I sometimes hear from people who believe that either you naturally have psychic ability or you don’t. And if you don’t have it, you struggle to develop it.
This is a common belief about psychic ability and although I can understand why people think this, I believe that it’s totally untrue.
Yes – there are some people who are born with a high degree of psychic ability that they retain throughout life
BUT there are also people who are born with a little bit of obvious psychic ability that they later develop to something impressive
AND there are people who seem to have no psychic ability and then develop some.
I’ve seen all three scenarios.
So basically, as with most things, everyone’s experiences of this vary.
But before I go debating whether anyone can be psychic, it would probably help to define what ‘psychic’ actually means.
What does it mean to be psychic?
Being psychic is the ability to obtain information from spirit (from someone’s energy body, your Higher self or Spirit Guides).
There are several ways in which to be psychic –
- You can be clairvoyant (and ‘see’ things)
- You can be clairaudient (and hear things)
- You can be clairsentient (you get lots of hunches and gut feelings.)
- You can be claircognizant (you just get information popping into your head.)
- You can be an empath (and have the ability to place yourself into the experience of another person and feel their emotions and desires.)
- You can get information from dreams.
There are many more gifts than the ones I mention here – it’s not an exhaustive list. (If you have a specific gift that isn’t mentioned here, maybe leave a comment and tell us about it.)
Some of these gifts seem more obviously ‘psychic’ than others – I’m thinking of clairvoyance and clairaudience in particular. And some are thought of as more ‘intuitive’ – like hunches and gut feelings. But it’s all information from spirit, coming to you in some form. And that’s what we call being psychic.
The above gifts will fall into one of three categories for you.
The first category = gifts you naturally have.
For example, my natural gifts are claircognizance and empathy. I can put myself into someone else’s experience without even trying (empathy) and know exactly what it feels like to be them. And during readings I get information about people popping into my brain as if it’s from nowhere. I also know a lot about the people around me without them needing to tell me.
The second category = gifts you don’t naturally have but can develop. For me, those gifts have been clairvoyance and clairaudience. Although I can use them easily during readings, it does feel a little different from using my natural gifts – a bit like driving a manual car when I’m used to automatic. I have to think about what I’m doing – it’s more conscious.
The third category = gifts you’ll never develop. I have heard that empathy as a psychic gift is the only gift it’s impossible to develop if you don’t have it naturally. In my experience training students to develop their abilities, it’s true. Some students were able to ‘tune in’ to others empathically and others just couldn’t do it no matter how hard they tried.
Why I Think Anyone Can Be Psychic
I have learned that anyone can be psychic from my own experiences and my experiences teaching (or rather, helping others rediscover) their psychic ability. I’ll talk more about those experiences in a moment.
In terms of theory, the reason why everyone can be psychic is because everyone has a soul. We are spiritual beings in a human experience. (Your soul is also sometimes called your Higher self or your spirit.)
You are wired to keep in contact with your Higher self (and Spirit Guides) while you’re in your physical experience that you call life. If you don’t stay in contact with your higher self, you can get very off-track in your life and go down roads that bring you no joy. So, your Higher self will impulse and communicate with you in various ways about what to do and where to go.
So, for me, saying that not everyone can be psychic is a bit like saying that not everyone has a soul! Obviously we all have souls and we can all have that connection to spirit.
My Own Experiences
I grew up knowing that I was very sensitive and empathic, but I couldn’t always use my abilities on demand to know stuff. Yes, they were there to some degree but I was nowhere near as psychic as I am now. I also went for long periods without seeing much sign of them at all, earlier on in life. I later developed my abilities to a higher level through practice.
I have also read for and coached dozens of people who thought that they were not particularly psychic – and then realized they did have the ability. They managed to awaken their most natural gifts and even try out using some that weren’t natural to them. Towards the end of the Intuitive Awakening Course, I get some of the students on the course to read for one another. And they always surprise themselves with what they are able to do. And most of these people didn’t think of themselves as especially gifted when they started.
There are certainly some factors that contribute towards the level of psychic ability you can reach. Here are some of them (along with some that really don’t!):
Motivation
I would say that the most important factor that contributes towards the level of ability you develop is motivation and life purpose. A good level of psychic ability is available to everyone, but how many people with dormant abilities are actually motivated to do the work and find out how to get there? Those who are feeling motivated to develop their psychic abilities often feel it’s part of their life purpose and are driven – they can’t not do it.
