14 replies to this topic

[NoWhammies]

Dr. Barry Taff (of the Entity case) will be appearing on our radio show in a few weeks. Since Rick and I got to interview him last time, we thought we'd give you the opportunity to ask questions. Ask away, and we'll pass them on.

[milomilford]

NoWhammies, on Apr 12 2011, 05:58 PM, said:

Dr. Barry Taff (of the Entity case) will be appearing on our radio show in a few weeks. Since Rick and I got to interview him last time, we thought we'd give you the opportunity to ask questions. Ask away, and we'll pass them on.

Whammies, pardon my ignorance but can you provide some info about the Entity case please?

[wrightghost]

milomilford, on Apr 13 2011, 08:27 AM, said:

Whammies, pardon my ignorance but can you provide some info about the Entity case please?

The Entity is a movie based on so called paranormal activity that was experienced by a woman and her family....I believe it happened sometime in the 70's.

[milomilford]

wrightghost, on Apr 13 2011, 09:02 AM, said:

The Entity is a movie based on so called paranormal activity that was experienced by a woman and her family....I believe it happened sometime in the 70's.

I will have to refresh my memory. Is this the girl in Germany?

[NoWhammies]

From Wikipedia:

The Entity is a horror film purportedly based on the paranormal events a woman and her family experienced circa 1976. It stars Barbara Hershey as a woman tormented by an unseen entity.[1] Despite being filmed and planned for a release in 1981, the movie was not released in worldwide theaters until September 1982 followed by the United States in February 1983.

The movie begins as Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey) a single mother, is violently raped in her home by an unseen force. Initially convinced the attack was a nightmare, a subsequent episode of poltergeist activity causes her to flee with her children to a friend’s home.
Evidently followed by the entity, Carla is nearly killed the following day when her car mysteriously loses control in traffic. Urged by her friend Cindy to see a psychiatrist, Carla meets with Dr. Sneiderman (Ron Silver) and tentatively agrees to undergo therapy. An attack occurs that leaves bruises and other injuries on Carla which she shows to Dr. Sneiderman who believes she has caused them to herself. We learn that Carla suffered a variety of traumas in her childhood and adolescence including sexual abuse, teenage pregnancy and the violent death of her first husband. Dr. Sneiderman believes her apparent paranormal experiences are delusions resulting from her past psychological trauma. He urges her to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital for observation. She refuses.
After Carla’s friend Cindy witnesses an attack, the two explore possible supernatural causes. While visiting a local bookstore, Carla happens to meet two parapsychologists who she convinces to visit her home. Initially skeptical, the scientists witness several paranormal events and agree to study the home. During their study Dr. Sneiderman arrives and confronts Carla, trying to convince her that the manifestation is in her mind, but she dismisses him. Reassured that her case is being taken seriously, Carla begins to relax. Carla’s boyfriend Jerry visits and she suffers a particularly disturbing attack which he witnesses. Hearing the commotion, Carla’s son enters the room and believes that that Jerry is harming her prompting him to attack Jerry. Later at the hospital, Jerry is so troubled by what he saw, he ends their relationship.

Desperate for an solution to her problem Carla agrees to participate in a complicated study carried out by parapsychologists at a local university. A full mock-up of her home is created as a trap to lure the entity. Once inside, it would be frozen in liquid helium. Before the experiment can begin, Dr. Sneiderman arrives and unsuccessfully tries to convince Carla to leave. The entity eventually manifests as a cold wind and unexpectedly takes control of the helium tanks, attempting to kill Carla who defiantly stands up to it, stating that it can never have her. Dr. Sneiderman rushes in and saves her. As they escape the laboratory, they see the entity frozen for a brief period into a very large mass of ice. It eventually breaks free and vanishes. Carla returns to her house the next day. The front door slams by itself and a demonic voice greets her. She calmly opens the door, exits the house, and gets in a car with her family and leaves.

The film ends with captions stating that Carla's attacks have decreased in both frequency and intensity, but that she still experiences paranormal activities.

[NoWhammies]

And Dr. Taff's website:

http://barrytaff.net/

He's a truly amazing guy. Well worth reading some of the stuff on his site. He's fascinating and truly a parapsychology expert.

[milomilford]

Thanks for the info and the links. If I can think of anything intelligent to ask I will post my questions.

[NoWhammies]

milomilford, on Apr 13 2011, 10:16 AM, said:

Thanks for the info and the links. If I can think of anything intelligent to ask I will post my questions.

Sure! We'll try to give priority to getting Dr. Taff's broadcast up in the podcasts, as well.

[MysticalKnight]

milomilford, on Apr 13 2011, 08:04 AM, said:

I will have to refresh my memory. Is this the girl in Germany?

