When is it better to err on the side of
caution when you are responsible for the well-being of others?
Over the 8 years that I have run
California Haunts, I have never had to face any decision about the
safety of my team during an investigation.
Now, I am not talking about old
buildings that have no floors in places or stairways with no
handrails. I am talking about coming face to face with something that
could very well affect those who come in contact with it.
Recently, we were called out to a
residence where the client claimed that her two-year-old daughter
might be possessed. On the phone with me the client described
personality changes and physical feats that most people can not do.
Keeping an open mind, I listened to her
and I could hear the fear in her voice so I set up the preliminary
investigation.
As ghost hunters, we teach ourselves to
have open minds and to look for every possible cause as a way to come
up with real-world explanations for activity and that is what I did.
A lot of what the client told me was
going on was typical of what has been seen on a lot of the TV shows
but it is my belief that every client deserves a full preliminary and
investigation. Our job is to help and we go out of our way to do
that.
I did not attend this particular prelim
as I had to work that day. I did however, pick team members who I
knew would look at the facts involved and do the job asked of them.
That afternoon I received a phone call
from one of the investigators and she described how her husband, who
I know to be very logical and rational was shook up. She described
how the little girl would be sweet as can be and then in an instant
her voice would change and get very deep and tell the husband to get
away from her very articulately. She also described how the EMF
meters were off the charts when near the little girl or any of her
belongings.
As I listened to her, I could her hear
her husband in the background recount his experience in a shaky
voice. He said he had felt drained and had to sit on the couch..he
then fell asleep. His wife described looking into a dark corner of
the home and feeling uneasy...she saw the outline of something with
claws and then the little girl appeared from the shadows.
Another investigator described talking
with the parents of the girl and of how terrified they were. The
mother had described seeing a gargoyle-type shadow in the home. The
investigator also reported that the little girl did a spider walk as
she went into another room.
There is more but I do not want give
away everything that happened.
After hearing the investigators, I made
the decision to pull back and seek other help for the client. Some of
you may say that I am doing a disservice to the client because of
this. I don't feel that way. I pride myself on the fact that my team
members come from varying backgrounds. Some are social workers,
others are psychiatrists and others have skills as well so we are
equipped to handle just about any case.
But at what point do you look at the
overall safety of your team? What if this does in fact turn into a
legitimate demon possession case? We as a team are not trained to
handle that. What if we make things worse? What if by being there it
lashes out and hurts someone?
I know of two accounts of a paranormal
group that ran into demonic activity. During the first case, the
group leader called out the demon and tried to banish it from the
home. It seemed to work however, for many months afterward, several
members of the team that had participated in the investigation became
ill. One was bitten by a venomous spider, another nearly lost her
eyesight and others ended up sick. The psychic on the team said she
felt something had followed her home. A few years later that same
team ran into another case and one team member actually was lifted up
of the ground and slammed into a wall.
At what point do you draw the line and
admit you are in over your head?
The family in our team's case is scared
and I am committed to get them the best help possible. I am in the
process of putting together all the connected preliminary paperwork
and an EVP that was caught so that I can present the information to
local clergy. They are far more equipped to handle this case than we
are. Some, like the Catholic Church, have psychiatrists on staff for
evaluations.
As a paranormal team, we are willing to
help our clients in any way we can but that does not mean that I will
allow any of my team members to be hurt during an investigation. I
am proud of this team and the service it provides. We have worked
very hard to build a good reputation and we will continue to work at
keeping that reputation.
