Someone mentioned that they were surprised TAPS was turned down by the Alamo because they were under the impression that they had lots of sites inviting them to conduct an investigation. No, the truth is that they have at least one field producer that I know of who scouts locations for them and makes the initial contact. When my group, R.I.P., posted the trailer to our first episode (Ballestone-Stansbury House) on YouTube, I happened to mention the locations of several upcoming episodes, including Mudd House and Tillie Pierce B&B. Lo and behold, my contacts at Ballestone-Stansbury House, Mudd House, AND Tillie Pierce received calls within a few days from TAPS' field producer, Patrick, to request permission to film at these sites. My bad – I'll never publicize our upcoming investigations again. But I think it's a shame that TAPS has to get ideas from the little guys and steal our thunder. We don't have the big budgets and full time post production people to get episodes out quickly. We're in a race now to see who can get Mudd House out first, R.I.P. or TAPS. Our goal is to have ours available by the end of June, while TAPS says theirs will air in late August. I still think our episode will be better, though. We have some great Civil War re-enactors, dramatic scenes of Dr. Mudd's arrest, AND an authentic Civil War fife concert. Wish us luck.

Revenant said:

GhosthunterPat,

First, hello and welcome to the site.

If I am not mistaken, this is your website?

http://www.researchandinvestigationoftheparanormal.org/home

It is somewhat rare that we get someone so involved in ghost-hunting posting on the forums.  I commend you for "reaching out" to the skeptical community.  Well, at least our skeptical community.

I am sure that many of us have some very legitimate and thought-provoking questions about ghost-hunting and all that it entails.  Perhaps…you would be willing to possibly answer a few for us? 

I'm actually surprised at that. I guess I thought most of you were involved in paranormal investigations yoursellves, at least to some extent. But I'd be happy to answer any of your questions to the best of my ability, as long as you keep in mind that I'm far from an expert in this field.  

As for my reasons for posting, well, guess I've just been a little frustrated with TAPS following us around and when I saw the post about the Alamo, it struck a chord with me. I'd like to be able to talk about the places we're going but I know I can't because TAPS will be right there. Someone mentioned a "limited number of haunted places" – not sure that's an accurate statement. We've got plenty "off the beaten ghost track" locations to explore. But it requires being willing to do the research and legwork to find them; quite frankly, we've invested a lot of time and money in uncovering some of these places (not Tillie Pierce, obviously, since that's fairly welll-known) and I don't want to do TAPS' location scouting for them.

btw, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I had previously posted (with permission) Harry's hilarious review of the Idaho State Prison "Ghost Adventures" on my blog.  fyi, I'm the National Ghost Hunting Examiner with Examiner.com, an on-line publication. And, sure, I'm guilty of wanting publicity for our show and for some of the others that I think are doing a good job. I guess I'm also petty enough to enjoy picking apart the ones that I think are really NOT doing a good job; in fact, I think the guys from "Ghost Adventures" make eveyrone in this field look ridiculous and "Most Haunted" is nothing but a bad joke. IMO, "Paranormal State" is actually dangerous to a lot of mentally unstable people.

And It's not that I'm hostile to TAPS. I actually like them and I commend them for being pioneers in the paranormal programming field. I've read some of the analyses here about "Collargate" and other incidents and, although it looks bad, I have to admit I'm not totally convinced that they're faking it.  I'm also well aware that people are going to accuse us of faking evidence, too – hey, I get that from members of my own group, especially our resident scientist.  Well, he doesn't accuse us of faking it, just of getting carried away in the excitment of the moment and seeing/hearing things that aren't there. But I've had too many strange experiences in my life, including incredibly wonderful experiences, to deny that there is another dimension to life – and death. 

I'm caught between being a natural medium and wanting the hard proof. I can't stand being associated with the "whoo-whoo" crowd, though. I think they hurt all of us.  It drives me equally crazy, though, when people such as Jason and Grant, who purport to be interested in scientific explanations, actually end up spreading inaccurate information: "orbs are collections of energy" – WRONG! – and, one of my favorites, the episode that aired on Wednesday. Grant was earnestly explaining to the frightened homeowner that her TV was turning on and off and skipping channels and turning the volume up and down seemingly by itself because of all the other remote controls in the neighborhood. DUH, NO, that's not how it works. Remote controls operate on infrared light and they have an extremely limited range – you'd have to be in the same room for it to have those effects. I'm not saying a ghost was causing the problems, but it sure wasn't the neighbor's remote control. If that were the case, we'd all be having these problems all the time – you'd hardly be able to watch your favorite TV show without constant interference.

