Zen and the Art of Paranormal Investigating

During the past couple of years, I've known a few good investigators who walked away from the paranormal field entirely. Why? Did they encounter a frightening entity? Did "something" follow them home from an investigation? Were they pushed or slapped by an invisible force? Nope. They simply got burnt out and sick of all the drama and negativity weighing down the field.

Some people seem to forget that at this point, this field is based only on theory and speculation. Since there are no accredited degrees in ghost hunting, no one really has any more "authority" than anyone else. And while there has been data collected that support some opinions (i.e. what really causes orbs in photos and video), there is still quite a bit left open to exploration and research. Just as some become too emotionally attached to their evidence or beliefs, others become attached to their opinions, agendas and inflated egos. Obviously, this creates conflict when any of these are challenged.

Unfortunately, paranormal investigating offers a venue to some who need to feel superior to others. On one hand, you have those claiming to be more "spiritual" or "attuned" who can sense and see things that the rest of us do not. We are supposed to believe their claims without one shred of objective evidence. They are convinced that the most garbled piece of audio or the blurriest picture of dust are concrete proof of ghosts. If you argue with them, you are labeled closed minded, trapped inside the proverbial box. Some even go as far as wishing skeptics to encounter demons - just to prove them wrong! (Which brings their spirituality into question, but nevermind).

On the other side of that, you have those who are convinced all paranormal evidence gathered by other teams fall under two categories: misinterpretation and fraud. Some prowl the internet, actively seeking out groups who post questionable pictures or audio, and under the guise of "education" attack these teams publicly and call them idiots, liars, frauds, etc. But then, many of these same people who dish out the most criticism of others, are unable to take criticism when it is aimed at them. Many are asked to present their professional credentials that give their criticism some authority, but fail to do so. Many hide behind the safety of monikers or fake names while they drag other's real names through mud. I've seen some of the most vocal critics of others go ballistic if their own evidence receives valid criticism. Hypocrisy at its finest!

Then you have teams who have major jealousy issues and act like rabid chimps, flinging verbal poop at other teams. Yes, there are teams who might get more cases than ours. Yes, there are locations I'd like to investigate but can't because another team has "marked" it as their territory. Yes, there are other investigators who dislike me because of my opinions. So I have two choices: a) obsess over it and be upset over something I can't change or b) shrug it off and move on. I choose to move on. There are plenty of other opportunities and experiences waiting for me. I'll never get to them if I wallow in a mire of frustration.

There are also conflicts within teams. Sometimes personalities or opinions clash and people take it personally. That is why I suggest teams create a mission statement. Our team also has a contract for our members which details what protocols, equipment and techniques and criteria we use. If an individual can't adhere to them, then their membership may be revoked. This is not because we think our way is THE right way or that we're better than anyone else, but to function well as a group and serve our clients better, we all need to support a common agenda.

Some investigators find they cannot work well with clients and residential cases. For some it is the responsibility that they're not comfortable with, and with others, it's the constant battle of competing against the misinformation many clients insist on clinging to after they've put in time and effort to provide reasonable answers for them. While it's okay if these investigators want to leave the field, they do have the option to change their focus to other venues or avenues of research.

During one semester when I was music major at a conservatory on the west coast, I studied under a guest professor from the prestigious Paris Conservatory. I was anxious because I was expecting an intimating task master who would demand nothing less than perfection. Instead I met Harry: a warm, unassuming but brilliant teacher who could breeze through the most challenging concertos like they were nothing. While he did assign demanding repertoire and studies which helped me excel as a musician , he also instilled an invaluable life lesson. He warned me that I was becoming too hypercritical and overly concerned with technique that I was missing the big picture. He explained it is a common mistake that "real" musicians think they have to live, breathe and eat music every second of the day, and he advised me to find hobbies and friends that had nothing to do with music. To step back, and get some perspective. Why? To regain the most important component of music: ENJOYMENT. Since then, when I go to concerts, instead of picking out the french horns lagging or flutes off-pitch, I hear the piece as a whole - as it was intended. And I enjoy it.

So my advice to those who are feeling the burn-out: take a step back. Gain some perspective. Remember what brought you to the field in the first place, what fueled your curiosity, what answers you're seeking. If you are unhappy with the group you're in, either recommend changes to teammates or find another group. Online forums and networking can offer some positives: information about equipment, analysis, techniques, etc. from others. Unfortunately, this is often overshadowed and even devoured by the drama created from conflicting egos. Does that mean to avoid paranormal networking? Not necessarily. But, if you want to avoid unnecessary stress, just don't actively participate. As one humorous saying goes: "How do you start an argument on the internet? 1. State an opinion. 2. Wait five minutes." So read through the forums and get what you can from them. Nothing says you have to partake in any discussion. But if you do, understand that you automatically become a target. (Just like junior high all over again!) Ignore all the petty pissing matches, name calling, chest thumping, jealousy issues, etc. and find the nuggets of information you can use and research for yourself. If a forum, site or page is full of negativity, it's okay to leave and find one that is more constructive.

Also, find some balance in your life. Let's face it: paranormal research can be a tad morbid. If you become too entrenched (or obsessed) with it you will miss one of the biggest lessons ghost stories have to teach us: don't take LIVING for granted! Enjoy what life has to offer while you can. One friend comes to mind. He has a positive outlook on life and spends his free time with his family enjoying the great outdoors, going to rock concerts, enjoying cultural festivals, and visiting historic locations. He actively creates balance in his life to counteract his his job - in the funeral industry. Proper perspective will help achieve balance. Balance will help achieve proper perspective. Now, step away from the computer and hug a puppy.

