Berkeley Psychic Institute (BPI) in Berkeley, California is a seminary workshop of the Church of Divine Man, which was founded in 1973 and promotes itself as a community of psychic Christians. The Institute offers classes in meditation, healing, gender spirituality, nutrition and body magic, and clairvoyant training, as well as psychic and aura readings.
Berkeley Psychic Institute (BPI) Programs
According to the Berkely Psychic Institute's website, "BPI is the oldest institution in the world that offers the highest quality and most thorough training in psychic development and awareness." BPI boasts having taught over 300,000 people in 40 years. The school's offerings range from receiving a reading to participating as a student.
Clairvoyant Training
The goal of Clairvoyant Training is for students to connect with their inner selves, and it's a pre-requisite for those who wish to advance through other BPI programs. Students can attend the Intensive Clairvoyant Program (ICP) in-house or online. The course length is one to two years, depending on individual progress (the program is tailored to individual needs). Included in the coursework are classes, spiritual counseling, readings, events, and various training.
After completing the Intensive Clairvoyant Training Program, students are eligible to advance into several other forms of psychic principles. For example, students can train to become church ministers through the Ministers in Training Program (MITs) or become healers through Women's Healing, Teachers Trance Medium, Hands On Healing, and OTO (One-to-One) Programs.
There are a variety of other classes that are available for individuals to attend either in-person or online. Some of these include meditation, healing, kundalini, and One To One meditation.
Psychic Festivals, Readings and Healings
The BPI holds various events, psychic fairs, and healing clinics throughout the year. Students enrolled in the one- or two-year program are required to attend and often participate in a set number of these fairs and festivals as part of their Spiritual Agreement fulfillment.
You can attend a virtual psychic fair via Zoom. There are two options for you. One fair reading requires a $15 donation or you can sign up for three fair readings for a $40 donation.
There are several options when it comes to healings. These include specific ones:
- Aura healing clinic is 5 minutes long and doesn't require a donation, although one is appreciated.
- Women's healing clinic is 10 minutes long and requires a $20 donation.
- Men's healing clinic is 10 minutes long and requires a $20 donation.
You can sign up for various psychic readings. These are conducted online and range from student, graduate, to professional psychics.
- 2 hour readings from students $40
- 1.5 hr aura reading from graduates $80
- 1.5 hour Professional readings $200
- Women's reading and out-of-body healing by graduates (cost not provided)
Assessing BPI
One of the best ways to assess the validity of an organization or church is through reviews, discussion boards, and any legal actions taken against the group. The reviews of BPI are a mixed bag of positives and negatives. Many people view the teachings as New Age ideology that is beneficial to those with clairvoyant and psychic abilities.
BPI Past Students on Forums
Most of the BPI students praise their experience. They usually go on to become successful alternative medicine or energy workers.
- Many of the books that mention BPI are written by former students who went on to create careers in metaphysics as psychics, healers and sometimes teachers. In the book, Psychic Healing Book, co-author Amy Wallace discusses her experience studying with Lewis Bostwick (BPI founder) and how quickly she advanced in her psychic gifts.
- In 2011 ABC News featured BPI's Psychic Kindergarten as a "new age religious group, which bases its teachings on the Bible's New Testament…"
- In the book, The Making of the New Spirituality: The Eclipse of the Western Religious Tradition, James A. Herrick discusses BPI and two other metaphysical schools. He mentions how those interested in non-traditional spirituality are drawn to the teachings of meditation, intuition, and healing the schools offer. Herrick quotes Ruth Walker of The Christian Science Monitor discussing the healthcare trend of including spiritual practices.
- One BPI graduate, Dr. Louise appeared on the talk show Coast to Coast AM. Dr. Louise studied meditation, energy medicine, and clairvoyant readings while attending BPI. After leaving BPI, she attended college and earned a degree as a naturopath and aPh.D. in Natural Health Counseling. During the radio show, she discussed being a member of the BPI house healing team and some cases they investigated.
- HPI Supernatural Darkness Book 2 by Paul Roberts discusses a woman named Renee who had the BPI investigate her haunted home. Renee was flabbergasted by the team's quick assessment of the haunting, naming the entity causing the problems and his relationship with her brother-in-law who'd recently moved into her home. Renee was very pleased with the team and the results.
Offerings of Berkeley Psychic Institute
Berkeley Psychic Institute has endured negative and positive feedback. It has been praised for being a godsend to struggling clairvoyants and psychics. Each individual must assess what she or he gains from this type of organization.
