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The Real Entity Case

 

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Contrary to what many people believe, the case of Doris Bither, that later became the novel and motion picture The Entity, was not, in my professional opinion, the result of spectral rape, .a.k.a. spectrophilia, but a rather disturbingly real poltergeist outbreak.   Unfortunately, the amassed data on the case does not in any way support ghostly sex, but back in the mid-1970’s in my mid-20’s, such a notion was intriguing to say the least.

The passage of almost four decades and the experience of thousands of more cases, have provided this author with a rather unique perspective regarding such experiences and claims.  Remember, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and while there was plenty of evidence that we were dealing with real paranormal phenomena, it very likely had nothing whatsoever to do with incorporeal sex, except in the minds of Doris and her children.

Doris was very evasive and somewhat cryptic regarding her background, so much so that she refused to even tell us her age, which we knew was older than ours, but not by how many years.  Had we pushed Doris hard to reveal more about her hellish past, such efforts on our part might have pushed us right off the case.

Had we even attempted to secure the type of background information we currently collect, such as medical, psychological, family psychodynamics, prescribed medications (names of meds, dosage and duration) as well as recreational drugs and alcohol usage, Doris would surely have shown us the door from the outset.  We had no way of knowing just how utterly disturbing of a life she really had led: disowned by her family as a young teenager and cast out to fend for herself.

It’s fascinating the way time has a way of providing answers to those who wait.  Some years ago, I was contacted by Javier Ortega from Ghost Theory.com to interview me on The Entity case.  Somewhat later, Javier also interviewed one of Doris Bither’s sons, Brian Harris.

Brian spoke to Javier of how his mother was banished by her family while still a teenage due to her rambunctious lifestyle and rebellious nature.  How his mom started playing with Ouija Boards and séances at very early age, finally mixing such with drugs and alcohol to quell the irritable psyche within her.

Brian’s interview was disturbing at many levels in that he continuously contradicted himself in terms of his responses to all questions asked of him, certainly damaging his credibility as a witness.  It was not until Javier interviewed Doris’s other two sons that he learned that Brian was a chip off the old mother’s block in terms of drinking and drugs.  However, some of his statements were supported by corroborative testimony by his brothers.

According to Doris’s other sons, there were subtle amounts of paranormal phenomena present long before she moved onto Braddock Drive in Culver City, California.  They spoke of some psychokinetic events and even the occasional apparition, although I would never refer to such an occurrence as subtle.

However, not long after Doris moved from Santa Monica to Culver City, a strange Hispanic woman appeared at her door warning that her house was a bad or evil dwelling.  When Doris asked what the lady was talking about, the mysterious lady simply walked away without further explanation.  Shortly thereafter, Doris was beset with the paranormal attacks.  Was there a connection, in that the unknown lady knew something ugly about that particular ramshackle tinderbox Doris now lived in, or was this just a coincidence?  We’ll never really know unless we find that woman, some thirty-seven years later.

Currently, Javier is in the final stages of writing a book about Doris Bither and The Entity case from the perspective of her three male children, which begins long before we made her acquaintance in the summer of 1974.  Such detailed information may help us further clarify exactly what occurred and why, some 37 years ago.  Although, as it appears that Doris is not available to further study, we must deal with the somewhat fragmented memories of her children.

Doris Bither (The Entity case) framed by a luminous anomaly (1974)

According to Doris’s son’s, she passed away in 1999 at the tender young age of 58 from respiratory failure, and as such we’ll never really know if Doris fit the longitudinal pattern that has emerged in this type of parapsychological research strongly indicating a link between poltergeist activity and epilepsy/seizure prone individuals coupled with anomalous electromagnetic/geomagnetic environments.

It would have been really interesting to have given Doris a full neurophysiological medical workup combined with taking environmental electromagnetic and geomagnetic measurements.  Odds are, that such data collection would have revealed the true nature of what was really going on here.

Due to the fame or infamy this case gathered over time, there’s an incredible amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating about what did and did not actually occur back in 1974-5.  There has even been erroneous scuttlebutt pertaining to when Doris died, to the point where many mistook the death of Barry Conrad’s ex-girlfriend, Lisa McIntosh in 2006, as that of Doris Bither.

There have also been many people who have claimed that they were part of our lab and were also part of our investigation of this case.  There were only three names formally associated with this case, one being Kerry Gaynor, my associate at the time, Dr. Thelma Moss, the head of our former UCLA parapsychology lab (who only visited the site on one occasion), and yours truly.

During the last three decades I can think of at least ten different people who’ve claimed to have worked with us on this case.  Some of them I’ve never even met and would not even know if standing next to in a room.  Over those many years, people in other states have even claimed that The Entity case occurred in their own backyard, not here in a suburb of Los Angeles.  Put simply, they’re all lying or emotionally disturbed.

