Ryan Buell is founder of the Penn State Paranormal Research Society and stars in A&E Television Network's Paranormal State.
Ryan Buell founded the Penn State Paranormal Research Society, now the Paranormal Research Society, in 2001 at the age of 19. The Paranormal Research Society began as a student club and today is made up of Penn State undergraduate and graduate students as well as various Penn State faculty and staff. PRS is comprised of two departments: Field Investigation and Research and Parapsychology and Laboratory Research. PRS is based in State College, Pennsylvania. Buell and his investigative team travel the United States assisting clients who feel they are dealing with disturbing paranormal activity in their homes or businesses. Some of these cases can be seen on the A&E Television Network reality show Paranormal State.
There is a religious aspect to Paranormal State and to the way in which the PRS conducts paranormal investigations – would you say that’s accurate?
I think that’s accurate. There’s always a spiritual or religious element to, I think, all of our cases.
Several times you’ve given a client a necklace depicting a saint, is that something you do normally or only if you feel that a client needs some extra confidence or protection?
I usually give St. Michael and St. Benedict, the Benedictine medal. I usually give those to Christian or Catholic clients… even non-Catholics, too. I usually do that if a client has made it known on or off camera they feel there is something dark or sinister there. For example, in the cemetery case, with the caretaker, you know, because of his religious upbringing he is a born-again Christian. He didn’t really believe in spirits. He thought that all spiritual activity was a demonic force and if they claimed to be a spirit then they were just deceiving you. So he thought everything was demonic… I wasn’t really sold on that theory but I gave him the Benedictine medal because it has a very powerful prayer against Satan on the back of it. I gave that to him because I knew where he was coming from… I gave it to a couple of other clients. I don’t really give it out that much. Usually the client, they see me wearing the medallion, so “here’s one for you if you want”… It only has meaning if they give it meaning.
Do you get critiques from viewers of Paranormal State? Good and bad?
I think it’s a healthy dose… the PR campaign for the show was huge so we had a big audience paying attention to us… and whenever you bring in the religious element people get very, very – I don’t know – they have something they have to say about it. I’ve listened to some of their critiques. A lot of them don’t really make much sense. They say leave religion out of it. I say, well, you know, we’re not here to just investigate, we’re here trying to help these people and we’re kind of clinical. We take a clinical approach to investigations. You see we bring in counselors and psychologists and sometimes medical experts… sometimes we just can’t show that… but a lot of people want a resolution, they want this to end so right now we kind of implement the spiritual element to things… Bottom line is that it works. But I think a lot of people were hoping for another more science-minded show – and they’re very verbal. They want, you know, more of the science. They want to see more of this, more evidence, evidence, evidence. There’s already shows out there that deal with that quite nicely. And there are episodes coming up… we do so much and they only show twenty-two minutes of that whole thing. We will do an entire scientific investigation and we even bring in scientists. Several times we brought in an actual consultant, we’ve had things to analyze… sometimes it makes the cut, sometimes it doesn’t.
I’ve listened to the criticisms and what I enjoy about it is it shows how much people are discussing this show. It’s you know, a hot topic… I even wrote a blog today – someone who thinks this is the worst show on television, but he admits that he can’t stop watching it… It’s like, well, as long as they’re watching it. Whether they like it or not, people are tuning in because they want to discuss it.
Sources:
Buell, Ryan. Interview by Emily Jeanne Eppig. February 2008.
The copyright of the article Ryan Buell of Paranormal State in Paranormal is owned by Emily Eppig. Permission to republish Ryan Buell of Paranormal State in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
If you are talking about life after death, how can you leave religion out
of the discussion? The paranormal almost begs to be explained within a
religious context, yet religion and politics still remain the 2 things we
cannot seem to "discuss" without things getting a little heated
one way or the other.