Sex/Gender
Another factor that people sometimes ask about is sex/gender – are women more likely to develop psychic ability than men? I have gotten more women taking my course than men. I am not sure why that is. But I’d say that the only (conditioned) difference between men and woman is that women are sometimes more in touch with their emotions, so they can sometimes be more open to spirit in that regard. But of course, that’s not true for everyone – it is just a conditioned tendency resulting from our culture.
(For more on the role of that when developing your intuitive side, check out this article: Are Women More Intuitive Than Men?)
Your Beliefs
Other factors that do make a difference are your beliefs and how open-minded you are. Remember that the Law of Attraction underlies everything so if you don’t make room in your belief system for psychic experiences, you won’t see them. Someone who believes is much more likely to develop a high level of ability than someone who doubts a great deal.
Ability to Quieten the Mind
Another factor is how good you are at being still in your mind. But some people, myself included, have a lot of nervous energy and find it hard to create that space of stillness and quiet in the mind. But meditation actually really helps with this and you can learn to create stillness in your life for psychic insights. However, those who are naturally good at this have a higher chance of getting insights spontaneously, because intuitive information comes through gaps in your thoughts.
Finally, people sometimes ask if aspects of your astrological chart make it easier for you to develop a high level of psychic ability. I am not an astrologer but have heard that certain aspects to Neptune in the chart are an indication of ease for developing psychic ability. Some people say that if you have a lot of water in your chart (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) it demonstrates a good connection to your emotions and perhaps to your Higher self. As I said, I am not an astrologer but if you know a lot about psychic ability showing up in the natal chart, please give us your take on this.
So, there you have it. That’s my take on developing psychic ability: I believe that in general it’s a fundamental human skill – not so much a gift.
I love how you’ve explained this Anna….I have always been interested in personal development / spirituality and dabbled with various related things. I joined a circle a while ago, and found that interesting. I think I know my main strengths are to do with empathy, hunches and thoughts popping into my head…but part of my challenge is learning to trust those and decipher them i.e. what’s real and when is it my interpretation?
Thanks as always, I always look forward to your posts.
Jen x
I think I was told that I have clairaudient and clairsentient. Maybe a bit of claircognizant. I’ve been told that I have “empath” qualities. I’ll step back and ask myself if the feelings I have are really mine.
Lately, my mind has been very noisy. I keep asking about my life purpose and my life. I thought I knew what my life purpose was, but now I’m not so sure. Wish I could receive an “intuitive” hit.
Hi Anna,
That’s so interesting about empathy being not a develop-able if you don’t already have it… I didn’t know that! I have found though that my empathic abilities have increased dramatically with my psychic development – maybe even surpassing it. While it’s interesting, I’m not sure that I want to develop it more – it can be overwhelming at times. Have you found the same thing?
Blessings,
Keena
I get a lot of that when I tell people my dream is to become powerfully psychic – “I think you’re just born with it” or “It comes when you get evolved spiritually, you can’t develop it on purpose”. Could it be these people don’t want to take responsibility for getting what they want out of life? 🙂
I told one of these people, “I think it’s like being an athlete. You can be born naturally with good genes and a good body. Or you can work hard at it and succeed that way.”
Andrew
Hi Anna. Like you, I’m a natural claircognizant empath, too. I love Rosetree’s “Empowered by Empathy,” and recommend it every empath I meet. That book has really helped me to use empathy like a fun super-power… rather than a draining energy-leak.
I’m really grateful for the strong articles you share here, Anna. They’re each very informative and inspiring.
Hi Keena, I agree the empathy thing can be very overwhelming when not turned off. I think that when you have it, it just comes naturally and you don’t need to develop it as such. It’s a bit different in that regard from the other ones like clairvoyance.
Hi Jen, Thanks for your comment. It seems lots of people struggle with trusting hunches and gut feelings, but it gets easier the more you pay attention to them and then observe the results.
Andrew – I totally agree – you can make it happen!
Rebecca – Actually, I think life purpose is one of the more difficult things to ask about. Occasionally when a client asks about that in a reading, the information I get is limited and in cases like those it can be that the client only needs to know the next step to take, not the bigger picture. In those cases, you can be so focused on the bigger picture that you miss the impulse to take the next step that’s right in front of you so watch out for those little impulses as well, even if you have no idea where it is leading.
