The Philip Experiment

Many researchers of the paranormal suspect that ghostly manifestations and poltergeist phenomena (objects flying through the air, unexplained footsteps and door slammings) are products of the human mind. To test that idea, a fascinating experiment was conducted in the early 1970s by the Toronto Society for Psychical Research (TSPR) to see if they could create a ghost. The idea was to assemble a group of people who would make up a completely fictional character and then, through séances, see if they could contact him and receive messages and other physical phenomena – perhaps even an apparition.

The results of the experiment – which were fully documented on film and audiotape – are astonishing.

 Conclusion

In any case, the experiments proved that paranormal phenomena are quite real. And like most such investigations, they leave us with more questions than answers about the world in which we live. The only certain conclusion is that there is much to our existence that is still unexplained. 

http://paranormal.about.com/library/weekly/aa102201a.htm

I read about Philip the fictional ghost years ago, and was truly intrigued with the results.  The complexities of the brain is truly phenomenal.

The link for the 15 minute documentary is a bad one. 

Hannah said:

The Philip Experiment

Many researchers of the paranormal suspect that ghostly manifestations and poltergeist phenomena (objects flying through the air, unexplained footsteps and door slammings) are products of the human mind. To test that idea, a fascinating experiment was conducted in the early 1970s by the Toronto Society for Psychical Research (TSPR) to see if they could create a ghost. The idea was to assemble a group of people who would make up a completely fictional character and then, through séances, see if they could contact him and receive messages and other physical phenomena – perhaps even an apparition.

The results of the experiment – which were fully documented on film and audiotape – are astonishing.

 Conclusion

In any case, the experiments proved that paranormal phenomena are quite real. And like most such investigations, they leave us with more questions than answers about the world in which we live. The only certain conclusion is that there is much to our existence that is still unexplained. 

I remember this too.  Here's a couple of links:

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philip.html

"The group hoped their experiment would help in the study if the phenomena of poltergeists, hauntings, and Spiritualism. Their findings appear in the work Conjuring up Philip by Iris Owen and Margaret Sparrows (Harper & Row, 1976)."

Hmmm…yes.  Awfully hard to write a book without results, isn't it?  The group had tried for months without results.  They change their method, to a seance type of thing, and all of a sudden…results.  I had always found that quite…odd…about the story.

http://www.answers.com/topic/philip-parapsychology

"Within only a few weeks, the group elicited raps from the table and communications from "Philip" on conventional yesno lines. On one occasion this phenomenon was successfully demonstrated before a live audience of fifty individuals for a videotaped TV show. In addition, there have been instances of noises from various parts of the room, a light blinking, and an apparent levitation of the table."

And again…the seance thing.  Every element of the Spiritualist seance has been proven fake.  Harry Houdini LOVED doing this.  He ate mediums for breakfast.  I miss him greatly.  If alive today, he would be all over these current paranormal TV shows.  Not to mention to the big name psychics as well.  Anyway, all it takes is one person to hoax.  If done properly…you can write a book about it.  Which…she did.

And lastly…the Owens group created "Philip" in Canada.  I guess "Terrance" didn't want any part of it…

Sorry, have not been able to locate a link that works for the 15 minute video. 

A 16mm movie was produced by the group in 1974 entitled Philip: the Imaginary Ghost. It explains how the experiment was conceived, and what actually happened, showing tables movements and actual raps. Please see our note in regards below.

We at ParaResearchers Of Ontario will be carrying out similar experiments based on the Owens’ methodology. All results when available will be published to this website. We are currently (2007) in the planning stages with medium consultant Lynn Tucker.to put together a group, and Lynn has generously offered to donate space for the purpose of this experiment. We have set a two-year timetable for the project.

So far, they have not published their study, but the two years is not up.

http://www.pararesearchers.org/index.php?/20080805538/Psychic-Phenomenon/A-Made-In-Canada-Ghost.html

However, on the the ParaReasearchers 2007 blog, was an interesting rant, or 'smackdown' on TAPS (or sure sounds like TAPS to me). . .they claim they have emails (including threats) from the 90's. 

7/29/07 blog 

Oh, and before I get the usual e-mails about a certain "television show" that features WONDERFUL "ghost hunters" that we, obviously, have modeled ourselves after…

TRUTH! – Though I'm certain it's (publicly) "not true" in their eyes – They modelled themselves after us.

Don't believe me? I have the e-mails from years ago to prove it.

Basically, that group entered the scene in and around 1999 and wrote to me saying that WE must become a MEMBER of THEM because they were the largest and bestest…

…despite their absolute belief in orbs photos, mist photos, vortex photos, etc.

We declined, politely, for two reasons… First, we were serious about the study… second, we were in Canada and were not interested in being a part of a American group that plainly labelled themselves as adhering to one area.

This was met with MUCH anger and threats…

However, over time, they adopted SOME of our stuff… without crediting us… and made some pretty horrific mistakes (like using internet-obtained doctorates, for example.)

Now, they are WAY better than they were… and have SLOWLY changed their ways… but have NEVER, EVER given ANYONE credit for anything… but themselves!

No mention of the Society for Psychical Research. No mention of any other investigators or researchers.

They are islands unto themselves.

Well, let me tell you something… THEY AREN'T.

I ain't sayin' we're "better"… and I ain't sayin' we DESERVE "credit" for their stuff… but their poop stinks… worse than most… and just because they more-or-less "borrowed" from others to make themselves appear better over time DOES NOT MAKE THEM THE END ALL OF BE ALLS.

Just once… ONCE… I'd like to see them cite someone OTHER than themselves… to show that there were people in the field OTHER than them…

For God sakes, a grade five student writing an essay shows their sources… why don't these people?

So, as stated, BEFORE anyone spouts off an e-mail to "show" me that the media is GREAT based on a TV show from The States… yeah, we know 'em… we knew 'em when they told us we would "vanish" and be "shut out" from the "paranormal community" in the late 1990's… we knew 'em when they THOUGHT they were "doctors"… and now, we're forced to hear our own words, our own studies, and our own thoughts parroted back to us poorly in reference to these people.

This isn't jealousy… HONEST… what spurred this extra comment is the fact that a LOT of people toss these folks "at us" to make points… that somehow, we will be "awed" by the fact that they are citing "The Television Stars"…

…well, if you were planning this, now you understand why this, for us, is the equivalent of arguing wave mechanics with Erwin Schrödinger using something that the professor from Gilligan's Island did as your source of data and argument.

Oh, this does NOT mean you shouldn't be a "fan" of the TV show… or that everything these folks do is dung… not at all… they made mistakes, have (hopefully) learned from them, and are doing better (I hope) work.

…but for the record, people have been PROPERLY examining claims of the paranormal for centuries… and they weren't all like the people I blasted last week… and it would be NICE to see these two acknowledge those who we HOPE they learned from… be that Fodor, Roll, Rogo, Price, Underwood, Spencer… or even Friedman (instrumental in the fight against "so-called-sceptics"), Maccabee (the scientist who really was the first to debunk orb photos), Lietzau (the scientist who's ongoing work into photographic anomalies is crucial), Philips (work with ghost lights), or any number of people.

…and these folks do NOT have to be able to do their TV show to be acknowledged in my eyes.

http://seminars.torontoghosts.org/blog/index.php/2007/07/