Ghosts on Television, Part 2: Ten Reasons Why You Should Watch Paranormal State

Where: A & E

When: Mondays, 10 PM EST

Starring: The core members of The Paranormal Research Society; Ryan Buell, Heather Taddy, Katrina Weidmen, Eilfie Music, Sergey Poberezhny, Josh Light, Chip Coffey

10) Eilfie Music, Sergey Poberezhny & Josh Light

In research groups and shows like this, there are often unsung heroes who do most of their work in the background. These members are usually specialists of some kind who are relied on for technical expertise, unique skills and knowledge that help the show succeed. It is no different for Paranormal State and the PRS Team.

Eilfie Music is the team’s occult specialist. A simple definition of the word occult is the study of a deeper spiritual reality that extends beyond reason and the physical sciences. She brings a very unique perspective to paranormal research and is often called upon to identify behaviors, findings or evidence that others simply do not have an understanding of, such as spiritual signs, rituals, words etc. She is also an excellent researcher who quite often contributes critical pieces of information that help bring the case together for a clearer understanding of what is going on. She is a very intelligent and knowledgeable part of this team and show

Serge and Josh are tech specialists. Their main function is the choosing, setting up, running and maintaining of all equipment used in the investigation to try and capture recorded evidence. The type of apparatus used, where it is strategically placed and it’s successful operation can often result on bringing credibility to the client’s claims. This can be the solid evidence that clients and viewers look for and rely on to prove what is actually happening.

9) No fear

A famous line from the move Poltergeist is, “go towards the light”. Well, for PRS it should be “go towards the ghost.” No one involved with an investigation ever backs down from an entity no matter how demonic. As a matter of fact, whoever hears or sees the evidence goes towards it.

Some of the personal experiences they are confronted with during the investigations are quite startling. And yet every time, whoever is involved will actually chase after it or wander off just to try and create a confrontation. .

On top of that, no one panics, screams or carries on about any thing they see or hear. This is shear discipline and very tough to accomplish, especially when most of what they are dealing with is on the evil side. You have to admire their ability to keep their composure. This is an incredible message to the client because if the experts show fear, the client will probably get upset.

Helping the Clients

As much as this show is about investigating the paranormal and getting to the truth, it is probably even more about helping the clients. The entire team’s compassion is heartfelt and genuine. You have to admire this, because it can at times take away from the investigation and intrigue of unknown evidence.

There is a burning desire and need for every investigator and guest professional involved to help the people suffering from the haunting. Every possible step is made to empower those affected and to make them feel at ease. You get the feeling that everyone conducting the investigation will not leave the premises until the client is comfortable and safe. To their credit, their success is resounding.

7) Katrina Weidman & Heather Taddy

Don’t think for one minute that either of these young ladies is in this group or on this show to simply add beauty and a look. Both Katrina and Heather are extremely intelligent and are critical to the success of this show. They bring unique skills, talents and qualities to the table that help make this show tick.

They both possess excellent interview skills. They not only question those directly involved, they work with anyone that might have background knowledge that can help bring resolution to the case. They ask direct, pertinent and sometimes difficult questions with compassion and respect. They do not let any uncomfortable topic or situation deter them from trying to find the truth.

Both young ladies are awesome researchers. They will go anywhere and everywhere to find answers, whether it’s the library, hall of records, town hall or another person’s home. If they cannot speak to someone face to face, they do not hesitate to make a phone call. They use resources of all kinds and quite often reach out to professors at Penn State for guidance and answers.

What is most impressive at times is their courage and fearlessness. Heather and Katrina will do whatever it takes to achieve a successful investigation. They will even sit in a dark room completely alone, as Heather often does, while trying to get an entity to respond. And if a response does come, no matter how frightening, they do not ever lose their composure or act frightened.

6) Special Guests

Ryan and the producers of this show often call upon experts from all types of related fields for assistance in their investigations. These appearances are often critical to the case, and usually result in helping the clients find answers to put them at ease. Feedback from these professionals always helps empower the client to take back their homes and their lives. The message here is to do whatever it takes to help, even if it means bringing in other experts.

The emotional and mental state of the client is taken very seriously. Whenever there is a feeling the client needs therapeutic help an expert in the field of psychology or sociology is brought in to help talk to the clients and guide them through their horrid experiences. The lead PRS therapist is Jamie Hernandez who offers wonderful insights to the world of therapy in connection to the paranormal.

At times other fellow paranormal investigators are brought in to help capture evidence, add credence to what has already been discovered and to lend critical expertise that helps get to the truth. An example would be Chad Calek from American Ghost Hunters. Chad is a perfect example of a paranormal investigator who takes the paranormal field and his investigations very seriously. He helps confirm found evidence, finds new evidence and even discredits evidence that is false. He brings validity to the show, which is critical. Another is the famous psychic Lorraine Warren, who is known for her involvement with the house featured in the original Poltergeist movie. When the situation gets really hairy and difficult, she is called in for guidance.

