Psychics in the East Village: Would You Go?

“I speak to loved ones on the other side,” said Cohen. “I tune into the client’s higher self, do phone readings, and personal consultations.”

There are over 16 certified psychics in the East Village – that’s one for every six blocks. A certified psychic medium has been trained by a holistic instructor or minister and received a diploma from a holistic institute, said Cohen.

The Village Beat conducted an informal poll of 50 people in the East Village (including locals and tourists) about their opinions of psychics in the neighborhood. The poll was conducted over a three-week period outside a storefront psychic on St. Marks Place.

“I think it’s interesting to hear that side of things,” said 42-year-old Scott Dresden from Wisconsin, who went with his wife to consult a psychic.

Seventy two percent of the people polled said they have or would consult a psychic, and 27 percent of those who said yes said they have consulted a psychic said they went multiple times. The average price for a consult was $55.

“I had a friend who consulted a psychic,” said East Villager, Katie Wang, of her friend who currently lives in Los Angeles. “When she came back to New York for a layover, the one thing she was insistent upon was going to see the psychic.”
Reasons for consulting a psychic tended to vary according to the respondent’s age. Men and women younger than 35 said they would go for fun.

“It’s just for entertainment,” said 31-year-old Raegan Johnson, from the East Village, who went to a local psychic.

People older than 35 tended to be more skeptical or wanted to go for more specific reasons.

Skeptics generally said flat-out that psychics couldn’t predict the future.

“I think they’re bogus,” said 19-year-old Tashi Nyima from New York City. “No one can really know what the future is. You control your own fate.”

And yet, many respondents really wanted to believe what the psychic had to say, in part to feel better about the otherwise unknowable future.

“When someone tells you that kind of thing it’s like a fortune cookie,” said New Orleans native Ian Hull. “You want it to come true so it’s motivation.