always felt that way about her. There are others that I feel could be the real thing, but her I got bad vibs that she was exploiting people's weaknesses. I know I am right.

#1 Lee J. on 2007-01-22 08:23 (Reply)

BIG FAT FRAUD , MONTEL GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR BUTT , SHE IS BAD PUBLICITY FOR YOUR SHOW , HELP REVEAL HER ON NATIONAL T.V. WHAT ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO`S HUSBAND DIED IN 9/11 SYLVIA SAID THAT HE DROWNED , DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON HER FACE WHEN THE WONAN SAID THAT HER HUSBAND WAS A FIREFIGHTER IN THE 9/11 , THAT`S HOW HE DIED ,

#1.1 RICK on 2007-01-29 04:11 (Reply)

I've read all of her books and her message is a beauitful. Her meditations and prayers are gorgeous. I've derived alot of comfort from her books. Be nice. Everyone needs something to believe in! Who knows if she's psychic, she has a beautiful message.

#1.2 Kristina on 2007-01-31 04:54 (Reply)

Everyone can be wrong sometime. I agree with you, many of her books are very interesting and inspirering. She has never said that she is 100% right anyway. She said that God gave her a gift, and she is correct most of the time. No one is perfect. I think they should give her a break.

#1.2.1 Catina Scott on 2007-01-31 05:09 (Reply)

the message is love, we're all part of God who is love.
whats wrong with that? The psychic part is up for debate, the message though is beautiful. The glass is half full for me.
Don't jump on the hate wagon. Take what you want and leave the rest.

#1.2.1.1 Kristina on 2007-01-31 08:21 (Reply)

Please, it's a beautiful message to give people false hope or lie to them about a loved one. If my son was missing and she told me he was dead I would be crushed. I would probably sue her if I found out he was just miles away from my home. And the whole $700 for a half an hour thing is just plain theivery!!!
Silvia Brown is a fraud and I have quit watching Montel because he is promoting her. They should both be fined and banned from society.

#1.2.2 Someone on 2007-02-07 08:01 (Reply)

Believe in the bible and you will have all you need

#1.2.3 Sea Captain58 on 2007-07-15 04:40 (Reply)

Montel Williams isn't a good person! It's not hard to notice his only interest is to make off of innocent and suffering people so, he's in the con game with the bitch!

#1.3 somex on 2007-09-25 04:41 (Reply)

Yes, I felt the same way too. Whenever I saw her on Montel giving flippant answers to painful questions I got a charlatan vibe from her. I hope all her

#2 MindMart (Homepage) on 2007-01-23 05:14 (Reply)

Sylvia Browne right so incredibly more times than she is wrong.
I think if you want a true analysis, one should start a blog for people that have had questions answered by her to see how many times Sylvia was accurate.

#3 JAMES MCDANIELS on 2007-01-28 00:57 (Reply)

James Mcdaniels - You must be working for Sylvia Browne.. or are you Sylvia Brwon herself in disguise? well, we all know she can easily do that, the CON-ARTIST that she is. Either that or you are a psychic yourself who is trying to salvage your own livelihood by protecting fellow con-artist. Or maybe you are just plain DUMB. We all saw how dangerous her so-called predictions can be, especially to those who really believes in this stuff. If you cannot rely on her predictions, what is the use of it? By the way, she is more wrong then right according to a survey. SHE IS A FRAUD! she might have some psychic powers which she uses to bullshit through all these years, but I can bet 90% of the time she has just been lieing through her teeth.
She is simply evil. I know there are people with gifts out there, but SYLVIA? She is a fraud, and you are just as at fault to support Sylvia, because it's people like you who gives her popularity and enables her to continuously deceive
people.

We should all send Montel William letters to stop him from putting her on air. This is a grave matter. She is really dangerously evil.

#3.1 Toenlighten on 2007-01-31 02:08 (Reply)

