‘Who you gonna call?’
For ghostbusters, it could be psychologist Adam Sedlock If you’ve ever wondered who the “ghostbusters” call, the answer could be psychologist Adam Sedlock of Uniontown. Sedlock, a licensed psychologist, recently served as a consultant on an episode of Arts and Entertainment’s “Paranormal State,” a half-hour documentary drama that chronicles the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) and its investigations into the paranormal.
Sedlock’s segment is scheduled to air in January.
“I got a call from Ryan Burell on a Sunday asking if I could get to Arlington, New Jersey, by Tuesday,” Sedlock said.
Burrell, the director of PRS, which he founded while a student at Penn State University, contacted Sedlock to see if he would lend his clinical skills to an investigation PRS was pursuing.
“The PRS had come across a guy living in a house that he said was inhabited by spirits telling him to commit suicide,” Sedlock said.
Sedlock, 55, said he always had an interest in the paranormal, so he agreed to go.
“When I got there on Tuesday they’d already been filming for two days. They (put a microphone on) me right away and I interviewed the man to determine if he was of sound mind,” Sedlock continued.
After speaking with the man for four hours, Sedlock concluded that the man was of sound mind.
“The previous owner of the home had committed suicide, and over a period of years there were eight suicides in a two-block radius of that house,” Sedlock said.
“Studies have shown that when traumatic events occur there is a psychic ‘energy’, to use that word, that can be absorbed in the area and picked up by people sensitive to that kind of phenomena,” he said.
When asked to consult on the show, Sedlock’s only hesitation came when considering how to leave his current responsibilities for any length of time.
Sedlock has a private practice, ACS Psychological Associates Inc. in Uniontown, which provides outpatient and in-home behavioral treatment of children, adults and senior citizens, in addition to forensic services to the public.
He also is chief psychologist at the State Correctional Institution at Laurel Highlands in Somerset, a member of the medical staff at Uniontown Hospital and Highlands Hospital in Connellsville, chairman of the professional psychology board of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA) and serves as the designated rural health coordinator for the PPA.
“I left at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and was back at 9 a.m. on Wednesday,” Sedlock said. “They wanted me to stay longer but there was no way to.”
It’s not unusual for psychologists to be a part of the team on “Paranormal State.”
“My job is to add credibility to the show,” Sedlock said.
Sedlock said his experience on the show was positive.
“I found it incredible. It was rewarding to bring people’s attention to how psychologists can be beneficial in many areas,” he said.
Sedlock has not been told the outcome of the show and will have to wait until the episode airs to learn whether or not the house is determined to have paranormal activity.
Sedlock may not be done with “Paranormal State”. He said that he has agreed to be available for at least three more shows if he is needed.
“Paranormal State” is scheduled to begin its fourth season in December.