Showtime!

Now that we know when our episode will air, we were free to talk openly about it.   However we were still somewhat hesitate to do so.  We were still somewhat gun shy about discussing our experiences openly for fear of being judged.  However, with the encouragement of people we trust, we decided we should be open about what happened and talk about it.   We went through so much hell.  We hide within the walls of house and didn't talk about what had happened.  In hindsight, that was a mistake, all it did was make the things tormenting stronger and us weaker.  It turned our situation into a living nightmare.   Our hope in sharing our story was that it would encourage others to come forward and get help if they were experiencing something similar.  No one should suffer in silence for as long as we had.

The other reason we were hesitate to talk about the show was the fact that we hadn't seen it yet.  We had no clue on how it turned out.  Would it make us look like fools?  Would it raise more questions than answers?  Would it be believable?  Would it tell our story accurately? Our whole 8 year ordeal was about to crammed into a 45 minutes television show.

As promised by Painless Productions, our episode was going to be the season premiere for season 8.  That kind of gave us a mixed bag of emotions.  Our first thought was, it had to be at least a decent episode or they wouldn't set it as the premiere. All that did was raise our anxiety level a bit because now we felt some pressure in being in that situation.   Expectations are always high for a Dead Files season premiere and we hoped we would live up to that.

Anyway, the show was going to air and we needed to get ready.  Our whole lives where going to brought out into the open.   We knew that people would ask questions and some people may even try to come to the house.   I felt we needed to beef up our security so we installed cameras throughout the property.   We talked to the girls on how to answer questions regarding the show and our experiences. School was still in session and we knew they would become very popular (good or bad) very quickly.

Friends mentioned we should have a watch party.  Even our favorite restaurant, Rancho Grande, suggested it and offered the use of their private dining room.  We briefly considered the watch party idea but after thinking about it, along we the fact that we would be watching the episode for the first time like everyone else, we decided against the idea.  It would have been just too much for us.

We started talking openly about our experiences and letting people know about the show.   We didn't go into any detail about the show, only the fact that when it would air.   As you can imagine, we got ton of questions and were really surprised about the support we got.   People also started sharing their experience with us.  All the support and the fact that people believed us helped more than we could have imagined.  For the first time we actually felt normal. 

As the air date got closer, Painless Productions encouraged us to share the social media posts which included clips of the show.   Even though we talked about Amy's walk, we hadn't seen any of it yet.  The clips were the first time we saw glimpses of the episode.

We decided to watch the show at home with a small group of people.  They all knew the hell we went through and they were by our sides during all of it.  Their help and encouragement never wavered despite the craziness of our story. 

May 6, 2017, showtime!   We were kind of in a daze the whole day.  Excited, nervous, anxious and every other emotion you could imagine.  8:00 PM finally rolled around and we were about to watch our episode for the first time.

We were asked to do a live Q&A session with one of the Facebook Dead Files groups after the show. Since we had adopted the philosophy of sharing our story in order to help others, it seemed like the right thing to do.  I also knew there would be a lot of questions that would be coming our way, I thought I would be able to answer them all at once.  I must admit that was unprepared and overwhelmed by the response we got during the Q&A.  I honestly didn't think it would be a huge as it was.  Everyone in the group was absolutely amazing and over the years have been a tremendous source of support for us.

Anyway..more on that later.  Now back to our show.

The show turned out great!  We were so happy with how they told our story, it was amazing how the were able to that in such a short time frame.  The emotions we felt as we watched were all over the place.  It was like reliving 8 years in 45 minutes.   We all teared up as we watched the reveal.  It was so emotionally powerful when Jennifer broke down.  Even to this day, we still choke back tears when we see it.

We never told the girls about the reveal, so this was the first time they had seen it.  It was upsetting to them but we assured them that the evil which was once here is now gone.

I remember hugging Jennifer after the show.  Holding her tightly and thinking to myself, our ordeal is finally over.

The Waiting

After the Dead Files crew had packed up and left, we had things to do.  First and foremost was getting our house back and ridding ourselves of the things that had been terrorizing us for nearly 8 years.   This proved to be a daunting and challenge task however we got through it.  Our lives began to return to somewhat normal.

Our episode wasn't schedule to air until mid 2017.  We had no idea the exact date as that was up to The Travel Channel.  We were told we would have about a month's notice of the air date.   Having a year to get our lives back in order was a blessing because I think if the show would have aired a month after filming, there would have been no way we could have handled the attention.

That time before our episode aired was probably the most important part of our recovery.  It gave a moment to regroup, catch our breath, and heal.   What a lot people don't understand is that everything does not just get better after the reveal.  We were still tired and still suffering.  Our health vastly improved after the Reiki helped move crazy lady along, but she still left behind emotional damage.

We worked on protection techniques and supporting each other along the way.   Educating ourselves became something that was continuing and ongoing and we were finally moving forward. 

The girls were still suffering somewhat, especially Emi.   We started taking them to see a therapist, one that was open to hearing our story.   Sharing what happened with someone who believed them and did not judge was a real help for them.  As a matter of fact, it help all of us.

Our lives where finally starting to get back to normal but the scars remained.   I'd like to tell you that there is some magic potion that will give you life back, but there isn't.  It just takes time and the memories of what happened never really fades.  In a strange way we don't want them too.  We need to have them so it encourages us to continue our protection routines.   The fear of  having new  experiences was inspiration enough to never let our guard down.

With the exception of a few giggles from unseen children and a few things moving around, the house was calm.  Life was good and getting better.   Summer turned into Fall, Fall turned into Winter and the holidays were one of the best we had since we lived here.  Everyone was happy and healthy. 

We didn't talk about the show with anyone and things died down however that was about to change.  In late March of 2017, we got the call that our episode would be titled "Hell in the Heartland" and would air on May 6, 2017.   It would soon be publicly posted on the Travel Channel's website as well as promoted on The Dead Files social media pages.   As promised, our episode would be the season 8 premiere.

I knew some people in our town were still curious about the episode and when it would air.  Kearney is a small town and people talk.  It just takes one person to say something and it will spread like wildfire.   The curiosity about who had the haunted house was about to be revealed.

