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Ghost Hunting and Parapsychology


PsychicEvolution

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This is from my Myspace blogs and wanted to post it here to see what others thought. Thanks!

John

Since my previous blog on Paranormal Investigation Groups was posted I've received several emails from folks who seemed agitated by this blog, stating that they don't need to be "professionals" or have a degree to "hunt ghosts." They do it because they enjoy it and its who they are. And I totally agree. You don't have to have a degree in parapsychology or have some certification to search for ghosts. And it is completely fine to do so if you enjoy this.

This has urged me to focus some light on this topic of ghost hunting. My main concern with ghost hunting in general and ghost hunting groups in particular is its high level of missing knowledge, especially where the field of Parapsychology is concerned. There seems to be a general ignorance that ghost hunting or ghosts, hauntings and poltergeists have anything to do with Parapsychology. This is odd, because it is Parapsychology that created this field and defined the phenomena in the first place. Parapsychology has pioneered the investigative techniques (and technology used), and has been on the cutting edge of paranormal and psychical research for over a hundred years. With this being the case, you would think that those who are truly interested in investigating the unexplained and take it seriously (that is, its not just an infrequent hobby) would be avid students of Parapsychology and its research, but sadly this just is not the case.

Why do I feel the need to address this? Do I have a degree in Parapsychology? No I don't, nor do I presently have any "Paranormal Investigation Certification". It concerns me because I take this seriously and I desire to know all that can be known about Psi and the paranormal.

I believe that there are many people who are also very serious about the paranormal, but just have not been challenged to think through things. Freethinking is what I am about...thinking through things thoroughly, being a constant student and ever learning, even if it hurts. I just want to challenge all of us "ghost hunters" to think and not to be lazy. Its easy to do. Its easy to go down to Barnes and Noble and pick up one or two books on ghosts and paranormal investigations by a self proclaimed "expert" in the field and feel like you know most of what you need to know about these matters. If you are really serious you may have five or six books on the paranormal, are a dedicated member of a local ghost hunting group and have been actively investigating for several years with up to fifteen or twenty investigations under your belt. Which is great. Yet, do you continue to grow and learn? Are you willing to learn and research and gain knowledge even if it goes against the current beliefs or position of your ghost hunting group? Are you dedicated to truth or to being accepted and looked up to? That, I believe, is the real issue.

There are many wonderful folks with fantastic intentions that are experienced ghost hunters and leaders in the paranormal investigation community. Yet here is my question for the leaders of groups like T.A.P.S.: Is your dedication to ghost hunting to really find truth or to be well regarded for your hard work and admired as being an "expert" in your field? I mean, who wouldn't want that? Would you be willing to lay down your positions in these groups or change your group's stance if you found out that you were propagating unscientific or misinformation about ghosts and hauntings? Would you change or would you seek to justify yourself and turn a deaf ear to better and more scientific information?

Unfortunately this is what I have seen in many of the ghost hunting communities. Truth and scientific fact many times ends up taking a back seat to the excitement of the hunt, the thrill of the unexplained, and becoming an "expert" in the field. Its a hard thing to be an "expert" and then change your position to become more inline with the scientific research if you are wrong. You loose friends and have descension, groups split and reputations are ruined, a lot of hard work is lost. Its easier to ignore the science and continue on than to run the risk of change.

To some degree many of the larger ghost hunting groups have become like churches. Governed by a core group of experienced "elders" who do not take well to being asked too many questions. The less experienced members take their orders and training from the "elders" and generally follow the direction and beliefs of the group without the need to question. The "elders" are the most knowledgeable and have no need of being challenged by less knowledgeable underlings. If there is conflict with or unwelcomed questioning of the leaders then you are disciplined or removed from the group. I've seen this happen first hand many times.

