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Program featuring unusual objects investigated by a panel of paranormal experts as well as folklore expert and ghost-story author Ed Okonowicz of Fair Hill, Md. 8 p.m. Sunday, repeating at midnight Monday and at 5 p.m. Nov. 6. On the show, an analysis by psychics and other panel members often validated what many of the owners suspected -- their possession had a spiritual connection. Joel, the owner, first saw the mask in the prior owner's African home and offered to buy it. He was refused but later received it in the mail after the previous owner's death. Since then, 30 of Joel's family members and close friends who always were around the mask have died. In 1999, Joel was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Initially the panel agreed unanimously that the piece possessed serious power because it was frustrated and out of its element. But, after hearing the owner's feelings that he and the mask were guardians of each other, the panel members shifted their position to one of benevolence. The owner kept the mask. In 1966, a door on the ocean liner crushed a young sailor. Sightings of a lone man matching his description have been reported. Extrasensory investigator Joshua P. Warren measured what has been called unexplained, contaminated electromagnetic activity in the area. During World War II, the liner was commissioned as a troop ship and collided with a British Navy escort ship. More than 300 British soldiers died. Medium James Van Praagh said he had "never been in a more haunted place" than the forward hull. Warren said he had off-the-chart readings of energy he associates with apparitions. A young woman brought an unframed bathroom mirror and later reported seeing imprints of a rose and a man's hand on it. Psychic Karyn Reece felt a connection with an older woman and palm trees. The owner's aunt's name was Rose, and the owner's father had lived in Florida. The picture was of a deceased young girl. The owner reported that he, his wife and customers have heard a child skipping and playing ball at their photography studio. The psychic felt a presence and sensed the child was not ready to leave the Earth at the time of her death. The owner of the mortician's bag also possessed these items, which reportedly moved on their own. The panel believed many spirits were connected with the items and that many had suffered through their use. They recommended the owner get rid of them. A mortician's bag from London created some uneasy moments the night it arrived in a man's home. Nightmares plagued the wife. Doors slammed inexplicably. When a minister came to bless the home, a door banged shut and the man of the cloth ran out, his blessing unfinished. What would Halloween be without a spine-tingling story? How about a few stories that feature belongings that are distinctly disturbing -- perhaps even supernaturally disturbed? TLC will spin several eerie tales Sunday in a two-hour special called "Possessed Possessions," taped on the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor, Calif. Owners will present their articles to an expert panel, including folklore expert and ghost-story author Ed Okonowicz of Fair Hill, Md. After examining the objects and hearing the owners' stories, psychics on the panel will attempt to tell whether the objects have a spiritual connection. Think of it as Grandma's weird heirlooms meeting "Antiques Roadshow" -- without the monetary appraisal. James Van Praagh, a noted medium and co-producer of the television show "Ghost Whisperer," heads the team, which includes paranormal investigator Joshua P. Warren and psychics Laura Lee and Karyn Reece. Okonowicz, author of two books on the subject -- "Possessed Possessions" and "Possessed Possessions II" -- remains on hand during the program to offer a historical perspective. "Some of the objects reflect the history and folklore of the Southwestern region of the country," Okonowicz says. "But the folks who brought in their pieces ranged from believers who seriously thought their piece was haunted to casual observers who weren't sure and wanted to find out if there was any [psychic] activity." An extensive casting search by the production company explored psychic bookstores, chat rooms and anywhere people were open to belief in such phenomena, said Deborah Adler Myers, TLC senior executive producer. "We narrowed it down to the top 25 or 30 objects with the best stories and the most intriguing objects," Myers said. "It was a really great way to tell a story." Possessions such as mirrors, a Samurai sword and a life-size figure of silent-screen star Rudolph Valentino were brought to the show, which was taped Aug. 7-10. Objects ranged from a 600 B.C. Mayan stone skeleton carving used for sacrificial rituals to a 20th-century souvenir doll from the Queen Mary ocean liner. The experts asked questions such as "What do you know about the history of the object?" ... "What makes you think it is haunted?" ... "Where does it come from?" For each object, one of the psychics was secluded on another floor of the ship, and then would come on the set to do a reading. Most revealed some spiritual connection. The information helped each owner make a decision about the object's fate. Some were kept. Some were given a more fitting display. One woman's 1950s perfume set headed back to its original purchase site -- eBay. "I don't like having a portal to another realm," the collector said. "It creeps me out." One of the most unusual objects was "Samio," anAfrican tribal mask, Myers said. How the owner acquired the item, its affect on his family and how it was used in the tribe provided a rich story, she said. It also was interesting how the psychics were able to pick up on salient points. Although much of what took place during the filming created an eerie atmosphere, one story produced a tender moment, Myers said. A young woman in her 20s brought in a rotating birthday cake plate with a music box. The family heirloom produced musical notes on its own and had no malfunctions. While filming, the serving dish produced some activity. Psychic Reece picked up that the young woman's grandfather still was hanging around and he wanted her to know that. "I'm always open and watching for the power of great stories," Myers said, "and what moved us was that she believed it, and there wasn't a dry eye on the set." This is cache, read story here
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