Haunted Houses: Who You Gonna Call? How to Find a Group That’s Right For You
By: Dawn Colclasure (dawn@theshadowlands.net)
Haunted houses exist but not all cases of residential hauntings warrant
an investigation. For some cases of hauntings in a home, no one is in
danger and the residents living there can sometimes either live with
their haunting or discover the reason behind it. Unless anything
negative is taking place within the home or it causes emotional
distress, some cases of a home being haunted can continue without a
paranormal investigator or researcher taking time to study it.
In the event a resident would require an investigator to come to their
home, however, one important thing to have before finding someone to do
this is evidence accumulated to prove strange activity is going on.
This is where any journal entries, tape recordings and photos with
questionable figures come into play.
“I would most definitely ask that the person who is having an
infestation problem do some research on their own before contacting
anyone,” Lisa Cox, of MAJDA (http://majda.net/), said. “One may try
taking photos or recordings. If there is a result, then I would contact
several investigators for various opinions on the findings before
deciding who to bring one into your home.”
“It depends on the type of situations and the type of haunting that is
occurring in the home,” John Zaffis, a paranormal investigator of 32
years and Director of the Paranormal Research Society of New England
(PRSNE, http://www.prsne.com/) in Stratford, Connecticut, said. “If
they are dealing with human spirits, it’s a lot easier type of a
situation. If you are dealing with something that is on a negative
level, there’re certain people in organizations that deal with that.”
This begs the question of who exactly one should contact in such an
instance. With reports circulating of psychics explaining away
hauntings within a home and the university-based team of researchers
setting up shop to study the goings-on, who exactly should be called to
the scene can be confusing for some residents. “I think a group of
investigators such as ours is probably the best choice for
investigating a haunted house,” Kristyn Beaty, Acting Assistant
Director of South Jersey Ghost Research, said. “As our home page
states, "We conduct discreet investigations, assist people in need,
educate the public, conduct field research and promote the learning and
understanding of ghosts and other psychic phenomena. We use the latest
scientific methods and tools as well as psychic investigators in our
research." We try to offer a balance between the scientific and the
empathetic. I would categorize our group as a group of ‘paranormal
investigators.’”
Zaffis cautions, however, that a negative situation calls for specific
help the resident would need: “If you are dealing with a negative type
of haunting, there are researchers and organizations that have people
in their organizations that deal with that and in a lot of times bring
in clergy to be able to help the people.” He suggested that contacting
clergy and researchers in such situations would be the wisest thing to
do. “You would get in a situation where certain types of things might
need to be done with that person or in that home. On my end, it is very
important to bring in the person to help them and clear that home.”
For all other instances of hauntings in which it is not negative or
life-threatening, residents within such homes can locate paranormal
investigators through a variety of channels. “The Internet provides
many Web sites for this sort of thing,” Cox said. “Contact various
organizations and stay in contact with those you trust. Always keep a
wary eye out for those who charge money for their services. Many of us
are into this sort of thing for the experience and possible findings
instead of for the monetary issue.”
The Internet is especially a good idea to locate and compare various
paranormal investigating services, mainly because the field isn’t so
prominently displayed in your average perusal of advertisements and
mailers. “Right now, groups like ours don't have listings in
easy-to-find places like the telephone book,” Beaty said. “There are
groups, though, on the Internet. Like any organization or business, we
advise people to contact the groups and talk to them. Residents should
ask questions about how many and types of cases that they have
experience with. Our Web site has a link which lists other paranormal
organizations in other locales,
http://southjerseyghostresearch.org/links.htm.”
Once the call is made, can a resident expect a team of vans to suddenly
pull up into their driveway and their home evacuated as cameras and
other equipment comes rolling in? Not exactly. In fact, during the
initial phase of communication between a resident and an investigator,
time is spent in a relaxed and comfortable manner where questions are
asked and forms are filled out. “We usually get contacted via E-mail,
but sometimes we do get phone calls,” Beaty said. “However we are
contacted, we E-mail the prospective client a questionnaire, which they
fill out and E-mail back to us. When that is done, then we can set up
what we refer to as a “preliminary visit.” At the preliminary visit, we
talk with the client, and go over the questionnaire. We go over our
procedures for an actual investigation, and get release forms signed.
We also take a tour of the building, looking for natural EMF readings
(from computers, for example) and cold spots that we could mistake on
an actual investigation for an anomaly. Lastly, but still very
important, the investigators and prospective client attempt to schedule
the date for the actual investigation.”
“MAJDA always asks the person having a problem with spirits to conduct
a little of their own investigation before we come out,” Cox said.
“Send us a photo or a recording first as we, too, must be way of where
we go to investigate. We do have a lengthy interview with the subject,
both on the phone as well as in person.”
As for Zaffis and his team, the initial contact is likewise crucial.
“When a person contacts me, the first thing that I do is to communicate
with them and talk with them,” he said. “If it is a haunting situation,
I determine if it is going to be a situation that I am going to have to
investigate and to see if it is a type of situation that is close
enough to me or to refer them to someone in their area.”
