There is so much information and misinformation available about what it means to be psychic. Chances are, if you’re here reading this, you’ve noticed your psychic abilities and may be wondering if you can trust them. Because psychic abilities are often received subtly through feeling and knowing information, you might even believe you're making it all up. First, let me say that everyone has psychic abilities. This means that we all receive information daily that we have no logical reason for knowing. 

When I first began thinking about myself as a psychic, I was experiencing things I had no explanation for. I was troubled by dreams that predicted future events. I struggled to make sense of other people because I noticed their words and actions did not match what I felt from their energy, and I struggled to trust myself and others. I would sense problems where other people would sense nothing, and certain places and relationships left me feeling drained and exhausted.

Once I began connecting with other people who shared the same experiences as me, everything changed. I decided to learn more about myself and my abilities, and I traveled around the world seeking knowledge and information. Today, I work as a professional psychic medium and use my mediumship abilities and psychic awareness to help clients who are grieving or seeking answers for themselves. 

Can anyone be psychic?

The simple answer is yes, anyone can be psychic. We all have psychic abilities and you can sharpen yours over time. Remember when you had a gut feeling about something, or maybe you thought of a friend out of the blue, and they called you the next day? When you walk into a room where there has just been an argument, do you sense that? When you meet someone new, you may get a strong impression of them right away. Your intuition, psychic sense, or sixth sense is what’s responsible for the information you’re picking up on without a rational explanation. One of the best ways to develop your psychic abilities is to start believing in them and trusting your impressions.

11 Clear Signs You’re a Psychic 

1. You have dreams that predict the future.

These are sometimes called premonition dreams. When you sleep, you have direct access to your psychic abilities. In a subconscious state, you can freely experience messages and visions without your conscious mind interfering. The part of you that feels the future energy around situations may communicate that to you in a dream. When you wake up and remember these things, they will usually feel precise and important. Dreams may not look exactly like future events. Your dreams can be symbolic. 

For example, I once dreamed that my younger sister was attacked by a shark. I woke up feeling concerned for her and picked up the phone to call her immediately. A week later, she was attacked by her friend’s German Shepard. She felt like the information I’d given her had helped her. Rather than brush it off and avoid offending her friend, she retreated as soon as she got a bad feeling from the dog. 

2. You feel drawn to people who go on to play an important role in your life. 

Have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to someone for reasons you can’t explain? Some people believe that we have a soul family. These are people that your soul is energetically drawn to over many lifetimes. Whether or not you believe in past lives, it makes sense to consider that some people are meant to be in and play an important role in your life. When you are in touch with your psychic senses, you can easily recognize and pick up on these people.

If you ever feel like “I have to approach this person” without an explanation, that could be your psychic senses.

This doesn’t always mean that everything will work out perfectly. It could be that your soul senses an opportunity for healing and growth or recognizes another soul on a deeper level. 

3. You feel deeply.

Your psychic abilities themselves are extreme sensitivity to the world around you. If you are sensitive enough to pick up on the energy of the unseen world, you are likely sensitive in other ways. This might show up as skin sensitivity to fabrics and textures. Did your mom have to cut all of the tags out of your clothes? You might think you are just very particular to tastes and smells, but it could be that you are just more sensitive to them than some people. Does certain perfume make you sick, or do bright lights give you a headache? Have you ever been tempted to ask to move your seat in a restaurant because someone is talking too loud or the air is blowing on you? It’s estimated that 15-20 % of the population is a highly sensitive person, and if that’s you, you may have heightened psychic abilities as well. 

4. You feel drained after being in a crowd.

How do you feel after being in a crowded shopping mall or a supermarket? Not all, but many psychic people avoid these places because they are a huge drain on energy. Do you find yourself avoiding going places where you have to interact because it feels overwhelming to be around a lot of people?

