My Guest is Jon Vanover of Vanover Research and Investigation Group.
By Jim Malliard, The Malliard Report
Jon has a different style of investigating. Over the following 5 questions I hope to bring a little of that to light.
Malliard: Jon, please tell us what sets your style apart from many other groups out there?
Jon: My style of investigating is to try to remove as much of the human element from the investigation as possible. Or at least have the environment as natural as it is when the experiences occur. I use a lot of video and audio recording equipment to try to capture a location in its most natural state. I like to record for as long as possible and would love to have a week at any of the reported highly active, haunted locations throughout the world.
I also build a lot of my equipment using my background as an electronics technician and engineer to try to capture changes in the environment. Lately, I have been focusing on background radiation (Thanks David Roundtree) and static fields.
Malliard: So you believe investigations can be done without the investigators present?
Jon: I feel that humans have a built in program to be scared by things in the dark that was placed in our DNA back when being out at night meant you were probably about to be eaten by something. Humans are subjective and our minds want to try to make sense of strange noises and shadows making us vulnerable to believe preconceived ideas.
You have to be able to stay focused on what the evidence really is. A banging noise is just that – a noise; maybe of unknown origin. You can’t use the logic that unknown equals paranormal. It’s still unknown until you’ve located a source for it. However, having said that, even if you are unable to find a source that does not mean it’s paranormal.
I have hours and hours of “evidence” that other groups would be posting on Facebook and YouTube of strange noises and flickering of static sensors and strange voices, but I feel there is an underlying cause for these things. You have to be really careful not to poison the well per se, as once you put up an EVP and tell someone what it says, from that moment forward that is what they will hear.
Malliard: Would you share some of your debunking tips?
Jon: Debunking requires you to separate yourself from the emotional side of investigating. Paranormal Investigation isn’t very exciting and a lot of groups tend to heighten the experience with ‘did you hear that?’ or ‘did you see that?’ etc. I don’t blame them but that lowers your investigation to a modern snipe hunt and makes it a fun event rather than a serious investigation.
I have been freaked out a few times by things I have heard or seen and I love that instant adrenaline rush you get when you’re scared. However, you have to shut that off, switch your mind back into rational mode, look at what you have, and go from there. Never assume something is paranormal just because you don’t know what it is and don’t be afraid to tell someone that you didn’t capture any evidence.
That does not mean that the other 364 days in the year things are not going on there. Paranormal Investigation is not a ‘once and done’ and move on type situation like you see on TV. To really investigate something you have to study a location over and over.
Malliard: Do you believe there is a place in a walk through for a medium to help set your equipment?
Jon: My experience with Mediums is limited. I would love to work side by side with one that I thought was legitimate to see how we could pair the human sensor with the electronic sensor and see if there is any correlation or connection. For me, the jury is still out on this one.
Malliard: Go ahead and give where to find you; Facebook, Twitter, Web Site..?
Jon: If you want to find my group I have a small web page that just points at Facebook currently as I do not post evidence or info about me so I can get fans. Check us out here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vanover-Research-and-Investigation-Group/162383047106277
or email me at vrig@vrig.org.
About the Author:
Jim Malliard grew up with the paranormal practically woven into his DNA. When he was as young as 3 years old, he would spend time in cemeteries with his family talking to his friends who where unseen. To this day, those experiences have left him wondering and fueled his drive to seek out the truth.
Jim now lives in northwestern Pennsylvania with his family. He runs Meadville Paranormal and his radio show, The Malliard Report, from his hometown.
You can hear his show on Tuesdays at 9 pm Eastern time via the many internet radio networks. Find out more at www.malliard.com.