Investigators also use this initial contact for another reason: To see
if the case really does sound like it’s an actual haunting. “I can
usually tell by having a conversation with the people to find out what
type of haunting it is then decide if it is a real haunting or if it’s
just what the people are going through or to decide that it might be
something on a psychological end,” Zaffis said. Cox agrees on this
point. “For the most part, we can pretty much tell who is actually on
the up and up or if there may have some sort of a mental/drug/alcohol
problem by the initial conversation.”
“Usually, we are able to tell the kind of case that we have,” Beaty
said. “It is imperative that clients answer us honestly on our
questionnaire so that we are not going into someone's home in a
different situation than we have been led to expect. It is kind of like
going to the doctor: it is important if you are honest and open with
your doctor in order to get the best possible care.”
Cox makes one exception on this point: “If there seems to be an urgency
to the caller's request, we will make exceptions and be there as soon
as possible to do whatever we can and to ease the minds of those who
may be frightened or perplexed by a possible spirit infestation.”
As the investigators prepare to make the initial visit to a home, one
common thing they do is an inventory on the equipment they use. “We ask
a lot of questions first to make certain that the problem may be
something that is unexplainable,” Cox said. “We then gather out
equipment and
prepare to conduct a full investigation.”
Zaffis asks a lot of questions, too. “Some of the most important
questions to ask the people that are going through this are, have they
experienced things prior? Did they grow up in a haunted home? Have they
ever been involved with any type of spirit summons? Did they get
involved with any type of practicing things, such as casting spells,
playing with Ouija boards, doing séances? These are some of the
most important questions I will ask I will ask when they have things
going on in their homes.” From that point on, Zaffis turns his
attention to his equipment when it comes to the initial visit. “One of
the things that we do in regards to preparing to go on these is to have
a lot of our different equipment with us to be able to determine and
document if there is any activity in the home,” he said. “This is the
initial visit when dealing with these types of cases. You never know
what might be going on when you go to do your initial investigation so
it is very important to always have your equipment with you.”
As for the investigators at SJGR, Beaty explained the steps taken in
preparation of the initial visit. “Our director, Dave Juliano, puts the
team of investigators together,” she said. “There is one ‘Team Leader’
assigned, who is in charge of the investigation. Only one person-the
Team Leader-is aware of the specifics of the activity; the team goes
into the investigation without any information that might influence
their findings.”
Another thing the investigators will do when visiting with a resident
living in a haunted home or with a situation that seems to be a
haunting is ask more questions. “We have a full interview with all of
those involved and with those who have had experiences,” Cox said. “We
ask first and foremost that they sign a ‘permission to investigate’
sheet to conduct a field investigation, as well as to absolve us from
any liabilities. We ask for information concerning the location, date
built, history if known, areas where paranormal activities occur,
occupants in the home, how many, what ages? How long they have lived
there, what kinds of activities are going on? Rappings or knockings?
Smells or voices? etc. Renovations? Appliance problems? Any hoaxing
going on with another occupant, neighbor? Are there certain times that
these occur? Is it constant? Is there is any history of drug use,
psychological conditions in the family? Many questions to try to
decipher and sort what we may be dealing with.”
Beaty explained the steps the investigators at SJGR take when they make
their first visit. “When the team arrives, approximately a half-hour
before the investigation, we set up our equipment cases in a room,” she
said. “We take a walk around the home, familiarizing ourselves with the
layout while the lights are still on. Then, the Team Leader divides the
group up (unless the building is small enough for one single team), and
we take our equipment and set it up in the various rooms. Once we are
settled, the lights and electricity go out, and we begin our
investigation. We are constantly taking pictures, checking for EMF and
temperature anomalies, and listening for the motion sensors being set
off where no one is set up.”
She added, “The team is there surveying the area, waiting to see if the
electronic equipment indicates any anomalies, and taking pictures, at
random or as a result of a feeling that they might pick up. We also
take video of the area, and attempt to capture electronic voice
phenomena on our recorders.”
“One of the things I do is to have everyone set up their equipment with
me in different areas around the home to see if we can record and
document any of the activity that the person is claiming to happen in
those certain areas of the home,” Zaffis said.
Cox added, “We can generally tell simply by walking in if the feeling
is there or not. Many homes hold a powerful energy that is felt
immediately.”
After all of the preliminaries have been covered and forms are signed,
and once investigators are ceratin that a haunting is very likely, this
is when the actual investigation on a case of a haunted house takes
place. “Once the team has been assigned to the area, the equipment set
up for optimal reading, and the electricity turned off, we basically
sit in the dark and survey the area,” Beaty said. “We may be inclined
to take pictures, or we will take them at random. If one of the EMF
meters indicates an anomaly, the team might take pictures, or use other
equipment to see if the temperature has dropped in the direction that
the meter was pointed. Someone taking a video recording of the area we
have under surveillance might see an anomaly, and instruct the team to
take pictures in a certain area to capture the anomaly on film, or take
a temperature reading of that area, or point the EMF meters in that
area.
“After a designated amount of time has passed, the team switches
locations. For example, they might start out investigation the
basement, and then move up to the first floor of the home. Moving
around the house allows the teams to experience things that might be
going on in different parts of the building.