No, I believe you are referring to the case of Anneliese Michel, which The Exorcism of Emily Rose was loosely based on.

[Drake]

I got my copy of Dr. Taffs book today -- I plan on starting to read it tonight so will hopefully have a question or two in the coming days!

[KuriusKat]

NoWhammies, on Apr 13 2011, 04:16 PM, said:

Sure! We'll try to give priority to getting Dr. Taff's broadcast up in the podcasts, as well.

That would be great! I'd like to hear that podcast before I ask any questions. It would be very embarrassing to ask him a question that he's already answered. Also a complete waste of your time, and his.

[Drake]

I've been reading several books at the same time, so I haven't quite finished Dr. Taff's book yet. I have read most of it and have a surprising lack of questions due to Dr. Taff covering all possible bases in his writing and explaining his theories and beliefs in such a comprehensive and accessible way. His book is engrossing and a fascinating read that I say should be on the “Must-Read List” of anyone who has more than a passing interest in the paranormal.

I only really have one question to ask Dr. Taff:

It seems to this reader at least that a disproportional amount of poltergeist activity has affected Dr. Taff's close friends and/or romantic partners. He attributes the cause to the unconscious actions of these people due to their state of mind or fragile disposition, but the one constant in the events he describes in his book is himself, and the occurrences he relates seem far too numerous for him to remove himself so readily as the underlying cause of the activity. Granted, some activity may have started prior to him meeting the person in some cases only to escalate more significantly once he became involved – maybe in such cases Dr. Taff's presence unconsciously fueled a weaker energy, or perhaps maybe time is not linear when it involves the paranormal and Dr. Taff was responsible for the activity from the start? ;-)

Joking aside, while Dr. Taff concedes he may play a part in influencing or amplifying the unconscious manifestations of those affected in some mysterious way, he dismisses the possibility that it is he himself who is manifesting such activity in just one short sentence in his book.

I'd be grateful if Dr. Taff would explain how he came to his conclusion seemingly so readily, especially as his friends and associates have experienced a seemingly incredible quantity of activity where the only common factor is the recent or current presence of Dr. Taff.

[MysticalKnight]

Drake, on May 9 2011, 04:47 PM, said:

I've been reading several books at the same time, so I haven't quite finished Dr. Taff's book yet. I have read most of it and have a surprising lack of questions due to Dr. Taff covering all possible bases in his writing and explaining his theories and beliefs in such a comprehensive and accessible way. His book is engrossing and a fascinating read that I say should be on the “Must-Read List” of anyone who has more than a passing interest in the paranormal.

I only really have one question to ask Dr. Taff:

It seems to this reader at least that a disproportional amount of poltergeist activity has affected Dr. Taff's close friends and/or romantic partners. He attributes the cause to the unconscious actions of these people due to their state of mind or fragile disposition, but the one constant in the events he describes in his book is himself, and the occurrences he relates seem far too numerous for him to remove himself so readily as the underlying cause of the activity. Granted, some activity may have started prior to him meeting the person in some cases only to escalate more significantly once he became involved – maybe in such cases Dr. Taff's presence unconsciously fueled a weaker energy, or perhaps maybe time is not linear when it involves the paranormal and Dr. Taff was responsible for the activity from the start? ;-)

Joking aside, while Dr. Taff concedes he may play a part in influencing or amplifying the unconscious manifestations of those affected in some mysterious way, he dismisses the possibility that it is he himself who is manifesting such activity in just one short sentence in his book.

I'd be grateful if Dr. Taff would explain how he came to his conclusion seemingly so readily, especially as his friends and associates have experienced a seemingly incredible quantity of activity where the only common factor is the recent or current presence of Dr. Taff.

Thanks for the question Drake. I think it's a great one.

[Drake]

Thanks for asking the question on the show. Sorry my question was so long-winded, but I thought it best to add a little context for those who hadn't read Dr. Taff's excellent book yet. (Apologies for taking so long to reply -- I've had a manic, (although very enjoyable), few weeks - one week of which while down in Arizona I didn't have Internet access at all for the first time in years!

I was overjoyed that Dr. Taff answered the question in such detail on the show. I really enjoyed the broadcast, it was very absorbing - Dr. Taff was a great guest again. Very well done to all involved!

[nypdretired]

I know that the Q&A was already done but I'll put out this question for those of you in the field just as a general Q...do investigators ever look into the possiblity of mental illness on the part of the reporter when it comes to their claims? Is it ever asked of the reporter if he/she ever suffered from mental illness? I'm just wondering if any reported cases were not a result of paranormal entitiy but of the persons own imagination.