In recent years. several others have surfaced, who were even more blatant and deceptive in the claims.  One of them has recently been boasting to have worked in our lab, where we were allegedly training him as a medium to work for the U.S. government when he was well under eighteen years of age at the time.  This man is either a seriously disgusting opportunist, delusional or just psychotic.

Neither our lab, nor the U.S. government, has ever trained anyone as mediums, and we were not even allowed to work with anyone under the age of eighteen due to the university’s Human Use Committee regulations.  Such people should at least check their historical facts before pontificating.

More recently, a psychopathic woman has appeared on the scene who has been attempting to take credit for every case on the book, such as the one mentioned in chapter three (“A Hazardous Haunting”) of my book as well as The Entity case.  You can read more about this criminally insane excuse of a human female on this site at “A Demon’s Lair”.  This is one seriously frightening person to be around.  If one needs to chase a demon, there’s one just waiting for you in La Crescenta.  But beware; your valuables might mysteriously disappear while in her presence.  Trust me on this, as this paranormal predator has stolen very large sums of money from her her benefactor (the man she lives with).  Spend time with her at your own risk.  This is not a joke.

As there are no academic credentials required for anyone to go out and investigate the paranormal as they try emulating the garbage they’ve seen on cable TV paranormal reality shows, every uneducated and ignorant new age groupie is out there looking for demons.  Like I just said, there’s one in La Crescenta waiting to be captured and disposed of.  What are you waiting for?

To fully comprehend the possibility that a living person’s subconscious mind can involuntarily generate such power as to manifest luminous anomalies, apparitions and macroscopic psychokinetic events, is for me, far more compelling than if a discarnate intelligence was responsible.

My assessment and conclusions are fully discussed within Chapter 2 (The Real Life Entity Case) of my book Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown.

The following is written by GhostTheory.com’s Javier Ortega:

I never imagined being in the place in which I stand today. For years, I’ve read about the Doris Bither case and thought that such claims as “spectral rape” were of the most absurd things that I’ve ever heard.

Although I was highly skeptical about this case, something inside of me was always terrified when I would read over the case details just for fun. What I never imagined was I being involved in such manner with this case.

A case that officially began in 1974, but has a much longer and darker history to it. Four years before my birth, a single mother of four, living under dire circumstances, battled unseen forces that physically assaulted her and her children in a small house in Culver City, California.

Thirty-seven years later, I find myself believing that Doris did suffer some paranormal assaults against her body. Assaults from unseen forces in which Doris was, and always had been, the catalyst to.

There are three journals sitting on my desk that are full of notes. These notes are my prized possession. It took me years to catalog in a chronological order the major events in Doris’ life. With the help of Doris’ eldest son, I managed to get an insight to the life of Doris Bither.

A life full of abandonment, abuse and a very deep and dark void.  As I sometimes glance through my journals, I can’t help but feel that Doris’ psychodynamics with her family, started her off in a wrong direction in life.

It only became worse, after an adolescent Doris Bither got mixed up with the dark side of seances.  Something that at first seemed like bar trick to impress her friends, became an obsession that quickly spun out of control.  Sending Doris in a hellish ride that continued on until the final moments of her life.

Although there is much more to Doris’ life and haunting that I can mention in this article, I can tell you that all the evidence leads up to this being a case of extraordinary psychokinetic powers.

Or at least that’s how I see things.

Dr. Barry Taff is correct when he stated that Brian Harris seemed to contradict himself when I interviewed him.

Although this is evident in the interview, I don’t believe this was done with intent.

As I recall, when talking with Brian for a few hours over the phone, he seemed extremely agitated and very emotional over the fact that some things that were written about his mother were not true.

He was so emotional that it was apparent how jumbled his thoughts were at the moment. Mr. Harris just wanted to get the facts out there about his mother. He is the middle child and remembers a few things quite clearly.

“She was no drunk. Sure she liked to drink every now and then, but not the way they [investigators] painted her.”

I listened intently as the sound of his voice cracked a little.

“And all that stuff about her manifesting these entities because of there being three young males in the house that created this ‘tension’ is all crap! These things were real! I saw them and they saw us.”

I do believe Mr. Harris experienced things that his other brothers did not.

There was a time when one of the children was slapped by an unseen hand during the middle of the night. Another story involves one of the boys bumping into an invisible person in the hallway.

The boys all experienced and saw different things throughout the years, but the bottom-line is that they ALL experienced something in that house. Something that was paranormal.

I had mention to Dr. Taff when we first met that Doris was visited by an old Mexican lady when she had first moved in to the house in Braddock drive.

She received a knock at the front door and was surprised to see an old Mexican woman standing there. Possibly in her 70s or 80s, the woman seemed somber and was there to delivery a chilling message:

“You need to get out! I used to live here in this old house, back when it was just a farm and I was a little girl. There is something very evil here. This place is haunted and you need to get out!”

