Ghost Hunting Course By: Thomas Cooney

Introduction

Welcome to the world of ghost hunting. This is an ever- growing field and one that has

many levels to it. There are those who consider ghost hunting to be a hobby. For many,

the idea is to go to haunted places, take pictures, set up tape recorders and hope

for the best. There are many "ghost clubs" that enjoy this type of "hunting."

With a little bit of knowledge and some common sense, it is a relatively safe and fun

hobby. Sure, there may be an occasional scare or two such as when the ghost

you tried to capture on film decides to follow you home. This falls into the category

of "you asked for it" However, rest assured, the spirit will go back on its own.

For many others, ghost hunting is really something more than a hobby. For these

people, they want to understand more about life in general and what happens to us

when life as we know it ends. It is interesting how many people believe that the key to

life can be found with the dead. That idea is not without some merit. After all, if anything

can make you a believer in life after death, spotting a ghost will surely do it.

Still others study this field with the thoughts of research in mind. This is

a challenging way to approach ghost hunting and it carries with it some difficulty.

Attempting to scientifically test and prove haunting phenomena can be extremely

frustrating because let us face it: ghosts do not always cooperate with us and our

efforts. However, there is much to be learned and if you approach it properly, that is with

no set expectations in mind; you will be surprised what you can learn.

The last group are those who work in this field in order to help those who are

suffering from the torments of some form of preternatural or supernatural

phenomena. It takes a certain type of individual to do this type of work because

unlike the other groups listed, this one carries with it some risks.

As soon as an investigator accepts a case, (and sometimes before that) he or she has put

themselves right into the crosshairs. It is one thing to be followed by a benign spirit that

drew your interest in a haunted bed and breakfast establishment; it is something entirely

different when you are followed home by an evil spirit who just happens to be angry

with you for interfering in its plan. This is a situation that can cause you a few

problems. Having the best of intentions does not guarantee you protection. For that

reason, the first chapter of this class will discuss some of the risks involved and the need

to make sure that you know exactly what you are doing and why you are doing

it. This is probably the most important chapter in this course.

In short, ghost hunting can be a fun and rewarding endeavor. Once you have

completed this course, you will have a much better understanding of the spirit world and

how to interact with that world safely and productively whether you are a

hobbyist or a serious investigator. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Chapter 1- An Important Message

Before we get started with the "how to" section, we must understand a few things. In the

introduction, I listed the basic types of ghost hunting. As mentioned, it can be a fun and

safe endeavor as long as you exercise common sense and have a good idea about what

you are doing. For the first three groups mentioned, there is little if any danger. You are

simply trying to experience a few things and learn along the way.

As you pose no threat to any spirit, the likelihood is that you will not run into

anything negative. Exercise common sense: for example, if at any time you get the

feeling that you are being threatened or some little voice tells you that it is a

good idea to leave a certain spot, listen to that voice!

I have been studying the fields of parapsychology and demonology (they are not the

same thing) and I have been investigating paranormal phenomena for well over a

quarter century and I have learned the importance of following my feelings. This is

not a fear thing we are talking about for fear is natural; it is simply knowing

that something may not be right and listening to that little voice. I am not suggesting that

you will be tarred and feathered if you ignore that little voice but you may find

yourself in a hairy situation, one that may take away your interest in the field in a

hurry. This is why I say that you must exercise common sense. If you get the feeling

that you should leave, do it. There is nothing to be gained in trying to "tough it out."

You are not running from fear, you are using common sense. Hey, I have a high

tolerance for pain but I know better than to stick my hand in the fire.

Investigating potentially serious hauntings is not the same as ghost hunting. Trying

to compare the two is like comparing apples and oranges. Just because someone is

an experienced "ghost hunter" does not make them an investigator and it does little

to prepare them to battle potentially evil forces. I am not trying to dissuade anyone

from getting into this line of work; God knows we need as many competent ones as

we can find. The thing is that you must know exactly what you are doing before you

are in a position to diagnose a problem and help with the solution to said problem.

Investigating a human "haunting" is not necessarily a dangerous thing but it does

have certain risks. The possibility of having the spirit in question follow you home is

fairly high, especially if that spirit has been able to determine that you are

frightened by it. This can be disruptive in many ways. However, it is not likely

dangerous unless you panic. Human spirits really cannot do much to hurt us. The

vast majority of cases, injuries result from an over-reaction to phenomenon. You

can translate that to mean that most injuries occur from ones attempt to get away

from a frightening experience.

There is nothing wrong with being frightened; every investigator has found themselves

frightened at one time or another. The important issue is how you react to that fear. Panic

during an investigation is dangerous in two ways. For openers, you can become

injured. The second problem is that you will cause harm for the people you

are trying to help. They will view you as a professional. If they see that you

are terrified, how will that make them feel? I have seen this happen many times. The

effect this has on the victims is devastating. If you have not reached the point where

you can withstand frightening occurrences, you are not ready to investigate

potentially negative hauntings. That is not to say that you will not be ready, it just

means that you need more time. However, this field is not for everyone. Not everyone

can pass the "basement" test. (That will be discussed shortly.)

When it comes to demonic hauntings, it is an entirely different animal. Should you

find yourself in an investigation that has demonic overtones, the best advice in the

world is to refer the case to someone experienced in those types of hauntings. There

are very real dangers involved in demonic cases. Although they are very rare,

(despite what you see on the Internet) they do take place. You must make sure you

know what to look for whenever you do an investigation. If you see signs of a

demonic presence, use common sense.

If this sounds like some arrogant, superior attitude, let me apologize for that is the

last thing I want to do. There is a reason why I am stating all of this and it has

nothing to do with you as a person. There are many out there who will make great

investigators. However, there is a problem with our "information age." A quick look

through paranormal websites can be eye-opening, to say the least. There are literally

hundreds of websites where people claim to be parapsychologists or demonologists

or exorcists. In many instances, these sites are professionally done.

A beautiful website means nothing more than the fact that they have a great webmaster.

It does not mean they know "jack" about investigating demonic hauntings. You

have to look carefully at the material on those sites. There are some in the alphabet game

as I call them who claim to have been involved in "hundreds of exorcisms." Any group

that makes such a claim has probably never been confronted by a real demon. Most

would not know a demon if it bit them on the ass. I am sorry to tell them this but a

book or two falling off a shelf or a closet door that slams shut does not make for a

demonic haunting.

Demons and devils do exist and they sometimes directly interfere directly with us

but this is extremely rare. I cannot emphasize that enough. Reading some of these

sites can be dangerous because they trivialize the demonic world and that does

several things: 1) It hurts every professional in the field because it makes it look like

we are all nuts. 2) It gives the impression that demons are no big deal and that they

are something everyone can handle. Trust me when I tell you that is not so. There is

nothing trivial about demons and their abilities. Should you find yourself involved

in a demon infested house, you are in real trouble. You are in even bigger trouble if

you have the mistaken notion that they are no big deal. I hate listening to stories told

by other investigators about how they did "this and that" with the demon in the

California case or how they "outsmarted" the devils in New York. These people are

dangerous, no matter how good their intentions may be.

You are not going to see too much in this class about demons and very little about

how to work a demonic haunting. Believe me when I tell you that taking this course,

reading a few books, (including mine) do not make you qualified to work a demonic

haunting. It takes years of learning and investigating and some extremely strong

belief systems to qualify you for that type of work. If that is what you want to do, I

am sure you will succeed at it and I would gladly offer as much help as I can.

However, make sure you are ready for that because the stakes are high. Reading a

book or two about the Warren's, (the world's most famous self promotion team) will

not do it. Neither will attending a lecture or two about the Amityville Horror. There

are plenty of people out there, some famous and some infamous who will trivialize

demonic encounters or boast about them to make themselves look special. Run; do

not walk from those types. They have never dealt with a demon before and they are

dangerous.