Our story was about to go public for the whole world to see.

Talk In A Small Town

Filming of our Dead Files episode had ended.  We worked through the pain of ridding ourselves of the entities who had terrorized us for nearly eight long years.   We were slowly getting our lives back as well as  learning and understanding our abilities.

After the experience with the paranormal team that helped turned our lives upside down, we became withdrawn.   We did not go out much, we did not talk about our experiences and we stopped trying to figure out what was happening.   We, for lack of better phrase, given up on all hope.  This was our new way of life and death would be our only escape.   We suffered in silence.

Even though we accepted the fact that being on the Dead Files and putting our story out there was our only hope, we were still nervous on how we would be viewed in our small town.  However, as I said in an earlier blog post,  this was our last chance.

When filming ended in early June of 2016, the producers of the show asked us not to talk about the our episode-no media, no social media post, no telling friends.   They said the Travel Channel likes to keep future episodes under wraps until the show is scheduled to air.    Our producer said it could up to 6 months before the airing of our episode, maybe even longer.

We welcomed the break.  We need time to recover and gain control.  So we had no problem being quiet.

Then it happened.  The local paper got wind that the Travel Channel had filmed in Kearney and ran a brief article about it.   The news of a haunted farm in the area caused quite a stir and everybody wanted to know where and who it was.   Thankfully, the producers didn't disclose it was us when the reporter pushed them for more details.  We were keeping our end of the deal too because when the article was published we were still working on getting someone one to come and help us.

DOING WHAT GOOD REPORTERS DO.  THEY DIG

Small town news is mostly gossip, small town politics, who is doing what and local high school sports.  Our town is no exception.  That means sometimes, you have to dig to find an interesting story.  That interesting story was who was going to be on the Dead Files.  At first, everyone thought it was going to be the Jesse James Farm.  That seemed like the logically choice given the history of Kearney.  However, the farm adamantly denied it was them and speculation begin to run wild on who it was.   As any good reporter would do, she started to dig.  Asking around, talking to people in the community, reaching back out to the production company.  People who knew we had issues started asking if it was us.  We didn't need the attention so we said it wasn't.

The reporter continued to push and speculation began that it may us started again.  I really thought if we just stayed quiet this would all calm down, but it didn't.   I knew I had to do something so I called the reporter.   I told her it was us and we were just trying to live a quiet life.  We were still recovering from everything.   We needed time to heal.  I gave her a very high level overview of what we had been dealing with for the past 8 years.   I made a deal with her that if she backed off we would give her the first interview once we were clear to talk about our show and experiences.  She agreed and things calmed down for us.

Now we could get back to the most important thing; recovering from what had happened to us.

We were still withdrawn, beaten down by eight years of unknown things haunting and terrorizing us.  We were tired, confused and looking within ourselves for the strength to continue.   As time went on, things improved but we were a long way from whole.  Just because the filming had ended and we followed Amy's recipe, the pain of the experience didn't go away.   We needed time and the break gave us that time.

That year long wait between filming and when our episode aired was the most critical time for us.  It meant getting back to good.

You Must Remain Silent

She was gone and he was gone.  However, residual energy remained and "visits" from good and bad were still occurring.   Much of this was due to the fact that we had not fully learned to protect ourselves.  We were still shell shocked about our experiences which also caused us to suffer PTSD.  Learning to protect ourselves and our surroundings was hard and talking about it was just as hard, if not harder.

We knew we need to get a handle on our situation or we would be right back to where we were before Amy, Steve, and the rest of The Dead Files team helped us.   This was easier said then done.

If you remembered from our episode, Amy said there was a path of dead walking in front of our house.  It was still there after she left and is still there to this day.   Before we became strong enough and fully learned how to protect ourselves, it was a daily battle to keep them from coming in.  At times, we could not keep them out.

We spent time studying.  Trail and error was our best educator because we learned that every situation was different and we're not experienced enough to differentiate between situations. The "who, what, where and how" was still a frustrating mystery for us.  We sought help of others but were careful of those others.   We got the girls in counseling with a psychotherapist because we knew that someone like that would be more open to their experiences.  We needed to get them back to us.

We would still hear the whispers of children in our home, still see the figures walk in front of our windows.  They came from all walks of "after" life.  Women, men, outlaws, slaves, children, young, old; all lost and all not knowing where to turn so they turned to us.   Our first challenge was determining who was good and who bad.   Who was just lost or who was intent on doing harm. The last thing we wanted was to cast someone out who truly turned to us for help.  However, we weren't good enough to distinguish that yet.  Even if they communicated they just wanted help, we could not trust them.

I can only recall once where we knew that one lost soul needed help.   It was the first positive life changing experience for us.

It was August 2016, about 2 months after the filming of our episode.   I heard our front storm door open and shut.   Thinking it was just Jennifer letting dogs in or out, I initially thought nothing of it.  Then I remembered that Jennifer was in the shower.   As I walked toward the front of the house, a pungent order hit me.   It smelled of someone who had been outside working all day in the hot summer sun.  I knew immediately that someone was in our house.

At first a sense of terrible anxiety hit me.   My first thought was "what do I do?"

Jennifer was out of the shower  by this time and I remember her saying, "someone was watching me in the shower."

"Someone's here" I whispered

Then I saw him.  A tall African American man dressed in torn up clothes as if they were handed down to him from past generation.

I was stumbled backwards, not know what to say or do.

"What!"  Jennifer asked with a sense of fear in her voice, "Who's here?"

I collected myself and said out loud, "who are you?  Why are you here?"

"I am looking for my family.  My wife and daughter", he said in a voice that sounded like the faded end of an echo. 

He went on to say, "I mean no disrespect.  I was told they came this way."

The heartbreak in his face was overwhelming.

I looked at Jennifer and said, "He's looking for his family.  That's all"

Jennifer and both quickly had the same thought, let's help him.   Jennifer started to talk to him and I prepared the Sage and incense.   She told him his family was not at our house and that they were probably still moving forward on the path. 

