A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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Interview: Gary and Ree DufresneOne of Browne's ex-husbands speaks out about her. 
Ree and Gary Dufresne. BackgroundIn my research into Sylvia Browne and her many claims, I was fortunate enough to contact Gary Dufresne, who was married to Browne from April of 1959 until some time in 1972. During that first phone call, Mr. Dufresne and I spoke for more than an hour, part of which was spent with me explaining this web site, and my purpose in contacting him. The rest of the call was spent discussing Sylvia Browne and their son, Christopher Dufresne. At the end of that call, he wished me luck with my endeavor, and I did not anticipate hearing from him again. Some weeks later, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from Mr. Dufresne. He told me that he had read the New York Daily News account of Browne having told the parents of Shawn Hornbeck that he (Shawn) was dead, when of course he had later turned up alive and well. Mr. Dufresne told me that after reading that article, he regretted having stayed silent about Browne all these years, and that he would help me in any way that he could. Mr. Dufresne - and his lovely wife of thirty years, Ree Dufresne - graciously allowed me into their home to conduct an interview on February 10 2007. I heard many interesting things about Sylvia Browne and Christopher Dufresne during that interview, and have compiled a few of them into this article. (It should be noted that Mr. Dufresne is not the husband with whom Browne was charged with grand larceny and fraud. That was Dal Brown, Sylvia's subsequent husband.) The InterviewWith the Dufresnes seated on a couch in their living room, I asked them a series of questions while my video camera taped the proceedings. It should be obvious from these clips that I am neither a professional interviewer nor professional videographer. After some preliminaries, in which they stated their names and agreed that they were not being paid or reimbursed in any way for their participation, the questions started. Many of my questions were ones they could not answer other than through hearsay. Others, such as the ones below, they answered from direct, first-hand knowledge. Here are a few highlights of that interview (all emphasis mine): Reason for Participating(Click here to view video of this segment. 3.8MB)
Sylvia Browne's AbilitiesAfter asking whether Dufresne believes in Sylvia Browne's "psychic powers" (he does not), I asked some questions relating to her book "Adventures of a Psychic," a biography of sorts, in which she writes about her marriage to Dufresne. (Click here to view video of this segment. 5.0MB)
Sylvia Browne's EducationOne thing about Browne which I have always found to be suspect is her claim to have a Master's Degree in English Literature. She does not speak as I would expect someone with such a degree to speak, but that proves nothing. However, it also seems suspicious to me that in all of the times I have seen or read this claim, she never states when or at what university this degree was supposedly earned, which of course makes it difficult to prove or disprove. So, does she have such a degree? I decided Gary Dufresne might have some insight into the question. (Click here to view video of this segment. 6.0MB)
Here is the quote I mentioned, from Adventures of a Psychic (emphasis mine):
So, in the book she mentions being in the Master's Degree program at San Francisco University during her marriage to Dufresne, and yet, to his knowledge, she never even got a bachelor's degree. Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that there does not appear to be a university by that name. There are a few with similar-sounding names (University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, University of California at San Francisco), but no San Francisco University that I can find, other than a high school by that name. I suppose it is possible that she got the name of her own university wrong in her own biography, or that the university's name has changed in the years since then. And it would certainly have been possible for her to earn a degree in the years after she and Gary Dufresne divorced. But she claims in the book to have been earning it during the marriage. Combine this with Gary Dufresne's insistence that she attended no such university during their marriage, and it certainly casts doubt on the claim. Some may ask "Why even ask? It has nothing to do with whether or not she is really psychic." This is true. But if this claim - which she makes over and over again in many of her books - is not true, then it certainly shows that she would not hesitate to tell a flat-out lie to all of her fans. And if she would lie about this, what else would she lie about? If Browne or any of her supporters want to let me know where and when she earned her Master's Degree, I will gladly update this article with that information, after confirming it. NOTE: Browne did subsequently provide a college transcript. What did it show? Please see follow-up article, Sylvia Browne's College Transcript. About Christopher DufresneI asked Gary about his and Sylvia's son Christopher Dufresne, who also claims to be psychic, working at Sylvia Browne Corp., charging $450 for 20-30 minute phone readings. (Click here to view video of this segment. 3.8MB)
AnalysisWhile there was no "smoking gun" found during the interview, it was certainly full of interesting insights into both Sylvia Browne and Christopher Dufresne, as well as other members of the family. How trustworthy was the information? After all, a person's ex-spouse may not be the most objective source of information about them. As for myself, I found both Ree and Gary to be very believable. Gary in particular seemed like someone who felt he had held his silence for too long, and was glad to finally "let it all out." Were they telling the truth? I believe that they were. Perhaps Sylvia Browne or Christopher Dufresne will come forth with proof otherwise. If they do, I will gladly examine it and place it on this web site. ConclusionI would like to thank Gary and Ree Dufresne for inviting me into their home, and for being forthcoming with all of the information they shared with me. I hope that I will be able to put that information to good use, and make the Dufresne's honesty worth any problems they have as a result of having come forward. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. StopSylviaBrowne.com is not responsible for the content of any of these linked pages.
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