Paranormal FAQ’s
It is perfectly normal to be confused, worried, or even scared if you believe that you have been witness to, or are a subject of paranormal activity. Obviously you’ll have questions, and will want some answers. I put this section together from questions I have heard over the years asked to other investigators including myself. This is by no means definitive, and if you have questions that aren’t covered here, please drop us a line at the email address in the ‘contact ILSPI’ section and we’ll help out as best we can.
I think my house/office/building may be haunted, what should I do?
First and foremost, don’t panic. If you feel that your safety may, in any way, be compromised, then you should leave as soon as possible. Try and keep a level head and try and eliminate the obvious things that could be the root of your disturbance, such as underground pipes, subsidence, expanding/contracting of wood, gusts of wind etc. These things can sometimes leads to inexplicable noises which in turn could be mistaken as paranormal activity. If you have eliminated the obvious causes and feel that what is going on could be paranormal, then contact us here at ILSPI to schedule an investigation. In the meantime, gather together as much information as you can. Specifics such as time, location, frequency and any other details would be fantastic, as it really helps us once we get the field investigators to your location.
As you are ‘ghost hunters’ then you must believe in ghosts, right?
Ah, a good question, and not one with an easy answer, i’m afraid. Each of us have our own thoughts and beliefs, although when on an investigation we do try to be as neutral as possible. I myself have had experiences that I honestly cannot explain, and can only put them down to being ‘paranormal’. I consider myself to be a ‘skeptical believer’ but more on the side of the skeptic. I would like to think that ghosts and paranormal phenomena are real, I just need to witness it and be able to capture supportive and concrete evidence. I need to rigorously exhaust all the rational explanations for phenomena before resorting to the irrational ones. My personal experiences lead me to believe that it is a very real field, but as yet, I think we are only beginning to scratch the surface.
Do you use Psychics and Mediums on your investigations?
No, we have never employed Psychics and Mediums in anyway with ILSPI. This has been a matter of preference right from the get-go with us. We tend to steer clear of this approach to investigating, although there are many other groups that do include ‘psychics’, ‘Sensitives’, ‘Mediums’ etc etc on their teams. I’m sure there are debates as to the validity of these fields as much as there are on the field of the paranormal. Personally I steer clear of this avenue, as results can be a little vague, and don’t fit in with our methodical approach to investigating.
What is your take on ‘orbs’?
It is very apparent that with the equipment that is now available and accessible, as well as editing software, that this field will become more difficult to ‘prove’ unless things are witnessed by many first hand, with quantifiable results. I still believe that you would see a direct correlation between the availability of digital technology and the proliferation of ‘orbs’. It has been explained time and time again how dust/moisture/whatever particles in the atmosphere get captured on digital camera showing up as hazy or translucent balls of light in a picture. There are those out there that then will put forward the point about them being ‘different colors’. Well,taking in the colors in the entire spectrum of light its not difficult to point out that whatever color particle that is being caught on film is reflecting what color it is, and the translucent effect is due to however near or far it is from the lens. This is especially true of water particles. Insects can also produce similar effects, also dependent on their proximity to the flash and the lens, although these will usually appear as streaks, or, another favorite, ‘rods’. The latter is more to do with the shutter speed though. There are people out there that take these balls of light as proof positive of the paranormal. I, on the other hand, do not. I simply can’t understand why people post pages and pages of pictures of ‘orbs’ and think it’s Great Aunt Edna swinging by for a chat. I have even seen color charts with descriptions of what the different colors of orbs actually mean…? As I say, to each their own, but I do not put any merit in this alleged phenomena.
(More to come shortly)
Paul
