cover image The Psychic in You: Understand and Harness Your Natural Psychic Power

The Psychic in You: Understand and Harness Your Natural Psychic Power

Jeffrey A. Wands. Atria Books, $24 (272pp) ISBN 978-0-7434-6995-1

Psychic consultant and radio host Wands describes his own paranormal gifts and urges readers to get in touch with theirs as well in this breezy primer-cum-memoir. He suggests cultivating a""psychic mindset"" in which intuitions are trusted, coincidences are considered to be anything but, and virtually everything that catches one's attention as being somehow significant--dreams, passing scents, songs on the radio, flashes of light--are spirit manifestations. Much of the book consists of anecdotes about the author's own encounters with the dead, including an Indian brave who helps him find parking spots and the shade of Rene Descartes, who feeds him answers on a tough philosophy exam. Wands specializes in relaying messages from departed loved ones to paying clients, and he includes verbatim transcripts of some of his professional consultations. He's not always on--""There's a Mary...maybe a Marjorie or a Margaret person coming through...Someone with a letter M,"" he says at one point--but there are plenty of scenes in which the clients leave amazed. And sometimes the messages he conveys are either the sort of sound but obvious advice--stop using cocaine, dump that abusive boyfriend--that seems more compelling from beyond the grave, or comforting reassurances that the dead spirit is enjoying a wonderful afterlife. But Wands and co-author Philbin keep the anecdotes light and engaging, and many readers will find this a stimulating boost to their psychic mindsets.