Recession channels more business for psychics

Psychics in Fort Myers say the collective negative energy caused by the recession has led more people to seek their counsel. As a glut of despair has been created by daily news reports of economic woe, psychics say, people have been inclined to put their skepticism aside and seek a more mystical road to financial well-being.

Kim Manners, a stay-at-home mom, said she went to The Mystical Moon in Fort Myers last year to relief her stress over the economy. Her husband is an executive at a building company.

Although she had always been open to the idea, it was her first time trying a psychic consultation. She also bought some crystals to put in her purse, which only cost a few dollars apiece and are meant to bring good financial luck. (The next day, she added, an extra $30 turned up in her purse.)

"I figured it can't hurt," said Mrs. Manners, 44. "The economy was so bad and I was so tired of hearing bad news. It got to where everyone around me was struggling so much it was pulling me down."

Laurie Barraco, who owns The Mystical Moon, has used her psychic powers professionally for six years, channeling dead spirits and using telepathy to offer positive advice to clients.

Laurie Barraco, owner of The Mystical Moon in Fort Myers "I'm busier than I've ever been," Ms. Barraco said. "When things are the darkest, that's when they look to spirituality and faith.

"People who in the past would have never thought of talking to a psychic or a medium are ready to make the cross over, because what was working before isn't working now. I've talked to teachers, accountants, attorneys, bankers, real estate (agents), police officers,

everybody."

Brenda de Souza, who does psychic readings and teaches classes on telepathy at Alive & Well, a holistic center in Fort Myers, has had older callers who are concerned about their pension plans and 401(k)s.

"There are a lot of questions about the long-term effects of the bailout, and the shortterm effects," she said. "I'm doing a lot more pro bono work for sure because people are feeling in crisis. There's an energy feel that goes along with this kind of recession. People panic and their minds race and they don't know what to do with that."

de Souza Ms. de Souza, 42, was a successful mortgage banker during the housing boom in Fort Myers. She claims to have always had psychic abilities and left the housing business in 2004 when she foresaw darker times ahead.

Now some of the people who bought homes before the job market suffered might be consulting Spirit Medium Angelina Guarisco, owner of Manna Reading Center in Fort Myers.

Ms. Guarisco, 27, said a typical question among her clients, most of whom are from Cape Coral and North Fort Myers, is "should I move?"

"People are looking for a change," she said.

But she said since Barack Obama became the president-elect, some of her local customers' financial anxiety has dissipated. But, at a recent house party she was hired for in Naples, where the guests were generally wealthier and stood to gain or lose more, the questions revolved around the stock markets.

"I think a big part of their concerns was because they had so many of those things to be concerned about," she said.

Guarisco Clients might have to shell out anywhere from $20 for a 20 minute reading — like at The Mystical Moon or Manna Reading Center — or up to $200 or more for half-hour telephone sessions with a psychic. That's what Robert Allen Fahey, a Fort Myers-based psychic, author and speaker charges. He also does private sessions in homes for groups of two to 10, which cost $1,100.

Are they really paying for sound advice? Uh, sure they are. Mr. Fahey agreed that a dose of skepticism is healthy. Either way, it's something more people are willing to try while traditional experts — from bankers to the chairman of the Federal Reserve — have lost a portion of public trust.

Mr. Fahey's weekends used to be booked for two months in advance, but now there's a year-long waiting list. Most of his Monday and Tuesday nights are already scheduled for up to two years.

Mr. Fahey believes the increased business is a result of television shows like "The Medium," or "Ghost Whisperer," which have allowed people to feel more comfortable with psychics. Still, he said business has boomed for him since 2005, near the time the housing market collapsed.

Fahey He is surprised by the level of clientele that now seek his advice — among them accountants, bankers, lawyers and doctors.

"Bankers, all these people, think nothing of coming in," said Mr. Fahey, 57. "Through the experience they feel they can conquer another day, another month, another year."

And he's had more national speaking tours. Mr. Fahey was invited back to the Residence Inn, near his hometown in New Hampshire, because his lectures have become increasingly popular.

"I wanted to make sure it was the right fit and it turned out to be," said Doug Preston, the Inn's general manager. "I think it has to do with people feeling more vulnerable now. Their retirement accounts are being depleted and I think a lot of people are scared. They don't know who to turn to."

Medium Ms. de Souza said people crave a positive message, and that's what psychics provide. She likens the recession to a divine intervention, a "miracle" that will ultimately heal the wounds of bad economic practices.

"Whenever we're in the middle of a miracle, it feels terrible because it's huge change that's taking place that's needed and it hurts in the process," she said. "But when we get out on the other side of it, things can be so much better. That's what I feel is happening."