On the other hand, as I said, I've had lots of personal experiences that are almost impossible to explain to anyone else, and yet I know that they are true experiences. I learned long ago the futility of attempting to convince anyone and I no longer even try.  I wish I could properly convey, however, the amazing thrill of actually capturing evidence that I KNOW was not faked – for example, the first time I was touched by someone who wasn't physically present, my first EVP whose subject matter meant something special to both my husband and to me, the "laugh out loud" shivery delight of playing back a digital voice recorder that ran all night while we were sleeping and clearly hearing the footsteps we were told about walking down the hall and stopping outside our door.  Yes, we did our best to ascertain everyone's whereabouts at the time we heard the footsteps and every one of the six people in the house swore they were asleep (and not prone to sleepwalking) - of course, it's possible the innkeeper is a liar and/or he had an elaborate sound system rigged up on a timer – but I don't think so. Are we 100% sure something paranormal happened? Of course not. Are we reasonably sure? I'd have to say yes. Do I get a thrill every time I listen to this recording? You bet!

I'd also like to mention the indescribable and bittersweet joy of lying in my bed late one night on August 21st, 1992, when I suddenly found myself walking down the hall of the hospital corridor where my mother was fighting for her life in the ICU. Only she wasn't – she was walking from the opposite end of the hall straight toward me, smiling, healthy, and happy. I was vaguely aware of a bright, shimmering light behind her. We talked for a few moments and at one point I said to her, "Go to the light." And she said, "I know. Your father's waiting for me there."  I watched her walk away from me, feeling happy and sad at the same time. I knew she was leaving, but I also knew she was going home to a beautiful place. She walked down to the end of the hall, turned and smiled at me one last time, and then disappeared into the light. I immediately found myself back in my own bed, with the full understanding that my mother had just "died." I glanced at the clock and noted the time: 4:18 am. I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the phone to ring. At 4:24 am, it did. The surgeon was calling to tell me that my mother had passed away.  But I already knew that because I was with her when it happened. Believe me, when you've had experiences like that (and others), you simply don't have any doubts that there's far more out there than we realize.

But can we ever capture the definitive evidence that will convince the hard core skeptics? Probably not, but we certainly enjoy trying!! Ultimately, all anyone can do is make up their own minds and agree to disagree.

Sorry for the long post and feel free to ask any questions you would like. I'll get you answers if I can.

Pat

"Grant was earnestly explaining to the frightened homeowner that her TV was turning on and off and skipping channels and turning the volume up and down seemingly by itself because of all the other remote controls in the neighborhood. DUH, NO, that's not how it works. Remote controls operate on infrared light and they have an extremely limited range – you'd have to be in the same room for it to have those effects. I'm not saying a ghost was causing the problems, but it sure wasn't the neighbor's remote control. If that were the case, we'd all be having these problems all the time – you'd hardly be able to watch your favorite TV show without constant interference."

Just want to point out that this does happen. Just a few years ago, my neighbors who happen to be good friends of mine, bought a new TV. I noticed that it was the same brand and style as mine. So as a joke, I would point my remote though the walls towards there tv and mess with them. It was more fun to be outside there window and do it and watch them get upset durning the game. Guess i'm a bit of a jerk, but they didn't know what was going on untill I told them. In this case it was the same style and brand of TV and worked best though the window but still had a chance of working though the wall…. so their debunking of the TV is a valid explantion.

Hannah said:

Pat,

Thank you.   TAPS, IMO, strayed from their original purpose, and perhaps went a bit Hollywood.  How much control they have of the show is a question I will in all likelihood never have the answer to.  As to collargate, I have a hard time trying to swallow that one.  Seems to be a natural reaction if a person is tugged at from behind to raise both arms-to ensure balance and try to "get" what ever "it" is off.  Grant's hand remained in his pocket through the whole series of tugs. 

No, I do not believe they fake everything. . .it is just things that before would not pass as evidence are now proof of a haunting.  Research by Ghost Hunters is laughable; Moss Beach, for example.  Why have a "researcher" on the team, if they rely on the production company to tell them about the site?   I can see why you and other paranormal groups are a little ticked off at doing the legwork and not even given a little credit: "Hey, great site, the XYZ paranormal group found out such and such and now we are going to see what evidence we find."  They used to "be called in" to help TAPS family members on cases. . .but that is long in the past.  I really enjoyed those shows and didn't detract anything from the Ghost Hunters investigation.  I would love it if they did more cases with other groups. 