What I am getting at here is that many ghost hunting groups base their knowledge and understanding of ghosts, apparitions, hauntings, poltergeists and other unexplained phenomena on information other than the cutting-edge scientific research of parapsychology. This is attune to Christian churches using something other than the bible for their understanding of God. Paranormal Investigations SHOULD be based on science, not the writings of a self-proclaimed expert on the paranormal.

Can anyone fault me for being a stickler for science in a field like the paranormal? Why is this important? Because science creates a standard of knowledge, especially with regards to the unexplained. Could you imagine a Physicist ignoring the principles of science and writing a book based more on feelings and half-baked ideas than from hard science? Absolutely not. What makes us any different? The very fact that most paranormal investigators, whether leaders or not, have very little knowledge of parapsychology, its history and its research (past, present and where its going), is sad. Especially since it was Parapsychologists who began paranormal investigations in the first place.

Do I believe that Parapsychologists today are the real "experts" of the ghost hunting community? Yes I do. So am I saying that if you are not a Parapsychologist that you can never be an "expert" in paranormal investigations, regardless how many years of study and investigation you've put in? No, certainly not, but if your investigations and studies have not been based on the founding science of Parapsychology, then how can you rightfully consider yourself or anyone else an "expert" in the field? Think about this.

Loyd Auerbach, director of The Office of Paranormal Investigations, and one of the leading Parapsychologists in the world has a "Certificate Course in Parapsychological Studies" http://www.mindreader.com/paraprogram/ that one can take if one so desires. To my knowledge this is the only Parapsychological course available in the United States. I have not been through the course, but have heard great things about it. I am not trying to sell the course, just putting the information out there for others to consider.

I believe that if you are serious about paranormal investigations, desire to see uniformity and high standards of investigation throughout the ghost hunting community, and to truly know and prove that there is life after death, then continuing the way we are going is actually causing more harm than good. Study the works by accredited Parapsychologists. We need to lay our knowledge of the paranormal on the foundation of science instead of something inferior. If the books that we have read on paranormal investigations are not either written by Parapsychologists or is heavily based on parapsychology then we need to look elsewhere. I am not saying that other works are useless, but we need a standard to measure the information by and that standard should be science. Using high-tech, state-of-the-art technology during investigations is NOT science and does not make you an expert in the field regardless of how expensive it may be or how much technology you use.

How can I say that shows like "Ghost Hunters" on the Sci-Fi Channel promotes fear-based sensationalism and ignorance? Because it is not based on the science of Parapsychology. How do I know this? Just by watching the show and their explanations of the phenomena. Its a shame and a disservice to the field of paranormal investigation. Sure everyone likes to be scared and enjoys the thrill of brushes with the unexplained in a dark basement, but this should not be the sole rationale of paranormal investigation groups. We can still have the rush of coming face to face with a ghost, but having the tools of real science to propel us forward

instead of running in place or even backwards is what we should all be about.

I have a real love for the paranormal, paranormal investigation/ghost hunter groups, and even the thrill of touching the unexplained in the dead of night, and this is why I write what I have in this blog. We have gone far enough without the light of real science to guide our way. Remember, question everything. Leave no stone unturned. This is part of the adventure and if your leaders or the "experts" you look up to have said little or nothing about Parapsychology then ask them why that is. Do the research and educate yourself and you will be amazed at the difference between being a follower of half-baked unscientific information and holding a hundred years of cutting-edge research of real science in your hand.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John Blatt