The old Mexican woman left without saying another word. This warning unnerved both Doris and her eldest son. It was only a few months after that dire warning that the attacks began.

The life of Doris is plagued with demons both literally and figuratively speaking. Because of the vast amount of information that I was privileged to have, Doris eldest son and I have been talking about converting his memories of the time spent on Braddock drive into a book.

A book that I’ve been working on for some time and expect to finish soon. The book contains major events in Doris’ life in a chronological order. From the day she abandoned her family in Illinois, to her final days.

Doris Bither passed away alone in a room, a room from which her son reported seeing balls of light appear just like they did back in the early 70s. You see, Doris died a haunted woman.

The book is a project in the works and I expect to have it complete late this year.

This will be a first-hand account of Doris’s eldest son.

The dark past he knew about his mother, his experiences during the time spent on Braddock drive and his adult life with his mother.

This is a non-fiction piece, based on meticulous research into the case.

With the help from the good folks over at the Los Angeles County Hall of Records and Doris’ family, I piece together the history of one of the greatest cases in the annals of the paranormal.

Javier Ortega
August, 6, 2011
Los Angeles, CA

By Dr. Barry Taff

Dr. Barry Taff, who holds a doctorate in psychophysiology with a minor in biomedical engineering, worked as a research associate at UCLAs former parapsychology laboratory from 1969 through 1978. During his 41-year career, Dr. Taff has investigated more than 4,000 cases of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists, and he has conducted extensive studies in telepathy and precognition which led to the development of the original protocols and methodologies for what was later coined remote-viewing. He is the author of Aliens Above, Ghosts Below.

78 replies on “The Real Entity Case”

I’ll say this for the record, Dr. Taff is THE godfather of the paranormal field. It’s disgusting watching all these vomit inducing “reality” ghost shows polluting cable television. It’s about damn time Barry starts getting the recognition he deserves. Aliens Above, Ghosts Below is, hands down, the best book in this field this year. It is the best book since Project Beta, and Hunt for The Skinwalker.

I’ve talked to Barry numerous times as a call in on Don Ecker’s Show Dark Matters and Barry’s insight and knowledge never fails to amaze me. With adequate funding and minds like Dr. Taff, we could be so much further along in this field and actually be causing these paranormal occurrences on demand, in controlled conditions.

Well Dr. Taff, I hope to see you much more in this field publicly and just destroy these paranormal attention whores for there sloppy research and investigatory procedures.

As there are three major areas in parapsychology, one must determine what area they wish to study. There’s lab work dealing with remote viewing (ESP), OBE’s, psychokinesis, etc. Then there’s field research where one goes out and collects data on cases of poltergeists, hauntings, etc. However, all these fields require some degree of study and education which allows the investigator to better properly do their job. Bottom line here is that one must get a good background in science that’s specifically related to the area of their interest. There have been numerous textbooks published by very well educated parapsychologists the provide such a starting point.

Take some time to read the books and articles written by academic parapsychologists, people who’ve been doing this research for a long time. Study their methods and what they’ve learned over the last century. The truth is out there and can be partially understood if you know what questions to ask and what type of environmental measurements are relevant. But it’s also critical to understand the somatic correlations to such phenomena in regards to neurophysiological medical conditions. As these events cannot be brought into a controlled laboratory situation one must collect a great deal of data over a very long period of time hoping to see what patterns are present, and there are very specific patterns to observe.

The negative fallout resulting from all the alleged paranormal reality shows is that I have not been out to investigate a case in approximately twenty months, the longest period in 42 years without a case. The best analogy I can supply here is that you come home to discover that your home has been burglarized and much of your furniture and belonging are gone. Instead of calling the police to report the incident you contact actors who play cops on a television show. This is exactly what is happening in this field as such moronic shows are doing an incredible disservice to the field of parapsychology by making people believe that what they hear and see of their shows is real. These show are all choreographed and fraudulent. They claim to be unscripted, but they are NOT. Please check out another of my posts “Psi’s Circus Sideshow” for more details here. Thanks for the comment.

I just barely started reading this case tonight, bit since I started.I have found myself unable to stop. I am extremely enlightened by your work doctor, especially regarding the entity case and I was wondering if you’ve finished your book.

Are there only 2 photographs from all the time you spent investigating this? Did the family not get any photographs of the “entities”? Thank you.

There were only four relevant photos we came away from this investigation with. One was lost when my partner accidentally put in a mailbox. There is one other, simply that of a ball of light with a tall on it which was not included here as there was no way to reference it against anything in the background. The family didn’t even own a camera. Remember, this was 1974, and everyone wasn’t walking around with a cell phone camera on their pocket. Many of the frames we fired off during the course of the investigation came out blank. What we saw we could not photograph, and what we photographed, we never saw. A true paradox. I suggest you buy my book “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below” Explorations of the Unknown”, as there are more photos in their not depicted here. Thanks you for your questions Lee.

i just heard the story last night on an old broadcast with art bell on a cell phone app radio station , im interested in the photo of your assistant jeff hanging from the attic rafter at mrs B’s house where is the photo Dr ?