I began the cleansing I had learned.  Saying the blessings and prayers.  While directing them at him specifically.  I prayed for help and guidance so that he could be reunited with his family.  I told him that they had not stopped here but if he kept moving forward he would find them.  He just had to have faith.  I told him staying with us would not get him closer to his family but would only increase the distance between them.  I told him to go.  Go and find his family.

Just like that, he was gone.  The smell was gone, the anxiety was gone and so was our fear.

It was the first time that we had ever helped someone move on without someone helping us.

It was empowering and we finally knew how to keep the others silent.

All Bad Things Must Come To An End

She was gone, finally she was gone.  The dead woman who had tortured and terrorized our family for the past 8 years was no more.  However, there was one more thing we had to do.  An act of kindness which would prove difficult to stomach after all she had done to us.  We had to do a memorial for her at a place where she may had been buried prior to being moved to a cemetery near us.  That place was on the Southwest corner of our land.  Maybe she wasn't moved at all; maybe she was still under that huge oak tree;  maybe just a headstone was placed at the cemetery.  We will never truly know but what we did know was she was buried somewhere close to us.

The Reiki made it clear that the  memorial was something we must do to avoid any possibility of her coming back.  It would finally close the door to our suffering.  She told us we needed to do it that same evening, at sunset.  She said if she was still lingering she would be weak.  She would know that control had shifted to us.  So doing the memorial that evening would dash any hope she had of returning.

Still overwhelmed by what had just happened, the Reiki helped us with some calming and meditation exercises.  She wanted to give us some strength so we could do what we needed to done .   After she felt we were up to our next task, she was comfortable with leaving. 

"I feel you're ready now.  You're stronger than you were when I arrived.  This will be difficult emotionally for you, but it's the final step."  She said to us as we walked her to the door.

"Your next journey now begins.  The healing.  It will take time and just as much strength. You will have set backs, you may have visitors.  But you're more prepared than you were before.  Learn and understand your abilities. Don't shy away from them.  They're gifts you can use to protect yourself."  She went on to say.

"Heidi has a gift, a strong gift.  She needs to understand it & how to control it.  It can be a blessing or curse for her.  Work hard to make it a blessing."  She added as she opened her car door.

These words have been burned into my memory every since.

She never asked for money-not one dime.  Even when we asked her if we needed to pay her, she said no.  However, we insisted she take $100 for her time.  She took it, but was reluctant in doing so.

Sunset was coming and we were hurrying in putting a memorial service together.  We decided to keep it simple.  No heavy handed words would be spoken.  We would each say something but would keep short.

We went as a family carrying a candle, some flowers, and a pocket Bible.  It was a long walk to the spot but it felt like walk of freedom for us.  We all felt a sense of relief that this dark part of our lives was over.   We could finally be a happy and loving family again.  It had been a long time since we were one.

As we got the grave site, none of us said a word.   Heidi placed the flowers down near the headstone.  I placed the candle close to them.

"Can I light it Daddy?", Emi asked me.

"Of course."  I answered.

As Emi lite the candle, I begin to speak.  I told Etta that I hoped she was finally at peace.  I hoped that she found love, hope, and happiness.  Even though it was very difficult for me to say, I told her that I forgave her.

Jennifer, Heidi, and Emi all said something similar.  Each one of them ended with a word of forgiveness.

We finished by saying the Lord's Prayer.  That was it, we were done. 

The sun was setting as we made our way back to the house.  As I looked back, I could see the candle flickering rapidly.  Then, in an instant, it went out. 

I remembered thinking as I closed the gate to the Way Back pasture,  "Goodbye and good riddance Etta.  All bad things must come to an end."

Spiritual Confessions

Since Etta knew her time with us was nearly over, she was ready to talk.  An effort to cleanse her soul and to somehow try to justify all the things she had done.

At first she tried to speak to directly to everyone, however for some reason they couldn't hear her.  It upset her and she began to ramble; talking over herself again.  It was overwhelming me and causing a throbbing headache.

The Reiki notice my stress level rising.  When I told her what was happening. She spoke to Etta in a calm, reassuring voice.

"It's okay Etta, we all understand.  If you feel comfortable you can have Lance relay the messages.  You can speak your peace.  However before you do, I demand that you release Heidi.  Breaking any and ties you have on her as well as releasing any kind of claim you feel you have to her.  Do you understand?"  She said calmly.

"I understand" she whispered

At that point, she started telling everything she had done.  She said she was responsible for all of Heidi's aliments and issues.  She said she was jealous of her; her beauty, intelligence, and artistic talents.   Heidi was everything she wanted to be and she wanted the same attention for herself that I was showing Heidi.  She felt the only way to claim my attention was to divert it from her.  That meant trying kill her by any means possible.

Now, she understands that was wrong.  She was sorry that her actions caused Heidi to become frail and sickly.

"Please tell her that I am truly sorry for the pain I caused her. I beg for her forgiveness."  She said

She then began to speak about Emi.  She whispered that she was so sweet and innocent.  Even though she was jealous of the attention she got from me, she couldn't bring herself to harm her.  She tried being a friend to her and tried showing a side of herself that she hadn't shown to others.  However, she said she was sorry if she had scared her.

Her tone then changed to one filled with regret and sorrow as she begin to address Jennifer.

"I took the baby", she whispered, "I could not stand that you were with his child."

It was so difficult to tell Jennifer because had already been through so much.  Losing a child to miscarriage is heartbreaking but knowing someone else caused it just adds another heavy layer of heartache to it.  It was so painful to see her face as I told her what Etta had done.  She lowered her head and shook it slowly.  I could feel her emotional pain shoot through me like a cold wind.

Etta went on to say that she had caused all of Jennifer's other health problems;  unexplained weight gain, thinning hair, thyroid issues, failed gallbladder, depression, and all the other aliments.   Etta thought if she took her health it would cause me to leave.  If that failed, she felt the issues would kill her.  Either way, Etta would have me and that was her goal.

Etta went on to say she wanted everyone gone, only leaving me.  She said she was willing to do everything possible to terrorize, harm, destroy our family.   She mentioned she caused the mental breakdown issues with our oldest daughter, Londyn.  She said she terrorized Chloe and drove the divide between us.  Hoping Chloe would leave; runaway.

