Picture the scene: two strangers meet over Zoom for a quiet conversation, one seated comfortably at home, the other ready with a notebook and pen. They each adjust their screens, finding that delicate balance between formality and familiarity, as one begins to speak and the other listens intently. As the conversation ebbs and flows, a conclusion slowly begins to take shape.

“I suspect the house fire you experienced as a child has left you with a deep-rooted feeling of impermanence – an underlying belief that nothing is truly safe or lasting. Do you think that this could have evolved into a subconscious sense that, at any moment, things could ‘go up in smoke’?”

Honestly, it’s the sort of revelatory statement that I, a long-time advocate of talking therapy, had been hoping to receive for quite some time. I’d always struggled to understand my heightened sense of transience and constant need to brace myself for the worst. This analysis, offered matter-of-factly in a calm, soothing voice at the end of an hour-long conversation, was the equivalent of a lightbulb moment.

“You should consider speaking to a therapist about it,” continued the psychic medium sitting across from me. “I think taking the time to unpack and understand this aspect of yourself could help you to unlock your full potential.”

“I keep finding myself drawn back to it” – why are an increasing number of women turning to psychic readings instead of traditional talking therapies?