A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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A look at the claims, predictions and behavior of a media "psychic".
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| Follow-up to "Sightings: Ghost of Brookdale Lodge"Some thoughts after viewing Browne's "Sightings" episode.  Shot of Brookdale Lodge from "Sightings" BackgroundOn August 8 2007, an article titled "Sightings: Ghost of Brookdale Lodge" was published on this web site. The article examined a story in Browne's 2003 book Visits From the Afterlife, in which she described being filmed for an episode of the television program "Sightings". Since then, I have obtained a video of the episode in question, and viewing it has brought up some more issues I will describe below. Note: I highly recommend you read the original article before reading this one. The Death of "Sarah"One way in which the TV show does not agree with the written account is the way in which Brown sees the reenactment of the death of Sarah, a young girl whose ghost Browne claimed to see. Visits From the AfterlifeHere is part of the written account, from Visits From the Afterlife, on page 47 of the hardcover edition (emphasis mine):
In this version, the Brook Room is where Browne starts her investigation, and where she sees "Sarah" for the first time. Sarah's death is an accident, from running too close to the railing of the footbridge. Sightings Reenactment of Browne's account of the death of 'Sarah', from Sightings episode. She tells the story in the "Sightings" episode, with some interesting discrepancies. Here is a transcript of the clip (emphasis mine):
In this version, Browne does not start her "investigation" in the Brook Room, nor is it where she sees "Sarah" for the first time. Also, this time, the death is not an accident, but a murder. "Judge" Browne "talking" with "Judge". The other "spirit" Browne claims to find in the lodge is "Judge." Here is her account of her "meeting" with "Judge", first from the book, and then from the "Sightings" episode. Visits From the AfterlifeHere is part of the written account, from Visits From the Afterlife, on page 49 of the hardcover edition. She has just walked into a room, and describes a "ghost" she sees in the room:
Browne goes on to describe herself and her people saying a prayer to put the spirits to rest, and then, as they are starting to leave the lodge, the following happens:
I was curious to see how this ectoplasm incident looked on "Sightings". Would it appear impressive? Would it look obviously faked? If faked, would it be easy to figure out how it was done? Sightings Browne describing "Judge". Here is the segment of the episode pertaining to "Judge."
First, I find it strange that Browne makes no mention of the significance of the word "Judge" in the book, but in the "Sightings" episode they explain it. And, stranger still, where was the "ectoplasm?" There was no mention of it in the episode at all. Browne supposedly had real, physical evidence of a ghost, and a film crew right there, documenting the purported haunting, but they didn't film it? Even if for some reason the entire film crew had left, did Browne or one of her people photograph the "ectoplasm"? Did they take a sample of this rare evidence to a lab to be analyzed? If it was analyzed and found to be some rare or never-seen-before substance, think of how that would advance ghost research! Think of how much credibility and prestige Browne would gain for being the first person to bring such a thing forward! It would certainly bring more people to her church (benefiting her religion), and would cause more people to buy her books (benefiting her bank account). If either of these things was done, why does she make no mention of it in her book? And if neither was done, I have to wonder - why not? AnalysisSo, why do her accounts of the death of "Sarah" differ in the book and the "Sightings" episode? Is it simply the passage of time which caused her to remember it differently? I find that hard to accept, even though there were some nine years between the filming of the episode and the publishing of the book. Seeing the girl fall because she is too close to the railing is very different than seeing a woman push the girl to her death. Was it impressive that Browne met a "spirit" named "Judge," when the lodge itself was founded by Judge Harvey Logan? The previous article about the Brookdale Lodge shows why Browne almost certainly had advance notice of the supposed "hauntings" at Brookdale. She had plenty of time to look up the history of the lodge, so she could throw out the word "judge" and see if anyone there would make the connection to Judge Logan. And why wasn't the "ectoplasm" episode even mentioned in the "Sightings" episode? Was it because it looked so faked, they wouldn't use it? Was it because it never happened, and Browne made it up for the book? Assuming that it did happen, why didn't Browne have it analyzed, and discuss that in the book as well? ConclusionGiven Browne's familiarity with the lodge before the episode was filmed (she even attended one of her son's wedding there years before), nothing she said about "Sarah" or "Judge" can be given any credence as having been learned through "psychic" means. And the total lack of the "ectoplasm incident" in the episode makes her account of it in the book highly suspect at best. Related LinksClicking on any of these links will load a separate browser window for viewing the linked page. Related Links on StopSylviaBrowne.com
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