What’s the new what? For me and lots of my friends, psychics are the new psychologists. 

Here’s a typical story…One of my best friends, Leslie Hyman, went through a pretty bad break up with a pretty bad guy.  Her parents decided she should go to therapy…

LESLIE: It was a really interesting process but I didn’t like it I only went for about three months. And I decided one day on my 18th birthday to go to a psychic.

It made all the difference.

LESLIE: Because I felt like she gave me more of my future instead of with my therapist I felt like I was dwelling on my past and I was kind of stuck.

Dwelling in the past isn’t any fun if what you want is to be happy and hopeful again. And getting to that point isn’t always quick with a psychologist.

RABBIT: Some people can go to six years of therapy to finally get that aha revelation moment

This is the woman I see – Jessica Matthews…better known as Rabbit.

RABBIT: Or they can come and see me and sometimes have that revelation moment right here right now…

Every few months, I pay Rabbit 45 dollars for a half hour reading - and you probably could find someone that does it less, but trust me, it is worth every penny. Because my parents like to think they are pretty hip to up and coming trends, I asked them why they thought people might be ditching Freud’s Id for some Esp….

MOM: A psychiatrist you feel will judge you.

That’s my mom.

MOM: Who wants to be judged? I just want someone to hear what’s going on with me. I would certainly see a psychic over a shrink. Why do they call them shrinks anyway? Because they try to shrink you – diminish you!! Whereas I’m sure a psychic opens you up to the universe. (laughs)

Speaking of people becoming open to the universe, turns out Rabbit does Tarot readings for a lot of therapists.

RABBIT: Like the things that to you and I might be a mystery, they see everyday so they know all the tricks so they can’t really fool themselves but then when they come and see me I still have what’s quote unquote magic to them.

And it’s that magic that makes Psychics the new Psychologists.

For each edition of What's The New What our essayist provides an additonal behind the scenes look at what inspired their choice. Take a glimpse into your future with this quote from Alyssa's:

Anyone who has gone through something awful knows that dwelling in the past isn’t any fun if what you want is to be happy and hopeful again. And getting to that point isn’t always quick with a psychologist.

You can get the whole story at the What's The New What blog.