Feb 6, 2009 4:33 PM
Guest :
I really like and respect the way PRS runs it's investigations and I saw a
recent program involving a case you did in Texas. It involved a 5 yr.old
child named Lola and her mother Dawn. When I say this show it
smacked me in the face as this is the description of the same thing that
myself at age 5 and my brother saw at age 4 at my paternal grandparents
house. It really was a confirmation for myself and I wish my brother
were alive today as it would have validated this for him as well. It
was the first apparition that I remember seeing and also the one that is so
clear in mind yet today. I could not talk about it with other
children of course but I had the love and support from my family including
my grandmothers and an Aunt and of course my mother and father. Everyone
of these family members had grown up with the Paranormal and Supernatural
and I had awesome teachers within each of them to show me how to deal with
things. At age 9 I started to hear Spirits thoughts to pass messages
to other people and that still continues today. I am 58 now and my home is
very haunted with good and evil Spirits. I do not ever remember not
living in or staying at a home for my whole life and when I became an
adult, I started a Paranormal Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan and it was
something I felt I had to do to try and fully understand what I saw and
heard that night when I was 5. Watching you show has actually helped
me to grow and to understand that I have gifts that were passed down to me
from my bloodline on both sides of my parents. I got tired of being
scared, terrified and feeling like I was alone and that what I saw was not
just a child's imagination. That for whatever reason God gave me several
gifts and I have always used them for the good and whatever attacks me and
physically hurts me that it cannot hurt me anymore Spiritually or
Mentally. Our group has followed your way for many years now and if
someone in our group cannot handle the way I choose for our group to
investigate or were to come drunk or high, I say Bye-Bye right then and
there. They would have to leave the group and any further investigations
as they would not belong to this group as I take this all very seriously
and expect the same from group members. Thank-You for letting me
say what I needed to say and keep up the awesome work Ryan you have
started. Your Friend, Sherry
Parks My group:http://greatlakesspiritseekers.web.officelive.com
Mar 31, 2009 9:00 AM
Guest :
"Quote" If you are talking about life after death, how can you
leave religion out of the discussion? The paranormal almost begs to be
explained within a religious context, yet religion and politics still
remain the 2 things we cannot seem to "discuss" without things
getting a little heated one way or the other." This is exactly to
the point, Alot of people want religion left out of the entire
investigation, but how can you do an investigation when the element of
spiritualism or spirits is the main focus? a good percentage of the links
in PRS's cases revolve around a death on the property, and a spirit being
seen,heard, or felt and many clues point back to the deceased being. this
brings in the debate of "what happens to someone when they die?"
Is there a place for them in heaven or hell? or even, are these spirits
once living beings or are they energies of something unknown" . The
one thing I can say as fact is that there is always an opposite, light has
dark, up has down, positive has negative, and good has evil. PRS does an
excellent job and alot of the time the client does seem to have a
satisfactory outcome from the entire process. One last thing I would like
to say though is this, when it comes to evidence, if the world was
presented with ultimate proof that spirits, demons, walk among us, there
would be those of us who either choose to believe or not believe in the
evidence, those who dont believe will find a reason to, and those that do
believe will still try to proove to those that dont that it is ultimately
true, there is always an opposite.
Mar 31, 2009 9:00 AM
Guest :
"Quote" If you are talking about life after death, how can you
leave religion out of the discussion? The paranormal almost begs to be
explained within a religious context, yet religion and politics still
remain the 2 things we cannot seem to "discuss" without things
getting a little heated one way or the other." This is exactly to
the point, Alot of people want religion left out of the entire
investigation, but how can you do an investigation when the element of
spiritualism or spirits is the main focus? a good percentage of the links
in PRS's cases revolve around a death on the property, and a spirit being
seen,heard, or felt and many clues point back to the deceased being. this
brings in the debate of "what happens to someone when they die?"
Is there a place for them in heaven or hell? or even, are these spirits
once living beings or are they energies of something unknown" . The
one thing I can say as fact is that there is always an opposite, light has
dark, up has down, positive has negative, and good has evil. PRS does an
excellent job and alot of the time the client does seem to have a
satisfactory outcome from the entire process. One last thing I would like
to say though is this, when it comes to evidence, if the world was
presented with ultimate proof that spirits, demons, walk among us, there
would be those of us who either choose to believe or not believe in the
evidence, those who dont believe will find a reason to, and those that do
believe will still try to proove to those that dont that it is ultimately
true, there is always an opposite.
Mar 31, 2009 9:01 AM
Guest :
"Quote" If you are talking about life after death, how can you
leave religion out of the discussion? The paranormal almost begs to be
explained within a religious context, yet religion and politics still
remain the 2 things we cannot seem to "discuss" without things
getting a little heated one way or the other." This is exactly to
the point, Alot of people want religion left out of the entire
investigation, but how can you do an investigation when the element of
spiritualism or spirits is the main focus? a good percentage of the links
in PRS's cases revolve around a death on the property, and a spirit being
seen,heard, or felt and many clues point back to the deceased being. this
brings in the debate of "what happens to someone when they die?"
Is there a place for them in heaven or hell? or even, are these spirits
once living beings or are they energies of something unknown" . The
one thing I can say as fact is that there is always an opposite, light has
dark, up has down, positive has negative, and good has evil. PRS does an
excellent job and alot of the time the client does seem to have a
satisfactory outcome from the entire process. One last thing I would like
to say though is this, when it comes to evidence, if the world was
presented with ultimate proof that spirits, demons, walk among us, there
would be those of us who either choose to believe or not believe in the
evidence, those who dont believe will find a reason to, and those that do
believe will still try to proove to those that dont that it is ultimately
true, there is always an opposite.
May 16, 2009 8:09 PM
Guest :
I think the team should go to the Peter's Powder Factory in Mason, Ohio.
The factory made bombs during the war and exploded killing hundreds of
people, there are many wandering souls there and every one in the town can
tell you a story they have had at the factory. It is a very scary place
and needs to have those souls put to rest. Please for the sake of the
people in the town consider going there and helping them.