Her confessions gave us some closure and gave us answers to why we had all the issues.   She apologized repeatedly.

"I just wanted the joy of the family you had.  I thought if I had you, I could have that same joy."  She said to me and I relayed to the group.

She said she wrong to cause my pain and trying to drive me to suicide. It was selfish of her but she wanted the life that Jennifer and the girls had.  She wanted me to give her that life even it meant killing me to get it.

"Are you ready to go Etta?" the Reiki said softly.

There was a pause in the room.  No noise.  No words spoken.  finally Etta whispered, "will you pray for me?  will you remember me?"

"Of course we will", I told her.

"Do they forgive me?", she wanted to know.

We all told her we did and we just wanted her to be at peace.  We told her there would be loving family members waiting on her.

"Will he be there?  I fear him and do not feel safe." She insisted on knowing.

I could only assume that she was talking about the Hat Man.

"No, he won't follow you.  You'll be safe"

The Reiki opened her arms and asked Etta to come to her.  She told her it was time to go, time to move on.  She was forgiven and it meant she could leave.

"Goodbye.  You have a beautiful family please take care of the girls.  Raise them Christian."  I heard her saw as her voice begin to fade.

It was the last words I heard her speak.

The room brightened as the Sunlight beamed through the windows.  The Reiki took a deep breath and she rocked back in the chair.

The air in the room was clean and fresh.  It hadn't felt that way in very long time.

"She's gone" I said

"yes, she's gone." The Reiki said.

Our relief was overwhelming.   It was like having a 1,000 pound weight lifted off us.

The Reiki told us we had one more thing we needed to do.  We need to have memorial for her, a ceremony of sorts.  It would provide closure for her and more importantly, closure for us.  It would allow us to begin our long road to recovery.

The thought of having a memorial for Etta was difficult to stomach especially given everything that she had done.

It was the first true step on our journey to recovery.  Thankfully, we now had the map to get there but the road would be long and difficult navigate.

Coming Forward

The Reiki was scheduled for late in the afternoon.  The day had finally come for the crazy woman to move on to wherever she needed to go.  I was nervous and anxious;  counting the minutes until the appointment.

Everything we had done up to this point to protect ourselves seemed to be working.  The house was quieter, we felt more at ease, and the screaming had changed to a soft whimpering cry.  The end was near and she seemed to know it.

It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky.  The weather had been calm for nearly a week so we couldn't have timed the Reiki session any better.  We didn't talk about the Reiki coming while we were in the house.  Even though Etta knew she was coming, we didn't want her to know today was the day.

Although I was still angry at the crazy woman, I couldn't help but to feel slight empathy for her.  We knew that she died on the property but the circumstances surrounding her death were questionable.  Was she murdered?  Was it suicide? A tragic accident?  All Amy could tell us was that she felt her death was a mistake and that the true facts were covered up.  I couldn't help but imagine the pain and sorrow she must had felt.  However, none of this changed my true feelings toward her.  I wanted her gone and wanted her to stop slowly killing us.   Despite my empathy towards her, I felt no remorse sending her away by any means possible.

REIKI MASTER IN THE HOUSE!

She was finally here!  For the first time ever, we felt that our nightmare was about to come to an end.

She paused as she entered the house.  "I feel souls here.  One who feels trapped, the other feels as if they're a prisoner."

"One is angry.  One is confused and scared.  They lash out.  One feels threatened by the other."  She added.

She wanted to get a sense of what was happening and who was there.  She asked if she could walk around the house in order to get a feel for the emotions it held.  She asked us not to guide her or give her information.   She didn't want anything to distract her.

"Who is this?  Why is she here?" Etta whispered in my ear.

"Are you trying to send me away?  I will not speak with her!" She added as we all made our way to living room.

The Reiki asked to sit facing north and took the rocking chair facing that direction.   She told she could feel the crazy woman here but she wouldn't speak to her.  She felt she was confused and angry.

She began to speak to her.  In a calming voice at first, then in a sterner tone.  She spoke as if she was in the room standing next to her. 

"I know you're hurting.  I know you think you find comfort here.   You need to come forward"  She said in a calming tone. 

Then her tone changed.  "You need to come forward.  You cannot stay here.  This is no longer where you live. It's just where you're from and it's time to move on."

I felt the tension and anxiety in the air.  The house started feeling heavy.   A sadness began to overcome me as I started to tune out what the Reiki was saying.  Etta was there, I could feel her next to me and felt a touch on my face.

"I am sorry." I heard her whisper.

She was listening to the Reiki and she was scared.  The realization that she knew she was going to leave was overwhelming to her.  She became emotional; full of fear.   It was the first time I really sensed her emotionally.  It became overwhelming to me as she was talking faster with a level of panic.

"Will he be there!?!"  She said. 

I told her I didn't know who she was talking about.  The Reiki responded that she was going to a place where no one would harm her.  She would be at peace.

"When did you die?  What happened?  I need to know so I can help you."  The Reiki asked.

She didn't know.  She didn't understand what had happened to her.  She had no concept of time.  She told me her days never ended.  She had no memory of days, weeks, or years.  Time didn't exist to her.  No past, no present, no future.

She tried to talk to the others in room but only I could hear her.

"Why can they not hear me!?!  She screamed at me.

"I don't know.  I don't know."  I fearfully said out loud to her.   "Talk to them through me, I'll tell them what you say."

Calmness came back into the room.  It was peaceful.   I felt her sitting next to me again.  She began to open up emotionally. 

She wanted to talk to us, tell us everything.   She wanted to explain.  What she had to say would finally answer questions about what we had been through. 

She wanted to confess; she wanted forgiveness.

Time To Punch Your Ticket To The After Life

We were exhausted.  All the changes we had to make, the tasks we had to do, and our ever worsening PTSD were taking a serious toll on us.   All this was compounded by things still happening to us.  We struggled nearly daily just to keep moving forward.  We leaned on each other for strength and the will to continue the fight.

