[Guest_Topher_PRS_*]

POST MORTEM OF RYAN BUELL TAKEN FROM WWW.PARANORMALINSIDER.COM

Case File: 2007.01.34F
Code Name: "Devil In Syracuse"

DIRECTOR'S LOGS
The PRS team was dispatched to Syracuse, NY to investigate Teena's case. These logs have been condensed and edited, but to the best of our ability, it remains an accurate account of the case:

THEIR FRIEND, PAT
At times, we come across cases where the clients have outside people involved with their paranormal problems. Sometimes they are positive reinforcements and it makes our job easier. Most of time, however, they are not. Teena's good friend, Pat, was around during the first night of the investigation. I learned through Teena that she was often around. When the Crosses allegedly turned upside down, Teena explained that the demonic forces were around Pat. Pat said that there was a cold force around her (the thermal device did not detect this). Pat then whipped out her Bible and asked for Teena to do the same. Teena, already hysterical and frightened due to the Cross incident, found her Bible and followed Pat's lead. At one point, Teena had to stop reading because she was crying too hard. Neither Pat nor Raymond did anything to console her. She continued to get worked up over the matter. During the Bible session, Pat took periodic breaks to announce that the force was trying to attack her.

I finally had enough when the front door knocked. Pat ordered me not to open it. She explained that the demonic force was trying to enter, and that if I opened it, no one would be there. I told her that I did not believe her and opened the door, finding a very cold production assistant waiting to deliver something to one of the camera men.

I told Pat that she needed to leave because she was not helping the situation. She was feeding Teena's fears and causing her to become hysterical. She eventually consented to leave the house as long as she could remain nearby, so she waited in a van out front.

Once she left the house, however, I was able to get things back on track. I told Teena that she needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down.

Before I urged Pat to leave, Teena explained that Pat was a cornerstone in her life. I am not discounting her benefit in Teena's life, nor Pat's alleged paranormal experiences. However, if Pat was often having the demonic attack her in Teena's home, as she claimed, then why would she want to constantly be around? Why would she want to expose Teena and the children to these attacks?

I recommended to Teena that Pat not come around as much until the paranormal phenomena receded. Teena agreed, and said that they would go to visit her instead of Pat visiting them.

Hysteria is one of the greatest enemies for any paranormal investigator. It can put the clients, and even the investigators, in danger. People do questionable things when they are in a state of hysteria. Do not stereotype hysteria as a bunch of people running around the room tearing their hair and eyeballs out. Hysteria can also be subtle.

"IF THE DEMONIC ARE HERE, THEY HAVE A LOT TO FEED OFF OF..."
Clients under a lot of emotional duress from paranormal or especially demonic phenomena can lose control of their lives. It's as if they've become immobilized, thrown down on all fours and unable to stand back up. This is usually due to losing their sense of reality, which eventually leads to panic, confusion, fear and hysteria.

In the case of Teena and Raymond, there were a lot of visible problems within the household. For one, the upkeep of the home was a disaster area. Trash was piled everywhere. Nothing was organized. Secondly, the communication between Raymond and Teena appeared to be broken. Teena eventually admitted that there were severe problems with their relationship and that they were very close to a divorce. Teena, a smart and more than capable woman, was working at McDonald's instead of pursuing a serious job or continuing her education.

Is the demonic to blame for their problems? Is there truly such a thing as the personification of evil? For me, the answer to these questions is irrelevant when dealing with Raymond and Teena's real-life problems. They needed to get their lives back in order. They needed marriage counseling and direction in life.

When I approached Teena, I laid out all the problems before her. I worried that she wouldn't hear me out, but she did. I agreed with Reverend Calder's assessment that they had to take care of these problems before tackling the overall picture. Because of this, we left, giving Teena and the family homework to do before we could return.

I left a little apprehensive. Would they indeed pull their lives out of the trenches, or would they simply fall even deeper in to the dark?