I think you’re confusing one case with another here Jeff. You’re responding here to The Entity case, while the incident with Jeff hanging in the attic is from another case entirely. The Entity case was in Culver City in 1974, the case San Pedro case where Jeff was almost hung was from 1989. The Entity case is chapter two in my book, while the San Pedro case is chapter three. I hope I’ve explained that matter clearly here.

Can i ask, your a doctor can you explain why people can not grasp the concept that there could be ‘entities’ ive had this conversation with my partner and he says ‘i dont know if i believe’. That is not a answer i just feel that we are very nieve as a race and we should be looking at the bigger picture. Your work is a credit to you and others. thankyou.

We do not really know what these “entities” are, in that are they really no more than an extension of living consciousness or or they indeed a separate sentient being? This lack of hard fact is why it’s called paranormal phenomena.

Thank you for your compliment.

The data collected during The Entity case strongly suggested that it was an intense poltergeist outbreak as opposed to a discarnate entity attacking Doris Bither. When the phenomena moves with the person, that indicates that it is NOT an incubus, but an RSPK situation. You should read chapter two, The Real Life Entity Case, of my book “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown.”

I’m really intrested in your book! I watch the entity several times, never really knew if it bared any truth. I been contact with things i cant explain, and when i think of them my eyes tear up. I’m sorry to ramble, but its nice to meet some one, who is real at what he does; not just tv chasing fool.

The Entity movie as based on the novel written by Frank De Felitta which was fiction. If you want to read read really happened, read chapter two (The Real Life Entity Case) of my book “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown”, which clearly separates fact from fiction. Thanks for the compliments Adam, very much appreciated.

I completely agree, or shall I say relate with the fact that the turmoil in Doris’ manifested itself into paranormal activity. When I was a child our house was most definitely haunted. My brother and I saw the same ghost in our house on many occasions, it manifested itself in a large black cloud shaped like a man. It once grabbed my arm and it jumped on us many times. At the time my father was a terrible alcoholic and very abusive to my mother and myself, as well as my brothers and sisters. Our house was tense and negative all the time, we were all miserable. We would hear footsteps, voices, and see this apparition walking around the house. Our use of the Ouija Board made things worse. Not getting into too much detail, when my father left us it seemed as if the black cloud and negative energy just disappeared. We never saw it again, although it did follow my brother to college. Not until he got help for his substance abuse and childhood issues did it stop. It never did physically hurt anyone but it would jump on top of us in our sleep, it was terrifying. My father still owns the house and my sister and nieces live there, but there is no activity whatsoever.

Thank you for your comments Sandra. I’d almost be willing to bet that one or more of the family living in the house had some temporal lobe lesions or epilepsy as well as the localized environment having a higher than normal geomagnetic or electromagnetic field. These events are almost always a confluence of several different factors acting in concert to generate and direct the psychokinetic events. Receiving feedback from people like yourself is a very important part of the equation in terms of our understanding the nature of these types of paranormal experiences. Once again, thank you very much Sandra.

In being a Paranormal Investigator/Case Advisor for over 25 years,I would like to say “Thanks” for Conducting this Investigation in which Evidence was Captured and Cataloged…It is these Older Cases that have been Documented by a Team of Professionals that I give much Credibility to…The Bither Case created the Foundation needed for Mainstream Scientists to take a serious look into the Paranormal Field and address the Phenomenon known as Hauntings.

Skunkworks….

Thank you very much for your kind words and compliments regarding The Entity case and my work in general Timothy. You should check out chapters two and three of my book “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown” for even more detail on some of the cases in my files.

This is indeed interesting. The strange occurences that happened to Doris, also happened to my mother & her family. Starting with my mother at a young age & ended not long after my birth in 1991. Unsure as to why paranormal cases fascinate me so. Perhaps it could be because of what I’ve been through as a baby, even if I don’t remember it.

Really fascinating information. I saw this movie back in 1983 and it has been the only movie that has had a truly disturbing impact upon me. Thank you for your true and factual insight to this unusual case. I have never experienced or heard first hand of anything like these events – but luckily for anyone who has (sorry for my choice of words for those people who have experienced these events) your dedication and interest in this field may one day provide some much needed definitive answers.