I was going to clean everything in the house with hot salt water as Amy had instructed us to do.  I waited until everyone was out of the house just in case things turned ugly and violent.  If anything was to happen, I didn't want my family here.  I was willing to take the brunt of anything that decided to fight back.  Not going to lie either, I was scared however I pushed through it.  I wanted this to be over; to get our lives back and to become a loving family again.

I played the Reiki music as I started on the west side of the house.  My plan was to move toward the room on the southeast side of the house; Heidi's room.  We always felt that was the room where everything originated.  I approached it as if I was sweeping up a mess on the floor.  I would just sweep everything into a pile into that room and then toss it back to the hell from which it came.   Not a bad plan I thought but someone had other things in mind.

I filled a bucket with hot salt water.  I made it hot enough to last me a while as I wanted to do the cleaning as quickly as possible.  I didn't want to leave any window of opportunity open for anything to take control of me.  As I started to clean the walls, I silently said a prayer.  I prayed for help, guidance, and strength.  As I went to dip the sponge back into the bucket, the water had turned ice cold.  What the hell, I had just filled it up with nearly scolding hot water!  Just as finished that thought, I heard a little giggle.  It was the laughter of a little girl.

"I guess you turned my water cold?", I said out loud.  "That wasn't very nice and I don't want you to do it again."

I dumped the water down the drain and started to fill the bucket back up with hot water & salt.

"Don't do touch my water this time. leave it alone." I yelled as I pulled the bucket out of the sink.

Shortly after saying that I heard running footsteps through heading toward the back of the house.   I guessed I made my point and went back to cleaning.  I worked quickly.  Through the mudroom into the living room. Then through the dining room, kitchen, and open bedroom.  I cleaned the front door, the foyer.  I was finally to the hallway about to make my way to the bedrooms.  I started in Emi's room, then into Chloe's room.  As I stood in front of Heidi's bedroom door, I paused.  Somehow in my mind, I knew this wasn't going to be easy.  I reached for the door knob and turned it but I couldn't open the door.  I pushed on it as hard as I could, putting my entire weight into it.  Still I couldn't open it.

I was scared and needed to regroup.  I was overcome with a sudden feeling of sadness and despair.  I walked away from the door and started to gain my composure.  I quickly thought that I needed fresh water.  Hotter water, as hot as I could stand to touch.  I dumped out the water and filled it up back up with hot water and salt.  I added extra salt for good measure.

"Here I come!", I yelled from the kitchen.  "I'm coming in and you can't stop me.  I'm stronger than you'll ever be!", I yelled as I made way to Heidi's bedroom door.

Before I could reach for the door knob, it opened slightly on it's own.  I pushed it open all the way with my foot and it slammed up against the wall.  The room was freezing.  The room had always felt cold in the past but this time it felt as if someone had left a window open during a snowstorm.  I started cleaning with purpose.  I cleaned the door first.  I thought whatever was in this room, it was now locked in here and if it wanted out it would have to through me.   I didn't talk and I didn't respond as I heard a man's voice sadly whisper, "why?"

I finished the room and stood at the doorway.  I didn't speak.  I felt I had nothing more to say to anything that was in this room.  I decided that my next course of action would be to dump the remaining hot salt water around the perimeter of the house.  I thought maybe it would keep anything else from coming inside and reeking havoc. 

I went back inside and lite frankincense and myrrh incense in every room in the house.  As I lite the last one, I could hear crying.  It was a crying like someone had just heard some devastating news.

As I waived the smoke from the incense around I said, "Cry all you want.  Cry day and night if it helps.  I'm punching your ticket to the after life and soon I'll be putting on the train to wherever that is going to be for you.  The Reiki's coming and your time is nearly up."

For the first time in a long time, I finally felt strong and in control.

Pack your bags, it's almost time to go!

We had been doing everything the Reiki asked of us  The house felt so much calmer; safer as well.  It felt like a warm sunny spring day after a long and harsh winter.  It was as if everything was waking up after hibernating.  The attitude of everyone was improving as well. We were starting to feel more in control of our surroundings.   The screams of the crazy woman were less frequent.  When she did scream, they were different in tone and feel.  It was as if she was being to fade.

On the other side of the coin was the hat man.  He wasn't as affected by all the prep work we were doing for the Reiki's upcoming visit.  We could still hear him walking through the house.  Doors still open and shut on their own.  The smell of tobacco smoke could still be smelt at times.  His presence could still be felt but it was as if he was being patient with us.

Jennifer had taken to talking to him.  She would use a calming tone and was very careful; choosing her words wisely.  She made sure not to talk down to him or say anything she felt would antagonize him.

"We really don't mind you being here as long as you don't hurt anyone", she said to him on nearly a daily basis. "You're not trapped here and you're welcome to leave anytime you wish", she would add.

She explained to him we weren't to blame for why he was in our house.  "You know, it wasn't us that brought you here.  It wasn't our wish to harm you in any way or make you feel as if you're a prisoner here.  I know you were very angry about what happened, we were too, but it wasn't us.  We respect you would do anything to harm you.  We hope you understand.  We also don't want you to be angry or plot against those who put you here.  They were inexperienced and didn't know that their actions would cause you harm.  We ask that you hold no ill-will towards them and leave them in peace."  

In a stern yet motherly voice she told him, "You're welcome to stay on our land but when you leave the house, you cannot come back inside.  Regardless of who says you can, you cannot come inside.  I'm not trying to be mean, we have children and we want to make they're safe and feel safe."

I honesty feel that Jennifer talking to him saved us from further harm.  We knew that having Amy come into our home caused quite an upheaval with the dead.   It was as if there was chaos in front our house most of the time as we could feel the confusion among them.   I believe that by Jennifer talking to him, keeping him calm, helped us.  I feel that he respected her and may have took it upon himself to keep certain things at bay.  Even though I have nothing to prove that it certainly felt that way.

We continue our prep work as it had become a daily ritual of sorts.  Blessing, praying, burning the incense, etc.  All of it had now had become a habit; something that we would do without thinking. 

We were still waiting for a calm day but we live in the Midwest and calm days in early summer can be somewhat difficult to come by.  It seemed that every single day there was a threat of severe weather.

