You will often find that many psychics, mediums, healers, & energy workers will express how they are naturally gifted, life-long psychics, born with their abilities. In fact, there even seems to be a genetic component to those who are more prone to spontaneous Psi-bsed experiences (Wahbeh, Radin, et al, 2021) This natural-born talent is often used as a huge selling point, but does it make them a better psychic practitioner than someone who does not claim to be naturally born with their abilities? It all depends and here’s why!

First, I must address the notion of what it means to be ‘naturally’ psychic. It’s important to remember that all people have the ability to utilize psi-related skills. It is a very natural part of how our consciousness interacts with the world around us. And, since we all have consciousness, we all have the capacity to utilize psi processes. The question isn’t one of if we are psychic or not. The real issue is how aware of it are we and how are we utilizing it.

The second thing I want to clarify is the use of the word ‘gifted.’ We are all gifted with various abilities and aptitudes, so there is nothing wrong with saying we are naturally gifted with our psychic abilities, except, far too many people misunderstand psychic abilities and see them as some spiritual ability only bestowed upon select chosen individuals. Not only is this completely incorrect, but it creates enormous problems that I address in the blog post The Dangers of Idolizing Psychic Talent.

When we call psychic abilities a ‘gift,’ not only can we lose sight of the fact that it is natural to ALL people, but then we compound it with the problem that gifted individuals are also somehow more spiritual or special. Psychic ability still appears to be ‘magical’ or ‘spiritual’ and is outside of mainstream science (even though it is highly experienced and studied), but this doesn’t make it magical – merely misunderstood. So what we need to understand is that the use of psi abilities may be a ‘gift’ only in that it is an aptitude that someone possesses, but it is not some special gift bestowed because of godliness or some level of spiritual attainment. Believe me, there are plenty of people who use their psi skills for less than ideal reasons so don’t be fooled into thinking psi is some right of attainment.

The third thing I want to clarify is the big difference between someone who has countless spontaneous psi related experiences versus someone who has the ability to control and utilize their psi. No matter how many psychic experiences or how much psychic knowing someone might have, it does not truly become a ‘skill’ until such time as the psi can be harnessed and utilized at will. In other words, just because someone has an inordinate amount of psi experiences does not make it a well-developed talent. At this spontaneous stage, it remains a potential that with time and effort can become a talent, but this is not a guarantee. It all depends on the individual.

I realize these aforementioned three points may seem like a case of semantics, and truthfully, it’s perfectly ok for someone to call themselves a naturally born psychic. It expresses a fact about who they are, but it’s also important to emphasize that this does not necessarily make them better or more talented than someone who may not be able to tout that they are a ‘naturally born psychic.’ To make this claim to natural ability is simply to express that the psi experiences have typically been apparent since a young age and typically have been a prominent aspect of someone’s life. This fact can certainly lead to high-functioning psychic abilities with impressive levels of accuracy, but without training and experience, even these individuals may not be well-rounded or grounded in their approach.

When it comes to psychic functioning, people typically fall somewhere along a spectrum, and I am not talking about a spectrum that is correlated to belief. The spectrum I am referring to is simply related to the ease with which someone can access psychic information. On one extreme of that spectrum we have those whose psi functions far too readily – so much so that the experiences can become unwelcome and invasive. On the other end of that spectrum are those whose psi is not readily accessible. For the ease of instruction, I refer to these two extremes as ‘open versus closed.’ Not to mention that it is common-place within the psychic community to refer to ‘being open’ as the pathway to one’s psychic awareness. This has merit and so we need to discuss it further.

Psi-Open Individuals (POI’s)

Psi-Open individual’s (POI’s) are those whose psi-related experiences occur easily and typically spontaneously, requiring little to no effort. These individuals are often easily overwhelmed due to the overload of psychic sensory information. Many have realized these experiences from a very young age. They may have felt very different from others or just assumed that all people could know, see, or hear what they could. Depending on a variety of variables, they may have been encouraged to dismiss or suppress their impressions so as not to draw attention to them. They may also consider themselves Empathic or perhaps highly sensitive (although empathy and sensitivity can also be due to non-psychic reasons). They sometimes believe they are simply very Intuitive or perhaps even possess a sense of emotional intelligence or greater awareness for what takes around them. However, we also need to be careful not to get genuine psi confused with our various forms of perceptions that are not psi-based but that’s a post for another time.

POI’s have some real potential advantages working in their favor.

1. Because they have spent a lifetime living with their abilities, they may readily recognize psi-related experiences and information. They may immediately know a ‘Hit’ when they get one.

