[US] mom keeps falling for psychic

hi all,

i didn’t think i would ever be in this boat cause my mom is one of the people who taught me to always be careful about scams growing up. i’m not even sure if this counts as a real scam so sorry mods if it doesn’t.

last year my 61yo mom’s best friend died. she was dead about four days before someone found her. now, my mom has always been kinda spiritual, like saying cardinals or butterflies that appear near you are your loved ones checking in and whatnot, but after her friend died she started getting more into spiritualism because of her grief.

a few months later she ended up lying to my dad about having a work meeting and went to see a psychic (though she told me about it beforehand, she didn’t say when so i didn’t know the day it actually was happening). this psychic had ‘spiritual messages’ from her friend, my grandmom, and my sister. she said things “only they would have known” like my sister’s cause of death, how many days her friend laid dead, a nickname my grandmom used, etc. it was over an hour of them “talking through” the medium and saying “we’re happy, we miss you,” etc.

now she’s convinced this lady is legit. she keeps going to her events, and now she’s telling me this woman is having a “spiritual wellness retreat” with other physics in costa rica for thousands of dollars and asked me if i wanted to come for a duo’s discount.

i don’t really discuss religion/spirituality with her because im an atheist and she’s a devout catholic, but ive tried to bring up how all of this information is easily accessible on facebook, instagram, etc and how they do research beforehand to come across as convincing. she never listens and gets upset when i “deny the evidence,” saying the psychic “couldn’t have learned” beforehand X or Y.

i really don’t understand it. she’s of sound mind otherwise and is actually pretty analytical, but when it comes to spiritualism and her dead loved ones she falls for it so easily. it frustrates me that these people prey on others grief and insecurities and give them false hope while taking hundreds or thousands of dollars. like this woman telling my mom that my sister said “i chose to return to heaven now to not give you more grief later” is insanely cruel??

i’m at my wits end. i’ve tried stalling her on the costa rica trip (unless she’s just gone ahead and quietly booked it anyways) but she keeps trying to “entice” me by saying there’s non-spiritual aspects of the trip i would enjoy. i don’t know how to convince her that this lady is lying; hell i can’t even convince her that the physics she watches on tv are actors and you can’t trust the “customers” are who they say they are.

it’s not a small amount of money but i’m more worried about her mental health. she’s in a rough place with work right now and its like she’s gotten addicted to “messages from beyond” from this one woman. she’s gone by herself, she’s gone to events with her friends (maybe they humor her, maybe they believe too idk) but i don’t know how to help her.

(before it’s asked: my dad is useless so he wouldn’t be any help nor does he care. she has two living brothers but doesn’t speak to either, nor to anyone in her extended family. i’m the only relative thinking/who cares about this)

i’m trying not to be cruel about it cause i get how belief does make some people feel better, but there has to be a difference between believing in greater powers and somebody taking advantage of your belief and lying to you for money.

also she refuses to tell me the physics name cause she thinks im gonna contact her. neither do i know the actual name/sponsor of the trip. :/