MY FAITH VERSUS SKEPTICISM
Often I am at odds with myself over my skepticism and Christian beliefs. Sometimes, I cannot explain a case scientifically nor can I explain it as being paranormal. At times, our clients have tried psychologists, neurologists, doctors and other medical outlets with no avail. Speaking with these specialists, they can't find anything wrong with the individual. They're not crazy and they're not making things up. So what's happening? How do we explain a 300-pound man being tossed around the room and being slashed by some unseen force? We either believe him or we don't. I often choose to believe my clients. To not believe any of them would make me a monster, and if I believe one then I must believe them all until proven otherwise.

THE DELIVERANCE
I admit that I was not expecting the final night to turn out the way it did. I was expecting Keith and Sandra Johnson to help us in performing a house blessing for the family.

In the middle of performing the cleansing, one of my investigators told me that there was something wrong with Raymond. I turned around to investigate, and found Raymond sitting down and burning up. He claimed that "it" was "in" him. Keith and Sandra proceeded to perform a Deliverance. A Deliverance is a lesser-form ritual of exorcism. It can be performed by lay men (i.e. non-priests such as Keith, Sandra, Chip or even me). Then, out of nowhere, Chip asked if he could say a Latin prayer. He ended up reciting prayer right out of the Roman Rituals, a manual that Catholic priests use when performing the formal rite of exorcism.

Keith asked me to put my hand on Raymond, and eventually, asked everyone to follow suit. It was a jarring experience for me because I wasn't sure this was the proper route to go with this case. My Catholic upbringing suggests an alternative means of going about Deliverances and Exorcism. However, neither Teena, Raymond nor Keith were Catholics. I trust Chip and the Johnson's judgment, so I observed and watched to make sure nothing harmful took place between either parties.

At the end of the Deliverance, Raymond proclaimed the spirit departed, and we all took our hands off of him. Many people reached over to shake Raymond's hand and give him words of encouragement. Not yet understanding how I felt about the entire process, I stepped outside for a break.

Raymond later joined and we stood in silence for a few moments, until finally, Raymond talked. "This thing knew how to get inside my head, didn't it?" he asked. Pulling strictly from theological theory, I nodded. If you ask any competent demonologist or exorcist, they will tell you that the demonic attack is mostly psychological. They know how to work you. Raymond proceeded in telling me that he gave in to the force in order to help his family.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Here's a 300-pound man who could intimidate most other men, yet he was at a loss as to help his family. Believing that there was a demonic force in the house, and not being able to fight it with his fists, he consciously gave in to a dark force with the hopes that it would help his family situation. He was a desperate father and husband.

CLOSING DIRECTOR'S LOG ON THE CASE
The investigation in Syracuse was very non-traditional. It focused more on the religious perspective of the case. Scientifically speaking, little evidence was conducted and therefore, there's next to no proof to back up the claims of the family.

However, I believe that we made a sound judgment by pursuing the religious angle for this case. Every client is different and therefore, one cannot prescribe the same investigation or resolution to every case. With Teena and her family, what they needed was hope. I can't think of a better solution than a positive spiritual belief system. After all, isn't that what Christianity and other religions are here for?

UPDATE
Teena and her family have their ups and downs. Teena enrolled in school to pursue her Master's in Accounting. She also found a new, full-time job. They claim that the activity has dramatically lessened in the home, and Teena tries to stay positive and focused. She and Raymond have continued counseling, but they continue to have rocky moments in their relationship.

[Caroline]

I was overall impressed with the way things were handled. It was definitely good to get Pat out of there, for her sake and for the family's. In the small amount of time she was in the episode, I definitely noticed the negative affect she had on everyone. I don't think she's a bad person, I just think she was easily rattled.

[Charmed07]

I was overall impressed with the way things were handled. It was definitely good to get Pat out of there, for her sake and for the family's. In the small amount of time she was in the episode, I definitely noticed the negative affect she had on everyone. I don't think she's a bad person, I just think she was easily rattled.
[right][snapback]5947[/snapback][/right]

Well said Caroline! I noticed too how she was affecting the whole situation. I also want to give out major kudos to the whole team on Paranormal State on a job well done. I am impressed with the professionalism everyone had in taking care of this particular situation.