Ghosts in the Machine

The other night I was watching a rerun of a certain paranormal TV show and they claimed to capture an EVP that supposedly was the moan of a murdered woman . Well, what I heard was a cat yowl. As a cat person, I know sounds cats make and I am certain it was a cat, not a ghost. This took place in an abandoned building with broken windows and all sorts of other possible access points for cats (and other noisy critters). This is not the first time I heard something entirely different than what the show presented. One "EVP" (which was also audible to them at the time) was of an old woman screaming. I heard a fox. Being the location is near a vast wilderness area teeming with foxes, and I've actually seen foxes near the location, I'm confident that I'm right. On yet another episode, they heard and recorded, "children's" voices. But I instead heard the yipping of coyotes, a sound I have become quite familiar with from living in a rural area. That episode of their show was also filmed in a rural area and known coyote habitat.

There was a time when kids went camping - real camping - in the great outdoors. They would learn to identify sounds from the native wildlife. People still camp, but increasingly, it's luxury camping: inside an RV or common camp ground and "plugged in" to TV, radios, iPods, handheld electronic games, smart phones, etc. The natural sounds of the night are drowned out.

The same can be said in our own habitats. We are so used to having the TV or radio on, or having iTunes running on our computer as we surf the web. We are surrounded by mechanical noise: the hum of the refrigerator, the hot water heater, the furnace, etc. Outside is the drone of traffic or nearby industry. How do we know what the true sounds of our dwelling may be if we can't hear them? Wind can sound like whispers. Rain hitting the roof can sound like footsteps. A loose rain gutter can sound like knocking. Acoustics can be tricky as vents and pipes carry sounds to other rooms.

One time, several years ago, I was staying at my parents' house. They had bought a new refrigerator since my last visit. That night, while in bed, was awakened by a frightening sound: someone (thing) was breathing above me. It scared me half to death! Turned out it was the new fridge's icemaker. The refrigerator is located in the kitchen - under a register. My bed was also located under a register and the sound carried to right above me.

The very first day I moved into our current home, I heard someone say "Hello" right behind me, in the hall. I figured my husband came home early and looked out the front door. Nope. I looked around for someone in the front or back yard. No one there. Because I was so busy, I really didn't have time to stress over it. But a few weeks later, we had a repairman working on the furnace. I was working in the hallway removing old wallpaper. He came to me, looking a bit shaken, and asked if my husband came home. He hadn't, so I asked why. He said he heard someone talking right behind him. Because he looked genuinely scared, (and I needed the new furnace to be installed) I said it must have been the radio. A month or so later, we had an alarm system installed and once again, one of the workers asked if anyone else was home because he heard someone talking right behind him. So I was beginning to wonder if we had a spectoral housemate. Late one night I was awakened to a dog yipping. It sounded like it was in the house, but didn't sound like my dog. I went downstairs to find my dog sleeping soundly. I went back to bed and again, heard a dog's high pitched bark. So I went back downstairs, where my dog was still asleep. Then I clearly heard my neighbor's voice telling the dog to shush. It turns out we have a culvert in front of the house, and pipes leading to to water main. It acts just like a speaking tube, and if my neighbors are in the right place, their voices carry right into our basement. Because the basement is a big cement rectangle, it acts like a resonance box. Had I not persisted in finding the cause, I could have easily believed my house is haunted.

Today, many people aren't aware of how household appliances function. At one time, more schools offered basic shop classes and people didn't have to rely on calling in plumbers and electricians for minor repairs because they could do it themselves. As for me, I have no clue how to fix most of the technology I use on a daily basis. If this computer goes kaput, I will have to call a tech. If my clothes dryer dies, I will have to call in a repair man. My auto mechanic skills are limited to adding windshield wiper fluid and checking the oil level. (Or more accurately, asking my husband do it, ha ha). My point is, when odd things happen in our tech-saturated environment, it's ridiculous to conclude it they paranormal without taking time to analyze and better understand our surroundings.

Technology is all around us, firmly entrenched in our daily lives. We tend to forget that it is prone to glitches. Lights flickering most likely are due to a wiring issue. It's a good idea to call an electrician, instead of an exorcist. TVs and radios have alarms or preprogrammed settings that sometime inadvertently get set and cause the device to seem like it has mind of it's own when it turns on or off by itself. Older TV remotes (like those still found in some hotels) operate on radio frequencies, so if a TV turns on or off in your hotel room, it doesn't necessarily mean it's haunted. People don't take the time to understand how their cameras work and what causes common artifacts like lens flares, orbs, and light streaks. Pretty much everyone has a cell phone these days. They also come with quirks. Sometimes they call or text programmed contacts "by themselves". While this is a common glitch (it happened with one of my first cell phones) which can occur for different reasons, there are people who still jump to the conclusion a ghost is involved.

Then there is a byproduct of some of our technology: electromagnetic fields. As I've discussed before, there are studies suggesting that EMFs can cause Experience Inducing Fields, can produce auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations, and even the feeling of a "presence".

Increasingly, it seems like a lot of people, including the cast of that paranormal show, are becoming unfamiliar with natural sounds from wildlife and buildings as well as those created by our surrounding technology. So when lights flicker or a noise that seems out of place is heard, they jump to the conclusion that something paranormal is going on. Before we look for answers about the supernatural realm, we should strive to have a better understanding of the natural one first.