Ryan will even bring in men of the cloth when necessary. If he feels a priest or pastor can help the client he will not hesitate to make the call. A perfect example of this was during the episode called “I Am Six”, when a priest was called in to perform an exorcism.

5) Chip Coffey

Mr. Chip Coffey is not on every show, but he helps the team often enough to be considered a very important special guest star. Chip is one of the most famous psychic mediums in the industry. The credence and validity that he adds to this show is priceless and at times indescribable. He is the real deal and in order to truly appreciate and understand his abilities you have to watch him at work.

Each time he is brought in he is not told anything about the case, the client, the situation or the reason he has been asked to help. His first goal upon arrival is to identify as much as he can about what is going on using his gift of psychic ability. Without fail, he is on target every time. Regardless of how evil or frightening the situation is, he is passionate about telling the truth, to the point where he insists on it, often times asking permission to do so.

Chip has a God given gift to reach the client spiritually, emotionally and mentally. He is so incredibly sincere and effective that clients and viewers hinge on every word waiting to find out what he senses and feels. He drives home the need to empower those suffering from paranormal activity and to drive the evil forces out, or to just ask harmless entities to leave them alone.

There is an indescribable charm about Chip Coffey. He promotes empowerment in trying to figure out ways to help the client feel at ease and to take their life and home back. He is very caring and affectionate towards those who are suffering from any kind of entity or demonic force. You can always tell, that in his heart he is not satisfied unless he truly helps those involved.

4) Ryan Buell

Ryan is truly a young man with a calling. His own very personal and disturbing experiences have sent him on a journey to find the truth about paranormal activity. His search includes investigating hauntings, ghosts, entities, possessions, psychic abilities and even UFO’s.

At age a young age of fifteen he began investigating the paranormal. Four years later, in September 2001, when he was only nineteen years old, he created The Paranormal Research Society on the campus of Penn State University. The group started as a bunch of undergraduate students who not only studied and researched the paranormal, they conducted detailed investigations. In six years the group grew to include undergrad students, grad students and faculty members. PRS is now the investigative group on the new paranormal television show, Paranormal State.

Ryan is very intense and takes the show and his calling very seriously. The goal is to clearly accomplish the groups calling card “to scientifically and spiritually explore” the claims of paranormal activity. His goal is to always help the people involved and to try everything possible to find the truth.

Ryan’s charm is made up of sincerity, fearlessness, knowledge and open mindedness. He skillfully combines these traits with compassion and respect for all of his clients. He makes it known at the beginning of every investigation that his team needs to help the people involved. He professionally and strategically leads everyone exactly where he needs them to go by taking charge of all situations no matter how difficult or unexpected. He is without a doubt the man in charge, but he leads by example getting nothing but positive results.

3) Dark Time

It is known throughout the paranormal field that 3AM is the time when demons are most active. This is exactly the time when the team conducts what they call Dark Time. For this part of the investigation, Ryan separates his team into groups, and places them in specific parts of the house surrounded by equipment to try and provoke the entity. The hope is they will do enough taunting to capture something on either a video or audio recorder

The use of teams allows the house to be completely covered, even if it means putting a group outside. They are all in constant communication with walkie talkies, checking to make sure whatever might be evidence has been heard by others and not man made. This is usually when actual recorded evidence is captured.

2) Evidence

There is nothing more impressive than evidence that can be shared with the viewer. This proves what is going on is legitimate. PRS brings with them many different types of investigative equipment to help capture evidence they can share. And many times they do. Clear EVP’s, ghostly images or apparitions speak volumes towards proving a haunting exists and this show does the best it can to capture and present that.

However, sometimes the best evidence is what you actually see and hear from the team, the psychic mediums and the clients. The actions and reactions tell the story especially during Dark Time or when someone like Chip Coffey is confronting an entity. The shows are filled with evidence like this.

A picture is worth a thousand words and seeing is believing.

1) Demonic

The niche of this show is taking on cases that are for the most part demonic in nature. These of course are the most dangerous because the well being of the clients are clearly at stake.

The Paranormal Research Society receives thousands of calls regarding potential cases. But, they make it a point to take on what they consider the most challenging or worst cases out there.

This is for sure the show’s calling card and it’s drawing power. There is incredible intrigue and interest out there to investigate and take on negative entities, it’s almost like a cult following. Almost every show is centered on the client’s fear of what the entity is all about and what they want. Many times the horror is so grave they are literally afraid for their lives.

Conclusion

This is a very powerful paranormal show that features difficult demonic cases. The goal is to do everything possible to help the client and to get to the truth. The entire team is very talented and they are all on the same page working together to achieve those goals. The special guest experts are critical to the success of this show as they add validity to what the client is experiencing.

This show can be a bit more startling and frightening than some others, but that’s the point. If you are a fan of the paranormal, you should be watching this show.