[Malsteem]

Pat seemed a little to "messed up" for me. I would almost beleive that she invites attcks to her for the excitment and feeling of worth to others. Using the Bible correctly should of helped calmed Teena, not drive her into a more hystareical (sp) state.

Topher, thanks on your work helping this family

[Babyfisher]

I did have to wonder about "Pat" and why she was hanging around when most folks would have high tailed it out of there during the activity that was going on. I felt bad for Teena, she had children there and as a parent she was trying to make it all better, but it was beyond her to do so without assistance. Kudos to the team for making the effort to help this family !

[SapphireSioux]

I too, agree with having Pat vacate the area, it seemed odd to me also that she would want to stick around with all of this going on. Great job everyone, for helping the family all around, looking forward to more episodes, more seasons.

[Vicki]

I think that friend Pat is crazy, come on now when you're friend is going through this you want to help them not freak them out even more.
If I was sitting in my friend's house and all the crosses flipped and turned upsitted upside down and my friend was upset and freaking out. I would make a joke like "Oh an earthqake" and and sit her down next to me and clam her down.
I don't know if that's the best thing to do, and maybe I'm the "crazy" one but I don't know.
I would joke around with it, which more then likely would make it worst ...
hmmm - would it make it worst?

[rogueangel]

Getting Pat out of there was definitely the right thing to do. I'm not sure how I would have handled having her there if I were running the investigation, especially since I believe that she was the prime reason for Teena being hysterical. (I can only imagine what non-helpful things she had said to Teena before PRS showed up for the investigation...)

I wondered what your (Ryan) feelings were on the deliverance that was performed that night. It was very hard to tell judging by what was shown in the episode (really, how can you take an entire investigation and chop it down into a 30 minute TV slot?!).

Thankyou for having these post mortems posted so we can get a closer look at the cases without the "A&E filter" on! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

This post has been edited by rogueangel: Jan 26 2008, 01:24 AM

[studiobassist]

[quote name='Topher_PRS' date='Dec 18 2007, 09:48 AM' post='5308']
POST MORTEM OF RYAN BUELL TAKEN FROM WWW.PARANORMALINSIDER.COM



Was the name of the Demon suggested in a subliminal fashion in this episode? I am just curious as I somehow knew the name after the episode, and had tears rolling down my face every time I thought of it. I took the name that came to mind, typed it into Google and it came back as a perfect spelling of it and was actually a Demon. I don't want to post the name in an open forum. I must say that this freaked me out a bit because I am not up on these things and have no idea how this name would have come to me otherwise.

If I could confirm the name with someone that would be great. If it was not flashed on screen or whatnot, I would like to discuss any steps I should take if any at all. I must say, I am a bit troubled by this.

Thanks

[Trish]

POST MORTEM OF RYAN BUELL TAKEN FROM WWW.PARANORMALINSIDER.COM

Case File: 2007.01.34F
Code Name: "Devil In Syracuse"

DIRECTOR'S LOGS
The PRS team was dispatched to Syracuse, NY to investigate Teena's case. These logs have been condensed and edited, but to the best of our ability, it remains an accurate account of the case:

THEIR FRIEND, PAT
At times, we come across cases where the clients have outside people involved with their paranormal problems. Sometimes they are positive reinforcements and it makes our job easier. Most of time, however, they are not. Teena's good friend, Pat, was around during the first night of the investigation. I learned through Teena that she was often around. When the Crosses allegedly turned upside down, Teena explained that the demonic forces were around Pat. Pat said that there was a cold force around her (the thermal device did not detect this). Pat then whipped out her Bible and asked for Teena to do the same. Teena, already hysterical and frightened due to the Cross incident, found her Bible and followed Pat's lead. At one point, Teena had to stop reading because she was crying too hard. Neither Pat nor Raymond did anything to console her. She continued to get worked up over the matter. During the Bible session, Pat took periodic breaks to announce that the force was trying to attack her.

