The Beyond: Paranormal Articles & Editorials

~By Bill Stone~

If you’re just now joining us, you’re late. Go stand in the corner.

If you must know, I’m in the process of explaining to the world the difference between Ghost Hunting, and Paranormal Investigation. This is the second one. If you missed the first one, you’re welcome to go read it by clicking HERE. I’ll wait.

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Alright, we’ve successfully broken down the good and bad stereotypes of the Ghost Hunting field, so now it’s time to tear Paranormal Investigation apart .

Paranormal Investigation
Paranormal Investigation IS a pseudo-science, but serious investigators do everything they can to stay within the realm of scientific law. Like I said in the first part, Paranormal Investigation is a completely different sport from Ghost Hunting. The difference lies primarily in the methodology, and the basic reasoning behind it, which all boils down to evidence and proof.

Ghost Hunters, for the most part are in it for the enjoyment of the experience. They see their ghosts. They’re happy, and it’s all the proof, or evidence a Ghost Hunter ever needs. It’s more about what I call “Personal Proof”. A well adjusted ghost hunter doesn’t care if anyone believes him. He KNOWS what he had experienced, and it was proof enough to him.

A Paranormal Investigator looks for quantifiable facts… Not ghosts. An investigator KNOWS that his/her personal beliefs, or feelings mean absolutely nothing. It’s all about what he or she can PROVE beyond doubt. Because of this, Paranormal Investigators WANT their evidence scrutinized. They WANT their evidence shot full of holes by skeptics because on the VERY rare case when their evidence remains solid, and without holes, then and ONLY then will their claims hold water.

THAT is the moment of victory.

Investigators know that evidence not analyzed to death, or scrutinized over is nothing but unreliable garbage to other serious people wanting facts. Because of that, they work within scientific methodology. They make a hypothesis. they test it to prove or disprove it. Feeling is irrelevant. Opinion is irrelevant. This method is done repeatedly to obtain consistent information in order to become scientific law.

At this time, nobody has succeeded in making any paranormal based scientific laws.

The Good
1. Skepticism is the default position in science. Because of that, no conclusions are leapt to, and all things are scrutinized over. If any lasting progress is going to be made in the field, it will be done scientifically through investigation, experimentation, and analysis. Paranormal Investigators will be the ones to make it happen. The random, and inconsistent methods of Ghost Hunting just won’t cut it.
2. Paranormal Investigators do not allow their personal beliefs, or feelings to sway their findings. Because of this, they are so much more accurate in diagnosing whether they’re dealing with a natural phenomenon, or a supernatural phenomenon.
3. Paranormal Investigators do not use any types of paranormal based tools in their investigations. Ouija Boards, mediums, dowsing rods, sensitives, and so forth are all unproven methods and are OFF LIMITS for anyone in it for the science, or real evidence. No cynical argument can later be made about their unproven methods, or tools.
4. Paranormal investigation is bound by scientific law, and fact. All SERIOUS investigators worldwide follow these rules, and principles creating standards and consistency.
5. When an investigator finally gains a piece of evidence that passes all of the rigorous tests, analysis, and scrutiny, they REALLY have something worth talking about. The thrill of victory is so much more sweet due to the fact that it’s such a rare occurrence.
6. Progress & discovery can take place. Real progress can happen when new things are scientifically discovered, and studied. With the study of these new things, there is potential for so much discovery, and that, in my opinion is the most exciting thing there is.

The Bad
1. Skepticism is the default position in science. For progress, that’s a wonderful thing, but for someone like myself who grew up loving spooky stuff, and thriving on paranormal experiences, the hard lined skepticism in paranormal investigations tends to numb that initial sense of wonder and excitement. Sometimes I wish I had just stayed a Ghost Hunter.
2. Many investigators become like robots. Their personal beliefs are buried so deep that they’ve lost their ability to see beyond their black, and white rules, and methodology. They can become a bit closed minded.
3. Despite all of their scientific methodology, and sticking to their rules, they’ve still made no progress whatsoever in the field.
4. Many Paranormal Investigators get discouraged due to lack of results, or lack of heart, and instead of just trying to enjoy things, they simply give up.
5. Investigation can be boring. I’m not talking about sitting there on the investigation, and waiting for something to happen, because I personally consider that to be fun. I’m talking about AFTER the investigation. It doesn’t happen often when you REALLY have anything substantial in the line of experiences or SOLID evidence to show off or talk about.

