Allison DuBois
Allison DuBois | |
---|---|
Born | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | January 24, 1972
Occupation |
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Nationality | American |
Period | 2005–present |
Spouse | Joe Klupar |
Children | 3 |
Website | |
www |
Allison DuBois (born January 24, 1972) is an American author and purported medium. DuBois claims she used her psychic abilities to assist U.S. law enforcement officials in solving crimes, forming the basis of the TV series Medium. Those officials deny it.
Her powers as a medium were tested by Gary Schwartz of the University of Arizona. Schwartz claimed that his research supports DuBois's psychic abilities, while skeptics have pointed out flaws in both DuBois's claims and Schwartz's research. She claims she has visions, of both the past and the future, but it is mainly the dreams that allegedly help the police solve crimes.
Early life
DuBois was born in Phoenix, Arizona, where she attended both North High School in Phoenix and Corona del Sol High School in Tempe. Despite dropping out, she obtained her GED at the age of 16.[1] In college, she worked as an intern at the district attorney's office in Phoenix. She received her B.A. in political science with a minor in history from Arizona State University.[2]
Career
DuBois refers to herself as a medium and
According to
Medium
The television drama Medium, which aired from 2005 until 2011 on NBC and CBS
"Every episode is not a biography of my life, it is simply based on my life experiences. It is an accurate portrayal of my life and the people who share it with a little Hollywood magic thrown in", DuBois has said.
Criticism
Skeptics such as Paul Kurtz and Ray Hyman say that DuBois does not have psychic powers.[5] Skeptic James Randi says that people such as DuBois give the appearance of psychic powers through cold reading techniques. For example, DuBois, when doing her first reading of Schwartz, told him that his deceased friend was telling her, "I don't walk alone", which Schwartz understood to be a reference to his friend's confinement to a wheelchair, which DuBois could not have known about. Randi says that Schwartz leapt to an unsupportable conclusion, since the notion of "not walking alone" can mean any number of things, and "certainly does not describe being in a wheelchair". Randi also asserts that experiments that allegedly yield positive results of psychic powers, such as the ones done with DuBois, are not conducted using proper scientific controls.[8][9] In light of Schwartz's assertion that "some" of his experiments with DuBois were performed under such conditions, Randi questions why the rest of them were not, and points to a report demonstrating that a few of Schwartz's experiments were not performed according to standard scientific protocol.[8][10] Schwartz's point-by-point response to Randi's criticisms was published in 2005.[11]
In 2005, Randi offered to have DuBois tested for his
Former
Personal life
DuBois's parents, Mike Gomez and Tienna DuBois, divorced when she was young. Tienna remarried and divorced again when Allison was 12. In her first book, DuBois writes about seeing her stepdad in public with his new family.[1] DuBois is married to Joe Klupar and they have three daughters: Aurora, Fallon, and Sophia.[1] DuBois believes that her daughters share her psychic abilities.[16]
In 2010, DuBois made a one-time appearance on
Books
DuBois is the author of six books dealing with mediumship.
- DuBois, Allison (2005). Don't Kiss Them Good-bye. New York: Simon & Schuster. OCLC 58051272.
- —— (2006). We Are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us. New York: Simon & Schuster. OCLC 67767350.
- —— (2007). Secrets of the Monarch: How the Dead Can Teach Us About Living a Better Life. New York: Fireside Books. OCLC 137222773.
- —— (2011). Talk To Me—What the Dead Whisper in Your Ear. Phoenix, Arizona: STTT, Inc. OCLC 742361932.
- —— (2015). Into the Dark: How the Dead Help Us Heal. Scottsdale, Arizona: Lucky Maven Productions, LLC. OCLC 973269295.
- —— (2020). Love Can't Tell Time: Why Love Never Dies. Scottsdale, Arizona: Lucky Maven Productions, LLC. ISBN 978-0-9761535-4-2.
References
- ^ a b c d Irwin, Megan (June 12, 2008). "There's no good proof the real Medium, Allison DuBois, has ever cracked a case, but her fans don't care". Phoenix New Times. Archived from the original on June 13, 2008.
- ^ "Meet Medium and Psychic Allison DuBois on Her Tours". Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
- ^ About.com. January 24, 1972. Archived from the originalon August 9, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ a b "Patricia Arquette channels real-life psychic Allison DuBois—and the dead—in NBC's Medium"
- ^ a b "Is Medium's Psychic the Real Deal?", TV Guide
- ^ Editorial Commentary Internet Archive, Retrieved February 9, 2007
- Sci Fi Wire. Archived from the originalon May 31, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2009.
- ^ a b Newsletter of the JREF January 21, 2005
- ^ Commentary of the JREF March 30, 2001
- Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. Archived from the originalon December 9, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ "A Reply to Randi, by Dr Gary Schwartz", Daily Grail, April 15, 2005
- ^ Commentary of the JREF April 8, 2005
- ^ "Calling All Psychics: Prove Your Worth for $1 Million". Time. August 24, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ "Psychics Challenged, Offered $1 Million to Prove Powers". ABC News. August 27, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
- ^ Van Zandt, Clint (August 17, 2005). "Shoe leather, not sixth sense, breaks cases open". NBC News. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ Benavidez, Morgan (November–December 2009). "The Real 'Medium' – Allison DuBois". Phoenix Woman. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- CBS.com's Medium TV show (No longer active)
- Netflix's Medium online streaming
- Allison DuBois at IMDb