I finally had enough when the front door knocked. Pat ordered me not to open it. She explained that the demonic force was trying to enter, and that if I opened it, no one would be there. I told her that I did not believe her and opened the door, finding a very cold production assistant waiting to deliver something to one of the camera men.

I told Pat that she needed to leave because she was not helping the situation. She was feeding Teena's fears and causing her to become hysterical. She eventually consented to leave the house as long as she could remain nearby, so she waited in a van out front.

Once she left the house, however, I was able to get things back on track. I told Teena that she needed to take a few deep breaths and calm down.

Before I urged Pat to leave, Teena explained that Pat was a cornerstone in her life. I am not discounting her benefit in Teena's life, nor Pat's alleged paranormal experiences. However, if Pat was often having the demonic attack her in Teena's home, as she claimed, then why would she want to constantly be around? Why would she want to expose Teena and the children to these attacks?

I recommended to Teena that Pat not come around as much until the paranormal phenomena receded. Teena agreed, and said that they would go to visit her instead of Pat visiting them.

Hysteria is one of the greatest enemies for any paranormal investigator. It can put the clients, and even the investigators, in danger. People do questionable things when they are in a state of hysteria. Do not stereotype hysteria as a bunch of people running around the room tearing their hair and eyeballs out. Hysteria can also be subtle.

"IF THE DEMONIC ARE HERE, THEY HAVE A LOT TO FEED OFF OF..."
Clients under a lot of emotional duress from paranormal or especially demonic phenomena can lose control of their lives. It's as if they've become immobilized, thrown down on all fours and unable to stand back up. This is usually due to losing their sense of reality, which eventually leads to panic, confusion, fear and hysteria.

In the case of Teena and Raymond, there were a lot of visible problems within the household. For one, the upkeep of the home was a disaster area. Trash was piled everywhere. Nothing was organized. Secondly, the communication between Raymond and Teena appeared to be broken. Teena eventually admitted that there were severe problems with their relationship and that they were very close to a divorce. Teena, a smart and more than capable woman, was working at McDonald's instead of pursuing a serious job or continuing her education.

Is the demonic to blame for their problems? Is there truly such a thing as the personification of evil? For me, the answer to these questions is irrelevant when dealing with Raymond and Teena's real-life problems. They needed to get their lives back in order. They needed marriage counseling and direction in life.

When I approached Teena, I laid out all the problems before her. I worried that she wouldn't hear me out, but she did. I agreed with Reverend Calder's assessment that they had to take care of these problems before tackling the overall picture. Because of this, we left, giving Teena and the family homework to do before we could return.

I left a little apprehensive. Would they indeed pull their lives out of the trenches, or would they simply fall even deeper in to the dark?

MY FAITH VERSUS SKEPTICISM
Often I am at odds with myself over my skepticism and Christian beliefs. Sometimes, I cannot explain a case scientifically nor can I explain it as being paranormal. At times, our clients have tried psychologists, neurologists, doctors and other medical outlets with no avail. Speaking with these specialists, they can't find anything wrong with the individual. They're not crazy and they're not making things up. So what's happening? How do we explain a 300-pound man being tossed around the room and being slashed by some unseen force? We either believe him or we don't. I often choose to believe my clients. To not believe any of them would make me a monster, and if I believe one then I must believe them all until proven otherwise.

THE DELIVERANCE
I admit that I was not expecting the final night to turn out the way it did. I was expecting Keith and Sandra Johnson to help us in performing a house blessing for the family.

In the middle of performing the cleansing, one of my investigators told me that there was something wrong with Raymond. I turned around to investigate, and found Raymond sitting down and burning up. He claimed that "it" was "in" him. Keith and Sandra proceeded to perform a Deliverance. A Deliverance is a lesser-form ritual of exorcism. It can be performed by lay men (i.e. non-priests such as Keith, Sandra, Chip or even me). Then, out of nowhere, Chip asked if he could say a Latin prayer. He ended up reciting prayer right out of the Roman Rituals, a manual that Catholic priests use when performing the formal rite of exorcism.

