It's scarlettina's fault.

Yes it is. Don't deny.

Probably a month ago, scarlettina posted something about TAPS; The Atlantic Paranormal Society, and her feelings towards their sister T.V. show TAPS International.

So over the last 3 weeks I have been up late, catching up on ALL the episodes of TAPS (but not TAPS Intl, like scarlettina the cast/crew of the sister show just doesn't jive for me). I have been researching the researchers, debunking the debunkers, and having a jolly good time at 3 a.m. hyper-caffeinated and watching paranormal shows.

Here are a few of my thoughts on TAPS and some of the other shows I discovered along the way. Before I get too far in let me give the disclaimer that I am an open skeptic. What I mean by this is that I WOULD LOVE to have a documented paranormal experience. I can't personally say that I have had one. I'm open to it. But at the same time I have to experience it first hand and be able to obtain irrefutible evidence as to the occurence.

It's just how I roll.


(There's a really cool thermal capture at about 3:15)

I like the the crew of TAPS. They are pretty down to earth, blue collar guys (and gals). They walk into an investigation with the attitude of wanting to debunk reported paranormal activity. It is overall, from the shows I've watch the closest thing to a 'scientific' investigation of paranormal activity.

There are plenty of early episodes where they have nothing to report back to the client, and even a couple of episodes where they were being set-up or their equipment had been tampered with...and they caught it (whether this was for ratings/believability *shrug* it's television, it's a business too...)

My issue with TAPS (and the same issue I have with other paranormal investigation teams) is a lot of the assumptions that are used about spirit or ghostly manifestations:

1) they are 'energy'
1a) this 'energy' can be detected by measuring magnetic residuals or EMF meters

2) when they attempt to manifest it creates an endothermic environment --- even an energy endothermic environment

3) the humanocentric viewpoint that we are capable of interacting with; capable of banishing; or even interesting to the restless dead

4) EMF/ Fear Cage theory: High EMF (Electromagnetic Fields) are conducive to paranormal activity and exposure to High EMFs (>2mG (milli-Gauss)) can create feelings of paranoia, panick etc.

A few words about the scientific community's response to high EMF beneath the cut:


Within the past several years, several evaluations of scientific studies of the possible health effects of electric and magnetic fields have been released. In 1996, the National Research Council, a group formed to advise the federal government on science, technology, and health policy, following a review of the available scientific evidence, concluded that “the current body of evidence does not show that exposure to these fields presents a human-health hazard.” Similarly, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), an
arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, following a six year study, reported to Congress in 1999 that the “scientific evidence suggesting that ELF-EMF exposures poses any health risk is weak.” According to the NIEHS report, although the epidemiological studies demonstrate, for some methods of measuring exposure, “a fairly consistent pattern of a small, increased risk” for certain cancers, there is no consistent pattern of adverse health effects in the animal or cellular studies of exposure to electric and magnetic fields. In 2001, the U.K. National Radiation Protection Board issued a report on studies of exposure to magnetic fields and reached the following conclusion: “Laboratory experiments have provided no good evidence that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields are capable of producing cancer, nor do human epidemiological studies suggest that they cause cancer in general. There is, however, some epidemiological evidence that prolonged exposure to higher levels of power frequency magnetic fields is associated with a small risk of leukemia in children. In
practice, such levels of exposure are seldom encountered by the general public in the U.K. In the absence of clear evidence of a carcinogenic effect in adults, or of a plausible explanation from experiments on animals or isolated cells, the epidemiological evidence is currently not strong enough to justify a firm conclusion that such fields cause leukemia in children.”


There is also this abstract (PDF WARNING) published in '02 by the Australian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. Again, no correspondence noted in this study.

The equipment and science of ghost hunting is built very heavily around magnetic fields and equipment which detects magnetic flux. I'm still wondering where all these free-floating charged particles are coming from and even if there are plenty in an open space... do you know the amount of energy it would take to bind these charged particles into an intelligent moving apparition?