Be careful too regarding the books you read. Some of the most popular books on the

market today are about Deliverance. Here again, we find demons trivialized. Some

of these books make it seem as if all we have to do is say a quick prayer or two, bind

and cast the demon out. Then you can go to lunch. I repeat, people who act this way

do not have clue one when it comes to a demonic problem. One hopes they

never find themselves in a situation of that magnitude; they may be hurt badly.

Although the Catholic Church is often criticized about the way they investigate

demonic cases, they know what they are doing. If you want to learn more about

demonic hauntings, look for those written by Catholic priests.

Chapter 2- Getting Started

What do you need to get started in your career in ghost hunting? Well, the first

thing you need is yourself. In truth, that is all you really need. Let me show you

what I mean. Let us say that I decide to investigate a house. Well, I walk in to the

house and interview the people living there. I get a general idea about what is

happening. While sitting on the couch, the couch with me on it slides five feel across

the floor. Guess what, it is probably haunted. That is really all it takes. However, let

us say that we want to take it a little farther. In that case, it is probably a good idea

to have a pad and pen with me. That makes remembering the information I am

giving easier to remember. Of course, it might be a good idea to have a camera or

two with me as well in case something materializes.

Now that I think about it, it might be a good idea to have a tape recorder as well.

Hey, a camcorder is good two. You never know when something might fly across the

room. And on it goes. There are many "toys" that are useful for the ghost hunter,

some more so than others. You can spend a lot or a little and get good results either

way. Personally, I prefer to use a lot of equipment. Since there is always the

possibility that a case may turn into something big, I like to gather as much evidence

as possible. Being an investigator is much like being a detective. You have to gather

as much evidence as possible and begin to paint a picture. While any given bit

of evidence may be noteworthy, one or two things by themselves do not always

give you a clear picture. Thus, the need for as much evidence as possible.

I sometimes consider myself the jury in an investigation. In other words, I have a

somewhat skeptical attitude. However, the key is to have an open mind. What I try

to do when I am constructing a case is see if there is enough evidence to

convince myself that something paranormal is taking place. I want to prove this to

myself "beyond a reasonable doubt." That takes evidence. So how do we begin

gathering it? That starts with the interview process. From the first contact, I am

gathering evidence. When an inquiry first comes in, I look for two things:

1) Does the person sound credible?

2) Is what they are describing investigable?

Bear in mind that at this point I am not attempting to make a diagnosis. At this

juncture, I just need to determine whether what is being described to me consistent

with what would be considered paranormal. If the answer is yes to questions # 1 and

2, then I will set up an investigation.

The goal in any investigation is to determine 3 things:

1) Is something there?

2) What is it?

3) Why is it there?

When I mention this to the client, they usually get a little annoyed at me, especially

because of the first question. "What do you mean: is something there? Didn't I tell

you that my couch went flying through the window?" That is a bit extreme but the

truth of the matter is that there are often natural explanations for what seems like

unnatural phenomena. Always keep something in mind: it only takes one mistake to

ruin a reputation. Therefore, I want to be sure before making any definitive

statements one way or the other. People who believe they are being haunted tend to

exaggerate. They do not necessarily do this intentionally; usually they are not.

However, when anyone is frightened, it is natural for things to seem larger than life.

Police officers know this better than any other group. People who are victims of

violent crime will often describe their attacker as being very large when it turns out

that the attacker is really 5'2". This is a natural process.

Therefore, there is what I call the "exaggeration factor." What this means is what I

usually do is discount 25% of what they tell me, pending my own observations.

Thus, when someone tells me that the knocking on the wall lasted close to

twenty minutes, the likelihood it that it was really less. In most cases, question number

one is the easiest to answer. If you are talking to the client and your coffee cup decides to

fly across the room, it is a pretty safe bet to say that something is there. Beyond that,

it begins to get tricky.

Determining what is there can be difficult. First of all, there are different types of

spirits. If you determine what type of spirit is present, you also have to try to

determine its intentions. For example, you may figure out that the problem is a

human spirit. However, is the spirit evil or just confused? What makes this even

more challenging is the fact that in many instances, a ghost is not a ghost at all. It

could be something known as a "psychic imprint." We will take a closer look at that

in the coming chapters. You may see objects move and be sure that you are dealing

with a poltergeist. However, it may well be something more natural than that. While

discussing the poltergeist theory, a spirit may manifest and float across the room.

There goes the poltergeist theory. Then there is the possibility that there is a demon

there directly attacking the victim. Then again, it may be a demon puppeteering a

human spirit. You see there are many variables. Before you can say anything to the

client, you have to know exactly what is going on. This can take some work.

The last question may be the hardest to answer. Determining why a spirit is present

can help you determine what it is but more importantly, it may tell you how to

proceed with the case. For example, if someone conjured a spirit up using some

form of divination, the possibility exists that something demonic may be involved.

Even if it is not, you have to insure that once you get rid of it, no one invites it back.

If you can determine that the spirit is indigenous to the location, a little research

may tell you who it is and that may hold the key to solving the problem. The great

difficulty here is that in so many cases, there does not appear to be a clear- cut

reason why a spirit is inhabiting a location. It may require a lot of digging on your

part to answer that question fully. Unfortunately, in many cases, you never find the

answer.

The key to answering these questions may lie in the interview process. If someone is

doing something like casting spells, they may be honest about it and tell you. Then

again, they may be afraid to tell you about that. This is where you may have to dig.

In the next chapter, we will look at the best way to conduct the interview. Once you

are able to answer these questions, you can begin to formulate a strategy to a

positive outcome. Keep something in mind: the best solution is not always to make

the spirit leave the premises. After a lengthy investigation, you may determine that

the spirit was someone who once lived in the house and means no harm to anyone.

This spirit may simply love the house and is not ready to leave it yet. In many cases,

once the client realizes that there is no danger involved, they stop worrying about

the spirit and in many cases that alone reduces the activity that was taking place.

Some people even learn to like "their" ghost. Besides that, there is no sure fire way

to force a benign human spirit from a location if it chooses to stay there. An

exorcism will not help because that ritual was designed to rid evil, inhuman spirits;

thus, it is ineffective in removing human spirits, especially if they are benign to

begin with. In so many cases, human spirits will leave on their own once they decide

that the place they love is safe.

Chapter 3- The Interview

As mentioned previously, the key to a haunting may lie in determine what is there

and why it is there. However, even before that, you must have a solid understanding

of what is transpiring there. Now there are several things you need to be aware of

during the interview. One of the very first things is whether the person seems

credible. Unfortunately, there are many people in our society who are mentally ill.

There are also a number of people who like to pull hoaxes. Either type can ruin your

reputation. The best thing to look for is congruence. Pay special attention to what

they are saying and how they are saying it. Does it match? That is what I mean by

congruence. When someone tells you how frightened they were by the furniture

moving in the same tone in which they tell the scores to last nights game, something

is wrong here. On the other hand, if they tell you in a dramatic way how horribly

frightened they were when the coffee cup on the edge of the table fell off, something

is wrong here too.

There is much debate as to how best to conduct an interview. I used to be a

proponent of videotaping every interview. The benefit of this is it gives you the

ability to review the tape and look for things such as congruence and the like. It also

has the value of deterring hoaxes. People are less likely to lie on tape. There is also

the added benefit of being able to show the tapes to the other investigators. They

may pick up on something you missed. On the negative side, I have noticed that

when I videotape an interview, I do not always get the best information. Many

people feel embarrassed or shy when it comes to taping. (I do!) Thus, they may be

more worried about how they look then they are about answering my questions.

You can lose a lot of information that way. To be honest with you, I use my hunches

when it comes to deciding whether to video an interview or not. If I suspect that

something is not right, I will video it. However, I always audiotape the interview.