The Ugly
1. A BIG problem with paranormal investigators is that MOST of them are in fact Ghost Hunters who only THINK that they’re Paranormal Investigators. They use bad methodology, mediums, K2 EMF meters as a spirit communication device, and generally believe in their methods so blindly that they cannot see that they’re making no progress. They make us all look bad.
2. Many investigators let this sort of work go to their head, and have delusions of grandeur. They forget that this is supposed to be fun, and get so serious about it to the point where it becomes unhealthy. Many feel that what they’re doing in the field is so much more important than what everyone else is doing, and that they deserve more respect for it. In come the ego problems which are parallel to the Ghost Hunting side.
3. Above, I mentioned delusions of grandeur. Many investigators believe that they are doing such a great service to the world that they deserve monetary payment for their work. Some charge for investigations while others teach “Paranormal Investigation Certification Courses” to pass on their glorious knowledge and make a buck in the process. MANY actually believe that taking peoples money in such a way is actually doing them a favor.
4. Many investigators are only in this field for fame and fortune. It’s creepy, but you have no idea how many leaders of investigation teams I’ve spoken to that THINK that they have a television or movie deal around the corner. I blame TAPS on this abomination.
5. Many investigators feel immense pressure from their peers in the field to produce something of value. This can lead to dishonesty. It happens a lot where a team of investigators get started, and capture absolutely no evidence for a very long time. They get frustrated with how empty their website looks without anything to display on it. Then, they do something unthinkable to the honest investigators out there. they fake evidence to make themselves look good. Either that, or they lower their value by putting pictures of orbs all over their website. Very ugly.

Again, these, like the points made in the Ghost Hunting portion of the article, are merely stereotypes based on years of observation on the paranormal field. Some you’ll agree with, and other’s you’ll just chalk up to me making things up. That’s alright too. If you’re familiar with my writing at all, you know that MOST of what I write has a lot of tongue in cheek aspects. This is no different, but even if you do not agree with these stereotypes, I hope that this article has given you something to think about regarding your own place in the field, and what you’d hope to accomplish.

Ideally, I hope that it might help you avoid some of the common ‘personal pitfalls’ that I’ve seen a lot of Investigators & Hunters struggle through.

Thanks for reading!

~By Bill Stone~

There are many different attitudes, and styles that people have in the paranormal field when it comes to how they go about investigating or hunting for the unexplained. Two very distinctly different styles usually get classified together, and confused not only by “armchair ghosthunters”, but by those of us working in the field as well. What I’m referring to is the difference between Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Investigators… And there IS a big difference.

One is more work, while the other is more play, and BOTH take their jobs WAY too seriously.

I am the founder of a Southeast Michigan based group called Beyond Paranormal Investigations. We investigate reports of paranormal activity in private homes and businesses. We investigate. We’re not “Ghost Hunters”. Granted, every now and then, we’ll go on a ‘ghost hunt’, but it’s not what we would consider to be our teams purpose. It’s just something fun to do.

Ghost Hunting
Ghost Hunters do exactly what their name implies. They look for ghosts. PERIOD. This is the one, obviously that I would consider to be more ‘play’ than ‘work’. Please don’t get me wrong. Me saying that it’s ‘play’ is not a putdown, and I’m not knocking ‘Ghost Hunting’ in ANY way when I say that. Play and recreation is just as important as work if you plan on leading a healthy life. We need it or we’ll go insane. I call ‘Ghost Hunting’ ‘play’ because it’s simply too much fun to consider it otherwise.

Ya gear up. You go out into the graveyard, back in the woods, or an old building (with written permission from the owner, of course), and you look for anything you can find that’s remotely spooky, or unexplainable. While you’re there, you get goosebumps, your hair stands on end, and many of us get freaked out, or scared.

It’s not ‘Paranormal Investigation’, but there’s certainly no wrong in it.

Here are some points about Ghost Hunting, and/or Ghost Hunters. I’ll let you guys decide what you believe to be a false stereotype, and what’s really the truth.

The Good
1. Ghost Hunting is a fun & PERSONAL pursuit that is often done with a lot of heart by those that are involved with it. This is how we all start out. Looking for ghosts is a good thing, and SHOULD be encouraged.
2. Ghost Hunters will employ everything they can think of from cameras, Ouija Boards, dowsing, rods, EMF detectors, and mediums to find ghosts, or the unexplained.
3. There are no rules, or laws in Ghost Hunting. You can do whatever you want, or whatever your imagination can come up with to find what you’re looking for, and YOU decide if you’re successful.
4. The thrill of victory is felt more often with Ghost Hunting. Because Ghost Hunters go into a hunt with such an open mind, more often than investigators, they come out of it with experiences that they will never forget. Coming from someone who has experienced this stuff first hand, I gotta tell ya that there’s nothing like it. If you haven’t experienced anything paranormal, or unexplained, you better get out there.
5. A Ghost Hunt can be a great precursor to an actual scientific investigation. A ghost hunting team goes in, and helps a more scientifically minded team decide if it’s worth a second look.
6. In Ghost Hunting, the spiritualists & spiritual methods get their due. Because mediums, Ouija Boards, psychic abilities, and dowsing rods have no scientific credibility, and are completely invalid when it comes to scientific investigations, many investigators simply ignore them. They fail to realize that in ‘Ghost Hunting’, these things are worth their weight in gold.

For example, assuming that a Ouija Board actually does what we’ve all been told that there’s supposed to do, if you use it correctly, it’s POSSIBLE that you can actually summon a ghost or paranormal activity AT WILL.

If it works, as a Ghost Hunter, you’ve done your job. You’ve found them!

Controversial? Yup.

Dangerous? Yup.

Fun? I think so!