We had become hyper-sensitive to anything happening.  Paranoid thinking that everything negative was the result of some sort of paranormal activity.   The PTSD we had as a result of everything was  taking it's toll on us.

Jennifer and I had to be strong.  We needed to take charge and push through this even though we were exhausted.  Although we felt better, we still weren't a 100%.  This had truly kicked our asses.  We had to get up off the floor and fight.  We had to get ready for the battles and recovery ahead of us.   It was time to pack Etta's (the crazy woman) bags, roll up the Hat Man's bedding and tack up his horse because it was almost time for them to go.

We needed to do a better job at protecting ourselves from those who wanted to invade from the path of dead in front of house.  That scared me because who's to say that some dead person walking along that path wouldn't be more terrorizing than what we already had?  How do I stop that from happening?

We were so anxious to put this all behind us.  We just wanted our lives back and to be a normal family.  Little did me know that would be more difficult than what we thought.

Let's Get This Party Started!

We hadn't found a Reiki and we were starting to get desperate.  Unfortunately we had no where to turn.  It's not like you go to the Reiki section of your local store and pick one up.

Since we hadn't heard from the Reiki that Amy recommend, I decided to reach out to her to see if she could help.  I sent her a very brief message on Twitter, although I knew the odds of her seeing it were slim.  I sent another message to her via our producer at Painless Productions.  Like I said, I kept the message brief and simple.

Hi Amy,

I hope you remember us. We were the family in Kearney MO  from this past May.  We having a difficult time finding a Reiki and haven't heard back from the one you recommend.  We're very scared for Heidi and need help.  Can you recommend someone else or point us in a different direction.

Thank you so much for what you've done for us.

Lance

Within a couple of days, the original Reiki that Amy recommend called back!  She was very apologetic about not getting back to us sooner as prior commitments kept her away.  She was somewhat familiar with our situation as Amy had given her some of  basic information about us along with her instructions to get our lives back.  

The first step was to asking us about our experiences since the reveal.  She wanted to know if it had gotten better, worse, and was the same.  She wanted to know as much about Heidi as possible as she was thee number one priority.  She wanted to start working on Heidi right away.

We told the Reiki about our visit to Aquarius and she was excited that we were proactive and took steps.  She was also familiar with the people at Aquarius and was happy that they took the proper and correct steps to help us.  That comment alone really helped give us a bit more peace of mind.  Considering everything we had been through over the past 8 years, it was comforting to know that we were finally getting the upper hand.

The primary attention was on the crazy woman, we had to cut the ties she had with Heidi and get rid of her.  The Reiki wanted to weaken her as much as possible before she came out to our house.  Everything needed to be planned with a high level of attention to detail because one wrong step, could cash her to  lash out at us with more power.  

The steps to accomplishing this were simple but the mental strength in doing so was very hard.  We had become so weak and tired despite gaining control but the fact that we were so close gave us the strength to push forward.  Besides, we had to protect and save our child.

The Reiki laid out a plan.

-Continue to burn the Frankincense and myrrh every day.

-Play calming Reiki music continuously.

-Speak with confidence and tell everyone there that this is our house.  It belongs to us.

-Pray using the book of Psalms we had gotten from Aquarius.

-Never leave anyone alone in the house

-The Reiki would start working on Heidi's situation prior to coming out.  Focusing her energy on Heidi.

-Plan a time when the weather is clear and calm for her to come out and severe the ties.

I could feel the crazy woman start to weaken.  Her voice was now nothing more than a weak whisper and her screams had stopped.  I could tell she was starting to feel the effects of everything going on around her.

"I am tired my love. I am lost and scared. I am unsure of what is happening." She whispered one morning.  The tone of her voice was heartbreaking.  Despite all that she had done, I couldn't help to feel some empathy for her.

"It will be over soon, we're going to help you but you have to trust us that we are going to do the right thing."  I whispered back to her.

Even though the crazy woman was starting to lose her grip on Heidi and her control of us, it didn't stop the others.  Doors would still open and slam shut, heavy footsteps could still be heard in the house.  We heard children laughing as if they were playing.  Maya was still on edge at certain times and was mindful of were I was at all times.

The spoon continued it's journeys, disappearing and then flying through the house as it returned.  However, we could feel the house starting to feel lighter and brighter.  We were also starting to feel better and stronger.

The Reiki told us that we need to be stronger before she came out because if we were weak, we would lose.  She understood that despite the crazy woman weakening and coming to terms it would still be difficult to move her on. 

As Amy had said during our reveal, 

"She's not going to really want to go."

...and she didn't either.

Paranormal Prowlers: I'm Always With You: Guest Blogger Tessa Mauro

One of the first radio interviews we did was with Tessa Mauro of Paranormal Prowlers.  It was a wonderful experience as she is an outstanding journalist.  Afterwards, we became fast friends!  Not only is Tessa an accomplished paranormal investigator but also a gifted author.  Her new book, Paranormal Prowlers: I'm Always With You, was recently published and is available on Amazon.  You can find Tessa on Facebook, Twitter, and on Paranormal Prowlers Group Page. We're thrilled that Tessa has decided to become a guest blogger on our blog!   

Thank you!

Lance and Jennifer

Paranormal Prowlers:  I'm Always With You.

Being a paranormal investigator, I have gathered quite the plethora of evidence through out the years. I have had full on conversations with spirits, I've caught everything on recording from disembodied footsteps to growls, weeping, shrieking, and more. There is never a dull moment when it comes to the paranormal world. Even before I started investigating (several years ago) I have had encounters and experiences with the paranormal. I have truly believed since day one. My mom shared with me that as a child, no older then two, we would be driving some where and we would pass a graveyard or a cemetery, and in the back I would be screaming in my car seat, "Mommy! Grave yard! Grave yard! Me GO!! Me WALK!!" It baffled her how her two year old toddler could even know what a grave yard was! I've always had love and respect for the deceased, and every thing about it.