Thank you so very much for your kind words and compliments Tony. As you articulated here, most people who watch paranormal reality shows have absolutely no idea of how complex these events really are, and that the underlying elements and forces at work here clearly indicate how we humans can effectively couple with the localized environment in ways that go way beyond everyday science. The key to our eventual understanding of these events is to collect massive amounts of longitudinal data over very long periods of time looking for continuity. Scientific parapsychology is closer to such comprehension now, than at any point in its history, yet there are still those both within and without of this field who are totally closed regarding the acceptance of this incredible breakthrough information. It’s vitally important for everyone interested in this research to understand that in science, and especially in parapsychology, your theory MUST conform to your data, not the reverse. However, what we constantly see on TV is junk science, where these various ignorant participants try to make their alleged facts conform to their apriori theories. That is not science, that is quackery. You should check out my book “Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown” as it delves very deep into this case and many others and does offer theories that are support by hard, scientific fact.

Dear Dr. Taff,

What thought, if any, was given to the human side of this story? In other words, once you were convinced that there was a real phenomenon going on, did anyone think to arrange some sort of protection for Ms. Bither and her children? I find references to her desire for privacy baffling. If I and my children were being so maliciously attacked by an unseen force, I’d never want to be alone! Couldn’t a group of volunteers from local churches or some other institution that might take supernatural events seriously have been organized to take rotating shifts just being being present in the house to help these people relax and live normal lives?

Good question Scott, but not applicable in this case. As a parapsychologist and scientist, I have never brought in any theological counseling to a case as that simply muddies the water with religious dogma which might make matters even worst. Your question puts forth the supposition that these events were the result of supernatural predators, as opposed to an intense poltergeist (RSPK) manifestation which has nothing whatsoever to do with spirits and demons. The last thing Doris Bither wanted was for more attention than she was already getting in this matter, as she was embarrassed and humiliated by her experiences. Our primary job was/is to scientifically and objectively study and document these types of cases and events in the hope of better understanding their true nature. And we’ve come a very long way since 1882, when psychical research formally began in the UK. If the residents of the affected homes want to bring in their own religious practitioners to assist them, that’s fine. However, we do occasionally recommend psychological/psychiatric counseling if they’re open to it.

Dr. Taff,

Thank you for the response. Perhaps I misstated my question. I mainly intended to ask if anyone had looked into protection for this family. My suggestion to approach religious institutions didn’t presuppose a supernatural predator, but rather optimism that such groups might be at least provide a pool of volunteers sympathetic to treating the phenomenon as real, and not imagined. But perhaps your team or Ms. Bither might have approached the paranormal investigative community instead, or any other group that would not immediately dismiss the situation as nonsense. The point is Ms. Bither and her children seemed to be alone in a house with forces, whatever their origins, that attacked and harmed them with none of the usual protections, police, etc., to turn to. If true, my concern would be protecting the family first, and debating the threat’s nature second. Now, If Ms. Bither outright rejected any help, I guess that’s her business. But as a father, that position mystifies me.

Thanks again for generously taking the time to offer feedback.

Scott: It’s rather difficult, if not impossible, to protect people from themselves in such situations as it’s their own subconscious at work. These occurrences are the product of a somewhat dysfunctional central nervous system coupling with the localized environment. There’s no known way to “turn off” these events, at least no way that’s been demonstrated. By bringing in total strangers in such situations with their apriori assumptions, attitudes and misinformed beliefs, only adds more fuel and fool to the already turbulent psychokinetic maelstrom. You might as well try to “shout it out”,like the way an old TV commercial suggested for laundry stains. However, we now know that by magnetically shielding such environments combined with the proper anti-seizure medications taken by those at the loci of the events, may turn these events off at their core. Even suggesting anything along the lines of asking strangers to sit and protect the person under attack is illogical and foolish, as there’s no evidence that such will ever work, other than acting as a mild form of pro-active inhibitor for a short while. However, when making such aforementioned suggestions to the PGAs, they frequently become annoyed and angry at our even suggesting that such events are caused by their own psychokinesis as opposed to demons or entities. In point of fact, bringing in third parties with religious orientations almost always results in nothing more than chaos at every level and may even serve to amplify the events over time.

Dr. Taff,

As always, thank you for the time you take to reply. Since the photos of this case remain some of the strongest pieces of acknowledged evidence in this field, can you shed any light on why more evidence is so hard to obtain? Unlike, say, UFOs, poltergiest phenomenon tend to be reported localized around people or structures, and ought to be easier to capture on film or video in this digital age. With all the investigations you’ve done; do you have, or can you direct one to, more solid film or video evidence of this phenomenon? (Obviously, the internet is full of fakes.) By this time, it just seems statistically that it can’t escape being filmed. I would only half-jokingly recommend anyone who feels haunted to live on constant web-cam or something, because nothing definitive ever seems to happen to a person in front of cameras. Maybe these entities are afraid of them…