http://www.myspace.com/psychicevolution

Edited by PsychicEvolution
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Great reading, thanks. I must disagree with some issues you raised. I do know there are Paranormal Investigators out there, who are simply in on it for the evidence, then leave the home owner alone to deal with perhaps something they either brought in or conjured up. For the most part however, from my experience there are very credible teams out there, and once they get to the route of the problem, they either help the victims or refer them to either a Priest or Demonologist, ASAP. In my personal opinion only, there are no experts in this field, and dont need a degree as you said. The only aspect that requires science is their equipment, which is vital in "ghost hunting."A Parapsychologist" are no more of an expert than we are. There is no science involved as to what occurs during death and dying, except evidence, whether it be photos, EVP's EMF and various types of cameras, and sightings. I believe there are no experts, just witnesses and ones out there who can provide help. Even a Priests and Demonolgists dont consider themselves experts, but there are a handful that can fumigate a home to rid a demonic entity, and even with that said, it can take many visits. They are not interested in the scientific evidence even though they use it, in hopes of capturing what kind of entity is in a home, but for the most part, they already know once they walk in the door. All I do know from experience is, if a Paranormal team is educated enough on haunting, their obligated to either explain whats going on to the victim(s) and if it is harmless how to make it go away. Lastly as I said, if they feel it is of demonic in nature to call in a Demonoligist to arrive to the home as soon as possible. I find the best way of remaining credible is to always follow up with the victim/family etc. I know about some of the scientific beliefs, and that of Metaphysical as well. That does not work, it never will. That's just my take on it...JN... :yes:

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but there are a handful that can fumigate a home to rid a demonic entity,

Yes, in only a few minutes time and no need to come back.

People who know the real thing about anything ghost.

It's not in the book btw.

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I disagree. From your reply it is evident that you know very little about Parapsychology which is the very reason why I posted this. As I said previously, using equipment during investigations makes a group as scientific as a monkey holding a hammer. Using "advanced technological equipment" does NOT make a ghost hunting group scientific. What makes a ghost hunting group scientific is SCIENCE and that science is Parapsychology. As for Demonologists and Priests...this is just incorporating religious dogma into paranormal investigations. Just because you believe in christianity and demons does not make it real. Your admission that a Metaphysical approach to "clearing" a home does not work nor ever will is absolute nonsense and reveals your dogma. Every home that I have cleared, without exception, remained free from spirit activity.

This is exactly the reason why Parapsychology is so needed as a tonic to this kind of thinking.

John

Great reading, thanks. I must disagree with some issues you raised. I do know there are Paranormal Investigators out there, who are simply in on it for the evidence, then leave the home owner alone to deal with perhaps something they either brought in or conjured up. For the most part however, from my experience there are very credible teams out there, and once they get to the route of the problem, they either help the victims or refer them to either a Priest or Demonologist, ASAP. In my personal opinion only, there are no experts in this field, and dont need a degree as you said. The only aspect that requires science is their equipment, which is vital in "ghost hunting."A Parapsychologist" are no more of an expert than we are. There is no science involved as to what occurs during death and dying, except evidence, whether it be photos, EVP's EMF and various types of cameras, and sightings. I believe there are no experts, just witnesses and ones out there who can provide help. Even a Priests and Demonolgists dont consider themselves experts, but there are a handful that can fumigate a home to rid a demonic entity, and even with that said, it can take many visits. They are not interested in the scientific evidence even though they use it, in hopes of capturing what kind of entity is in a home, but for the most part, they already know once they walk in the door. All I do know from experience is, if a Paranormal team is educated enough on haunting, their obligated to either explain whats going on to the victim(s) and if it is harmless how to make it go away. Lastly as I said, if they feel it is of demonic in nature to call in a Demonoligist to arrive to the home as soon as possible. I find the best way of remaining credible is to always follow up with the victim/family etc. I know about some of the scientific beliefs, and that of Metaphysical as well. That does not work, it never will. That's just my take on it...JN... :yes:
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Yes, in only a few minutes time and no need to come back.

People who know the real thing about anything ghost.

It's not in the book btw.

