While I understand that science plays a
huge role in what we do as paranormal investigators, we must always
remember that we must also focus on the human factor, or better put,
the Average Joe factor.
When we go out on a case, we are not
only dealing with phenomena which could very well be explained but we
are also dealing with someone's emotions or their mental state.
Now, I am not against those
science-based investigative groups. My own team has its share of
science investigators but we also have our share of believers and
utilize psychics as well.
See? I can actually hear the collective
groans of the science types as I write this but my team and I have
been conducting investigations for more than 10 years and I can write
from experience.
Granted there are those groups who go
out with the intention that every case is haunted but we do not.
Those types of groups may do more harm than good. You have to have
that balance between science and the metaphysical.
My group does that balancing act very
well.
We look at every case objectively from
start to finish. Everything, including the paperwork that we use is
done meticulously.
The all important preliminary
investigation takes from two to three hours. Why? Because we try to
get as much information about the case as possible and that includes
going from room to room in the location and taking meticulous notes
on room condition, temperature, furniture location, window location,
outlet and EMF location to name a few. Then we go outside and look at
conditions around the property. How close is the neighbor? Are there
any electrical poles nearby? Are there any trees near windows or near
the roof? Where are the outside lights? The list seems endless but it
all helps when investigation night comes along.
The main step in all of this is to have
that one on one interview with the client-we ask about 100 questions.
Yup. You read that right. One hundred questions. We ask about the
family, we ask about the events which are going on in the home, we
ask about what they witnessed and delve into religious beliefs. We
also look at demeanor during the questioning.
With the advent of all the ghost
hunting shows on TV, we have found that a lot of people want you to
come out because it's cool. Our preliminary investigation weeds out
those types of people. We also have three staff members who have
training in social work and psychiatry so we can offer additional
help.
During the investigation, investigators
are armed with pertinent information taken from the preliminary. The
information includes all high EMF readings in the home, room details,
case details for debunking purposes and any information needed that
will assist the team with the scientific portion of the
investigation.
In addition, I will email out a picture
of the location to a psychic for a remote reading. Team members never
hear the results of that reading.
The field psychic who is assigned to
the investigation goes in cold with no prior knowledge of the
location or its history. Their role is to obtain a reading of the
location and, if they do encounter anything, they will aid the
investigators. That aid consists of suggesting where to place
monitoring cameras, asking investigators to take photos in certain
areas at certain times, and asking those investigators with EMF
meters to measure certain areas at certain times. They also aid in
our EVP sessions. We know if we are dealing with a male or female and
what era they are from.
Now don't start thinking that the
psychics run the show-they do not. They are simply used as a guide
for the investigation team. There are many times that the psychic
team will find nothing in the location.
For those scientific hard cores who are
cringing right now, relax...breathe in...breathe out....
When used properly, a psychic can be a
great aid on an investigation. Most of the psychics on our team also
look at things scientifically and will do debunking on their own.
Again I have nothing against the teams
that are completely science based but I also strongly believe that
some in the field go out without an open mind and this can hurt
clients. Sometimes all a client needs is reassuring that what he or
she experienced is “Uncle Bob”
There are many clients out there that
will not believe what science says about their cases. Do you just
chock that up to them being nuts? No. As investigators, no matter
what we believe or how we do our job, it is our responsibility to
serve the clients as best as we can.
That service can include suggesting
counseling, electrical or other repairs and even a cleansing of the
location could help. In addition, we may suggest that a bedroom or
room for that matter be rearranged because of EMF levels and
locations. In one case, we suggested that a client move out of an
apartment because EMF levels were so high that she was living in a
“Fear Cage”. As things turned out, she did move and never had
another issue.
No matter what we do as investigators,
it is our responsibility to help those in need.
So to close this off, what do I think
is better a science-based group or a metaphysical-based group? Both
have their place in the field but we need to be careful of what
damage can be done. We walk a fine line and we are responsible for
somebody's well being. This is not a game.
No matter what you do in the field,
always make the client the foremost priority. You need to take a lot
of factors into consideration and then investigate accordingly.