Superb questions Scott, very much appreciated. There are so many variables involved here that it might take me days or weeks to completely respond. However, what should be understood in this particular case, is that what was seen could not be photographed, and what was photographed was not visually observed. An obvious paradox. As I discuss in my book Aliens Above, Ghosts Below: Explorations of the Unknown, there is always the possibility that on some occasions that an unknown type of energy is directly affecting our brain to the point of inducing audio-visual hallucinations, but there are inherent problems with that mechanism as well. And in today’s advanced CGI world, one must be very careful before accepting what they see in photographs as being actually paranormal, versus some great hoax. What it all seems to come down to is that there appears to be a fascinating interrelationship between us humans and the EM environment in which we live, and that relationship plays a very dramatic roll in producing phenomena and determining what can and cannot be captured on film or video. This is all discussed in detailed in my book. The more we learn about these occurrences, the more complicated they appear to be in every respect. Another case that produced some fascinating photographic data is the San Pedro case from 1989 through 1993, and it’s discussed in detail in chapter three, A Hazardous Haunting, of my book. If it were as easy and logical as you suggest, there would be much more authentic photographic footage out there. But please don’t try and apply statistical probability to something that we barely understand from a purely physical perspective, as that it always fail you.

Dr Taff: First, I would like to say that I think it is awesome to see you reply to all the comments! I just watched The Entity on DVD as well as The Entity Files-which is really why I bought the DVD. I am a little confused by some comments I found here. When I was younger I lived in what I thought at the time to be a Haunted House. Long story short Few years later, I moved. Well, whatever it was. Moved with me. Slowly it decreased. So am I understanding that I may have caused this? Its freaking me out a little. LOL.. A small note here.. The supposed haunted house I moved from? I moved because I got divorced. My ex-husband rented it to his aunt 5 years later.. She fled from that house.. She was renting to own this house but ran from house just like in a movie. So I think I have always been interested in these type of stories- due to the fact that I know personally what I experienced in those 3 years. Things I would not share with people. I’m not after attention. Still, after all these years, I’m after understanding. Thanks in advance for any comments. Oh one last thing. I come from a very stable family. I don’t drink or do drugs. My parents are not religious zealots. I will say that I do believe I have always had a psychic twinkle.. I came to terms with that, but? To make all those crazy things happen in that house? I can’t wrap my head around that! Thanks again! Lori

Thank you very much for writing me Lori, very much appreciated. It’s important for all of us to understand that these types of paranormal experiences are the result of a confluence between certainly uniquely neurologically wired individuals and their localized environment. This matter is well addressed in my other blogs entitled “The Science of Poltergeists: Looking A Gift Ghost In The Mouth” and “Hazardous Hauntings: The Enemy Within” as well as in my book in even greater detail. The longitudinal data collected over the last 44 years by myself and other academicians, clearly point in this direction, that these events are far more complicated that we ever imagined. Yet at other levels, they’re quite simpler.

Dr Taff: Thanks so much for your speedy reply! I will check out the blogs you suggested in your reply as well as your book! For the record, I was around 25 when i lived in that house. I just turned 40. I still have things happen sometimes. Things I just don’t understand and cannot talk to just anyone about. All my coworkers say I’m psychic. Honestly I don’t know what I am. LOL I was born this way, or with certain gifts, if you can call them that. I have learned not to talk to people about certain things. So thanks so much for the information! I did realize last night when I left that comment? Not only was I needing to get understanding about what happened in that house so many years ago. I guess I’m trying to get some understanding about me. Why do I know things are going to happen before they do? Just weird things like that! Small things, But to me? It makes me odd. Thanks so much! I really want to get some understanding about this. Kind of complicated indeed? You have made my day with your info! Thank’s again! Lori

What caused me to enter this field were my own psychic experiences growing up; telepathic, clairvoyant, precognitive. In fact, there was a study conducted on me at UCLA back in 1969-1970 which validated my ability. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would have never even entered this field at all. This is all a learning experience for all of us and sometimes we just to stop, listen and learn. I’m happy to hear that my comments and suggestions were of assistance to you.

Dr Taff: 1 last question, The house i lived in years ago? I found out 8 years later, A man that lived there Hung himself. Since I do feel I have alittle– [SOMETHING}..If it was a true haunting? Could the negative vibes there been attracted to me? OR? in your opinion? Would it have been coming from me?? I promise i will not get upset with your honest reply.This has bothered me for years. Sorry to comment so much. This has just bothered me for years! Thanks in advance. Lori

This all sounds as if you have a hyper-sensitivity to these types of energies and information, which is why you perceive and react the way you do. Like my writing says, it’s all a confluence, that is a coupling between the localized environment and certainly uniquely wired individuals, which apparently you are.