Lack of plants and natural light in an enclosed space with hundreds of other humans means you are picking up on tons of energy. If you work in a busy environment, you might find yourself needing the weekends to simply recover. You may crave being alone or in nature can help to refill your energy. If you avoid going places like this or need time to recover your energy afterward, this can be a sign that you are picking up on the energy of others. 

5. You connect easily with plants and animals.

Every living thing gives off an energetic vibration. Plants and animals have a pure vibration that psychic or highly intuitive people are drawn to. Do you speak to your plants or genuinely have an affection for them? When you were a kid, did you love being in nature? Do you always look for the family dog at gatherings and gravitate toward them? Chances are, animals will sense this vibrationally from you. They may know that you can understand them and seek you out.

The elements earth, water, air, and fire, all have healing qualities. When your energy feels low or depleted, turning to the elements can help soothe you. This could look like getting ten minutes of sunlight on your face to energize you or putting your feet in the ocean or a natural stream. Walking barefoot on the earth or having the wind whip around you can help you feel grounded and more like yourself.

6. People seek you out for advice. 

Everyone is psychic, and when you have heightened abilities, others will pick up on this. They might not necessarily make the connection that this is why they’ve sought you out for advice. Their own intuition has let them know that you possess knowledge that can help them. When you’re psychic, it can feel like the advice is flowing out of you, and it is. You likely know and empathize easily with others and know exactly what they need to hear. You might even have a sense of their past and future experiences.

Do strangers approach you and start talking to you? When you first meet someone, do they start telling you about their problems? You might often hear, “Wow, you are so easy to talk to!” Remember that just because you can feel and sense someone else's emotions, it doesn’t mean you are responsible for fixing them.

7. You experience downloads from the universe. 

You’re driving in your car, going for a walk, or taking a shower, and suddenly, information feels like it’s pouring into you. Maybe you’ve felt stuck and suddenly know exactly what to do. You might have been trying to work out a problem, and now you can instantly see the pieces fitting neatly together. Intuitive downloads don't need to be of a problem-solving nature. You might feel suddenly inspired, and you know the universe is working its magic through you. This is a sign that your psychic senses are working to bring you information and inspiration. When this happens, honor it by writing down your impressions and acting on them.

8. You feel drawn to supernatural topics.

Have you always been curious about the afterlife? Do you find yourself wishing you could learn more about spirit communication, tarot, crystals, or energy healing? This is a sign that your soul is calling for more information. You deserve to explore topics and the questions that your soul is presenting to you. Follow your curiosity to its satisfaction and seek the answers to your greatest questions. When you do, you’ll feel a sense of peace and alignment with your soul. Stop by a local metaphysical shop and see what you feel drawn to. Getting in touch with your psychic senses can help you to live a freer and more authentic life. 

The Uncovering Intuition online course helps you learn to fully trust yourself.

9. You always know when someone is lying. 

Do you think of yourself as a human lie detector? Your body is like an antenna for psychic and intuitive information. Your soul will have a recognition of the truth and likewise will react to a lie. When someone lies to you, you might feel it in your whole body, want to withdraw, or even feel sick. You might not know the truth, but you’ll have a strong sense that something is off. This can show up when you meet new people and you feel uncomfortable with the mask they are presenting to you. This is especially true if it starkly contrasts their energy and actions. You might have felt disconnected from others in the past because of this. You could be accused of seeing a problem where there isn’t one. When you’re picking up on things psychically, it’s likely that you see and feel things other people are not aware of. 

10. You notice synchronicities.

Synchronicities are how the universe lets you know that it’s working in cooperation with you. You might notice certain numbers that show up for you. This could be on license plates, receipts, or noticing the time. Many people notice what they call angel numbers like 111 or 444.

Animals and nature are a common way that I receive signs. Maybe you see a bird, butterfly, or dragonfly that comes really close to you. Rainbows that appear at just the right moment, clouds in the shape of symbols, or rocks shaped like hearts are ways that you might notice signs. 

