Used as a noun the term psychic describes someone with ability to acquire information through extrasensory perception (ESP) and a host of other paranormal abilities such as telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, etc. Used as an adjective it is an umbrella term used to describe the essence of these paranormal powers.
The word psychic comes from the Greek word psyche meaning ‘spirit’ or ‘soul’. Throughout history psychics have appeared. They have taken many roles, from priests and priestesses to prophets, healers, shamans and witches. In recent times there have been efforts to integrate psychics into professional fields such as archaeology and criminology.
Psychics are not necessarily the same as mediums, who obtain their information from spirits of the dead, but a psychic may possess mediumistic abilities. Occultists believe that everyone is born with psychic ability and tapping into it is just a matter of training and practice. A large number of people do claim to be psychic but few reach the level of exceptional psychics, and even the latter are not accurate or able to perform on demand 100 per cent of the time.
Psychics are either born with their talents, or some emotional or physical stress triggers that ability later in life, or their psychic ability is developed by study and practice. Typically psychics find their ability unsettling, confusing and in some cases terrifying at first, but in time the majority learn to live with their gifts and use them.