I dont care about any book, and it never EVER takes minutes, sometimes day after day. I am not talking about "ghosts" I am talking demonic hauntings, and many times they must come back to rid the residual effects. .JN- :yes:

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I dont care about any book, and it never EVER takes minutes, sometimes day after day. I am not talking about "ghosts" I am talking demonic hauntings, and many times they must come back to rid the residual effects. .JN- :yes:

Unbelievable

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I disagree. From your reply it is evident that you know very little about Parapsychology which is the very reason why I posted this. As I said previously, using equipment during investigations makes a group as scientific as a monkey holding a hammer. Using "advanced technological equipment" does NOT make a ghost hunting group scientific. What makes a ghost hunting group scientific is SCIENCE and that science is Parapsychology. As for Demonologists and Priests...this is just incorporating religious dogma into paranormal investigations. Just because you believe in christianity and demons does not make it real. Your admission that a Metaphysical approach to "clearing" a home does not work nor ever will is absolute nonsense and reveals your dogma. Every home that I have cleared, without exception, remained free from spirit activity.

I am not surprised by your reply, actually I expected it. I saw a parapsychologist when I was in my 30's and he tested me, and explained many things to me. If you think that all Demonologists "make" us believe in Christianity you are sadly mistaken. The one I have had here, just wants me to "believe" in the God of my choice, higher power, or the neighbors dog, its all about strength, belief and faith in ourselves. I know more than you think I do about the Metaphysical, and in my opinion it doesnt work. No one has the abilty or power to "clean" a home from 3,000 miles away or from another Country. Its a great concept, but using crystals, and wearing certain jewelry, and approaching IT with a vengence,throwing things at IT, is not smart, at least for me or anyone else with a demonic haunting. To me, its a crock but then again if that's your belief good luck. I prefer having someone professional in my home, to protect me and keep me and my loved ones safe and rid my home of a haunting. JN--- :yes:

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Unbelievable

Wait a minute, I know who you are!!! Nice try but your theory is nothing more than egomania...LOL..

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I disagree. From your reply it is evident that you know very little about Parapsychology which is the very reason why I posted this. As I said previously, using equipment during investigations makes a group as scientific as a monkey holding a hammer. Using "advanced technological equipment" does NOT make a ghost hunting group scientific. What makes a ghost hunting group scientific is SCIENCE and that science is Parapsychology. As for Demonologists and Priests...this is just incorporating religious dogma into paranormal investigations. Just because you believe in christianity and demons does not make it real. Your admission that a Metaphysical approach to "clearing" a home does not work nor ever will is absolute nonsense and reveals your dogma. Every home that I have cleared, without exception, remained free from spirit activity.

I am not surprised by your reply, actually I expected it. I saw a parapsychologist when I was in my 30's and he tested me, and explained many things to me. If you think that all Demonologists "make" us believe in Christianity you are sadly mistaken. The one I have had here, just wants me to "believe" in the God of my choice, higher power, or the neighbors dog, its all about strength, belief and faith in ourselves. I know more than you think I do about the Metaphysical, and in my opinion it doesnt work. No one has the abilty or power to "clean" a home from 3,000 miles away or from another Country. Its a great concept, but using crystals, and wearing certain jewelry, and approaching IT with a vengence,throwing things at IT, is not smart, at least for me or anyone else with a demonic haunting. To me, its a crock but then again if that's your belief good luck. I prefer having someone professional in my home, to protect me and keep me and my loved ones safe and rid my home of a haunting. JN--- :yes:

I did not say that demonologists make you believe in christianity. Unbelievable. This is just more christian mind control dogma at its finest.

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Wait a minute, I know who you are!!! Nice try but your theory is nothing more than egomania...LOL..

Who am I then? And what is my theory? Unreal....

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did not say that demonologists make you believe in christianity. Unbelievable. This is just more christian mind control dogma at its finest.

In my opinion I would rather believe in christianity than "crystals" and "challenge a demon head on." LOL

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did not say that demonologists make you believe in christianity. Unbelievable. This is just more christian mind control dogma at its finest.

In my opinion I would rather believe in christianity than "crystals" and "challenge a demon head on." LOL

Did I say that I believe in (or even use) crystals??? No. You put these words in my mouth. Your "demons" are in your own christian mind control programming and nowhere else, but of course you are unable to see that. This is the kind of insanity that paranormal investigations needs to be delivered from.