Keith asked me to put my hand on Raymond, and eventually, asked everyone to follow suit. It was a jarring experience for me because I wasn't sure this was the proper route to go with this case. My Catholic upbringing suggests an alternative means of going about Deliverances and Exorcism. However, neither Teena, Raymond nor Keith were Catholics. I trust Chip and the Johnson's judgment, so I observed and watched to make sure nothing harmful took place between either parties.

At the end of the Deliverance, Raymond proclaimed the spirit departed, and we all took our hands off of him. Many people reached over to shake Raymond's hand and give him words of encouragement. Not yet understanding how I felt about the entire process, I stepped outside for a break.

Raymond later joined and we stood in silence for a few moments, until finally, Raymond talked. "This thing knew how to get inside my head, didn't it?" he asked. Pulling strictly from theological theory, I nodded. If you ask any competent demonologist or exorcist, they will tell you that the demonic attack is mostly psychological. They know how to work you. Raymond proceeded in telling me that he gave in to the force in order to help his family.

At that moment, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Here's a 300-pound man who could intimidate most other men, yet he was at a loss as to help his family. Believing that there was a demonic force in the house, and not being able to fight it with his fists, he consciously gave in to a dark force with the hopes that it would help his family situation. He was a desperate father and husband.

CLOSING DIRECTOR'S LOG ON THE CASE
The investigation in Syracuse was very non-traditional. It focused more on the religious perspective of the case. Scientifically speaking, little evidence was conducted and therefore, there's next to no proof to back up the claims of the family.

However, I believe that we made a sound judgment by pursuing the religious angle for this case. Every client is different and therefore, one cannot prescribe the same investigation or resolution to every case. With Teena and her family, what they needed was hope. I can't think of a better solution than a positive spiritual belief system. After all, isn't that what Christianity and other religions are here for?

UPDATE
Teena and her family have their ups and downs. Teena enrolled in school to pursue her Master's in Accounting. She also found a new, full-time job. They claim that the activity has dramatically lessened in the home, and Teena tries to stay positive and focused. She and Raymond have continued counseling, but they continue to have rocky moments in their relationship.

[Celtyc]

Was the name of the Demon suggested in a subliminal fashion in this episode? I am just curious as I somehow knew the name after the episode, and had tears rolling down my face every time I thought of it. I took the name that came to mind, typed it into Google and it came back as a perfect spelling of it and was actually a Demon. I don't want to post the name in an open forum. I must say that this freaked me out a bit because I am not up on these things and have no idea how this name would have come to me otherwise.

If I could confirm the name with someone that would be great. If it was not flashed on screen or whatnot, I would like to discuss any steps I should take if any at all. I must say, I am a bit troubled by this.

Thanks

Oddly enough in another thread regarding this episode I stated I had the same experience of knowing the name or having a strong impression of it. Strange indeed.

[Magus]

POST MORTEM OF RYAN BUELL TAKEN FROM WWW.PARANORMALINSIDER.COM



Was the name of the Demon suggested in a subliminal fashion in this episode? I am just curious as I somehow knew the name after the episode, and had tears rolling down my face every time I thought of it. I took the name that came to mind, typed it into Google and it came back as a perfect spelling of it and was actually a Demon. I don't want to post the name in an open forum. I must say that this freaked me out a bit because I am not up on these things and have no idea how this name would have come to me otherwise.

If I could confirm the name with someone that would be great. If it was not flashed on screen or whatnot, I would like to discuss any steps I should take if any at all. I must say, I am a bit troubled by this.

Thanks

I remember watching this episode and getting a troubling feeling too by the listing of this name. I have done some research prior to this episode and had an idea of who they were speaking of. Now what confused me was this man speaking his name. Now I see they read the bible but I don't believe that name is listed in the bible. Just like angels there is a hierarchy of demons. There is 4 of them at the top of this list and the name mentioned in the episode was one of them.