I just found this site today. I've never been interested in blogging. But this topic just hit a nerve & your comment got me worked into a frenzy. I Started banging away at the keyboard with my three or four fingers that I use & by 11:30am I had finished my reply(manuscript) to you. I couldn't believe I could have been so worked up that I would write something that long(we're talking way past comment). Well, I do now. I accidently hit a button & lost it, know here I am again. Just last thursday, A co-worker, knowing my passion for metaphysics, said she had a book for me that I might like. "You've heard of Silvia Browne? Well to make a 'really' long story less long - by the time I got done telling her my opinion of S.B., She was probably thinking very differently of me. Con Artist? You're too kind. That B**** is a psychopath! I'm grateful that I'm not the only one who sees how evil & dangerous she is. I don't remember when I first saw her on tv, but I think it was long before Montel. I knew she was a fraud from the gate. About 4 years ago, a friend of mine dropped off one of her books shortly after my mother past. He told me "Read this - she's great! His beaming face told me he believed it (that & the fact that he isn't a liar) I said you know, I just don't think she's the real deal(I was trying to be polite), You could tell he really thought her to be the genuine article.He persisted & made me promise to read the book. I've read hundreds, if not well over a thousand books on psychic phenomena, and, in fact have been writing on the subject for over 35 years(I've got boxes of chapters for that book I'm gonna publish someday,haha), I admit, I wondered how many of them made it to the bookstore shelves. But I think I can honestly say that I got at least something, if only a memorable quotation, from each of them. then I read S.B.'s book. I find it hard to believe she was ever published, let alone a book club offering & on the best seller's list. Thank You for recognizing how dangerous this woman is. I mean, that evil, rude B**** is the Charles Manson of psychics! Infact, she makes Charley look look like a sunday school teacher, if you consider the fact that her follower's are probably well into the millions, and include the likes of Montel, and more than just a few of the people I Know. Anyway, to get back to this long story that's not so short, after reading the book, I knew she was a fraud. I also knew that she was a total 'whackjob'. Studies have shown that psychopaths and serial killers & the like, often share uncommon aspects & characteristics from their infancy & youth that suggests these factors could well be significant in what caused them to become dangerous & preditory. One of these factors was the inability of the mother & child to bond normally. Most of the time the ball is in the court of the mother on this one, however there has been the story of the child being cool & unaffectionate from birth. (creepy). I don't remember which book I read, but I remember thinking, wow, this woman really hates her mother - and why is she even dicussing her ill feelings of her mother in this book anyway - Oh yeah - that's why God gave her the gift - to make up for her mother's evil ways. Sorry, I forgot. Then there was daddy, or was it big daddy, that was a whole other side to the coin. Heads or tails, nobody wins. Con Artist? Now, Miss Cleo, there was an Artist. She may have been for entertainment purposes only, but she was good. So good, infact, that when I found Her 'Deluxe Boxed Set' of 'tarot' cards on ebay - I knew I had to have it for my 'Unusual Psychic Memorobilia Collection', She's my very favorite of the contemporary pieces, even more so than my 'How to develope your psychic ability' with Dion Warrwick VHS. That BS of SB wasn't fit for the fireplace.

Also - to James McDaniels & 1.2, 1.2.1, & 1.2.1.1. , aka: Squeaky From & her gang, or could it be Sybil's 1,2&1,2 again? You people need help, but you won't get it from SB,
may I suggest your clergy man? Better yet, maybe you should try someone else's. A gift from God that SB charges $1400. an hour to extort money from helpless people who are living the nightmare & deep emotional pain of not knowing where there 11 year old son is? You call telling those people their son was dead, a message of love? It's not - trust me, I know. Maybe you people are beyond help.

#3.1.1 Minerva (Homepage) on 2007-02-18 02:19 (Reply)

In response to the Sylvia Browne thing
I am truly struggling with this one. A reading can be helpful guidance and reassurance, but I don't think you can depend on it to make your major life decisions.
There is a very fine line between trying to help someone with psychic guidance and giving them the kind of answers that Browne does. It goes a little too far to be so completely bold faced about it.
Everyone has to be responsible for their own decisions.
I do readings as well, but I tell my clients that I don't really like to read for anyone more than once every 6 months or so. It is too easy to let them become dependant on me to solve all of their problems.
I have always avoided anything like missing persons and police work, because I know many things, but I don't feel that I get quite enough information to give those bold-faced definate answers. I wouldn't want to give false hope, take away hope, or influence an investigation in the wrong direction. If I were ever to get involved I would have to make sure I was damn certain of what I was talking about, and I would be very honest about how sure I was, and the odds of my being right about what I was saying. My honest estimation is that most psychics are only right about 75% of the time.

#4 Bonnie (Homepage) on 2007-01-30 04:14 (Reply)

I used to be a fan of Sylvia Browne's, being a person who lost a loved one tragically and praying that someone would have answers. Now any time I hear her name mentioned I tell people to go to StopSylviaBrowne.com. The woman is a con job, she gives people false hope, and breaks their hearts. She is a cold callous b----. She is doing alot of harm to people who are trying to hold onto hope.