Dr. Taff. On 6 different occasions, I have woken up in pain with fingerprint bruises on both my inside my upper arms, 4 bruises alongside each other. There is no possibility that it was done by myself because of the positioning of the prints. I have a few pictures to document this. I live alone with my son who can testify the validity of my stories. I have nightmares every single night and have been having them for many years. Once woke up seeing a dark silhouette on top of me, feeling the weight and couldn’t move. I saw the movie ” The Entity ” when it came out. It scared me to death. But now because of my experiences with ” the paranormal “, I live in fear and often feel like I’m being watched. I have friends who have seen shadows in my home. I realize the movie is just a story based on some actual events. If this woman says he felt she was ” raped “, I believe it can happen. These things are hard to believe until it happens to you.

Your experiences sound quite frightening and intense. If you’re here in Los Angeles, we could come and meet with you, take measurements, etc. If you’re not out here, then you can contact me direct at barryetaff@ca.rr.com and I will email you a copy of our field investigation form to fill out, which might help answer some questions for the both of us. I very much appreciate your contacting me on this. I hope to hear from you. Barry E. Taff, Ph.D.

Dear Dr Taff, I live in england and just wondered whether or not you have heard of the Enfield poltergeist case which happened in Enfield (London) in the seventies. Just like the Entity and San Pedro case this was one of Englands most fascinating, although it had differences,no allegations of rape.This revolved around an eleven year old girl named Janet.After a long period of knocks, moving furniture and flying lego bricks. The poltergeist started speaking through the girl.After that a lot of apportation of objects started.Have you ever heard of this case Dr Taff and if so what do you think? I am a big admirer and it has been nice to finally find an outlet to correspond with you.

Thanks for commenting and your compliments Kyle. Yes, I am aware of the Enfield poltergeist case, and it certainly was spectacular in every respect. I would have liked to have been there at the time and ask the PGA some very relevant questions and take measurements of that location and of her.

Dr. Taff,

What strikes me about your responses to these comments are based on science. Our local university had a parapsycholgy department, but the new head of the department discontinued it. (Okay there was some table tipping going on). But why throw the baby out with the bath water. I was so upset by this close-minded dr., that I refused to finish my degree in Behavioral Science (I had one class in my major and three electives left). I just did not want to accept a diploma from this narrow-minded jackass. As a sensitive, I have always known things are not just black and white. A lot of your responses . . . Like longitudinal studies, leaving religio out of it (although I am religious) tells me you are a man of science. I look forward to looking up your books. And maybe I will finish that degree after all. I can tell you if you were head of the department at my local university, I wouldn’t have discontinued my academic pursuits.

Thank you very much for your comments and compliments Sharron. Very much appreciated. However, what university are you speaking of that had a parapsychology department that recently closed? I am unaware of any such department anywhere, other than a chair in parapsychology that was founded by Arthur Koestler long ago at Edinburough (wrong spelling I’m sure) in the UK. Given my educational background, there’s no university on earth that would run the risk of have someone like myself as the head of any department. Read another blog on this site entitled “Legacy Lost”, which dealt with the lab we had at UCLA from 1967 to 1988, and you have a far better understanding of the knee-jerk, closed-mind attitude that has prevailed at most universities for some time, and will probably continue to do so for many decades to come, unless of course, there’s some real money to be had in grants from the NSF, NIMH, DARPA, CIA, NSA, etc.

The university was not large enough to have a separate parapsych dept. It was all under the umbrella of psych. The former head of this dept was a big believer and everyone in the area knew that is where you went to take these classes. This is a university in North Alabama. The old chair retired and we got this new man. He was determined that no one would laugh or trivialize his dept. I am a very intelligent woman and he put me thru his paces. This university has a lot of antebellum houses as it was founded in 1822. Their were well known paranormal activity going on, but he refused to acknowledge it. That is what gets to me. Any one (including my husband) is ignorant when they doubt the existence of paranormal activity. I think that is why this thread hit home. You said that this activity is not necessarily caused by sentient beings. And that fascinates me. The power of our mind is incredible and needs to be studied scientifically. When we chose to ignore the veracity of the paranormal, we are closing our minds to valid scientic research. That is why I get so frustrated. As I am sure you have felt the same. My mother once saw her doppleganger. She was told she could never have children due to an accident when she was nine. She wanted children very badly and her friend was pregnant. This was 1960 and she tended to dress very smartly. She was sitting in her chair knitting and watching her soap when something caught her eye. She looked up to see herself wearing a bulky shirt. The doppleganger was pregnant. The doppleganger walked across the room and disappeared into the kitchen. My mom was stunned. She got up looked into the kitchen and nothing was there. She grabbed her car keys and left. But after she eas clearly told she would never have children, and being envious of her friends having children . . . The doppleganger manifested to show her she was pregnant! My sister was born later that year. (My mom’s uterus had been flipped during the accident, and that first pregnancy flipped it back). Obviously her mind was trying to tell her not to be fretful because she indeed was pregnant too. This is a classic example to me of our mind interacting with our physical environment. Sorry for the long post, but it has been a pleasure to communicate with someone who I believe is on the same page. Someone who is using science to try to explain something we don’t understand. But hasn’t that been the purpose of science all along. Why is this so different. I have another question for you but will ask later. I am sure you didn’t want to read a book. I guess you can see my frustration level is pretty high.