A lot.

The use of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) and EVP recording devices is something I have to remain skeptical about as well. Granted, there are some pretty scary-tastic EVP recording available, given the science and foundation of ghost manifestations, the energy required for an entity of any kind to manfiest and manipulate physical particles to create the mechanical wave (known as SOUND) ... would probably fry the equipment in question.

The second issue I have with EVPs is that it's the equivalent of doing ink-blot tests for the ears. Pareidolia anyone? We're hardwired to look for familiarity and order in the abstract. It's part of what makes us human.

Now, there were episodes I found with video evidence that if it were true and unable to be debunked would be very true. As a hardnose I can't stake a claim unless I was actually there to witness or review the evidence with COMPLETE understanding of all conditions involved.

The second show I found was the Penn State Paranormal Research Society or simply, PRS.

I had a hard time liking PRS initially. I found it to be presented as generally 'fluffy.'

Here's an opening episodes of Paranormal State (PRS):


PRS initially rubbed me wrong for the following reasons:

1) The apparent lack of debunking

2) **The reliance on psychics and mediums (and demonologists) as consultants

3) The Christian invocations

The use of the word demon and the Chistian-centered attitude is what torqued me most. It makes an assumption that the afterlife is indeed based on a Christian based architecture and that Christians were somehow entitled to affect the dark and malevolent denizens of the underworld.

** 2) bothers me for the same reason that the paranormal investigation bothers me. I haven't met one that has just.knocked.my.socks.off. The day I meet a psychic that can cold read me to the floor I'll drink that kool-aid. Until then, I remain openly skeptic.

**Also, any time anything involves Lorraine Warren I immediately throw up the caution-flag.

There were things I did like about Paranormal State:

1) A 3 day investigation

2) The use of counselors and psychologists as consultants (though I wished they would have explained their departure from counseling about their paranormal experience to needing to move to DSMV-IV criteria for Paranoid/Schizophrenia)

3) An extreme sense of caring from the investigators about the clients' emotional states and well-being. The Leader of PRS really does give a damn.

I realized that this show was a three day investigation that had been edited down to about 35 minutes and hyped up by A&E. I wanted to give Paranormal State another chance.

I went a little further and read the blog of both Ryan Buell, the leader of PRS and the abandoned blog of psychic/medium Chip Coffey.

Ryan has a lot going for him. I hope the field of paranormal investigation doesn't burn him out and he can do a lot of good in the realm of codifying the ethical and technical practice of paranormal investigation.

Chip Coffey? Again, my vote isn't in yet on psychics/mediums, but I think everyone needs a Chip Coffey in their lives. I think he like Ryan, genuinely cares about people and their well-being. According to Ryan Buell's blog Coffey is a psychologist first, and psychic/medium second. The investigation is the primary focus.

Lastly, I found Psychic Kids. Another A&E produced show surrounding psychic children and issues families face with psychically gifted children. It's one part ghost hunter type show, one part psychic medium phenomenon show.



I have volumes of issues with this show. The primary issue I have is that in most of the cases presented the parents also believed that either during childhood or even now that they were empathic or sensatives. I don't think the nature of living vicariously or projecting was discussed. This is the inherent flaw in having believers investigate psychic or the paranorm without a check or balance.

As an example, the mother of the young girl (Morgan) in the presented episode above is also the founder of Indigrow. No doubt she's familiar with this.

The second problem was with cases presented was addressing whether or not the (usually) pre-teen or teen was experiencing asocial or social integration problems. Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager whose mother/father is pushing you to become more unique and moar speshuler is even tougher. I do speak from experience here--- I may talk about this experience in a locked post later.

I hope I don't offend anyone. As I said, I consider myself an open skeptic.

I want to believe..

I'm not quite ready to drop everything and invest in a thermal imager, digital recorder and a SONY HI8...but then again, I am a man with an infinite amount of time on my hands.

The speaker will now relinquish the floor... your thoughts are truly welcome.