#5 boredkatie on 2007-02-18 22:54 (Reply)

This is beyond the cruel. No psychic has right to crush other people like that. Psychic abilities go further then "giving the first answer that comes to mind"- many people can do that!

#6 aleksandra on 2007-02-21 21:32 (Reply)

WHEN A KNOWN PSYCHIC LETS YOU IN ON A PREDICTION IF THEY ARE WRONG ABOUT A PREDICTION IT'S JUST LIKE A DOCTOR WHEN HE OR SHE MISDIAGNOISES DON'T GET UPSET THEY ARE STILL HUMAN.

#7 MICHELLE CRAWFORD (Homepage) on 2007-03-03 08:52 (Reply)

Will I am sorry to hear that your still defending her , the difference between a doctor giving a misdiagnoises and sylivia is that sylivia is not giving it , it is suppose to be coming from a higher power(francince)So it wasnt really sylivia mistake it was her so called spirit guide Francine. LOL

#7.1 jackie on 2007-03-07 17:36 (Reply)

I have always had psychic ability as many members of my family. It is not always there, sometimes I am tuned in and sometimes I am tuned out. This is normal. Sylvia Browne answers questions immediatly, without a second to reflect or listen. That makes me suspicious. She is loud abrasive and comes across like a crook. It angers me that she tells the vulnerable the lies she makes up. Check the stopsylviabrowne website, one she tried to get her lawyers to close down.
Look at her charges for security fraud. Read the interview with her first husband, who denies she had psychic ability when they were together. He said she does not have a masters in literature that she claims to have from a University that doesn't exist. Read of the majority of times she is wrong eg telling one woman her mother is dead when she is alive. Telling another woman that her kidnapped granddaughter was taken to Japan as a sex slave and her body was found just a few km's from her home. She is a lying fraud perpetrating her get rich through the pain of others, scheme. Shame on her.

#7.2 gael koob on 2007-03-23 20:53 (Reply)

Silvia Browne does have a message for everybody.
It says "I'll charge you $700 an hour and make up crap for you to hear".
She's an emotional vulture preying on the desperate and vulnerable.

#8 Cedric Katesby on 2007-03-11 17:02 (Reply)

The excuse "oh well, sometimes they get it wrong" is so repulsive that my skin crawls.

What kind of moral deviant gives out information of such a profound manner that they "aren't always sure" is going to be right? By their own admission, psychics (including thousands of supporters using the same tired excuse), "don't always get it right." Lord, we've all heard it a million times.

Ok, so maybe, just maybe, you'd want to shut your pie hole before telling parents that their son was dead until you actually knew if you were right, or if this was one of those "sometimes we get it wrong" deals.

The most mind-boggling and repugnant aspect of psychics (and I am yet to see one who doesn't take a similar stance) is that they apparently live in a moral vacuum and refuse to take responsibility for their own actions (i.e. the glue of the social fabric and the entire foundation of Western political and philosophical thought). Instead, they rather meekly defer their responsibility to an "unseen spirit guide". "It's not my fault", they might say, "I'm just a mouthpiece... I just pass on what I am told". Apparently, they don't have any duty of care regarding what this information might do, the effects it might produce or even if it is RIGHT (and who can know? After all "they're not always right". Can you tell me ahead of time when this inaccuracy occurs? No? Huh.. thought you were psychic). This is reprehensible! Even CHILDREN know they have to accept responsibility for their actions; that there are consequences to words and that they shouldn't pass on vicious gossip unless they're sure.

This, if you were wondering, is why many skeptics etc will refer to the movement as "ugly". Here, motive or belief is unimportant. I have no doubt that many "psychics" are well-meaning and kind individuals (if somewhat deluded). HOWEVER, simply by adhering to the old psychic adage of being a "mouthpiece", they are inadvertently doing something not only very ugly, but completely rejected and shunned in all other areas of society. The end result is the same - they can destroy lives, cause pain, suffering or set people on unintended paths with incorrect information and then can simply say "oops! just passing on what I heard! My bad!".

Psychics and their supporters need to examine a little thing called cause and effect. Many could not imagine what it would be like to be told your missing son was dead. What if the couple were silly enough to believe a "psychic"? What if they stopped looking for him? JUST THINK what they suffered... and it's NOT just Sylvia Browne and there are thousands of less extreme examples as well. This applies to ALL PSYCHICS EVERYWHERE.

