Feeling judged by others is an experience with which most of us are familiar. Your body type, politics, and sexuality are only some of the reasons that people might pass judgment. Even well-intentioned family and friends may look down upon us if we are not living our lives in accordance with their beliefs. I have faced skepticism and judgment many times in my life. I am an openly gay man who earns his living as a professional psychic and life coach. I am pretty sure Mitt Romney would have given me an aggressive haircut in a headlock if we’d gone to high school together.
Whether I am explaining how I see auras, giving psychic readings to clients, or introducing my husband David to others, I realize that my life may seem a little unusual. Because I am intuitive, I acutely feel people’s judgment, but I do my best to rise above it. Recently, I was honored to be a guest on Dr. Phil. The focus of the show was psychic phenomena, and of course not all audience members would believe in our work.
“Is that a banana muffin?” David asks hopefully as we enter the dressing room. My husband is scoping the room like it’s a suite at the Four Seasons. As I pace back and forth, anxious thoughts ricochet through my brain: You’d better call a name out of thin air; you have to prove yourself, Mister!
“They brought bagels! And a free mug! We have a private bathroom! Fun!”
“Can we focus for just a second here?” I snap at David. I get a little tense before appearing on television.
“Sorry, you’re going to be great,” he sweetly replies, taking a bite of muffin.
Dr. Phil’s team of producers is pretty amazing. They glide in and out of rooms prepping for the show. Everyone has a cheerful demeanor and is quite dedicated to making the show’s guests feel welcome. Their professionalism is reassuring, but I can still feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins.
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Photo courtesy of CBS Television Distribution/Peteski Productions
2 Responses
Hi Dougall,
I waited in anticipation for your appearence on the Dr. Phil show. You didn’t look nervous,you seemed in your element. Your comment about feeling judged in this circumstance, well really, the way to think about it: you, and your friends were on a Nationally Syndicated show, that is broadcast Internationally. That’s pretty cool. You need to be proud of yourself. Take this as a win! This probably wouldn’t have happend 5yrs ago, so the awareness is changing, otherwise you would not have been invited onto a show with such a household name. You stand tall as a gay man, stand tall as respected pyschic. You have earned it and it is well deserved. Sending lots of love your way, kk
Hey, it was great to see you on the Dr. Phil show! I was particularly interested because I’ve been learning to read auras myself recently (oh, and my boyfriend is Jewish too, although he still makes fabulous bacon). 🙂
It looks like you’ll be in my neck of the woods pretty soon, so maybe I’ll run into you there!