Hi Erika! – Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comment.
Hi Anna,
do live in the province of quebec in canada. really interresting site. Do not have the time to read it all today, but will read it fully.
Empath… so i am. and putted your site in my bookmarks… that is a good sign.
will keep in touch.
Bricktal
I wouldn’t normally reply, but I wanted to confirm what you said about gender and the differences between them. These quotes are from a paper written by Michael G. Conner, a psychologist, and are scientifically proven:
“Women on the other hand have four times as many brain cells (neurons) connecting the right and left side of their brain. This latter finding provides physical evidence that supports the observation that men rely easily and more heavily on their left brain to solve one problem one step at a time. Women have more efficient access to both sides of their brain and therefore greater use of their right brain. Women can focus on more than one problem at one time and frequently prefer to solve problems through multiple activities at a time.”
This supports why it is easier for women to have empathy; we focus on more things at one time, making it more difficult for us to differentiate between emotions.
“Men and women approach problems with similar goals but with different considerations. While men and women can solve problems equally well, their approach and their process are often quit different. For most women, sharing and discussing a problem presents an opportunity to explore, deepen or strengthen the relationship with the person they are talking with. Woman are usually more concerned about how problems are solved than merely solving the problem itself. For women, solving a problem can profoundly impact whether they feel closer and less alone or whether they feel distant and less connected. The process of solving a problem can strengthen or weaken a relationship. Most men are less concerned and do not feel the same as women when solving a problem.
Men approach problems in a very different manner than women. For most men, solving a problem presents an opportunity to demonstrate their competence, their strength of resolve, and their commitment to a relationship. How the problem is solved is not nearly as important as solving it effectively and in the best possible manner. Men have a tendency to dominate and to assume authority in a problem solving process. They set aside their feelings provided the dominance hierarchy was agreed upon in advance and respected. They are often distracted and do not attend well to the quality of the relationship while solving problems.”
This is further evidence that it may not be that less men have empathy but that they are genetically designed to separate their feelings, so it is much less noticeable in them; they already know how to separate their feelings from other due to biology, whereas women have more difficulty.
All of these have scientifically proven biological bases. Women have a deeper connection with their emotions due to the differences in the brain, and men are genetically designed to be able to separate their feelings more than women. This is one of the reasons why it seems more women have empathy than men. For men, it’s possible it’s very difficult if at all possible for them to develop empathy because of their biological inclination.
I’ve had a couple of actual experiences. Didn’t ask for it. Just happened to me. Didn’t bother me much, but can’t do enough math to figure it out.
I know I am pretty sensitive to others around me. Mostly how they are feeling and not as much what their thinking, also able to pick up energies in spaces like buildings or houses. Negative energies are easier to sense to me for some reason. Also I have the craziest most vivid dreams and can always remember them. Every detail about them. I also get those gut feelings and natural instincts when something bad is about to happen or whatever the case may be. So the reason I’m going on about this is because getting these feelings, sensing pain, fear, irritation, or other negative thoughts or energies hinder my ability to enjoy myself in public. How do I help alleviate or let this energy flow without effecting my psyche. I know this is a gift. I embrace it and let it grow. Just don’t know how to not let those feelings effect me. Do you have any advice or point me in the direction of help.
Thanks
Hi I really liked this article. I am deeply religious and spiritual. Growing up I would have friends who were going through tragic thoughts, I would go home and cry myself to sleep imaging myself in their position. Later in life I became a missionary, where I learn to discern the promptings of the Spirit. I realized that I had the gift of empathy and at times I knew certain things others didn’t and could sometimes discern the thoughts of men. After my mission my gift fluctuated depending on my actions and unity to God or The Divine. For a while I was depressed and was taken to a special Doctor Who told me about my life and told me I was an Empathetic and a very special spirit in the pre mortal life. Aside from spiritual guidance she also put me on a healthy diet and prescribed me herbal medicine and exercises for the mind and body. Anyone can be psychic if they diligently seek these things. These are Gifts from God, gifts of the Spirit. At times they can seem scary because you think something is wrong with you and people judge you, but I promise that there are people out there that can understand you. In the end I attribute these gifts to God.