You might also experience synchronicity or events that feel fated. I have a client who booked a session with me meant to be a gift to herself when she got a job she was up for. We had to reschedule our session, and she didn't get the job. She was so disappointed and questioned her intuition. Then, she got an even better job the day before our rescheduled appointment. When she told me this story, I got chills. Synchronicities have a feeling to them.

11. You see lights or colors around people. 

Surrounding every living thing is a unique energetic field called an aura. A paper published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences describes the human body as containing visible and invisible parts. It’s believed that in order to measure a human energy system, scientists would need tools they don’t have access to today. 

Auras can be seen, felt, and sensed. They can also expand and contract. A common way for auras to be seen or felt is through color. You don’t need to visually see colors around people in order to perceive their aura, you can sense colors as well. Do you ever see lights or colors around people? This will typically be seen around their head and shoulders. When you meet someone for the first time, consider what color they may have in their aura. You may also see your own aura when you meditate and notice what colors appear behind your closed eyes or in your imagination space. 

The 7 Psychic Abilities You Might Be Experiencing

Clairvoyance

(French “clear seeing”)

The ability to receive information through seeing, images, or psychic visions. You may experience clairvoyance and dismiss it as your imagination since images will appear in the same space as your imagination. You may have daydreams or flashes of images in your mind that become relevant to your life. When you meet someone new, do you get a picture of them or a movie on your mind of what their life may be like? This could be your clairvoyance. Typically clairvoyance is experienced inside the mind or your “third eye.” 

There is also objective clairvoyance which refers to seeing images out of the mind. This could look like seeing a flash of light or color, symbols that appear, or apparitions.  Many highly clairvoyant people think in pictures rather than words, remember faces better than names, have vivid imaginations, or have creative hobbies involving art, nature, or interior design. If you experience clairvoyance, you might resonate with symbols and colors and think of yourself as a visual learner. 

Clairaudience

(French “clear hearing”)

The ability to receive information from the Spirit World or your intuition through hearing. It is not our physical ears that hear, rather, it’s our mind interpreting energy as a sound. 

To tap into clairaudience, it’s important to start recognizing it. You may have experienced clairaudience without realizing it. While developing this ability, you may expect to hear a different voice in your mind, and sometimes it’s the voice of someone you recognize. But most often, it will be your own voice. Common ways you might be experiencing clairaudience are: hearing your name called softly from another room, song lyrics that suddenly come into your mind, or hearing random words inside your mind spoken in your own voice. Pay attention when this happens!

Clairgustance

(French “clear tasting”)

The ability to receive psychic or mediumship information through taste. Sometimes when mediums connect to a spirit person, they can perceive tasting a food, cigar, or other experience connected to that spirit. One time I was reading for a client and connecting with her Father, who had passed to the Spirit World. He showed me how he used to love to Grill for the family and always wore a funny apron. Then I began to taste a very rare steak that was blackened and burnt on the outside. I described this flavor to her, and she laughed, recognizing that information because her Dad liked his steak cooked this way, almost completely raw on the inside and burnt on the outside was his favorite. When you are receiving a psychic impression through clairgustance you might become aware of things someone likes or dislikes for example, a cigar, special drink, or spices that link to their unique culture. 

Clairsentience

(French “clear feeling”)

The ability to feel information. Everyone has clairsentience, so if you’re unsure which clair is the strongest, start here! Clairsentience may be the most valuable yet undervalued way we receive information. Because we are often taught to dismiss our feelings, many intuitive people discredit and question the strong clairsentient messages they receive — but we feel that information all the same.

Remember a time when you walked into a room where an argument had just occurred, and you could feel that energy? Remember the last time you had a “gut feeling”? That is clairsentience. But it is often more than just a generalized gut feeling. Through clairsentience, you can receive detailed impressions and messages.