In addition to being a paranormal investigator, I am also a Sensitive. There are times during investigations that I hear the spirits without having to use my tools. It's like they are whispering in my ear, now of course I always have my recorder running, and it just validates it for me. Yes I heard this man speaking in my ear, no one else heard it, then later I hear it on the recorder. Amazing. I also from time to time get phantom smells. This hits me like a ton of bricks. No one else smells it, just me. Mind you this is a overwhelming scent. It's not like a hint of a smell, it's more like invading your space and nostrils type of smell. At times it's a strong cedar type scent, usually the smell is a nice one, but when it's over powering, I get a headache. Sometimes I will smell my dear Grandma's baking. God, I miss her so much, and her baking...she was phenomenal in the kitchen, and even as she grew older, she would make at least ten different types of sweets for the holidays. She was a wizard in the kitchen.

There was one time, after my Grandma passed on, I was at her condo, it was a day or so before her funeral and I was staying there making a board filled with her pictures to present at the funeral. That whole day I felt uneasy...I worked into the night and passed out on her couch. I woke up a couple times to hear whispering down the hall. I get up, turn on all the lights, double check every room, door and window, each room is empty and every window and door was secure and locked. I turn off the lights and go back to sleep. Well an unknown amount of time later, I awaken to hear whispering again. I look around and in the kitchen (which is right near the living room where I was at) I see a light on. This light is like a lantern attached to the wall, which is located by my Grandma's room.

She left this light on every night because she often would come out to get a drink of water. I know for a fact that I turned that light off earlier, the last time I was awake. Not only was this light on, but I happen to see a figure standing there by the light. Just a few feet away from where this figure is standing, is a door that leads to her backyard, there are two small steps. One she miscalculated and ended up falling, in which resulted in her untimely death. I feel that was my Grandma. I was very close to her and when she died I dived deep into depression. We lose ones we love, some are old and some are young, I was lucky to have my Grandma in my life for as long as I did, but it still shocked the hell out of me when she died. On occasion she stops by and says hello with a ever so sweet scent, thick in the air.

There are others that I miss that let me know they are around. One happens to be one of my former best friends. Yes former. We hadn't spoken in probably 7 or so years prior to his passing. But when we were friends, we were the best of friends and were always together, it was a group of us really. In death we are much closer then the last years of his life here on Earth. He has come to me through several mediums, one even telling me his name, tattoos and more. He has come through via the Ouija board and on occasion he is caught on recorder via EVP sessions at random locations. I feel him around me all the time. It's a comforting feeling, knowing you are being looked after. 

Through out the years I have investigated jails, asylums, brothels, hospitals, hotels, mines, cemeteries and so much more. I have traveled and investigated in several states such as Kentucky, Arizona, Alabama, Colorado, North Carolina and many more. I have had so many phenomenal experiences, encounters, and investigations that I decided to write a book about some of it. This book is my baby, and I am very proud of it. Paranormal Prowlers: I'm Always With You was just recently released. The ebook on June 30th, and the paperback on July 15th. Both available through Amazon. If you are interested in a signed copy and a bookmark, please order directly through me (paranormal_prowlers@aol.com) or message me through Facebook (Paranormal Prowlers) 

"Paranormal Prowlers: I'm Always With You"
by Tessa Mauro

Thank you Lance for this awesome opportunity! For those who want to hear Lance and Jennifer on my radio show let me know and I will send you their link!

The Reluctant Spirit: Kevin Platte Guest Blogger

Hello all,

This is the second installment in our guest blogger series.  It's also Kevin Platte's second guest blog entry.  Kevin is a psychic medium based out of Washington DC.  You can follow Kevin on his Facebook page, Kevin Paul Psychic Medium and read his blog,  If you're interest in sharing your story as a guest blogger, click here.

We are continuing to work on the blog entries of the aftermath and the actions we took to get our lives back.  A new entry from us will be posted soon.  Stay tuned!

Thank you all for your continue love and support.

Lance and Jennifer

The Reluctant Spirit

Greetings.  I’m Kevin Paul a psychic and medium in Washington, DC.  I investigate locations using my medium abilities to evaluate what spirits and energies are present and come up with a plan for cleansing them. I use my psychic skills to do personal readings for the living.  Below is one of the investigations I did last year.  It was quite the adventure and I hope you enjoy it.  

In June 2017 while having coffee with my good friend Fadi at his bakery called The Cakeroom in Washington DC, he announced that he had found the most amazing, newly renovated apartment which he could finally walk to work and live in a great neighborhood.  I was excited for him and ask him where this apartment was located.  He looked out of his store front window and pointed to an apartment building within eyesight of his bakery.  As soon as I saw the building, I just felt that his apartment was already occupied ... not with the living but with a female spirit, and so I told Fadi this immediately.  I also added that I felt that it had to be cleansed before he moved in since I knew Fadi would be sensitive and adversely affected by the negative or unsettled energy currently in that space.   I hadn't even seen his apartment yet, but I just knew that there was some work that needed to be done to evict the current "occupant" before he took possession and seal it to keep other spirits out.   Fadi looked concerned and invited me to walk over later that day with him to check it out.  

Once we arrived, Fadi had to get the building supervisor to let us into the vacant apartment.  That took a lot of coordination and waiting but we finally got in.  The apartment was an amazing space with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lots of windows and a back deck.  It was newly painted, clean and ready for someone to move in.  It looked beautiful and was a great fit for Fadi.  But to me, I felt a little uncomfortable with the energy of the space.  I didn't do an "opening' to tap into or evaluate the energy there since we were just doing a quick peek and walk through.  An opening means that I would do a quick meditation to open myself up to receiving information and evaluating the energy of the house.  We took 10 minutes to walk around and see all the rooms and look out all the windows.  Fadi was so excited, but I was a little concerned about the energy not feeling comfortable to me.  I felt unwelcome by the energy, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  Once we left the apartment and stood outside the building, we talked about how beautiful the space was, how it was a great fit and how I felt it needed to be cleansed of the negative energy and active spirit.  Then suddenly, I realized that I had left everything I was carrying in the apartment . . . my bike helmet and my shoulder bag which had all valuables like my keys, wallet, etc.   That was very unlike me.   I have never done that before and thought to myself that whatever was in the apartment wanted to “mess with me” since it was a big struggle to coordinate the entry back into the apartment to retrieve my personal belongings.  Fadi had to call the Property management company in NYC who then tried to contact the on-site supervisor who wasn’t answering his cell phone, etc . . .. It took about 30 minutes of waiting outside in the hot sun to gain access.  I felt the spirit was letting me know she was in charge and that I was not welcome.  Point well taken.  

