The words “psychic” and “intuitive” are often used by people who don't know better to describe the same things, or are thought of as being interchangeable. Although the two are closely interlinked when it comes to developing one's own innate abilities, not understanding the difference between them can also be hindering. Even for those not interested in developing abilities, it can be useful to know the difference between a psychic reader and an intuitive counselor; two very similar jobs that work on slightly different planes and offer different results.
Let's start with intuition, as being able to understand and trust one's intuition is the first step in developing the “psychic” part of one's mind. Intuition is often described as a “gut instinct”. It is an unexplainable feeling allowing one to know or predict the outcome of an event before it happens, but it is usually based off of past experiences, prior learned knowledge, and the like.
Everyone experiences intuition at various points in their lives, but, to give an example, it would be going into a room full of people. You may immediately feel drawn to someone you've never met before, despite not being very outgoing. A similar example would be if you were normally an outgoing person, hearing mental alarms toward another person going off. Having a strong gut feeling not to go out somewhere at night may be your subconscious warning you that something might be about to happen.
Some people are, admittedly, more intuitive than others. A lot of people also find it difficult to trust their intuition, especially when it appears fuzzy or unclear, can't be put into thought, or there is seemingly no reason for the feeling. It might be more of an impression than an actual insight, but it is usually more accurate than one realizes. Errors in intuition are commonly caused by overly optimistic or pessimistic attitudes, which can make it difficult to receive intuition or interpret in an unbiased way. However, intuition also becomes stronger and clearer the more it is acted upon.
In relation to psychic powers, understanding what intuition is and learning how to rely on intuition and trust it is the first step in developing psychic abilities. On a basic level, psychic information is like a more detailed version of intuitive information. Psychic powers and the information obtained through them are built from understanding intuition, but are capable of attaining more than intuition alone is. It provides more clarity and insight, often with more specific details about the subject at hand. Such information may be provided through a variety of methods, including those such as clairvoyance and clairsentience.
Examples of psychic powers may include anything from being able to perceive information from a photograph of a person you have not met before to seeing visions and experiencing foresight. This kind of knowledge is even harder to explain than knowledge gained through intuition, but it exists as a natural potential, often untapped or unrealized, found in all people.
As with any ability, the things that can be obtained through psychic readings and the strength of the reading itself varies from person to person. Generally speaking, psychic information could be described as information that one would not have any way of knowing, without the ability to make use of some higher plane of understanding. A person who is able to develop their natural intuition into an even stronger natural psychic ability may be capable of seeing incredible visions and other forms of insight, accompanied by deep spiritual wisdom and guidance.
By the time psychic abilities can be developed, most people have managed to overcome the natural obstacles that would risk preventing an accurate reading, such as the aforementioned over optimism or pessimism. In order to reach this level, being able to perceive things from an unbiased standpoint with a clear mind is a necessity.
The information obtained from intuition or psychic abilities is often illogical or doesn't make sense at first, and may even take weeks to interpret accurately. Understanding is most difficult for those new to discovering their abilities or for people on the receiving end of advice from a counseling or a reading. All people are capable of understanding and learning how to control the flow of information received through these powers, and perception gradually becomes easier as these powers become more familiar and more refined. Due to the nature of these abilities and how the information is obtained, however, even experts are not immune to the occasional puzzlement.
Most psychic readings will allow for more specific questions than most people relying on intuition alone can handle, including questions of “when”, “where”, “how”, etc. This is not to say that intuitive counselors are unreliable or unworthy, just that intuition is on a slightly different level of perception. Intuition alone can still present a potential client with helpful insight and guidance based on the counselors understanding of their client as a person and the problem at hand. As with any psychic reading, intuitive counselors will also ask the client a series of questions in order to better understand their problem, the potential solutions, and offer the best advice possible. Both professions are capable of using their own finely developed abilities to assist people whose powers are not as finely developed.
These days, however, even many psychic readers will refer to themselves as intuitive counselors. The word “psychic” has developed a sort of negative connotation for many people because of the various scams and unreliable readings popularized in the media, topped off with many people's natural skepticism about how a psychic reading works. Not everyone uses their psychic abilities to help people either, which is another reason even some psychic readers prefer the term “intuitive counselors”.
True professionals will conduct themselves accordingly, and not claim to be capable of solving all of a person's problems. Both the intuitive counselor and the psychic reader are mere advice givers, meaning it is up to the person receiving counseling or being read to apply what the advice given to them.