Claircognizance

(French “clear knowing”)

The ability to “just know” information psychically. This Clair is tricky because the received information doesn't pass through one of your other senses. It is simply in your mind. For this reason, you might dismiss claircognizance because you don't have any rational explanation for how you know the information. You just do. It’s common for people who experience psychic information this way to think they are making it up. Next time you’re unsure of a decision consider what you know about everyone and everything involved. You might be surprised at how much you “just know.” 

Clairalience

(French “clear smelling”)

The ability to receive information through smell. Because smell is so closely linked to memories, this is also a powerful way you might receive communication from a passed loved one. You might also experience a pleasant or unpleasant smell in certain situations and with others. Pay attention to this, it could be your clairalience communicating to you. 

To develop this sense be intentional with smelling your food and noticing the experience of smell and how it affects you. Consider the smell of people, places, and situations. 

Clairtangency

The ability to perceive information from a place or object. I often use photographs when teaching psychometry. Psychometry gives us another way of knowing. The word derives from the Greek word “psyche” meaning soul and “metro” meaning to measure and refers to the psychic ability to read or sense energy from an object. You might experience this ability is you ou are sensitive when visiting antique stores, old houses, or places that hold a lot of energy. When you look at a photograph you may feel you instantly connect to the person in it and get a sense of them. 

Additional Psychic Medium Abilities

Channeling 

Channeling means being open to receiving information from a higher source or higher consciousness and bringing that information into the physical world. When you hear the word channeling, you might think of trance channeling, where a medium blends with the energy of a spirit guide or deceased person to bring through information. But you can also channel your own higher self, wisdom from your soul, or your spirit guides. 

Channeling is something that is open to everyone. If you are a creative person, you’ve likely experienced this feeling of being guided by the divine when you are in flow. In order to channel for guidance, inspiration, or messages, you’ll want to be in an open and receptive state to receive guidance. There are levels of channeling, and this depends on the level that your conscious mind is involved. Imagine on a scale from 1-10, with ten being you’re completely unaware, and your conscious mind is not involved and will not remember channeling, and one would be having a subtle feeling of being inspired but very aware of what guidance you’re receiving. Most people who channel professionally would aim to be at a 6-9, where the conscious mind is somewhat aware or coming in and out of the channeling experience. It’s almost impossible to be at a complete ten without awareness. 

Telepathy 

Telepathy is the ability to communicate from your mind to another without words. It’s a seamless communication using your psychic awareness. Do you have people in your life that you always know what they are thinking or about to say? You might be having a conversation with someone, and they are trying to recall something, and you suddenly know the answer even though you have no rational explanation for knowing it. With telepathy, information, words, phrases, images, or perceptions will translate into your mind seamlessly. You might even feel like you’re making it up because it’s so effortless. 

What should I do if I think I’m a psychic?

The call to explore your psychic abilities comes from your soul, and it’s hard to ignore. Chances are, if you’ve been ignoring it for some time, you know what I mean — it’s uncomfortable. Begin to learn about and develop your psychic awareness and start practicing with everyday situations that are low stakes. If you desire to start practicing reading tarot cards, do that. When you have a psychic impression, honor it. The more you honor your psychic senses, the sharper they will become.

Your intuition will lead you toward the information your soul is seeking. It might feel like you’re all over the place initially, but trust that everything is coming together at the right time for you. If you want to dive deeper, Uncovering Intuition: The Course equips you with the practical tools to become confident at tapping into the part of you that is most wise. 

What should I do if I’m still not sure?

The journey to developing your psychic abilities is different for everyone. If you’re here and you’ve read this far, that is proof that you have a desire to develop your psychic abilities, and I believe that desire comes from your soul — from knowing that there is information available to you that can help you live a freer and easier life. There are a lot of circumstances that can make it difficult to believe in yourself and your psychic abilities. Spending some time reflecting on those circumstances can open the door to trusting yourself. What do you believe about yourself that might stand in the way of self-trust? Historically, has it been safe to trust yourself in the past? There may be valid reasons for doubting yourself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t begin something new. Decide to believe in your own magic. Let your inner guide lead you toward what feels true.