As a beginning paranormal investigator I was lucky enough to join a group that approaches paranormal research in a scientific manner, but also with a huge dose of compassion and sympathy thrown in.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
When we speak with clients, we make it clear that we are trying to disprove a possible haunting as much as proving one. The team uses all of the usual ghost hunting equipment towards this goal. We set up the equipment, record data, and investigate the site searching for evidence of or explanations to rule out the suspected haunting. Of course, we do this because we enjoy putting the pieces of the paranormal puzzle together, but there are other considerations we need to remember as paranormal investigators…there is a human side to ghosts and ghost hunting.
The clients who contact us are often fearful and upset. Their lives and homes have been disrupted for no apparent reason. Family members and friends may fear living in or visiting the home; causing them to feel isolated from those who would normally support them. Non-believers among their friends and family may even mock them for discussing their fears. Perhaps sleep is hard to come by because of possible paranormal activity, or between the actual events, the fear that the events will happen again. If children live in the home, they may be even more vulnerable because they seem to be more aware of spirits and can pick up on the fear of the adults in the house. We need to remember that, as we investigate in a detached scientific manner, we are dealing with people who want some peace of mind.
If we find that the evidence points to normal explanations, we need to be kind when we give our findings to the clients. Often the reasons are as simple as raccoons in the attic, mice in the walls, or faulty wiring, and we hope this will give the clients some comfort. If there is a possibility that the activity is paranormal, we need to offer reassurance. Many paranormal activities are actually nothing more than the spirits trying to communicate in the only way they know how, certainly nothing demonic or evil. In the case of some spirits, they may actually be protective of those who live in the house, especially the children of the house, even going so far as tucking them in if they throw off a cover. We have advised the clients to speak to the spirits as if they were holding a conversation with someone in body. On a personal note, I have found that it is possible to peacefully co-exist with resident ghostly spirits. Occasionally, we find that the client has mental issues or is under the influence of substances that may cause them to hallucinate or imagine activities. In cases such as that, we need to withdraw from the case with the assurance that there is nothing to be afraid of in a calm, reassuring manner.
The spirits who are the cause of the hauntings are still beings, just people without bodies. Once upon a time they were someone’s child, parent, aunt or uncle, cousin, grandparent or friend. Every human being deserves respect, and the fact that they are no longer in body does not negate that.
Too often, in the quest for a scientific approach, we forget who we are dealing with. When conducting an investigation we need to treat the ghostly spirits as we would when they were alive. When doing EVP sessions, speak in a polite voice and remember to use please and thank you. Treat the area where the investigation is taking place in a respectful manner also. Many places we visit are abandoned, but the spirits are still there because the place has some meaning to them. Some areas may be inhabited or in use, such as dwellings, hospitals, churches or cemeteries. Treat them as you would your own.
I am appalled at the conduct of some investigators I have had the dubious honor to work with. It is neither ethical nor compassionate to walk into an investigation and treat the spirits in a disrespectful manner by “provoking” them. I have even heard that some investigators whom we have worked with took souvenirs from the site of the investigation. Whether the site is abandoned or still in use, that practice is not moral or legal.
Put yourself in the place of a ghostly spirit. What would you do if someone walked into some place you had a connection to; your home, your place of worship, the place you took your last breath, or even the place that was the final resting place of your body? Would you be happy if someone entered it and acted in a discourteous manner? Many of the spirits are already upset because someone is living in their home. The furniture and other household items that they lovingly picked out or made with their spouses are long gone to be replaced by the belongings of strangers. Perhaps these strangers are even making changes in the house by renovating it. Paranormal activity is known to start or escalate when renovations or other changes are made in the site. To make matters worse, when you try to communicate with these intruders in the only way you can, you are then treated as the intruder and ordered to leave! That might be a reason to slam a few doors or throw a few cups in the kitchen!
There is a couple who are close personal friends of mine who own a local business. Many people who visit there, including myself, have seen several different apparitions. The most frequently seen ghostly figure is a man in a grey work shirt who I have affectionately dubbed “the grey man” because of the color of his shirt. My paranormal research group has done several investigations there and from some of the EVP we have recorded there we have gathered that the reason this figure is seen there often is, very simply, it was where he worked when he was alive. Without revealing the type of business, I will say that the male apparition worked on equipment in this business. He is often seen or heard in the area of the equipment.
At the beginning of this column, I stated that the group I belong to takes a very scientific approach to our investigations. There may be certain individuals involved with the investigations that have some abilities, but that information is not included in the findings. However, as a psychic, I have empathically picked up that the gray man is still making his rounds there. I feel he was happiest while he was at work. In essence, this place of business was his second home, happier than his dwelling place. Having spent long hours there, many times late at night with few others present, I can verify that this spirit is actually protective of those he is familiar with and of the business. The business has been in my friend’s family for several generations, but is in the process of being sold. Because many of the family members have encountered the grey man and know him to be a protector, at least one is actually worried about what will be the fate of the grey man when the business is sold and renovated in preparation for the new business. He has almost become an extra family member.
I challenge you, as both paranormal researchers and fellow human beings, to remember those ghostly spirits who you come in contact with. Think of the stories behind the hauntings, such as the grey man. Are they the seemingly grouchy ghosts who cause mischief by slamming doors or throwing things, or are they the quiet protective ones who drift through the area of the purported haunting? As I stated before, not all hauntings are actually that, they may be explained away with natural causes.
Many hauntings can neither be proved nor disproved. I will not make comment on purported demon activity; that is another story completely. No matter, all I ask is that you remember the human side of ghosts. Treat them with the respect and courtesy you would any other human because, to paraphrase one of my favorite verses on a local tombstone: “As you are now so once was I, and as I am now so you must be,” just in case you or someone you care about becomes a ghost!
If you would like to find out more about the paranormal research team of which I am a member please visit our website: www.crawfordcountyghosthunters.com or our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/crawfordcountyghosthunters. If you would like for the group to do an investigation in the Illinois or Indiana area please contact team leader Jason Snider at 312-869-4792 or IllinoisHauntings@yahoo.com or by private message on the group Facebook page.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
