John Edwards Medium

The history of John Edward's medium work spans over twenty years, working as an author and lecturer across the country. He is now one of the most popular spirit mediums in the world, and is host of Crossing Over with John Edward on the Sci-Fi channel and John Edward Cross Country on Women's Entertainment Television.

According to John Edward's website, he was born and raised as a Catholic in New York City, and his family recognized his psychic abilities when he was very young. He allegedly knew a great deal about events that took place throughout the history of his family, and this confirmed to family members that he was a special child. A critical moment that sparked the beginning of when he recognized his psychic functioning as something very significant was when he met psychic Lydia Clar. According to Edward, Lydia told him that he was destined to become famous as a psychic teacher throughout the worldwide media for his lectures and books. She convinced him this was true because of her ability to tell him things about his life that she couldn't have known about.

John Edward published his first book titled One Last Time in 1998, followed by an appearance on Larry King Live in 1999 to discuss his book. The book and the interview served as the catalyst that launched him into a stellar career in Entertainment, landing him his own show Crossing Over with John Edward on the Sci-Fi Channel. The show, on which John performed readings of audience members with information allegedly coming from relatives who had passed away, was a stunning success from 1999 all the way through 2004.

John's current show Crossing Over, started in 2006, is currently carried by WE TV and features the same general format where John Edward performs readings of his audience, both in public venues and within a smaller studio audience. Part of the show includes interaction between Edward and the families he performs readings for. Ultimately, the portrayed goal of the show is to share information from loved ones who've "crossed over" so that families can rest assured that their loved ones are okay and have gone to a better place.

In addition to his success on television, John Edward is also a published author with a number of titles in print, including Crossing Over, Final Beginnings and Practical Praying.

As is the case with all claims of paranormal activity, controversy immediately follows. Since John Edward's gained popularity throughout the 1990s, a number of supporters and skeptics have weighed in on whether or not his ability is authentic. A number of witnesses, families who've had John perform a reading, interviewers and others will attest to the reality of John's abilities. On the flip side, skeptics, scientists and researchers denounce John's ability as little more than a practice known as "cold reading".

Oprah Winfrey: In 2007, Oprah Winfrey had John Edward on her show, where he performed readings for two families who had recently lost relatives. The families appeared somewhat skeptical at the start of the show, but became convinced when many details provided by Edwards were very specific and personal details that he couldn't have obtained from a public database or in any other way. Oprah interviewed Edward as well as scientist and author Dean Radin who reported that "thousands of studies" confirm the reality of such psychic abilities.

Gary Schwartz: In 2001, psychology professor Gary Schwartz tested five mediums, one of whom was John Edward. Schwartz found that the average success rate of all five was about 83%. The research sessions included medium readings where Schwartz found the psychics, including Edward, could produce specific pieces of information including precise names of the deceased and exactly how they died. He also found that the success rate was just as good even when there was no communication between the medium and the subject.

Audience and Fans: John Edward also enjoys a very large following of fans. Numerous audience witnesses attest to the fact that John Edward is able to successfully perform medium readings, and did so in their presence when they attended one of his shows.

CSICOP: The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry performed a study of Edward's abilities and claims. The author of the article, Joe Nickell, pointed out evidence from one of Edward's Dateline interviews that proved he'd used information previously obtained as part of one of his readings.

James Randi: James Randi, professional debunker and skeptic, received a letter from a member of the audience from Edward's show Crossing Over that provided testimony that the show was edited to make Edward's appear correct more often than he was, and that a waiting period before the studio show provided ample opportunity for bugging the audience with microphones to gather information about dead relatives.

Re-Quest.net: Demystifying John Edward is an article that provides the testimony above, as well as a comparison between a reading of professional "cold reader" Doris Stokes, and one of Edward's readings, as evidence that John Edward's technique is identical to "cold reading" in order to extract information from the subject.

Whether or not you believe in the psychic abilities of John Edward, few can claim that he doesn't provide an entertaining and fascinating show. His readings always thrill an audience and leave people guessing as to how he was able to perform his amazing "readings." Even if John Edward's medium ability is nothing more than special tactics to extract details from a subject, the fact remains that he is extremely skilled and gifted at what he does, and attending one of his shows is sure to be an experience that anyone would never forget.

• Signs of Paranormal Activity
• Chupacabra Images
• Top Scary Places to Visit
• Test Psychic Skills
• Past Life Quiz

• Survey:Psychic Ability Quiz
• Survey:Past Life Quiz
• 10 Most Haunted Places in America
• Haunted Insane Asylum Stories
• Real Werewolf Sightings

• List of Psychic Abilities
• Edgar Cayce Predictions
• ESP Tests
• Spiritual Mediums
• Famous American Psychics