“Once the investigation is over-- after about 3 hours-- the team
gathers the equipment, and puts it all back in the cases that they took
it out of. We then tell the client that they should be hearing from us
within 48 hours to touch base and see how they are doing, and perhaps
if they have any questions for us. We each have 2 weeks to go over our
evidence and compile our reports. After about 6 weeks, the client will
receive their formal report, containing any physical evidence (photos,
electronic voice phenomena, video).”
Once on the scene and all questions have been answered, the team at
MAJDA use equipment to get to work. “We have much equipment to try to
verify any feeling that we may have in a more scientific way,” Cox
said. “We use infrared video, digital as well as 35mm camera, motion
detectors, EMF detectors which measure electrical energy, recorders,
both analog and digital, thermometers to measure temperature changes,
and the experience of knowing what if feels like to be in the presence
of a strong entity.”
When it comes to the equipment used during an investigation, some
common tools are video cameras and EMF meters. “Video cameras don't
lie,” Cox said. “We get some wonderful shots of orbs in motion as well
as ectoplasm forming. My personal favorite bit of equipment is my
recorder. There has been little one can debunk when you receive an
answer to a question and the reply is in an unknown voice. I try to ask
questions that can be verified through public records, and may times
receive answers.”
“Personally, I think that the Trifield Natural Electromagnetic meter to
be most essential for an investigation,” Beaty said. “The reason is
that this piece of equipment is very sensitive and investigators know
that it does not generate false readings very often, if even at all. If
the ‘Trifield’ is making an audible alert to an electromagnetic
anomaly, investigators have consistently had excellent results with
photographs that they have taken coming out positive.”
“The type of equipment I use can vary with all types of things,” Zaffis
said. “To me, the most important items that we use are video camera,
tape recorder and doing a lot of photo work inside the homes. We also
use the different types of meters to tell us if there are any types of
cold spots or any types of situations where the activity that might be
occurring.”
While investigators are busily moving through a home with their
equipment in tow, studying their surroundings and audibly recording
observations, residents are pretty much left to tend to their own
matters. This, however, is a crucial part of the investigation and the
investigators offered some important tips to residents who have a study
being conducted in their home. “The residents are welcome to walk along
with us, but we do prefer that they stay seated in one area and not to
speak,” Cox said. “The movement can produce false orbs on our
equipment, and if there are words spoken, even if there are whispers,
they can produce a false EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena).”
“We ask that the residents stay in one place in the home during the
investigation-- they can speak to each other in their normal speaking
voices,” Beaty said. “Also, we need residents to refrain from smoking
or lighting candles-- the smoke and scents can interfere with our
investigation, causing false positive evidence. Next, we ask that
residents do not have anyone over but themselves. Also, we turn all the
lights off and shut off as many electrical appliances as you allow.
Television and radio interfere with the audio and video equipment, and
our infrared cameras need almost total darkness.”
During an investigation within a home, investigators know too well that
sometimes nothing will happen. Though rare, there are occasions in
which no single piece of evidence along the lines of a haunting can be
found through both equipment and human abilities. This, however,
doesn’t exactly mean that their time and effort was wasted. In fact,
some instances may only require that the investigators show up. “Even
if the home is incredibly quiet, our more sensitive investigators could
be picking up on events and activity in the surrounding area, too, so
our results sometimes reflect this,” Beaty said. “The theory behind
this is that spirits can tell if someone is receptive to communicating
with them, and rather than wasting their energy trying to communicate
with a nonresponsive human being, the spirit instead seeks out someone
with whom they will not need as much energy to communicate.”
“We have indeed investigated homes where there seems to be no
activity,” Cox said. “Sometimes it has gotten worse for those living
there, most times it has gotten better. If we are unable to resolve a
problem that they have had, we will try to pass on any information and
help them by finding the person that they may need, such as a person
who cleanses homes. We do not do this. We are investigators, not
cleansers. We will do our best to help in any situation in any way
possible.” She added, “Unfortunately, time does not allow us to keep
investigating one place if we merit no results. We will keep in touch
with the tenants to log any new activity.”
“One of the things that will be a weighing factor, if I am going to
continue with the investigation is the fact is are the people going to
listen to my recommendations that I have given to them to try and stop
the haunting,” Zaffis said. “Sometimes it can take several trips to a
home to try and break the activity. If it turns into a situation where
the people are not going to follow through with their recommendations,
then sometimes I will make a decision at the point myself that the
organization cannot help out that particular case.”
While Zaffis noted that “sometimes the investigation can take several
trips back to the location,” Beaty explained that “most residences
don't have third and fourth trips out, because usually we are able to
get the information and validation that the clients were probably
interested in having.” She added that it “depends on what the client
wants out of the investigation.”
“On a related note, a couple of times I have had a prospective client
fill out a questionnaire and even schedule a preliminary visit, but
then their activity subsides a bit, and they decide not to have an
investigation. Of course, this is their choice, but we find that with a
home, activity does tend to go through periods where nothing happens,
and then the activity starts back up again. We are content as long as
the client does not feel frightened or upset.”