But they're "only human", right? HARDLY. People lacking a conscience or empathy are NOT human. They're sociopaths. Alternatively, well-meaning ones are simply displaying a shameful level of idiocy. IN ALL CASES, extreme arrogance is shown. I'm not sure how else a rational person could interpret these actions. Think about it. Think about how ARROGANT you must be to assert your right to pass on your information when you "sometimes get it wrong" and have no way of knowing when these little "fits" of inaccuracy occur. Like I said, intentions mean nothing. The road to hell is paved in good intentions.

#9 Appalled on 2007-03-11 17:06 (Reply)

I generally distrust self professed 'psychics'. No don't get me wrong, I am a big supporter of Parapsychology and Psi research. But there seems an inevitable ego that goes along with public claims of possessing "psychic gifts". As some have pointed out, for many psychics it removes all sense of responsibility and caution regarding what advice they may give people. Given the fact that psychics, real or entirely phony, can each be mistaken, it is important to exercise extreme caution in trusting in any unsupported information that they may provide. I, for one, think it would be good if psychics routinely worked with law enforcement, but only as one possible source of information that should never, never, never be trusted even slightly without at least some objective supporting evidence. Same goes for using psychics in intelligence work; if one were to confirm, without knowing they were confirming anything, a particular piece of intelligence, then that may be carefully and cautiously weighted with any additional intelligence and may be utilized for actionable intelligence, but this is merely one weak source of evidence that may, on remarkable occassions, prove to be indispensible to succeeding. And certainly no psychic should ever, ever, ever make a claim that, if mistaken, may cause emotional harm, psychological damage, or even more drastic negative consequences. Accepting the reality of psychic phenomenon should not mean throwing reason, caution, and personal responsibility out the window. It should never mean blindly believing in your own infallability (even people who really do have gifts, like professional athletes, still make bad plays and have bad performances), and for the 'non-psychic' it should never mean trusting the psychic over what your own judgment, or believing them without evidence or worse in the face of overwhelmingly opposing evidence. Those who try to excuse Miss Brown are in error to do so; she is a fraud, whether or not she has even some slight degree of psychic ability (and quite possibly we all do, so there is nothing too special about that assertion). She is offering loads of false hope, which she cannot necessarily deliver upon, and for that she makes $1400 an hour, considerably more than those good cops who found the kid.

#10 Art on 2007-03-13 03:36 (Reply)

Think about it this way. If you know the future that means theres a good chance it wont happen that way. If someone told you that you would die on a bus tomorrow and the you avoided the bus and didn't die it doesn't mean that the person was wrong. It means that if they had not warned you and if you had no idea you would have.
By the same token Sylvia told them where to find the body, "which has led to shifting search team's efforts in that direction." Sure he wasn't dead, because they altered it. If she had not told them then by the time they did search there or find the body then he would have been dead and he would have been there.
Telling the future is a tricky thing. Once we know whats going to happen we have a chance of changing it. IF it doesn't happen then it doesn't necissarily, although possibly, mean that they are wrong. What it means is that because of our reactions to the news we changed what we did enough to make the prediction not come to pass.
And no I am not a psycic nor do I work for Sylvia. I am a 16 year old student who has watched Sylvia Brown a few times with my girlfriend and sort of belive what she is saying. Do not be so quick to attack her, shes been right more times then any of you have, and not about easy things. About other missing persons cases

#11 Mike on 2007-03-21 14:49 (Reply)

Mike,
You said "If you know the future that means theres a good chance it wont happen that way."

So...what's the point of 'knowing the future'?
And if theres a good chance 'it won't happen that way' then will you still be prepared to spend $700?

Example: Your mother is missing.
Is she alive or dead? (Lets' say she ran off to join the circus)
Now suppose Sylvia tells you your missing mother is murdered and lying dead in a land-fill.
Is she right or wrong?
Does looking for your mother at a land-fill with search teams change the fact that your mother actually ran off to join the circus and that Sylvia lied to you to collect your $700?
OR.......
Lets' say that your mother is dead, her corpse is in a landfill.
Yet Sylvia said that your mother ran off to join the circus.
Does checking around all the circuses in town change the fact that your mother is dead in a garbage dump and that Sylvia STILL keeps her $700?
Or are you saying that your mother, who was in the circus just like Sylvia claimed, magically ended up dead and in a garbage dump because you believed Sylvia and wanted to find your mother? Sounds kinda twisted to me.
ESPECIALLY when Sylvia charges $700 and is dealing with grieving relatives who are desperate for answers.
Extraordinary claims require EXTRAORDINARY PROOF.