2. Because of this lifetime of psi functioning, they may naturally know their psi strengths and aptitudes.

3. If there is a desire to cultivate the ability, these individuals may grow and develop their psi at a very rapid rate.

4. If properly cultivated, the level of talent these individuals may exhibit can be quite extraordinary – referred to in Parapsychology as ‘high-functioning.’

On the flip side, POI’s may also have some real potential disadvantages working against them.

1. Because psi is so misunderstood, those having these experiences may have been encouraged to ignore them. Family, cultural, and religious beliefs can dictate whether or not the psi is nurtured or suppressed. When suppressed, acceptance and development of the psi may occur later in life but this all depends on the individual. It may instead remain a source of fear and stress as opposed to a natural part of their existence.

2. Intentional blocking of the psi may occur in order to protect one’s self from the onslaught of uncontrolled and/or misunderstood psi-based experiences. These individuals typically feel bombarded and/or drained by their experiences and may therefore intentionally suppress as a form of self-preservation. This requires that they develop strategies to protect themselves but until they do, this may lead to their psi being seen as a negative aspect to life rather than a positive one.

3. If the psi is not suppressed, because it functions spontaneously they may deal with a lack of control. Control of one’s psi requires time and practice.

4. Because the psi happens spontaneously and is typically quite accurate, POI’s may not feel any need for further development. This is a personal choice, but should someone choose to become an actual psychic practitioner, this lack of further development can have serious issues for both the practitioner & the Sitter. For example, some open psi individuals may not be aware of where their information is coming from. Discernment is critical and comes with time and practice, but being able to convey to sitters where infiormation is arising from should be a crucial part of the ethical psychic work.

5. In addition, because the psi happens spontaneously and is typically quite accurate, there may be a lack of understanding for the actual psi process – the how and why it works. Instead of understanding it from a well-rounded objective perspective, they may only be able to explain it from a purely subjective point of view. Granted we’re talking psi-related functioning here and it is in fact highly subjective, but there also should be a more objective aspect to one’s education. If not, the events might be explained with a purely personal point of view that might be accurate, but then again might not be. It is important when working with others that the various frameworks associated with psi-based experiences be honored. This involves understanding psi from not just the metaphysical or spiritual perspective but also through parapsychology and yes, even religion. If a sitter is deeply religious, being able to understand and respect their views related to psi is needed. As a result, a degree of education and experience are highly suggested – even if that education is not classical in nature.

Summary: Clearly there are some huge potential advantages for POI’s in regards to ease of function as well as quantity and quality. In fact, these individuals can be truly exceptional at what they do, far out-performing their counterparts, but only IF they have worked to hone, develop, and cultivate their psi. And remember, just because someone can impress you with their psi abilities doesn’t make them more spiritual, ethical, or even more educated. This comes from a person’s character, development, and intentions – not their natural aptitudes.

Psi-Closed Individuals (PCI’s)

On the opposite end of the spectrum we have Psi-Closed Individuals (PCI’s). They will typically have little to no awareness or experience with psi functioning. They may have had the odd dream here or there, or maybe a moment of knowing or synchronicity, but overall these events are rare and/or viewed more as a coincidence or curiosity than an everyday experience. As a result, psi functioning may appear to them as either a spiritual gift or simply a scientific impossibility.

There are of course plenty of PCI’s who are open to psychic functioning, but because it is not readily accessible, PCI’s must find ways to consciously activate their psi – the exact opposite of their POI counterparts who must find ways to consciously deactivate them. This creates a unique set of challenges for PCI’s but also some distinct benefits.

Let’s first look at a few potential advantages.

1. PCI’s who successfully manage to activate their psi-functioning have done so through conscious choice, desire, study, and hard work. This means that the task of accessing their psi has typically required greater effort than their POI counterparts, but once having found access to their psi, they now have the potential to work at will.

(A QUICK SIDE-NOTE: Some PCI’s may have been involved in some form of sponateous exceptional experience (ExE). This might involve a Near Death Experience (NDE), Out of Body Experiences (OBE’s), Psychic or Spiritual Openings, Kundalini Experiences, or a variety of other anomalous experiences. These events may occur sponateously at any stage of one’s life or some of them may be induced. Depending on the individual and their personal experiences, they can be thrust into either the POI or PCI categories.)

2. Because of the PCI’s desire & conscious choice for psi, coupled with the lack of spontaneous functioning, these individuals may work harder and may also learn and study far more than than their obvious counterparts. In order to consciously activate the functioning, they often have to explore a wide range of methods and techniques to gain success, giving them a more expansive background.