I am going to ask my question anyway. Have you heard of the story where I woman, in Europe I believe, kept concentrating on creating a being. She did this continually. I don’t know what form this being took shape as. But she could control it . . . Until it took on a life of it’s own. Have you heard this??? I know it sounds crazy . . .but so does my mom seeing her doppleganger.

Hello Dr. Taff

I have lived in 3 houses and in all 3, strange things have happened to me. In the house where I grew up, there was a lady who appeared to be dressed in white, although I couldn’t make out real features, who would appear to me in the middle of the night. In one instance, I woke up with her on top of me and I couldn’t breathe or get up or scream. She never did it again, but would continue to appear. My mother also experienced some “paranormal activity” but she believes that her experiences were my grandfather. My oldest son also had experiences in that house, with “Grey Man” and “Blue Man” who used to fight in his room….although he was scared, he said he didn’t feel threatened….he just didn’t like it. And he would tell them to stop and they would….but they would come back. When I moved into my 2nd house, as an adult, many strange things went on in there. The dryer door would open and close….lights would go on and off….we would wake up in the middle of the night to the TV blasting downstairs or our daughters toys going off, however they were off when we went to bed and our children were too young to go down there and turn it on….also, in the basement and in my daughter’s room it would get so cold and the air would feel almost heavy….at the time, my daughter was an infant and it lasted until she was 2 1/2 when we moved. You could see a male figure in her room….my husband fought (if that is the right word) with it one night…however, I don’t think he wanted to hurt my daughter, I think he was protective of her in a way…like it was laying claim to her…she would look off into the same corner and coo and giggle and then talk to him once she was able too…but she was never able to convey what she was seeing, until we moved into our 3rd house, the house we live in now. All of our kids have seen something or felt something…both my sons have been touched and brushed against and my one son has repeatedly seen someone in his room….I have also witnessed it…we have seen people in the kitchen, LR and bedrooms and standing over us….I was dragged out of bed and flung around the room while my husband and daughter were asleep next to me….I wasn’t hurt, and I wasn’t even really scared, but it was like they were trying to tell me something…it’s also my daughter…..when she was 3 years old, after her nap I went into her room and her toys and a box of diapers, were stacked up neatly in her crib…I was home with my son and we were both in the LR watching a movie….when I went heard her talking, I went into her room and that’s how it was…I yelled for my son and he came in and she was saying “they just wanted to play” she has spoken to them and communicated with them…she is 7 now, and it was mostly when she was younger…now she just kind of sees things…I don’t think they mean her harm, though…but both my son and my daughter have always had some sort of extra sense…or maybe they are just extra sensitive…if that’s the right way to put it…I don’t think anybody in my house mean any of us harm….my husband also grew up in a haunted house…which can be corroborated by generations of his family. In my first and current home, there were no occupants before us. I don’t really feel scared of what is in my home….but we all just know it is there….maybe I’m crazy….sometimes my husband and I think we are all just nuts…but for all of us to experience it at different times….is just weird….Any info or feedback would be appreciated….

Thanks for sharing these great accounts Gina. Incredible cases and long-term experiences to be sure. Based on my 45 years of research as a parapsychologist, there’s much more to the nature of these events than most people are aware of. I suspect that if I were able to ask you, your husband and children the right questions as well as taking measurements on the localized environments, we’d find some answers to some of your questions. As other of my blogs on this site discuss, these types of events are the result of a confluence, that is, a link between unique individuals, the location and some other variables. My book gets into this in great detail as well.

Yes, I certainly am aware of The Philip Experiments in the 1970’s. If you read my book, I comment on the fact the most of the poltergeist outbreaks are the result of humanly generated RSPK as opposed to ghosts. Thanks for commenting Jeff. Very much appreciated.

Dear Dr. Taft,

It’s really hard not to pester you with constant messages, your story is so interesting. 🙂

Two quick questions: First, have any of the other students or scientists that worked on the Bither case published works on the subject you would recommend?

Second: I would love to hear just your personal thoughts about living with the knowledge of the reality of a subject that most of mainstream science asserts simply does not exist. Even most dedicated paranormal investigators and believers never get the privilege of being in a room full of scientists and cameras as you were when one of these phenomena totally breaks protocol and just struts out on stage for you to witness and photograph. I can’t even imagine the perspective.

If you the have time to comment, of course 🙂

-Scott Robinson

Dr. Taff(great fan of your work by the way very inspiring) I was wondering are you shure it was not an incubus because Ed and Loraine waren said a demon would follow you if if it’s attached to you and not the place as in the case of demonic possesion.

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