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Who am I then? And what is my theory? Unreal....

Now now no need to be sarcastic, negative energy is not good for either of us. I refuse to debate any longer, you have your opinion and I have mine. End of story...Maybe someone on here will need your help.. :no:

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Now now no need to be sarcastic, negative energy is not good for either of us. I refuse to debate any longer, you have your opinion and I have mine. End of story...Maybe someone on here will need your help.. :no:

This is not being sarcastic. I was openly replying to your accusation of knowing who I am. What did you mean by that? Disagreeing with you is not "negative energy" (which is a non-christian, metaphysical term btw). I am just standing by my original post. Besides, christians always run when the going gets tough.

Edited by PsychicEvolution
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and it never EVER takes minutes,

Well, you never encountered one or you really don't know ghost or demon.

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Did I say that I believe in (or even use) crystals??? No. You put these words in my mouth. Your "demons" are in your own christian mind control programming and nowhere else, but of course you are unable to see that. This is the kind of insanity that paranormal investigations needs to be delivered from.

''

See, I never said I was a Christain did I? You did. I said I have faith, and I do have faith in myself, that is enough. Ohh so this D is in my mind? I wish that were the case, then I could just wish it away couldnt I? I dont think Christianity is is mind control, I believe you practice mind control in a different way such as you talk to someone, they explain what is going on in their home, then you, from maybe 3,000 miles away, enter the home clean it right out, but the thing is, IN my opinion, you dont do anything but use mind over matter. You explain whatever they have is manifested from "them" due to unresolved issues, religious brainwashing etc, so once you tell them you cleaned the house, they believe it is gone. Truth of the matter is, it is not gone..You just talk them into it, which in reality doesnt work unless they are mentally unstable or gullable..

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Well, you never encountered one or you really don't know ghost or demon.

How would you know that PE?

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''

See, I never said I was a Christain did I? You did. I said I have faith, and I do have faith in myself, that is enough. Ohh so this D is in my mind? I wish that were the case, then I could just wish it away couldnt I? I dont think Christianity is is mind control, I believe you practice mind control in a different way such as you talk to someone, they explain what is going on in their home, then you, from maybe 3,000 miles away, enter the home clean it right out, but the thing is, IN my opinion, you dont do anything but use mind over matter. You explain whatever they have is manifested from "them" due to unresolved issues, religious brainwashing etc, so once you tell them you cleaned the house, they believe it is gone. Truth of the matter is, it is not gone..You just talk them into it, which in reality doesnt work unless they are mentally unstable or gullable..

So you are not a christian and believe in demons? Interesting. You never said you had faith, you said you believed in demons and demonology which is a baseless christian indoctrination. I never said you were a christian, you proved it through your own words. You don't think christianity is mind control because you are controlled by it, thats one of the reasons why it works so well. I also never said that I cleared homes from 3000 miles away.

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This is from my Myspace blogs and wanted to post it here to see what others thought. Thanks!

*snip*

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John Blatt

http://www.myspace.com/psychicevolution

Thanks for posting this. I can't say that I agree with everything you said, but I agree with most of it.

I think that there are people who don't know the difference between a paranormal investigator and a parapsychologist.

Anyway, you gave me the incentive to go read what's new with the parapsychologists and that was really interesting, thanks!

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So you are not a christian and believe in demons? Interesting. You never said you had faith, you said you believed in demons and demonology which is a baseless christian indoctrination. I never said you were a christian, you proved it through your own words. You don't think christianity is mind control because you are controlled by it, thats one of the reasons why it works so well. I also never said that I cleared homes from 3000 miles away.