A week later, Fadi had signed the paperwork and wanted me to come with him while he went to meet his handyman in the apartment to show him where to hang some of the heavy items, add shelving, etc.   Once in the apartment I was respectful but again suspicious of the energy there and started to walk around while Fadi and his handyman talked.  Within a few minutes I started to feel very dizzy as if I was on a ship at sea.  I felt so dizzy that I had to sit down on the large window sill in the living room as they talked.  This had never happened before.  During a break in their conversation, I asked Fadi if he felt dizzy and he immediately said he did too.  Once the handyman knew what he needed to do, we all left the apartment.  I staggered home still dizzy and did a quick grounding meditation to clear it.  The spirit in the apartment again let me know that she was in charge and what she could do to affect me.  I regretted not “protecting myself” from her before entering the apartment.  I knew better but just forgot.  Now I understood that this spirit was definitely not happy with my intentions to eventually move her on and that she could affect Fadi as well.  

Now I really had to come up with a cleansing plan for the apartment.  She needed to go.  My plan was to cleanse the apartment the day before Fadi moved in and include Fadi in that cleansing process since I feel it’s important for people to be involved and claim their space.  

I contacted two of my psychic medium friends that I had been studying and practicing with at that time and asked them if they wanted to come along to investigate and cleanse the apartment with me.  (Yes, like any skill, you must practice to get better).   I didn’t tell them much about what I knew so as not to affect their own investigation. They both agreed to help.  The plan I developed was for us 3 mediums to sit and analyze the energy of the space, come up with a specific cleansing ritual and then include Fadi at the end to really seal the location.  

On the day before Fadi moved into his new apartment, I assembled by team of psychic mediums outside the apartment, took a moment to protect ourselves with a quick prayer or meditation, then we entered the quiet and “empty” apartment together.  As soon as I entered the apartment, I “heard” in my mind the words . . . “get out. . . this is my space!”.   I smiled and told her in my mind that we were here to help her.  The other mediums immediately felt the presence of the female spirit when they entered too.  

My investigative and cleansing approach is always with compassion first followed by firmness if required.  I’ve learned that must reluctant spirits typically just want to tell their story, be listened to, and then get counseled or reasoned with . . . it’s like peer level counseling that I’ve done with the living.  

To begin our investigation, I sat down in the living room with one of team members while another walked around the apartment and settled in one of the bedrooms to sit with the energy in the apartment and figure out what was going on first.  We each reached out and communicated with the spirit in our different ways to listen and gather information.   

Once I connected with the spirit of the woman, I got that she had lived there in that apartment or a nearby one in the 1930s or 1940s and dealt with a significant love loss issue that adversely affected her.  I got that she felt that she was not understood when she was living, she was bit of a wild one back in her time but very unhappy.  She really wanted to be happy and loved but before she passed, she was avoiding people (like a recluse), feeling scared and anxious.  She had taken up residence in Fadi’s new apartment and I knew that her safe space was in the closet of the smaller bedroom.  

I offered counsel to the spirit by acknowledging the sorrow with loved loss and saying that it was normal to feel that way.  I offered kind words (through my thoughts) of encouragement for the spirit to move on to her love ones that were waiting for her “on the other side”.  I told her that there were plenty of people who loved her and were eager for her to join them.  I felt that she was not entirely convinced to leave yet.  

Once each team member had some time to connect with the spirit, we discussed a specific cleansing ritual of smudging with a couple of sacred herbs:  sage and palo santo.  We selected these two herbs to remove any residual energy left in the apartment by people who have gone before and to make sure that we ritualized the removal of the active energy or spirit in that space.  Residual energy can be strong emotional memories or events that have saturated into the structure typically into the wood of the floors and walls.  People who are “sensitive” to these energies would typically be adversely affected by these strong emotional energies that were lingering.  

We lit the herb of our choice and when the aromatic smoke started to rise, we each methodically walked around the entire apartment at our own pace, cleansing each corner, closet, window, etc.  We each spoke our own words firmly encouraging the active spirit to move on.  She knew we meant business.

After our cleansing, I texted Fadi to come over to ritualize the claiming of his space.  Once in the apartment, I asked Fadi to sit quietly with a small spray bottle of water and say a cleansing prayer of over it.  By doing this, he was basically blessing the water himself to make it sacred.  Then I instructed him to walk around and spray every wall, window and closet with his holy water to claim his space while saying “this is my space and no one else is welcome here”.  He did this with firmness and conviction in his voice. 

This personal ritual and intention allowed Fadi to take an active role in claiming his space.  This is a very powerful method to take control of one’s environment.  

After a couple of hours, we were all done with our investigative and cleansing activities.  We then closed our sacred space and walked out of the apartment.  The next day Fadi moved in and a few days later I visited him to see if we had been successful or not.  Once in his apartment, I didn’t feel the spirit or the negative energy.  I didn’t feel dizzy.  I felt a lighter and joyful energy.   Fadi mentioned that he hadn’t felt dizzy since moving in.  He felt comfortable and safe.  I’m happy to report that we had successfully cleansed the space and Fadi hasn’t had any problems or issues with this spirit since.  I still feel comfortable in his apartment over a year later.  

For me, the goals of “ghost hunting” or investigating the paranormal in someone’s home or business are the following: 

1. respect the active spirit(s)
2. determine what spirit(s) are present and understand their intentions
3. help those spirit(s) move on
4. educate the living about their own abilities or sensitivities to spirit and unseen energies as well as how to protect themselves going forward

Success is when unwarranted active spirits and negative residual energies have been removed and people living in their home are protected and no longer affected.  My new blog will be helping to educate people about all these paranormal issues and to help them understand their own power and abilities within the unseen world