Edna’s Blog 2: The Rescue

March 3, 2016

Edna Dargie was the Head Researcher for all 89 episodes of Rescue Mediums. As a retired school principal, she brought her professionalism and love for historic accuracy and detail to the show. Edna’s blog is about her experiences behind-the-scenes researching for the show.

In her previous post, Edna shared how she had to research and keep secret information about the locations and people in the show from the Mediums: Jackie, Alison, and Christine, as well as what Day One of shooting usually entailed. She continues her recollections with Day 2.

Day 2

An exciting day lies ahead, as the rescue will take place!

During the morning and afternoon, the rest of the crew films re-enactments of what the homeowners have shared, as well as anything that the ladies encountered the day before. This gives me time to try to piece together what I have already found and what the ladies discovered the previous day. Sometimes the ladies will have revealing dreams and get further messages from their guides of what’s to come. They share these with me and often later, on camera, as important clues.

When we arrive for the rescue, it is usually night, but only because there is a perception that spooky things occur at night and the light is often better for filming. But it could take place at any time of day. I think that people do experience more ghostly activity at nighttime, though, as it is quieter and darker, and your senses are more open and aware.

Often the arrival will be filmed before the rescue during the daylight, trying to match the light of the day before. This is all for expediency. The arrivals are always different and creative. Arrivals have included dog sleds, an ox cart, a small plane, a hearse, an ambulance and even a camel! 89 different ones! The ladies are sometimes anxious wondering what Gregory and Michael have dreamed up for the next one!

To prepare for the rescue, the homeowners have vacated their property and we’re ready to begin. All of the crew members go through a closing and protecting procedure. We need the spirits to go to the ladies, not us! There was an episode where a man failed to do this and he paid a price (this will be shared at another time!)

The ladies let the director know where they should begin. This comes from clues from their premonitions and the walk around. Their guides will give them further clues psychically.

(Jackie Dennison and Christine Hamlett in “Churchill Mansion” S1:E13)

Some rescues are very clear and straight forward. The spirit’s guides have clearly communicated with the guides of the ladies, and it can be smooth and easily executed. Others are difficult and confusing. This may be due to the reason the spirit is trapped. We have had spirits with mental health issues and are trapped by fear and confusion. Some believe they have not passed and are still part of the physical plane, such as Aaron in the Churchill episode. Some have passed tragically, as did the bride who was hit by a train shortly after her wedding. Others have stayed grieving for a family member or have had strong religious beliefs and feared where they were headed. Occasionally they have been violent, with enough energy to try to harm the ladies in the physical plane. There have been two or three where I truly feared for the Mediums.

During and up to the final moments of the rescue, the ladies attempt to communicate with the spirit if they can. They try to get as much information as possible: name, situation, condition, family members, all to make the contact tighter and to help me get the information I need to determine who they were on the earth plane. Sometimes it is very fast—within an hour. At other times, it can take hours. The Mediums have to constantly communicate with their guides to get a sense of what kind of strategy to use to convince the spirit to move on.

One of these strategies can be inviting a family member from the spirit world to come forward to contact and influence them to cross over. Sometimes there is a conversation with explanations to correct some misinformation they may be holding onto. In cases where the spirit is not willing to communicate and is perhaps volatile, the ladies use light to try to contain the spirit in a small space, and they can get additional spiritual assistance to help the spirit go through. The doorway that they pass through has to be closed and sealed tightly so they cannot come back through it. On the other side they will get the healing that they need to move on.

When the rescue actually happens, there can be a tremendous emotional release. More often than not, the crew are wiping a few tears and feeling the magnitude of what has transpired.

With the rescue complete, some deep breaths and secrets can finally come out! I am at last free to share all information with the ladies and the crew who have all been awaiting my findings. Some of the crew prefers to wait until it is revealed to the homeowners on-camera.

Sometimes I can immediately identify the rescued person from my prior research. Then we can celebrate! If not, I share what I know, and together with the ladies we try to figure it all out from the clues the spirit has given. We really do try to make this identification before we retire for the night while it is all fresh.

I usually go with the Mediums to a dinner spot and then return to my place, or, if we are out of town, back to the hotel where we sit and go through information. When we run out of steam, we retire for the night. It’s been a long and emotional day and have earned good night’s sleep.

-Edna