Again, it has the value of letting other investigators hear the tape and it also comes

in handy down the road. In many cases, you will listen to the tape over and over

again.

One of the most important things you must do during the interview process is get

the client to trust you. Remember, you need all the information you can possibly get.

If the client does not trust you, a lot may be lost. Another key is to make sure that

you do not do anything that might lead them to believe that you will be critical

of them. What I mean is that if someone in the house is dabbling with an Ouija board

or something, you have to know that. That certainly is a critical piece of evidence.

However, if the person you are interviewing believes that you will be critical of them

for doing that, they will hide that from you. That can throw off your whole

investigation. You can lose many nights sleep and critical time chasing in the wrong

direction. Therefore, never appear critical.

When I do an interview, I try to be as loose as possible. I want the client to

relax around me and I try to do that using humor. Now this is not to say that you should

be the class clown. The trick is to show the client that you take your work seriously

but you do not take yourself too seriously. This is much easier to do than you think.

I like to work off interview forms for the simple reason that it is easy to lose your

train of thought when you are hearing about fantastic phenomena. However, you

have to be sure that you do not sound like an interrogator. Ask all of your questions

but mix in a little relaxed conversation too. The more information you can get

before the night of the investigation, the better off you will be. Also, do your best to

sound as supportive as possible. If the client believes that you truly care, they

will trust you and they may open up to you more. That is when you can often get very

important information

In a sense, the interview process never ends. Over the course of the investigation,

you will hear many pieces of information that will be helpful. Always keep your ears

open for this. No matter how many times you may have talked to the client and no

matter how many questions are on your interview forms, there is always something

that gets missed. That is why it is good to establish a good rapport with your client.

Sometimes valuable information comes at the oddest of times. Again, keep your ears

open.

It is always a good idea to have a member of the opposite sex with you if possible.

Match ups can become important. In many cases, a woman will feel more

comfortable talking to another woman, sometimes not. You have to be sensitive to

this and never take it personally if someone else is doing better with an

interview. The goal is to get as much information as possible. Who gets that

information is unimportant.

Try to get as much information as possible before the night of the investigation.

That can save you time and make it easier to plan your investigation. Your time is

valuable to you and you need to do as much possible if it will make things easier for

you. Investigations can take a considerable amount of time and you have to be

aware of that. A good interview is a must if you want to maximize your time on an

investigation.

Chapter 4- Setting Up The

Investigation

Once you have satisfied the question concerning whether there is something to

investigate, you have to make your plans. Investigations must be orderly although

they can become chaotic. What you have to shoot for is controlled chaos. The first

thing you need to be concerned with is the number of people you will have working

with you and how many people will be in the house on the night of the investigation.

More is not necessarily better when it comes to investigations. The size of the house and

the type of phenomena reported dictate the size of the investigation group.

Needless to say, four investigators investigating a possible haunting of a studio

apartment will not work. On the other hand, it might be good to have four or more

investigators in a ten- room house. Also, the reported phenomena must be

considered. If the activity consists of minor movement of objects, you will probably

have investigators work alone. On the other hand, if the phenomena reported is

frightening, you might want to team up investigators. Common sense should govern.

You also need to be aware of how many people will be in the house that are not with

the investigation team. I am in favor of having the entire family home for the

investigation. My theory is that we want the "normal" energy patterns in the house.

If most of the activity happens when four residents are home, the best chance of

having activity take place is with those four present. However, that is where it

should end. Unfortunately, I have been on many investigations when it appeared

that half of the neighborhood was present. They all wanted to be part of the "ghost

hunt." Forget it! A situation like that quickly turns into a circus and I can guarantee

that nothing will take place that night. When confronted with such a situation, the

best thing to do is reduce the number or pack up and leave. As much as you want to

help the clients, you do not want to waste your time.

The early stages of the investigation are usually a bit nervous. The clients do not

know what to expect and the same is true of the investigating team. This can result

in nervous laughing and any number of faux pas. There is nothing wrong with a

little levity; if anything, it can be helpful. However, it is important that you

eventually get down to business. Professionalism is a key here. Anything in

moderation is okay but things can get out of hand if you are not careful. If you are

using equipment, you will now begin setting it up.

Assuming all that is taken care of, you then assign locations to your investigators.

You want to try to have people in the most active areas. If there is movement of

objects, you will want to set up camcorders. It is always a good idea to set up audio

recorders. You never know what you might get on them. When making assignments,

take note of the equipment available and who knows how to use it. Obviously,

camcorders will be set up where there is the best likelihood of something moving. If

someone has night vision equipment, that person would be assigned to a dark

location.

Once everything is set up, all you can do is wait. It is very common for little if

anything to happen in the early stages of an investigation. Expect this. It is not

recommended that people stay glued to a location for a great length of time.

Granted, if you stay in one spot all night, you are not taking the risk of missing

something. However, sitting in a dusty attic all night is not the best thing to do

either. You can go stir crazy in a hurry. Besides that, your mind will eventually start

playing tricks on you. You may also want to rotate locations as the night wears on.

Always keep in mind that investigations can go on for a long time so do not

burn yourself out on the first night.

Eventually, the night will wear on and with that comes fatigue and silliness. There is

nothing wrong with having fun on an investigation. Even professionals need to

laugh. Like anything else, common sense is tantamount. On many cases, the clients

will ask about other cases. Never tell them about the frightening ones. Most of the

time, they are more interested in the funny stories. If you have been investigating for

a long time, you will have a treasure trove of hilarious incidents. That can be the

best part of the night. It has the advantage of making the night bearable and it also

helps to establish rapport with the clients. That will pay off down the road.

At some point, you will decide that you have reached the point of diminishing

returns. By this I mean that it is time to call it a night. If the reported phenomena is

not serious, you will probably decide to leave earlier than if it appears serious. This

is normal; if the people are at risk, you want to stay as long as possible. Again, you

may be in it for the long haul so you do not want to overdo it the first night. Again,

more is not necessarily better. The next thing we will do is take a look at equipment

and what it all means.

Chapter 5- Equipment

Earlier, I mentioned that there are many devices available today that make ghost

hunting easier. There are the basics such as tape recorders, camcorders, cameras

and so forth. However, there are many other items that can prove to be quite useful.

For openers, a digital camera is a good thing to have. On some of the simpler

models, you can download the pictures on your PC. This can save you a

considerable amount of money in developing expenses. There are more expensive

digital cameras that let you see what you will be taking a picture of. For example, if

there is an orb floating around, the camera will show that to you before you shoot.

This provides instant gratification. In addition to that, the pictures can be stored on

a disk making life much easier. These cameras are expensive but it will prove to be

an invaluable tool. It never hurts to have a Polaroid instant camera with you,

especially if you cannot afford the fancy digital ones.

Today, there is a variety of night vision related items available that are more than

useful. There are camcorders with night shot so that with the aid of an inexpensive

illuminator, you can film in complete dark. Amazingly, these are not terribly

expensive. Night vision scopes are also very handy items. Much of the time spent on

an investigation is in the dark. Having one of these gives you a good chance of seeing

something that may only be comfortable moving around in the dark. Seeing the

problem can save you a tremendous amount of time.

A basic and inexpensive item that is a must is a digital thermometer. It is best to get

an indoor/outdoor model. Should you notice a remarkable change in room

temperature on an investigation, you want to make sure that the outside

temperature has not changed drastically. There are some nice non-contact

thermometers available today.

One favorite of ghost hunters is the Gauss meter or EMF meter. EMF stands for

electromagnetic energy field. What is a fairly accepted belief in the industry is that

when spirits manifest in some form, there are usually unusual spikes in the

electromagnetic energy fields in the area. Having a meter that can show this is

valuable because it can alert you to the possible manifestation of a spirit. If your

meter goes off, you might want to get your camera or camcorder ready.

There are many models available today. Some are inexpensive, some are hi tech and

expensive. There really is no advantage to purchasing an expensive electro

magnetometer. More inexpensive models function quite well for the purposes of

ghost hunting. The key to using them is to record baseline readings in the location

you will be working in. There are many causes of electromagnetic energy such as

TV's, computers, fluorescent lights and microwave ovens. (These give off high

readings even when they are not in use.) There is no single, specific number to look

for. In other words, a reading of 5 milligauss does not indicate the presence of a

spirit. A reading of 10 milligauss does not indicate a spirit more powerful than one

that registers 7 milligauss. (At least none have been determined yet. Studies of

correlations between an entity's strength and the energy readings associated with it

are in the infancy stage.

I am not aware of any published research in this area

although I am doing studies of this type myself. The problem is that EMF research

has been geared towards the belief that haunting phenomena is a result of high

energy readings produced by a person. This is the theory of RSPK. Since

parapsychologists for the most part do not regard an external entity as the source of

haunting phenomena, no one has really done extensive research into the correlation

between high energy levels and spiritual manifestations.) The point is that EMF

levels will vary from one location to another and you must establish what the

"normal" reading for a location is before you can attempt to determine whether

anything preternatural or supernatural is going on.

Geiger counters and radiological survey meters are often used during investigations

although they have not proven to be as useful as the EMF meters. Since beta

and gamma radiation levels are not normally present in a natural environment, you

should get baseline readings near zero. Spirits do not give off radiation either; if

they did I would be pretty bright at night. However, my belief is that when there are

strong enough anomalies taking place in the environment, these machines are

"tricked" into giving off false readings. That alone can make them useful but they

tend to be expensive. Their value may not justify the price of one for simple ghost

hunting purposes.

Remote viewing or listening monitors are a good thing to have since they allow you

to monitor activity in a room without coverage. Walkie talkies are a must if you will

be working apart from other investigators. Motion detectors come in handy and you can

buy portable ones inexpensively. They can alert you to movement in an

uncovered area. More expensive models can be hooked into camcorders. That is

great because once the motion detector is tripped, the camcorder will begin

recording. That saves you hours of viewing time when the investigation is over.

Having to watch hours of tape of a blank wall can drive you insane. In my case, that

is not that far a drive.

The point is that there are many items that you may find useful. The list can get

fairly long. However, for the average ghost hunter, you need not spend exorbitant

amounts of money. For those who love and can afford gadgets, there are plenty of

items out there.

Chapter 6- What To Look For

Once the investigation is under way, we need to look for certain things and their

possible cause. Most new investigators will sit and wait, hoping that they will see a

half human- half animal creature walking around. They have a long wait. Images

like that are beyond rare and that is a good thing. There are very few that could

handle seeing something like that. However, images of human shapes are sometimes

seen and even photographed. However, long before something appears, there are

other things that are likely to happen.

What we look for are "outward manifestations." These are any unusual things that

may happen. Examples of outward manifestations would be objects moving, sounds,

visions, smells, etc. That foul stench that fills a room during an investigation is

an outward manifestations. So is the light show you may witness. Balls of light

flying through the air are common manifestations during a haunting. What these balls of

lights are is debated but the most likely cause is electromagnetic energy being

concentrated in a small area. These balls of light may be of any color although blue

and red seem to be the most common. Sometimes there are arcs of electricity

observable. Sometimes small white orbs may float by. They are usually transparent,

almost like bubbles.

Among the sounds you may hear is knocking, pounding, scratching sounds, growls

and even voices. When you hear voices, they are usually in a whisper. Sound

amplification equipment comes in handy when this takes place. So do stethoscopes.

Footsteps are a common sound during a haunting. They are much easier to take

when they are heading away from you. Crying is fairly common and more

unnerving is the maniacal laughing that often takes place in a negative haunting.

Temperature changes are common during outbreaks of paranormal phenomena.

This too is an outward manifestation. There are two types of cold. One is the psychic

cold that often takes place. In this case, energy is being taken from a person in the room.

This results in feeling cold but the thermometer will remain constant.

However, there are times when the temperature will change suddenly and

dramatically. To the investigator, this is a bonanza. If the interior temperature

drops dramatically while the external temperature remains constant and no form of

cooling equipment was introduced, you have evidence that the laws of physics have

been violated. That is a nice piece of evidence.

In some cases, investigators will find themselves being touched. This is unnerving to

say the least. In most cases, the touching is in the form of poking or pinching.

Occasionally, clothes may be tugged. In one house where I was investigating, the

entity present liked to pull my hair and tug my head back. This was not with enough

force to cause pain; rather it seemed that the entity was just trying to get my

attention. It was successful.

Finally, you might see a spirit form. In most cases, human spirits will appear as they

did in life. (Another form is the light show mentioned earlier.) In most cases, spirits

will appear to be translucent. In my experience, the apparitions were only visible

from the waist up. These apparitions usually seem to float as opposed to walking. In

some instances, a spirit will appear to be a solid as anyone living. In fact, there have

been occasions where people have talked to what appeared to be a living person. For

example, one time I met a friend of the family on the street. This friend asked how

my parent's were feeling and we talked briefly. When I arrived home, my mother

was visibly upset. It turned out that she had received a call earlier in the day telling

her that this friend had passed on the night before.

In another instance, I awoke to find a person standing next to my bed. The man was

as solid as anyone. In fact, he appeared to be a living person except for the dead look

in his eyes. For some reason, I had the feeling that he would fall and topple on me

and sure enough, he did just that. The impact was strong enough to bruise my ribs.

After that, he was gone. However, encounters such as that are unusual.

(Fortunately.)

Sometimes, shadows will be seen. At other times, there will appear what seems to be

a black, amorphous mist. I have often referred to this as " an absence of light." I

called it that because even in pitch dark, you can see a darker spot where the spirit

forms. Extremely rare are forms that appear as some form of demon. By this I mean

those things that resemble some of the pictures found in demonology books. These

are the ones with the goat's head and the cloven hooves. One form that does show

up from time to time is the infamous "old hag." Occasionally, animal shapes are

seen. More common is what appears to be something scurrying across the floor.

This is usually seen peripherally. Of course, it could also be a mouse.

Moving objects are common in hauntings. These objects can range from a light

coffee cup to a 400- pound refrigerator. Pictures may fly off walls, furniture may

slide across the floor and doors and drawers may open and slam closed. Most of the

times, the objects will miss people. When struck by an object, it is usually with little

force. In demonic hauntings, the objects may be propelled with enough force to

injure.

Also common is the disappearance and reappearance of objects. This can happen

right under your nose. For example, you are writing your notes when you place the

pen down on the pad and light a cigarette. You take a puff and pick up the pen only

to realize that the pad is missing. It may turn up later in another room. It may also

turn up back where it was supposed to be, leaving the investigator to wonder

whether senility may be taking place. Voices being mimicked are relatively common

in hauntings as well. Now it is time to confuse the issue.

Chapter 7- When Is A Ghost Not A

Ghost?

Now we begin to look at some of the confusing issues concerning ghost hunting.

There is a phenomenon known as a "psychic projection" or an "energy imprint."

What we have here is a case where there appears to be a spirit but in actuality, it is

nothing more than a projection. In this case, a person may walk into a room and see

the form of a woman standing by the window. Needless to say, that person becomes

frightened. After all, there is a ghost in the room. He knows that she is a ghost

because although he can see what she is wearing, he can also see right through her.

Well, as the frightened person watches, the woman seems to float away from the

window and moves across the room. The frightened man is glad to see that she was

walking away from him. As she moves away from the man, he hears sobbing.

Slowly, the apparition fades away. Even more slowly, the man's fear fades away too.

However, unknown to him, the scene he witnessed actually took place thirty years

earlier. What he was seeing was not a ghost at all; it was a sort of projection or

energy imprint. How did the imprint get there? The accepted belief is that during a

time of great stress, a person's energy can be "burned" into an environment. An

example might be the case where a woman stands by the window, watching with

growing anxiety for her husband to come home. It is a cold, rainy night and he

should have been home hours earlier. As the time passes, her anxiety grows. Finally,

the phone rings and she finds out that her husband was killed on his way home to

her. This terrible energy somehow remains behind to be view by another person at

some later date in time.

In this case, the exact conditions would have to be duplicated and a psychically

sensitive person would have to be present. If those things occur, the psychically

sensitive person will be able to view the projection. The amazing thing about these

energy imprints is that the person seen in this case may well be still living. Yet, the

question arises: how can you tell the difference between a ghost and an energy

imprint?

The answer to that is simple; in the case of a psychic projection, there is no actual

spirit present. Therefore, it cannot react to the presence of a person. So if this man were

to scream, the imprint would not react to that. If he had walked in front of her,

she would have played the scene out, passing right through him if he remained in

her path. Had she been a spirit, she would react to his presence. So whenever

you see what appears to be a spirit, the key is to see if it reacts to you.

Chapter 8- The Poltergeist

The poltergeist is the most studied and least understood of all paranormal

phenomena. You will find two schools of thought on the subject and to muddy the

waters even more, both schools agree on almost all points. For that reason, we will

discuss both schools.

What constitutes poltergeist phenomena? To the parapsychologist, poltergeist

phenomena consists of the movement of objects, sometimes large objects. You may

hear pounding in the walls, there may be water "raining" inside a home and there

may be electrical disturbances of all kinds. The demonologist would agree with the

parapsychologist on this point and as you are about to see, many others as well.

Let us take a close look at the areas where there is a difference between the two

schools of thought. To the parapsychologist, the movement of objects is the result of

what is called Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis. (RSPK) The belief here is that

the movement of objects is caused by the unconscious mind of someone living in the

residence. To the demonologist, the cause of the problem is a spirit, an inhuman one

at that. Both sides believe that when the phenomena occurs, there are strong

readings of electromagnetic energy fields. However, the source of those anomalous

readings is disputed. The parapsychologists will state that the electromagnetic

energy is what moves the objects in question. The demonologist believes that it is the

spirit that does the dirty work and that the EMF readings are a byproduct of the

spirit. When questioned, the parapsychologist will usually admit that they do not

know the source of the energy. That is fair enough.

RSPK does indeed exist and there have been many studies over the years. However,

there are a few bumps in the road, not to mention those in the night. In all of

the testing done under laboratory conditions, the objects moved by RSPK were light in

nature. They also were moved only slightly. In a poltergeist explosion, refrigerators

and sofas may be propelled with great force.

Now let us take a look at what both schools of thought agree upon. For openers,

there is usually one person around whom the phenomenon occurs. That person is

called the "agent" or "trigger." That trigger is usually a female and usually entering

puberty. There will be moving objects. However, there will not be apparitions of any

kind. The phenomena will start suddenly, unlike the pattern of hauntings. In a

poltergeist explosion, you go from 0-60 in the snap of a finger. You may have lived

quietly in a house for ten years and one day all hell breaks loose. Fortunately, these

outbreaks are relatively short lived. The average is just under two months. The

phenomena will stop as suddenly and as inexplicably as it started. Whatever activity

takes place shows no intelligence behind it; it is merely a strong burst of energy. The

last one is troubling: there is no known way to stop a poltergeist explosion.

At one time, parapsychologists believed that by counseling the "agent," the

phenomena would stop or at least diminish. However, in the majority of cases, the

activity tends to increase when this is done. On the other side of the

coin, demonologists believed that prayer and exorcism would stop the problem. Research

has proven that the opposite is true. These steps usually exacerbate the situation.

Sadly, the only solution seems to be letting it burn itself out. Unfortunately, a lot of

damage can be done in the meantime.

There is another thing to note. There are times when the poltergeist phenomenon is

merely another step in the progression of a demonic infestation. It might

be incorrectly diagnosed as a poltergeist, which could be a serious problem in that

it gives the invading spirit time to entrench further. That is why someone qualified

should make the determination. There are certain things that will not take place in a

"true" poltergeist situation. The foremost is apparitions; they are never seen in

poltergeist outbreaks. When a parapsychologist has to deal with the subject of an

apparition, they will call it a secondary phenomenon. It will be regarded as a

psychic imprint as well as RSPK. In many instances they are correct. To the

demonologist, an apparition at the time of a poltergeist outbreak means giant red

flags are going up.

In most instances of poltergeist outbreaks, rarely is anyone struck with a hurled

object and if they are, there is little or no force behind the strike. The object simply

falls to the floor. This is amazing to experience. However, if there is a stepping stone

situation brewing, a hurled object may indeed cause harm. This is another way to

gauge what type of situation you have on your hands. It is certainly not the most

pleasant. In stepping stone cases, objects may be hurled in the direction of someone

and will turn towards that person if he moves out of the initial line of fire. That is

another indication of trouble.

There are cases on record where unusual objects rain on a house. Sometimes there

are rocks; sometimes there are small animals. A recent case was reported where

small fish rained on a farmhouse. Needless to say, many people surmised that it was

a poltergeist outbreak. However, after scientific studies were done, it turned out that

these fish had been sucked from a nearby lake by a waterspout. Eventually they had

to fall to earth. However, some cases are not that easily solved.

One such incident is where rain will take place inside a house. Perhaps that rain will

consist of small fish. That is a tough one to solve. Fires will sometimes start

spontaneously and without cause. Treasured objects may be destroyed. The list goes

on. One day, the two schools of thought will work together. Then and only then will

the riddle of the poltergeist be solved, assuming it can be solved.

Chapter 9- Know Thy Enemy

It stands to reason that you must know what you are dealing with before you can

offer any type of help. Certainly there are things that you can do no matter what

type of spirit you come across. However, there are certain things that will be useless

if tried on the wrong type of spirit and there are certain things that can be

dangerous. The key is to make sure you know exactly what you are up against. Let

us take a look at what I am talking about.

When people contact me, they often ask whether or not they should try blessing the

home themselves. What I always tell them is they should wait 8until we have a better

idea what is going on. What is wrong with blessing the house? Well, depending on

what you are dealing with, the answer is nothing. If the spirit in question is human,

blessing the house is a good idea. If the spirit in question is of the nasty variety, it

may well leave. Human spirits generally do not want to mess with God. In that

regard, they are a lot smarter than demons. Now if the spirit in question is benign,

the blessing will likely have no effect at all. There is a chance that the benign spirit

will realize that it is bothering the people and may choose to reduce its activity.

Benign spirits do not want to hurt anyone.

However, if the spirit in the house is inhuman and demonic, (I say that because

it must be remembered that Angels are inhuman as well) there could be a

problem. Attempting to bless the house yourself can and usually does start a

firestorm of activity as the demon retaliates from the provocation. The activity

may become fierce and the overall problem multiplied. To a demon, blessing the home

hurts, in whatever way a spirit can hurt. To it, you have provoked him and he will fight

back. For that reason, it is best to wait until you are sure what the problem is.

Now let us confuse the issue. One of the things that the experienced investigator may

recommend is blessing the house. "Wait a minute, you just said not to do that."

Okay, fair enough. There is a difference between the experienced investigator

provoking the spirit and the victims. What is that difference? Well, for one, the

experienced investigator knows how to quell the firestorm if it does come. (In some

cases, the demon, especially if it is weak will cut its losses and run.) However,

in some cases, the firestorm will be minor simply because the demon knows that

this individual has experience with this. In other words, it does not want to waste

its time.

There is another factor at work here as well. It is very difficult for the victims

to effectively battle the demon directly. The reason for this is simple: the demon knows

what terrifies them. It knows what buttons to push with them. Take this scenario:

the victims pick up a cross and walk into the room where most of the activity takes

place. For example, there may be pounding in the walls. They walk in and bless the

room. Before they finish the blessing, the pounding starts. To combat this, they say

the blessing louder. The result is that the pounding also gets louder and faster too.

Then, some books go flying around the room, some just missing them.

The likelihood is that they will stop the blessing. The activity may continue longer than

usual, convincing the victims that they had made a mistake. In actuality, they had

made a mistake and they made a big one at that. The mistake is that they stopped

the blessing. Had they kept it up, it would eventually have worked, although at a

cost.

When the experienced investigator tries the blessing, he/she knows that they must be

persistent. They will keep at it, regardless of what the demon does. However, no

matter how strong willed the victim may be, it is all but impossible for them to do

this because the demon will do exactly what they fear most. Unfortunately, it is not

always that simple either. The investigator has to know what he/she is dealing with

because if the demon in question is powerful, they have to realize that it may be

outside their realm. Even the most experienced investigator is not an exorcist and

they are no match for the powerful demon. Indeed, they can make the problem

worse than it was for if the blessing did not knock the spirit out, that spirit is going

to retaliate against them as well as the victims.

There are some spirits that must be dealt with by the trained clergy. "Trained" is a

key word there. Not every Priest, Rabbi or Minister is qualified to battle with a

demon. For many of them, possession and demonology was one short class in

seminary. This is especially true today where so many of the clergy are more

concerned with Church image than they are Church effectiveness. Possession is old

school to them and should be forgotten. However, there are those who specialize in

that area and they may be the only ones who can stop the onslaught.

Most experienced investigators are smart enough to know when not to push an

issue. A good rule is that of pro-action and reaction. For example, when the

pounding takes place, the investigator reacts by trying to stop the phenomenon. The

spirit has already started; you are in effect reacting to the activity. Thus, there is no

provocation there. However, walking through the house when it is quiet and

blessing it is being proactive and in effect, provoking the spirit. That is where the

firestorm begins.

I am not saying that we must let spirits have their way; that is a ridiculous notion.

All I am saying is that the right people must take action. One needs to "know

thy enemy" but they must also know their limitations.

Chapter 10- Human or Inhuman

How do we know thy enemy? This can be complicated because the inhuman spirit,

being the coward and bully that it is will do its best to avoid detection. If there is a

human spirit around, it will often hide behind it. The activity that takes place will

often be borderline at best. This presents a serious problem because we have already

seen the dangers of misdiagnosing the spirit. This can be a tricky situation. The best

rule to follow is to err on the side of caution. If you think the spirit may be demonic,

do not do anything that will provoke it until you have a better idea of what is going

on there.

There are things you can look for that will give you a good idea. In short, there are

certain types of phenomena that are outside the known abilities of a human spirit.

Of course, in many cases those cut and dried manifestation will not take place. Still,

there are things we can look out for. Before we look at some of those things, we must

keep two things in mind. Demonic hauntings are very rare, despite some of the

hysterical rantings you see on so many websites. That cannot be stressed enough.

The other thing to keep in mind is that a demonic spirit can do anything a human

spirit can. Thus, it is unnecessary to repeat those phenomena.

Human spirits will move objects around. They will sometimes knock things off

shelves, knock pictures off walls, throw light items such as glasses, figurines and the

like. When you see a four hundred pound freezer go sailing across the room, it is a

good bet that you have a demonic spirit at work. A human spirit may take

something like the book you were just reading and hide it elsewhere. When your

washer and drier disappear, you should think demon. Human spirits may visually

manifest in the form of bright lights, arcs of electricity and as they appeared in life.

They may be translucent or they may be as solid as you or I. If you see a creature

with a goat's head, a human torso and a horse's legs, it might be a good idea to rule

out the human guy.

Unfortunately, in many cases, we see borderline phenomena. Either spirit can

produce odors and they can both make sounds. Human spirits tend to laugh or cry,

depending on their purpose in the haunting. They will sometimes speak although

this is usually in whispers. Animal noises usually indicate something demonic

although it may not always be so. Demonic spirits tend to mimic voices but it is

believed that human spirits may be able to do so as well. Always remember, no one

knows all of the answers and we are continuously learning. (Those with open minds,

that is.)

Both types can manipulate electrical items such as turning lights on and off or other

appliances. Both can cause loud banging in walls or ceilings. Both can also create

the sound of footsteps. The opening and closing or doors or drawers falls into the

realm of human and inhuman spirits. Both spirits can act angrily although demonic

spirits show something closer to rage than anger. In addition, both have the ability

to touch the living. (Within reason; a demon can hurl a person against a wall. A

human spirit may be able to give you a little push.) However, human and inhuman

spirits can leave marks. Claw marks and those that draw blood should send up red

flags. Both spirits can levitate objects although human spirits can usually only

levitate something light. When the sofa hovers, use common sense. Either can

manipulate the environment. Turning a warm room cold would be one example of

this.

In some cases, both spirits will show anger at religious objects. However, when you

have something like the destruction of something religious, there is a good

possibility that the spirit is inhuman. Human ones may knock a crucifix off a wall

but they will usually not do any form of damage to it. This is not an absolute by any

means but it does sort of point you in the right direction. Most human spirits do not

want a fight with God. However, there may be some who simply do not believe

in God or who are angry with Him for whatever reason. By and large though,

most human spirits do not touch religious objects.

You see here how difficult it can be to make a determination. In some cases,

common sense will dictate what type of spirit is at work. You can tell by using

religious provocation but unless you are experienced, you can create the firestorm

mentioned in the last chapter. However, there does come a time when it may be

necessary to do this. You may find yourself in a situation where you spend a

weekend investigating in a house. During those days, nothing unusual happens.

However, after you leave, the spirit retaliates against the family. You go back there

the following weekend but again, nothing happens. When you leave, the family pays

again. Obviously, that situation cannot continue that way. In that case, you may well

have to provoke it. Remember though, you have to know what you are doing.

Human spirits may react to provocation as well but the results are usually minor. In

one case, the provocation resulted in immediate activity but the spirit seemed to run

away from the provocation as opposed to reacting in a violent manner. This led me

to believe that the spirit was human and that gave me several options to use to stop

the problem. In that case, it was clear; in many, that is not so.

Chapter 11- Interpreting Your

Findings

Once you begin your investigation, you have to gather as much evidence as possible.

One thing I have heard on many occasions is someone trying to convince me (or

someone else) that they have discovered an evil spirit or a demonic one in a home.

When I ask how they determined that, the answer is often: "Well, I felt it." Great. I

was involved in an investigation not long ago where a ghost hunting group was

called in to investigate claims of unusual phenomena. Within fifteen minutes, two of

the investigators stated that they felt the presence of a demonic spirit. In this case,

they 'felt" it. By all admissions, nothing unusual happened during those early

minutes. These must be some extremely talented individuals.

Gabriele Amorth is the chief exorcist of Rome. In his book: "An Exorcist Tells His

Story" Father Amorth states that it is often not until the exorcism itself that the

exorcist is sure that there is a demonic spirit. Up until that point, it can be extremely

difficult to be certain. However, these investigators "discerned" the presence of a

demon. Of course, they also went into the basement where they claimed that the

"demon" touched them and they stated that they would never go down that

basement again. Those two are a credit to the field. When you hear stories like this,

it becomes painfully obvious why no one who works in this field is taken seriously.

Sadly, there are many out there who behave in this same manner.

Once you start gathering evidence, you need to interpret it. Does a slamming door

constitute a spirit? It could. It could also be a draft. A creaking floor may be

just that. It can become frustrating at times when you look at your evidence and

someone pokes holes in it. However, that has to be done. If you are serious

about your work, you have to be sure that what you experienced is paranormal. If

you jump to conclusions, you can well look like a fool. Sadly, because of the

boobs mentioned earlier, you cannot afford to be wrong. It takes very little to ruin

a reputation you spent years building. The point is that you have to make sure

that you rule out every possible natural cause for a given phenomenon.

Okay, that is the simple part. Once you have determined to the best of your abilities,

(no one is ever 100% sure) that a spirit is present, then the hard part starts.

Remember, before you begin to look for the solution to the problem, you must

be sure what is causing it. Again, something as simple as blessing a house can cause a

firestorm of activity if the spirit is demonic. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to tell

because the majority of the activity taking place could probably have been caused

by a human spirit. As I mentioned earlier, demonic spirits like to hide behind the

skirts of human spirits. Often, there is no clear-cut evidence like a sofa bed doing

the fandango with the refrigerator in the driveway. Much of what is experienced

will be the movement of lighter objects and maybe some knocking coming from the

walls. One subtle thing that I have noticed over the years is that when a

knocking sound seems to be coming from a specific spot on a wall, the culprit is

probably human. In my experience, when demonic spirits cause knocking, it seems

to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. However, this is too subtle to

call an absolute. With the relatively small numbers of demonic cases, (Thank God) it is

hard to subject this theory to more scrutiny. Should anyone reading this have a

similar or different experience, please contact us. Trust me, we never know it all.

One thing you can do is look for intent. Do objects just move around or are they hurled

in the direction of someone? Yes, a negative human spirit can do this but if

there are any injuries, it should send up a red flag. I do not have to be hit on

the head with an anvil before I start to get the picture. Again, look for desecration

of religious objects. Moving them is one thing but desecrating them is quite

another. One useful test is to try using holy water to stop activity that is taking place. If

the holy water stops the activity quickly, it is a good bet that the spirit is demonic.

Being touched is another, although unpleasant way of determining phenomena. In

one case I recently worked on, the spirit present liked to pull my hair. It always did

this from behind, pulling my head back. However, on both occasions, there was very

little force. That led me to believe it was human. Here is a totally unscientific

method that has proven successful. If there is almost daily activity or if it is

particularly active on a given night, try having the victim ask it to leave her/him

alone. On two different cases, the victims told me that they had asked the spirit to

leave them alone for a given night. In one case, the woman had been working long

hours as was exhausted. When she heard three knocks (that always heralded the

beginning of the activity) she asked the spirit to leave her alone that night. She told

it how exhausted it was and that she needed sleep. Oddly enough, it did. The activity

stopped cold and she slept like a baby. Guess what? That was no demon; they are

incapable of compassion. A crude but effective strategy.

One man told me that he came home from work one day and was tired from a series

of meetings he had to suffer through. Shortly after arriving home, some small

objects started to move. He angrily told the spirit that it should do something

anatomically impossible. (Use your imagination.) The activity stopped. Once again,

this ruled out the possibility of a demonic spirit. Had there been one, it would have

responded negatively.

In short, just look carefully at all of the evidence. Do not rush to a conclusion. Try to

poke holes in your evidence. Trust me, if you have to seek outside help, those who

you contact are going to punch as many holes in it as they possible can. If you have

already done that, you can be pretty sure that what you have is good. Always ask

yourself one simple question when you are evaluating your evidence: "Could it have

been done by a human spirit?"

Chapter 12- Taking Action

Once you have an idea of what you are dealing with, you need to decide on a course

of action. In all likelihood, you are dealing with a human spirit and that can get

tricky. Obviously, it is better to be dealing with a human spirit than an inhuman one

but in some ways, it is more complicated. When you are dealing with the demonic,

there is really only one way to go. It is a dangerous endeavor but it is also clear-cut.

With the human spirit, you are faced with several possibilities. One thing you have

to try to do is determine why the spirit is there and what its intent is. The fact than a

spirit may be responsible for frightening activity does not guarantee that it is evil.

The spirit in question may simply be protective of its home. In that situation, it does

not want to hurt anyone, it just wants them out.

There is a misconception that a medium is needed to help a spirit cross over.

Truthfully, if it can hear her talk to it, one would think it would hear everyone talk

to it. Where a medium can come in handy is by finding out what it wants. Clearing

away a human spirit may require a good deal of detective work. If you know who

the spirit is, it may be easier to get it to move along. For example, one way to help an

earthbound spirit is by asking it to call to someone it once cared for. If you know

who it is, you may be able to ask it to call on "so and so." By having a name to call

on, it gives you an advantage. That little bit of personalization can make a big

difference, especially when dealing with a spirit who is adamant about staying.

One question that always comes up is the idea of exorcism. If the human spirit is

evil, there is a lot you can do involving prayer that may make it leave. However, it

must always be remembered that the ritual of exorcism was designed to force Satan

himself out of someone. It does not stand to reason that the ritual would necessarily

work on a human spirit. However, even if it does, there is a greater danger. You see,

conducting an exorcism when it is not needed is likely to attract an inhuman spirit

that is drawn to the location. It will not be affected by the exorcism because it is not

the evil spirit being chased away. Thus, it becomes a spectator. What it sees is a

human spirit it can puppeteer. After the exorcism is done with, you now have a

demonic spirit hanging around.

Some call this idea ridiculous but I must point out that at one time, Catholics were

given a prayer that they were to say daily. (I will not print it here.) What this prayer

basically consisted of was a short form of exorcism. (This is not the St. Michael the

Archangel prayer. That is safe and should be said by everyone daily.) After a while,

it became clear that this prayer was in effect stirring up problems. Cardinal

Ratzinger then stated that it should not be said because of this fact. Now it is no

longer mentioned. The point is that you can create a problem by being overly

aggressive and jumping into exorcisms. In most cases, they will not work against a

human agent and it might just cause a bigger problem than already existed.

To look at how to rid a home of a human spirit, you have to see why the spirit is still

there. The possibility exists that the spirit is confused; many do not know they are

dead. In other cases, they are attached to loved ones or a special place and they do

not want to leave. In still other cases, a spirit will stick around because it has a

message for someone. Another common reason is because it is afraid to cross over,

fearing perhaps punishment for the sins it has committed while alive. In that

instance, an effective strategy is to tell the spirit of the mercy of God. In most

people's cases, their imagined sins are far worse than their real ones. Most of us

judge ourselves in a much darker light than our loving God does. (Thankfully.)

The best way to communicate with the spirit is to simple sit down and talk to it

quietly. Explain to it that it should leave so that it can find peace in the next realm.

Advise it to call on loved ones who will show it the way home. This should not

be done in a threatening manner. If the spirit responds in a way that you believe is evil,

then you can start saying prayers designed to make it leave. There are many prayers

that are extremely effective for this purpose. It also helps to say a prayer asking God

to help the spirit. There was an occasion where I was confronted by a demonic

spirit. I actually prayed to God to help that lost angel to see the evil that it does. This

strategy really ticks them off. However, it is also effective.

I do not advise séances or Ouija sessions when trying to communicate with a spirit.

For one, you have no way of knowing what is coming through or whether it is even a

spirit at all. The likelihood is that this will make the problem worse because you

may be bringing in something worse that what is already there.

Suppose you have enough reason to believe that the spirit is demonic. If that is the

case, you are most likely in over your head. Unless you have a great deal of

experience in dealing with that type of spirit and few do, then it is best that you take

your case to someone qualified to handle it. There are organizations that

"specialize" in demonic hauntings. By specialize, I mean that they will work those

types of cases. (Many will tell you honestly that they will not take on a case of that

magnitude.) In a demonic case, your best bet is to contact the clergy. The likelihood

is that it will require the clergy to get rid of it. This is where you have to have all of

your evidence and you must be able to present a strong case. The clergy often take a

knock for not being willing to help out but in truth, all it really takes is good

evidence. Just don't tell them that you know it is a demon because "you feel it." You

will be shown the door quickly and deservedly so.

