Extreme Paranormal or Extreme Stupidity

Investigating or mere evidence collecting? This is the question I have about the many groups that are both on and off television. I happened to be watching A & E last night, and I am highly disappointed in the latest paranormal "crap" that is gracing tv screens. I have several questions for some of the readers out here. What is investigating to you? Are you looking to prove the existence of paranormal or are you actually out there trying to help people understand what is going on?
  Using a summoning circles, pentagrams, electro-shock therapy, provocation and other controversial methods should only be attempted if one is highly trained and skilled in these fields. In watching the latest episode about a jail and an asylum on Extreme Paranormal I was truly mortified this was attempted in such a light. First, I would like to say, these methods are not to be taken lightly. The Extreme Paranormal group apparently thinks this is a viable method to show the world and have implemented this in their practice of spirit contact and communication. I cannot believe how they so callously made a summoning circle without explaining on the show just how dangerous the practice really is. Groups attempting this on their own, not doing their homework on just how this works could be in some real trouble. Again, it is just as bad as an Ouija Board, you never know what spirit you are going to get. You may also encounter a spirit that was more than you bargained for. If your boundaries are not strong in the circle, it could break leaving the spirit to roam free.
  The second part of this event was the spirit the group was calling up was a murderer! Some of you out here might think I am overreacting, not a big deal, but yes, dealing with a potentially EVIL spirit in this manner was detrimental! How did they know this mass murderer's spirit was even lingering? But one thing I can tell you is they didn't know for sure. And what this group did was a summoning. Summoning basically means calling something up that is already at rest or is in a dormant state. This is not investigating. And when I think of a group potentially investigating like this, it turns my stomach. This is evidence collecting in all stretches of the word. Imagine if a group gets out there and visits a residential home, and uses a summoning circle to contact it? What if this group cannot close the circle properly and the spirit escapes, or the potential haunting gets worse?
  It is also inadvisable to call up spirits that are evil. Mass murderers are evil. This is super dangerous to call up evil spirits. Believe me, if they were rotten and stinky in this life, they are rotten and stinky on the other side. I was very distraught Extreme Paranormal is a group that messes with this, and uses ancient practices to collect their evidence.
   One of the most disturbing parts to this episode was when they were in the swamp that the mass murderer had dumped a lot of his bodies. They used a floating summoning circle! Such a bad idea, as it is floating and travels through many areas of the water. It is easier for the circle to break and harder obviously to contain the spirit. They also antagonized the spirit by having one of the group members speak to him under the water, trying to stay afloat in the vicinity of the summoning circle. This method of evidence collecting actually puts the "investigators" in harms way. If the circle floats beyond the diver he is no longer protected by the circle. This is indeed what happened. The investigator was held down by a mysterious force for a period of time while this investigator antagonized and provoked the entity. In essence, the investigator might have drowned.
  What has the field come to? I think that both groups on and off TV have had investigating get to their heads and they are looking for their five minutes of fame. They are willing to put the clients and their team at harm so they can get their big piece of evidence to achieve the goal of making it big. My only problem with this is there is no respect for the spirits, the clients and the safety of the investigators. The problem with these extreme methods of investigating is the clients still have to live or work in the dwelling. They want help not only in validation of the activity, but help on what to do or how to live with it. People want to know how to deal with it more than they want the confirmation  the spirit actually exists.
  So do I think this method of investigating is stupid? Yes I do think its one of the most disappointingly stupid methods out there. I do not think people should mess around with practices  they truly are unfamiliar with just to get a rise out of the spirits. I believe all spirits good, evil, grumpy, sleepy, what ever, should be respected. You are on their terms when you summon them-a guest in their house. Personally, it is much safer when you do not force the activity and you subtly examine it. I am disappointed that Extreme Paranormal is not explaining their methods should not be used unless they are trained in the occult. I will not be watching this show any longer, because it is a mockery of the serious investigators who actually want to help people not hurt them.

Prominent Paranormal Researcher Expresses Dissatisfaction in TAPS Ghost Hunters

Generations of heartache, suicides, fame and fortune lead TAPS Ghost Hunters to the Lemp Mansion located in St. Louis, MO. It is reported that a total of four members of the Lemp family have committed suicide over the early part of the 20th century. Along with this disturbing history several ghosts are reported roaming throughout the mansion. Unfinished business and the guilt of taking one's own life is a likely cause for this phenomena, but who exactly are the ghosts?

When TAPS arrives to the location, they are given a quick run through of the spirits that are supposedly haunting the building, but have history and hearsay combined to create a macabre tale of doom? The tour guide/owner of the Lemp Mansion lists specifically the names of the alleged apparitions. Troy Taylor founder of American Hauntings, wrote this on his Facebook status after the episode was aired September 29th.

"There was no "Zeke Lemp" and Charles Lemp never shot his dog in the basement -- or anywhere else for that matter. Who believes this crap? And better yet, what kind of idiot makes it up? I love the so-called "ghost hunters" who believe that history is worthless. Trying doing some actual research -- maybe someone would take you seriously!"

And in doing my own quick research, I too have not found anything about Charles Lemp shooting his dog in the basement, nor is there any mention of a Zeke Lemp. It also appears from Taylor's comment that it may not have been TAPS' first mistake of not throughly researching the background of a case upon the actual physical investigation.

While I do love TAPS Ghost Hunters, I can't help but wonder about the quality of the research, and if this was poor research, I can give you several reasons on why the ghost community would be upset. First, and foremost, paranormal research is a questionable field. In order to gain credibility, researchers  need to actually be serious about the work. All of the work requires research, and the background research is the foundation of a physical investigation. It is the essential building blocks. Who is haunting the house is an important factor. As you all know the more one tells a story, the more blown out of proportion the story becomes therefore the less credible it is. This is almost 100 years worth of story telling! Investigators have to get to the bottom of it, and educate the people living in the dwelling as well, because they want to know who and what is potentially haunting the dwelling!

The second reason people are upset in the paranormal community, is that there are groups popping up ALL over the place claiming to be seasoned in investigating, when in fact they are not. It is so important to be educated about the field. The fact remains that every group is NOT going to get on TV and if you have a TV show the groups should really be trying to set up an example of what the profession is about. This field requires hard work and dedication. It is not all fun and games, running around with a flashlight, mini dvd, and voice recorder yelling at ghosts floating around . Investigators need to get the facts straight before they can prove anything. It is critical to present the facts to the paranormal community in the most scientific way possible. It would also be wise to verify what the client claims to be "facts".

The fact remains is that this is not the glamorized field that everyone thinks that it is. Although it has come a long way and great strides have been made to prove the existence of ghosts (the fact that we are even talking about it right now) it still has an even longer way to go. Strolling into the house without knowing the history behind it is a bit more than an oversight in my opinion. Educating the owners and public that those figures in history did not exist would have proved beyond helpful resolving the haunting. Stunts like this reinforces the fact that paranormal research is not taken seriously by the scientific community.

Please find attached a link to Wikipedia about the Lemp Mansion. I have also looked at other sites and there are no mentions about shooting the dog or even Zeke Lemp.