#12 Cedric Katesby on 2007-03-22 18:53 (Reply)

I have read Sylvia's If You Could See What I See and Adventures of a Psychic.

#7.1 jackie, LOL, you maybe right about Francine making the mistake

or Sylvia saw another face in her psychic readings?

Yes, why charge so much when it's supposedly free from Francine and she claimed she received such info to help other people?

I was actually amazed at her abilities from reading her book till I read about the reading for the 9/11 fireman's death. Now I think she's not as pure as she claimed..

#13 MJ (Homepage) on 2007-04-02 07:55 (Reply)

Well if I could read minds I would know the answer to this poll, but I do not so here it is.

Do you believe Sylvia Browne on the Montel Williams show?
http://www.apopularitycontest.com/display_poll.php?ID=157

#14 Rob on 2007-07-13 18:34 (Reply)

I haven't seen her that many times, but I have always had unpleasant vibes from her the few times I have seen her. For that reason I have not read any of her books except exerpts. I sense an arrogance, and something false in her.

I do have a very good feeling about Montel. I think he is a truly sincere and good person. I do have a hard time reconciling the fact that he seems to believe Sylvia.

I do not want to be mean to Sylvia. I was amazed, though, at how many respondants had the same feeling I had about her as a psychic. No one is right all the time. For that reason, I would hesitate to make predictions like the one about Shawn Hornbeck. I think if I am going to err it should be on the side of compassion, not sensationalism.

I do not claim to have great psychic ability. I am more of an empath. I can sense people's emotional state and mood with pretty good accuracy. I am sure this comes mostly from being a close observer, but it surely makes me feel freaky sometimes, especially when negative emotions are running high around me. I also tend to get urges to call people on the phone just before they show up at my house or call me.

If I were going to make predictions, and I don't, they would be along the lines of warning of possible consequencies of allowing certain emotions to run someone's life. They would be the sort of things that a parent would attempt to teach an out of control child.E

#14.1 RainCrow on 2007-09-06 15:32 (Reply)

SB is pretty gross. She seems to be able to spit out comments, and chew her gross finger nail at the same time. That seems to be her only talent. She needs a new hair color and cut despartly and one would think with all the money she has she could afford some stomach staples, or some lipo at least since she is in the public and subjects everyone to her hitious voice. The only thing consistant with SB is her matching her yellow smokers complexion with her yellow hair- Gosh who said bashing isn't theraputic- I feel better now.

#15 lisa Ceizler on 2007-09-24 02:48 (Reply)

she the biggest liar ,i brought her books,they don't help,you ,her reading are lame,all she talks about is your spirt guides,for 30 minutes,she predicted that jlo couldn't have children,but its been proven she pregnant,she said angelina and brad were going break up,also sarah jessica parker,and her husband,katie holmes and tom cruise,she said the troops,were coming back,is she joking us,someone needs to sop her.

#15.1 cindy on 2007-10-06 11:43 (Reply)

“I've read all of her books and her message is a beauitful. Her meditations and prayers are gorgeous. I've derived alot of comfort from her books. Be nice. Everyone needs something to believe in! Who knows if she's psychic, she has a beautiful message.”

Well, she has about a 1% success rate so I know she isn't a psychic. I bet Shawn Hornbecks' parents received a lot of comfort we she falsely claimed he was dead!

#16 Chris mankey on 2007-10-14 20:44 (Reply)

I just hate people posting themselves on camera and say such crap. It's better if u do readings for free if you those things would come across again. It's better to be a 'silent' psychic than a showoff that has really nothing...

#17 kuotetsu on 2007-10-19 13:37 (Reply)

She also predicted on live radio that trapped miners were alive, then it turned out they were dead. Sylvia Browne has said that gullible people deserve what they get, well I say when she goes to jail for theft by deception she'll deserve what she gets. And I hope it's more than the 200 hours community service she got for her last swindle.

#18 Brian H. on 2007-11-21 21:55 (Reply)

I’ve been fascinated with learning about spiritual possession for quite a while. I don’t know if everyone has seen the show the Ghost Whisperer, but there is an episode this Friday (05/09/08) that’s all about possession.

#19 Croweincali on 2008-05-07 21:38 (Reply)

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Sylvia Browne made a cruel false prediction

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Sylvia Browne made a cruel false prediction

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