I agree 100% with you on Paranormal State. 

Questions:

1. Do you think they give adequate time to researching a site? 

2. Jason's experience with Reiki.  Have you ever heard of someone having his sensitivity, or experience with it? 

3. Battery drain. . .what is your theory?  It seems to affect GH's equipment, but rarely the crew's cameras.

4. K-2 meters are just confusing to me.  Are they really useful?

Hi, Hannah:

1. No, I don't think they adequately research a site. We generally spend weeks finding out everything we can about the location we're investigating, including trying to interview witnesses, track source documentation such as land deeds, birth/death certificates, police reports, etc. Now, we're often less than successful at getting a lot of this information but we do try. Our group is just as interested in the history of a site as we are in the alleged paranormal activities that take place there. We also make note of all sorts of "off the wall" info such as moon phase during reported activities, geology of the location, acoustical features, and more. We have learned not to rely solely on Internet research, btw, since there is so much erroneous information on the Web. Anyone can say anything and they do not have to provide any proof or even proper attribution. Having said all that, I realize that TAPS is dealing with the time constraints of a TV show, so we have to keep that in mind. There may be more background research going on than we realize and there simply isn't time to include it in the episode. But they don't seem to know much about the location when they go on the initial tour. That would make me very uncomfortable. I want to sound as though I've at least done some homework on the site prior to showing up. We also generally have a written Investigation Plan that we attempt to follow. It includes teams/assignments/steps involved/rough time periods, etc. We also have forms that we fill out with room grids, locations of electrical outlets, boxes, windows, mirrors, furniture, ducts, heat/ac units, anything that could be useful. We track and record equipment used, initial and recurring measurements, photos taken – where and when/type of camera/type of film, and we record any impressions or personal experiences as well. We want to develop as complete a Case File as possible – although, of course, we always miss something.

2. Jason's experience – well, what can I say? First, I have to explain that I was speed-reading their book at Barnes and Noble one day so I have not actually ever purchased it and read it carefully. I just remember thinking how weird the "green olives" cure was. However, yes, I do know that Reiki attunments actually can apparently increase psychic abilities or sensitivity. The theory is that the attunments may activate a previously repressed or inactive part of the brain. Is it true? I have no idea and I am not aware that anyone has done any scientific research on it. My knowledge is strictly anecdotal. Maybe it happens because people expect it to happen and they give themselves permission to allow more subconscious knowledge to surface consciously. I must say that I did not have any mystical or spiritual experiences when I received Reiki I, II, or Master attunments. I've had them since, though,  when using Reiki on myself or others. If Jason was really having these experiences, however, I don't understand why he didn't try to develop his abilities as much as possible. I don't remembe if he gave a reason why he failed to follow through.

3.  Battery drain is a fascinating phenomena. Our film crew experiences it frequently, while the investigators' equipment is affected much less often – the exact opposite of TAPS. My idea is that the crew has more powerful equipment which would theoretically provide more "juice" for an entity to use. But who knows? All I know is that it DOES happen on a regular basis and it sometimes seems to correlate with a personal experience, particularly feeling chills and seeing goosebumps. Research remains ongoing.

4.  Ah, the KII meter. Well, it certainly can't be used for any type of evidence unless you've had the toggle switch installed (or ensured it's VERY firmly held down with coins/bills) because the movement of your hand will give false readings. However, assuming that most people know that by now, part of the problem lies in not properly "characterizing" equipment. Mr. D has been after us to do so for a while now and, at our next meeting in July, everyone is bringing all their equipment and he's designing some rigorous testing processes for us. By the time we're through, we'll know much more about the sensitivities of the varous types of meters, temperature probes (surface and air), recording devices, sensors, and alarms. I expect this to be very helpful. Just this past weekend, we had an experience with a KII meter that appeared to be responding in an intelligent manner; however, we have no correlating evidence such as EMF spikes on another meter close by (but not close enough to cause the KII to respond) and no recorded temperature drops. This happened several times. We moved equipment around, changed meters, changed lighting conditions, switched out voice recorders, brought in the Tri Field meter (which is quite sensitive), double checked for cell phones and other devices, pinpointed overhead and underground power lines, and generally did everything we could think of to find a logical reason why the KII kept lighting up, apparently in response to our questions. Nada. As usual, all I can say is that research is ongoing. The more psychic members of the group had numerous personal experiences at this location.

Hope this is helpful.

Pat