The Natural Psychic: Ellen Dugan's Personal Guide to the Psychic Realm

The Natural Psychic: Ellen Dugan's Personal Guide to the Psychic Realm - Ellen Dugan Originally posted to my blog

When I saw this on NetGalley a few months ago, I had to request it. I really enjoyed several of Ellen’s other books and I had high expectations for this one. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down after reading it. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite as thorough as I expected, I suppose. The description promises “a vast array of information…” but I wasn’t wowed by it.

Something about the writing felt a little rushed. I would be reading a chapter and find myself thinking “Ah, now we’re getting somewhere!” only to realize I was at the end already. I also think a lot of things mentioned in this one were covered in one (or possibly more than one, I’m not sure) of her earlier books. I kept feeling like I had read some of this before, and not in a deja vu kind of way. In defense of the book, I haven’t actually re-read the others to double check, so I could be wrong.

So, this book wasn’t as detailed as I expected, but I did find some parts useful, like discussing the difference between mediums and other psychic abilities, psychic attack, and ideas for working out a premonition. If you’re curious or trying to figure out what innate abilities you might have, this might be a good book to pick up. You won’t find any “What kind of psychic are you?” type quizzes, but you will find definitions of each ability discussed, as well as anecdotes to help you figure things out.

The writing style is typical Ellen: humorous and conversational. That’s probably one of the things that most attracted me to her books when I first discovered them. At the end, there’s a bibliography, glossary, and index, which are all very useful in books like this (not all authors include them).

Overall, I liked the book and I’m glad that I read it. I just wish I had been able to learn a bit more from it. I did find some exercises in it useful, though, and I intend to use them in the future.

*I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley*