TV shows comming out of our ears!

Wow! There are a lot of paranormal TV shows on today. We have Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Hunters Academy, Ghost Adventures, Ghost Lab, Extreme Paranormal, Paranormal State, Paranormal Cops, Celebrity Ghost Stories, The Other Siders, and that's all I can think of right now.

I'm torn!! I love to watch these shows but it seems that the producers are in such a rush to get their paranormal show they'll give it to any body! Some of these people are not very experienced. My question is this, do you think that this is a fad? or do you think that this is a new niche for TV and they should air a Paranormal Channel?

Of course as far as we are concerned Paranormal Cops is the best show to come out and it's not even out yet! Of course we are a bit biased.

A case against photographic evidence.

Why are groups still using still photography? Sure it's cheap but it only gives you a split second image. It's the events that happen before and after that split image that give you the essential details. It's just way too easy to get false proof with still photography.

Battery Drain

There is a very popular theory that the reason batteries drain so quickly on a paranormal investigation is because the ghost is drawing energy from these devices to either manifest or create some sort of paranormal phenomenon. If this were the case why wouldn't the ghost just use the energy found in the common wall socket? There's a far larger supply of energy there.

This is not to say that I don't believe that battery drain happens. I, myself, have never experienced this phenomenon. I do believe that this happens but I doubt the comonly held theory. If ghosts were in fact drawing energy from electronic devices could the home owners see a rise in thier electrical consumption?

Just a thought.
-Donn

So how does one become a Paranormal Investigator?

This question comes up from time to time. For better or worse it's a very open field. Any one can claim to be a Paranormal Investigator regardless of education, motive or experience. This is one of the prime reasons the field has grown and continues to stay pretty active, though not always productive.

If this is something that your interested in there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you go any further:

1) Why do you want to do this? There really are no wrong answers to this question. You just need to be sure that the image you present represents your motives. If you just want that thrill then you shouldn't present yourself as some one who will investigate and assist families in need. This tends to be a rather boring and labor intensive task that requires real dedication and is best left to people who's main goal is to assist families and individuals. The last thing you want is a stressed out family even more stressed out because the team of investigators are treating their home as fun house.

If you are just interested in the thrill there's nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of groups and organizations that help set up investigations at famous locations. These are great for thrill seekers. There's no one looking for help and often there is very little evidence review.

2) Do you want to be a Ghost Hunter or Paranormal Investigator? Believe it or not there is a bit of a difference. Ghost Hunters have only one goal; to find and document proof of ghosts. Whereas a Paranormal Investigator investigates activity that seems to be unexplained. Are you willing to investigates claims of psychic, alien, and other general claims of activity? Keep in mind that you may need to look at only the individual claim of activity with out assigning some explanation. Just because something moved without explanation doesn't mean it was a ghost and if you believe is was a ghost you should have some information that can back that claim.

3) Are you willing to put in the time and money? Investigating is very little action. Investigating paranormal claims often requires more work reviewing evidence, looking up information and sitting in front of a computer then it does actually nosing around in the dark. Since paranormal activity may result from "other worldly" forces interacting with our own and since we don't understand the laws that govern this "other world" we should be at least familiar with the laws that govern our own. If we go by the assumption that "every action has an equal and opposite reaction" we can study this "reaction" to see what it can tell us about the initial "action". Understanding basic scientific concepts is far more important than learning the newest paranormal theories.

Along with time comes a monetary investment. You don't need the latest greatest devices to be a Paranormal Investigator but you'll need some basic tools. These can vary depending on your primary focus. Of course you'll want to experiment with new technology as it hits the market as well.

Just remember, be patient, always learn, and question even the most basic theories (too many people refuse to question theories just because they're popular, just because it's popular doesn't make it true). Being a Paranormal Investigator can be a very frustrating and rewarding experience. If your still interested just give it a shot. Who knows, you may even contribute some ground breaking stuff some day!

Adjustment Period

The cat looks around as we are both woken up by a loud thud in the middle of the night. She doesn't seem bothered, but I can not help but wonder what it was. Perhaps it was only a neighbor getting home late. Or maybe an unseen visitor from another time, another place? These thoughts have occurred frequently in the last two weeks since the move. It is my first apartment, my first time alone. It can be boring and lonely at times, but it has given me an invaluable insight into some of the claims of activity that we hear on a daily basis.
The first night I stayed there alone I got violently sick. I mean the worst motion sickness one could imagine. As I lay in my bed stifling my vomit, I thought, "Dude theres a demon in here, and it's trying to kill me." I began to hallucinate, I had a very real vision of my brother standing next to me, talking to me. It turns out I was high on new carpet fumes, that I hadn't noticed, but others told me they were present. After airing the place out, I am thankful to say, there has been no more motion sickness.
A few days later I awoke to the sound of someone walking on the floor above me. Which is quite common in apartment buildings. The trouble is, I'm on the top floor. I admit, it is possible that something is walking on a non-existent floor, six feet above my head. But isn't it more likely one of my neighbors brushed up against the wall, and being half awake thought it came from above me?
Obviously the audible things are easier to explain away in a place where my neighbors are just a few inches away. So what about the things I keep seeing out of the corners of my eyes? After living in the same place for the last ten years, things in that house are very familiar. In a new place things like wall and door way placements, as well as objects that cause reflections are less familiar. It takes time to get used to seeing things where, in the previous residence, they might have been different.
Throughout the move I kept hearing about an adjustment period. The new couch cushions might be a little stiff during the adjustment period. The new mattress might take some getting used to during the adjustment period. Well here's mine, the sights, sounds, and even smells, in your new place, will take some getting used to during the adjustment period.
I am glad to say, the couch is now comfortable, the mattress has me sleeping like a baby, and whenever i hear a bang on the wall....I bang back louder! Like any good neighbor would.

-Kevin

DPS Update

As the spring slowly approaches DPS is getting ready to take full advantage of the coming season. This Feb. and March the DuPage Paranormal Society will be attending two lectures at the Theosophical Society on the prospects of life on other worlds and the history of magic.

Also we will be planning some field trips to Bachelors Grove and some sites linked with UFOLOGY. Not to mention that this spring DPS will be attending its second trip to Waverly Hills!

In March we will have a guest from our favorite Irish paranormal team...the P.I.G.S. (Paranormal Investigation Guys). DPS will welcome Niall Stone and his wife Valerie!!

As a side note, if anyone is interested Diane Ladley from Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville will be hosting a Seance at Le Chocolat Shop 129 S. Washington St. in Naperville. Reservations required (630) 978-7033 Friday Feb. 13th at 7:30 price is $60 per person.

What its really like to be a Paranormal Investigator

"So, what's it like to be a paranormal investigator?"

This is a question that comes up from time to time. Most often what people mean is what's it like to "ghost hunt", which is one small aspect of paranormal investigation. So here's the truth...it's boring! I've seen other groups talk in rather dramatic terms about having nerves of steel and being brave in small dark places that could contain a nasty entity.

The reality is that investigations are hard to come by and often provide few, if any, results. This is in stark contrast to popular paranormal TV shows that seem to have an amazing case every week. You have to consider that only a small percentage of people in a drivable area believe that they live in a "haunted" house. And of that small percentage an even smaller percentage of people know that your team exists. Plus more often than not there are other teams who may be approached before you. A well established group would consider an investigation a month as very busy. A true residential case a month would be pretty rare.

Investigating itself is pretty boring. After sitting in the dark for a while and after having your eyes adjust it's just not that creepy. You know your not alone, you have a fellow investigator with you and a few extra sets of eyes on you from team mates viewing the IR cameras on the monitor. You get pretty brave and would go places that would otherwise creep you out. Even people who claim to be pretty timid soon admit that it's not as creepy as they thought it was. It's pretty tedious and boring. You walk around in the dark with audio recorders asking questions to the air or sit by the monitor watching your fellow investigators do the same. Straining your ears for some sound of activity. Not to mention having to set up "base camp" in some pretty unusual places. More then once we've had to set up outside in the dark, shivering around the monitor and looking up at the sky hoping it doesn't rain and ruin our expensive equipment.

Evidence review is the least popular job there is. Imagine that you had 4 audio recorders, 4 IR stationary cameras, 2 hand held cameras all running for a 6 hour investigation. If you were to review these individually that would be 60 hours of evidence to review!!! It can take two weeks to review evidence from an investigation!

So if it's so tedious, boring and expensive why bother? Though we have not come across any evidence of paranormal activity you will from time to time encounter something that just doesn't seem right. It could be a feeling, a certain sound that doesn't seem to belong or equipment will act up at odd times. It's these things that kinda make you feel that there just may be something there.

If your willing to put in the time and money it's worth it.