Can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right? Well… Ya can if you use the ones that come in the carton, but those ones taste like butt.

The Bad
1. Ghost Hunters DO NOT look for facts. As stated before, by definition, they look for ghosts. More often than not, they WILL find them, whether they exist or not.
2. Most “evidence” captured by a Ghost Hunter is often based on his/her opinion, or perception (or Extra Sensory Perception)of what they believe it to be, but will not be backed up by anything solid, or factual. Unfortunately, it is usually met with resistance, and not taken seriously in the field.
3. There are no rules, or laws in Ghost Hunting. I know I already used this one as number 3 on the ‘good list’, but theres a flipside to that coin. If there are no rules or laws, there are no standards. A LOT of Ghost Hunters will call any old dot, or blemish in a picture, ‘a ghost’. Why? Because there are no rules. They can say anything they want. With no rules or standards, things captured, and opinions are all over the place. In a field without rules or standards, religious zealotism, and half brained pseudo-scientific theories have already become commonplace and widespread. There’s no consistency in any of it.
4. Many Ghost Hunters have simply watched too much TV, and have jumped on the bandwagon. As someone trying to navigate & drive that bandwagon, that’s how I see it anyway.
5. Ghost Hunters often employ mediums, psychics, and sensitives in their work. This in itself, as stated before is a positive thing. There is an underlying problem in this however. If you’re planning on using someone with any sort of Extra Sensory Perception you need to somehow make sure that they are the REAL DEAL. That’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard to find the real deal in a field where you can go to any paranormal based website message board, and 90% of its members CLAIM to have these abilities.It’s very hard to know who to trust, because it’s POSSIBLE that a few of these people are accidentally exaggerating about what they beLIEve their abilities to be.

The Ugly
1. Lets talk about the 2 thousand pound elephant in the room. Many ghost hunters are nuts! As stated before, Ghost Hunters are very passionate about their ‘work’. When we paranormal geeks get together, it’s not like an investment bankers reception. Have you ever noticed that paranormal studies IN GENERAL seems to attract some of the LEAST mentally stable people on the planet? Bankers reception? It’s more like an orgy of psychos. Combine the lack of mental, and emotional stability with the passion, and add a little bit of a cause that they can rally behind. Hijinks ensue.
2. The Ghost Hunters good open mind that was once a positive thing becomes a negative. There are a lot of different viewpoints in the field. Many of us disagree. When we disagree, we believe that we’re right. Sometimes that belief in being right remains, and fills our egos to the point that we can NEVER be wrong. This makes us closed minded to possibilities.
3. I mentioned a Ghost Hunter with an ego in number 2. Throughout this article, I’ve talked about spiritual belief, and having a passion for ones work. This is a very bad combination. This is someone who goes on their Ghost Hunts and find what THEY would consider to be CLEAR ‘evidence’ of the paranormal based on their own beliefs and opinions. These beliefs and opinions are followed like a religion. Their ego makes it IMPOSSIBLE for them to be wrong about it. They then go to website after website showing everyone their glorious evidence. When someone questions the validity of what they’ve captured, even if it’s done in a friendly way, they take it as a personal insult, and start a fight about it. I’m not making this up. I’ve seen it a THOUSAND TIMES. People are creepy. I’ve SEEN hijinks ensue.
4. Sheep. Many Ghost Hunters, are sheep that just follow the leader. Usually it’s the person mentioned in number 3 because their voice is the loudest. They take the zealotism of said leader, and rally behind their flag, contributing nothing of their own to the cause, yet going out of their way to tell the world how great their leaders are. It happened in the 70’s with Ed & Lorraine Warren, and it’s happening today with TAPS, and a few others.
5. WAY too many Ghost Hunters THINK that they’re actually Paranormal Investigators, yet in true Ghost Hunter fashion, they have no consistent standards. Orbs, fog, or even smoke from a cigarette will be submitted as paranormal evidence by these guys. They take pictures of faces they see in a pattern in the bark of a tree, in the granite of a tombstone, or even a reflection. The problem is, Paranormal Investigators WANT, and NEED for their evidence to be torn to pieces, and scrutinized over. It’s the only way that they can feel like they have something worth looking at and lasting. In most cases this particular Ghost Hunter allows their ego, and personal belief to cloud their judgment when it comes to their captured evidence. The scrutiny that Paranormal Investigators take as a necessary and enjoyable part of the job becomes too much for the Ghost Hunter to take. Hijinks ensue.

Now that I’ve offended a lot of you with my observations, ya gotta know that this was designed to get you to think, and HOPEFULLY want to discuss some of the things I’ve brought up here. Maybe you agree with it, maybe not. It wasn’t meant to call anyone out. And of course NONE of these things apply to ALL Ghost Hunters. It’s just something that I haven’t seen discussed by intelligent people in an open forum… Yet.

Alright… That’s Ghost Hunting. What about Paranormal Investigation, and Paranormal Investigators? They’re a completely different animal than a Ghost Hunter. That’s another story altogether, and a brand new can of worms.

Stay Tuned!

 

Click HERE if you’re interested in reading Part 2 of this thing!