Yes they did flash it and maybe you may have read it somewhere but i don't think your average TV watcher would pick up on that name. And I don't really know if they spelled it right out on TV or mixed up the letters but I did know who they were talking about. Let me know.

[Magus]

Yes Pat wasn't helping that was for sure. This episode really got me thinking. I read, and read some more, but I'm not really sure what to believe. I was really impressed with this episode do to the fact that they seemed to help themselves out of the terrible things going on. Now I have read some books and knew the name of the demon mentioned but believed these demons are just parts of our imagination. But how would he know the name? If they would have just finished the episode without him saying a name I would have believed that demons are just in our mind. Demon = not good However this man knew the name of the demon. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/533.gif) And still I dont know what to believe.

I personal belief on him being possessed was him playing a role. I don't really think he was really possessed but instead took on some bad bad feelings there were in his head and was able to process them with the exorcist. I really dont know what was going on in that house but I think he was able to take all of "it" and get rid of it through the exorcist . I was really impressed with episode. Demon or not they helped that family and I would love to do that too. Good job PSPRS!

[studiobassist]

I remember watching this episode and getting a troubling feeling too by the listing of this name. I have done some research prior to this episode and had an idea of who they were speaking of. Now what confused me was this man speaking his name. Now I see they read the bible but I don't believe that name is listed in the bible. Just like angels there is a hierarchy of demons. There is 4 of them at the top of this list and the name mentioned in the episode was one of them.

Yes they did flash it and maybe you may have read it somewhere but I don't think your average TV watcher would pick up on that name. And I don't really know if they spelled it right out on TV or mixed up the letters but I did know who they were talking about. Let me know.

After I searched the name that came to mind and got freaked out, I went back and replayed the text that they were flashing on screen. It was gibberish. The only thing I can think is i must be a lip reader. It wouldn't be a bad idea to put a black block or blur that guys mouth when he keeps saying the demons name. That is the only logical conclusion I can come to for knowing the name.

This post has been edited by studiobassist: Jan 30 2008, 09:20 AM

[Sally Hardesty]

Okay so now I'm dying to know what the dern name is!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Magus]

Okay so now I'm dying to know what the dern name is!!!!!!!!!!!!

######

[Magus]

Okay so now I'm dying to know what the dern name is!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahaha I typed it out however it seems to be encrypted. Hmm they really dont want you seeing that name. When you type it out it gave this ######.

[Sally Hardesty]

Hahaha I typed it out however it seems to be encrypted. Hmm they really dont want you seeing that name. When you type it out it gave this ######.

Wow. This is like the big red button that says "do NOT push"

Of course, I also want to play that candle game now... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif)

[The Meadowvale S...]

I am so happy that this case had a happy ending. I am good friends with Father Caulder and he's a pretty tough bird, so this one must've been pretty potent for him to have taken ill like that. It saddens me that some people, however, would rather remain a victim and not take the steps to iron issues out in their lives and they remain with entities like that with them. My group's very first case of 2008 wasn't as bad as this one, but close, and the woman refused treatment and counsling and expected the entity to magically disappear as soon as we showed up. The sad part is, she plays "medium" and one minute she wants it gone and the next she acts as if it's her freak'n spirit guide or something.

[HollyDolly]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/winkglasses.gif) I haven't been able to get your show,since I cut my cable in an effort to save money.
However,you mentioned that Teena has gotten a full time job and gone back to school I believe. Is it possible that
some of the activity could have been actually caused by Teena? Not all of course,but some of it?
I say this because she seemed to be very unhappy,and her unhappiness could have taken pschical shape through telekenisis or something.Just a theory to explain some things.Whatever was there was certainly feeding off the negative vibrations between Ryan and Teena.

And who is this Pat character? Sounds like somehow she could have brought this thing into the home somehow?