Chapter 13- Investigator Etiquette

It should go without saying but there are certain things that must be stressed,

especially if you have any plans of developing a good reputation. You would be

surprised at how many investigators fail to follow these simple, common sense items.

First of all, act professionally on an investigation. That does not mean that you

should be stuffy or arrogant, just act respectfully. My style has always been simple:

I take my work seriously but I do not take myself seriously. There is nothing wrong

with humor on an investigation; if anything it helps. However, humor does not mean

acting like the class clown.

Show respect to the client. If it is a non-smoking household and you smoke, you

should go outside. I hate that one myself but it is necessary. Never use foul language

in someone else's home. Do not put your feet up on their furniture. Also, do not

make a lot of noise. This is especially important when there are children in the

house. Never, never diagnose the problem until you are as sure as you can possibly

be. On some investigations, I have been asked about other hauntings. When that

happens, I try to get away with telling them about humorous cases. I am only going

to hurt my own cause if I tell them something really frightening. Besides, you

can teach people how to be haunted if you are not careful.

Some cases produce frightening phenomena. When that happens, you are likely to

be scared. Natural fear is fine; you really cannot hide that. However, never tell

someone that you will never go down their basement again or that you will never go

into a certain room. In the first place, if you feel that way, you should look for

another endeavor. The other thing is that the victims look up to you as an expert

and if the expert is too frightened to go into a room, how are they supposed to live

there! Try not to get too excited when something happens. It is important that the

client believes that you are a trained professional. Jumping with joy when you see a

light shoot across the room makes you look like an amateur.

Believe it or not, many investigators have difficulty with something as simple as this.

Those ones hurt all of us. It must always be remembered that the client is likely to

believe everything you say so you have to make sure that you do not give them the

wrong idea about what is happening. I like to keep the family informed every step of

the way. Whispered conversations between investigators looks bad. If you need to

discuss something away from the client, excuse yourself and talk among yourselves.

Just do not make them feel that you are leaving them out. They are frightened and a

little paranoid anyway so do not do anything that will add to that. Always be

respectful.

Chapter 14- Revealing A Strategy

There is a strategy to a haunting, be it one that involves a human spirit or a demonic

one. This strategy is actually very simple but very effective. Spirits feed on energy.

To the negative spirit, the energy that is most appealing is that which is produced by

fear. Early in a haunting, things start out slowly. As time passes things become

obvious and this is where the fear starts. Now, when a spirit feeds off of fear, it gets

stronger. Since it is stronger, it now can do much that will result in more fear. That

increased fear makes it stronger still and around and around we go. Slowly at first,

then with some speed, the grip gets tighter on the victim. The haunting suddenly

becomes dangerous.

Realizing that this strategy exists is very helpful to the client. I usually take a

compass and draw circles that get smaller and tighter to illustrate the fear factor.

Once they understand this, they can begin to take back some lost ground. If

something should happen that might have caused considerable fear but no longer

does, the spirit has less to feed on. The less it has to feed on, the less it can

use to frighten them with. Thus, you begin to unravel the grip.

In the event of a human spirit, this unraveling process may by itself end the

haunting. Human spirits are limited in what they can do anyway so anything that

reduces their ability to cause fear weakens them. If they are not that strong to begin

with, this can knock them out. When you are dealing with a demonic spirit, it will at

first try to retaliate for the change in strategy. If the family can weather that initial

retaliation, they can begin to unravel the grip. It will not knock the demonic spirit

out but it may weaken it to where strong prayers can finish the job.

If there is one valuable thing I have learned over the years, it is that the simple

things are often the best. We too often look for complicated answers to the point

where we do not see the simple and best ones right under our noses. Simply foiling a

strategy is a small victory for the family against the marauding spirit and that can

change the momentum. Confident people fight a much better battle that those who

feel defeated. Take every victory wherever you can get it.

Chapter 15- Closing Thoughts

There are a few thoughts that I would like to leave you with. In many cases, there is

little we can do regarding a haunting until we know what is going on. That can take

some time. However, there are things we can do that will help them right away.

There are 3 things we should attempt to do:

1) Lend them support.

2) Teach them defenses.

3) Teach them coping skills.

This is not as difficult as it sounds and you do not have to be a trained mental health

professional to do this. Lending support is the easiest thing to do. Most victims

of haunting type phenomena find that their world shrinks a bit. What I mean by this is

that they find that they have fewer and fewer people to talk to. When you are being

terrorized at home, the last thing you want to hear from your friends is that you are

imagining it. Try telling someone who lives in a house where pictures go flying off

the walls that there are no such things as ghosts. Yet this is exactly what happens to

many victims. This causes them to isolate and that is the worst thing you can do in a

haunting.

Sometimes the simple things in life are best. Just telling someone that you

believe them can make all the difference in the world to them. Letting them pour

their hearts out can take away much of their frustration. This does nothing to stop

the haunting but it makes the victim feel better. Every little victory counts. In the early

stages, that may indeed be all that we can do for them.

There are defenses that the client can employ. Knowing that there is a strategy at

work in a haunting, it is possible to begin building defenses. Sprinkling holy water

in the bedroom at night may allow them to have a good night's sleep. When activity

begins to take place, they can be taught how to stop it. One of the keys to lessening

the effects of a haunting is to give as little recognition as possible to the activity.

That alone can diminish it. It is a practical defense.

Coping skills can take a little time but they are important. Lending support is a

coping skill of sort. However, a very effective one is to let the victims know that

hauntings do happen and that they do end. The biggest problem they usually face is

a sense of disorientation that results from seeing "impossible" phenomena taking

place. At that point, their whole world looks different. The comforts that they

usually enjoy suddenly seem alien to them. That wonderful overstuffed chair where

so many pleasant hours have been spent reading books now looks different to them.

Suddenly, it seems to have lost its inviting quality. Maybe now when the family look

at it, it reminds them of the time when the cushions went flying through the room.

The problem is that their model of the world has been destroyed. They are now

living in a world that they never imagined existed and one they do not want to have

to live in. I am repeatedly asked whether I get frightened on investigations.

Truthfully, that rarely, if ever happens anymore. I am sure that the day will come

when it will happen again but it has been many years since I have been frightened.

Now, no one will ever accuse me of being particularly brave. However, the reasons

are simple:

1) You become desensitized after awhile.

2) When you have seen hell, purgatory looks pretty good.

3) I am task saturated.

4) My model of the world in intact.

Obviously, the first is self-explanatory. The second simply means that when you

have seen tables levitate and furniture being hurled around a room, seeing a coffee

cup slide slowly across a counter does not do much for me. The third one is simple.

When activity breaks out, I have a lot to do. Instrument readings must be taken, if

there is movement of objects, a camcorder has to be turned on and if something

begins to manifest, I need to take photos. There is too much to do to worry

about how frightening the activity may be. The fourth is the one that the client needs to

be taught. They are shocked because in their model of the world, furniture is not

supposed to move on its own. Thus, when it happens, they are in a state of

shock. That adds to their disorientation. For them, this does not make sense. They

no longer feel part of the "real" world.

Now, in my world, I know this stuff happens and I expect to see it. When it happens, it

becomes a line in my activity notes. "11:10 pm, books flew off the shelf in living

room." That is what it means to me. It is an item that I am expecting to see so when I do,

it is hardly frightening. Once you help the victims alter their model of the

world to one that includes this type of phenomena, they slowly begin to take

back their lives. They will then begin to end their isolation and that in itself makes them

better able to cope with their situation.

These are simple steps that can make the haunting far more tolerable. The best part

is that you can do this right away, starting with the first phone call. Best of all, you

can see the results right away. That is very fulfilling to me.

Written by Thomas Cooney of the Northeast Board Of Psychic Investigation

http://www.fspp.net/

Thank you to Tom Cooney for his permission to use this book on http://www.haunted-

places-to-go.com