3. Because PCI’s had to learn how to activate their psi, once they have developed the skill, they may have an easier time turning the functioning off, thus feeling far less drained or invaded than their POI counterparts.

4. Because PCI’s have had to work hard to activate their psi functioning, they may be excellent teachers for others trying to do the same.

On the flip side, PCI’s may also have some real potential disadvantages working against them.

1. PCI’s often have a steep learning curve for accessing their psi and this may create a developmental disadvantage. For example, finding the right method to activate one’s psi-functioning may take a lot of experimentation. Since the psi is not spontaneous, the individual must discover the right process that will work for them.

2. In addition, without some type of recognition for what a psi experience ‘feels’ like, it often takes PCI’s some time to be able to recognize genuine psi from guessing or creativity. This takes practice and requires a greater sense of trust and dedication before the discernment of genuine psi can be understood from non-psi based processes.

3. PCI’s may lack an understanding for their given psi aptitudes, seeking a psi talent that may be interesting or desirable as opposed to one they actually have an aptitude for. Even though all of us have psi-functioning, we are all still unique beings and will utilize our psi in unique ways. For example, we may desire psi communication with spirits, so we work towards mediumship, when in reality, we may be better designed for Expressive Psi in the form of healing or energy work. In this way, the PCI may spend effort pursuing a form of functioning for which they are not neccesarily well-suited.

Summary: The learning curve and effort required by PCI’s can be enormous and overwhelming, often resulting in limited success, frustration, and doubt. Unless the desire for the functioning has an intense yearning behind it, the urge to ‘activate’ the psi generally dissipates or remains nothing more than a mild curiosity. Obviously this only enhances the argument that the naturally born psychic has an advantage, and clearly they typically do – but just remember, this is not always the case.

Suzanne Giesemann is an excellent example of someone who has gained great success through cultivated abilities and who does not claim to be a naturally born psychic. Her skills were consciously sought-after when a catastrophic death in the family inspired her to seek answers about the existence of her departed loved one’s soul. Suzanne exemplifies the ability to develop exceptional psi functioning without it being apparent or emerging from a young age, but again, she had a deep desire to learn and applied herself to the task.

Although I do not have Suzanne’s level of notoriety, I too had a transformational experience that created in me a deep yearning for answers. Because of my experiences, (which you can read HERE), my need for answers drove me to explore until I consciously activated my psi and put it to use for myself and others. I also know others who have done the same, but again, all of them had the deep yearning for it that they could not let go. The amount of effort and time I have put into my development has been extensive and difficult. Not every PCI has this level of desire and hence may not succeed as easily as their POI counterparts.

As I previously mentioned, people can fall anywhere in-between these two extremes, perhaps calling their psychic experiences hunches or gut feelings. Maybe they just believe they are good guessers, lucky or prone to coincidences. Maybe they just believe they are insightful or deeply caring, but would never consider their insights psychic. Maybe they are very sensitive to the feelings and emotions of others, perhaps even feeling it in their own body but merely considering themselves empathetic rather than empathic (these are not the same). Most of us really don’t reside at the two extremes but rather somewhere in between, however, by embracing and noticing these experiences we may find that we are all far more psi-functioning than we realize.

The lengthy material in this post has finally driven me to address the initial question. Which is better – the natural born psychic or the intentional activated one?

With effort, PCI’s can become just as capable as their so-called natural counterparts. In addition, just because someone has ‘natural’ psi does not mean those skills are well-developed, understood, controlled, or properly utilized. Both types may both be highly educated and aware of the psychic process, but then again, they might not be. Both types may be ethical with their skills, while both types may also be unethical.

I think the more important question to ask is not which one is better but rather WHO is the most well-developed, ethical, educated, and spiritually aligned with their purpose. Who is the one that can explain to you exactly what they do and how, and why they can use their psi skills for their benefit and for yours. These types of questions are important whether we are looking for a doctor, a therapist, or an Intuitive Practitioner. The skill needs to be helpful for you, applicable to your life, and expressed in a manner that can help you understand the experience from your perspective.

Like the picture associated with this post, you can look at two identical flowers. If one was grown in the wild and another in a nursery, does that mean that one is better than the other? I think the answer is no. Both need sunlight, soil, and water to grow and both are beautiful to look at and both smell awesome. One grew wild and strong and is in its natural element while the other was lovingly nurtured and cared for through every stage of its growth. The only thing that differs between the two is not their beauty, but instead how that beauty was brought forth.

Thanks for reading!

Cheers & Wellness,

Carol