I never said I believed in demons till I had one, (which is why now I do). I thought they were just scary stories. I believe in my Demonologist, and he is the one who has helped me through this nightmare. I am not controlled by anything or anyone. As you can tell, I am a very strong willed, independent, outspoken woman, and I am a nice person. But IT got into my home, and I wont go into as to the reasons it could have gotten here. But its here, just weaker. I was raised half Jewish so you can throw the Christianity control right out the window. You are controlled by a scientific mind, that has shut you out to what really happens to people in real life, and this DOES happen more than you might care to know. I believe in ME, as I said and my Demonologist and truth is, if I have no belief in myself or anyone or anything else, I am in deep trouble. If I relied on science to fumigate this place, I dont know where I would be right now.

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Associating ghost hunting with Parapsychology makes the field even more laughable than it already is in the Psychology realm. Every Parapsychologist is not a believer of ghosts, nor does the field study ghosts specifically. We studied it a bit in Psychobiology, and it's very much laughed at and dismissed a fair bit by the larger Psychology community. To me, Parapsychology is about exploring our unknown potential. The Parapsychology studies on brain capabilities are extremely interesting and in my opinion should be taken seriously and investigated more in Psychology. It's branches such as ghost hunting which, again in my opinion, make it less likely to be taken seriously, because it's put in the same group as something that is constantly hoaxed or can be easily explained away. You don't need a degree in Parapsychology to be a ghost hunter, having one does not make you an expert - in my honest opinion, ghost hunting seems in most cases to be simply a hobby, not a professional career. But when you have Parapsychologists who have evidence of things such as people using their minds to heal wounds (I've seen it done) who are ridiculed, that annoys me greatly. In my eyes, such people are the experts in the field, they are able to bring up solid evidence and show it to you, enabling other Psychologists to use their work to further seek answers or compare with. Ghost hunting, while fun, can result in interesting sounds, visuals, and experiences, yet I have to ask, are photos or sounds life-changing events? Let it be known that I've had my own ghostly encounters, so I am by no means a disbeliever, but I am still skeptical about what I saw even though I remember the occurances clear as day. The point is that it doesn't matter what I saw or what anyone else sees, photos and videos of ghosts haven't shown to be life changing events in society, people love getting a scare out of them and find them interesting. When Parapsychologists discover things that can help us, and are vital to Psychological research as a whole, yet are dismissed because they're associated with ghost hunters... it's just wrong, because while ghost hunting has interesting finds, the finds are simply not as important in comparison to other research carried out by Parapsychologists, most of whom probably don't even believe in ghosts. I'm sure there are plenty of Parapsychologists out there, with degrees, who study ghosts, yet their findings are still dismissed by the field of Psychology, despite their position. Then more Parapsychologists come along with findings from different research, and are easily dismissed, it's why there are barely any places to study Parapsychology at.

And that's my 2 cents... sorry for the essay, I've just always wanted to rant about the field of Parapsychology being treated unfairly, and I think associating it with ghosts is one of the main reasons. Let me know if I've gone off track ^_^

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And that's my 2 cents... sorry for the essay, I've just always wanted to rant about the field of Parapsychology being treated unfairly, and I think associating it with ghosts is one of the main reasons. Let me know if I've gone off track

You are right on track..This is just one article..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parapsychology

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...... using equipment during investigations makes a group as scientific as a monkey holding a hammer....
:D He sort of has a point there....I trust my intuition over any physical data .... but then again who knows really, :hmm: some of the newer gadgets haven't really had a chance yet, my point is; that seeking to provide proof or evidence by conventional methods isn't always going to yield results ....AND even if you did capture something after sensing it...most will pretend that the data has been falsified or that the evidence has been tampered with, or never exsisted in the first place......B

halfhandshuffle:Men Without Hats-Safety Dance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcOZ6xFxJqg

Edited by Barek Halfhand
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He sort of has a point there....I trust my intuition over any physical data

Intuition isn't share-able evidence.

But, to an extent, I agree with the underlying concept of his point. Just having a thermometer or an EMF meter or a camera doesn't mean you know how to use it to look for paranormal activity. I've written in this forum (and others) many times about how we always see people misusing equipment or grossly mis-interpreting what they do get. Orbs are one great example.

NTL however, you gotta start somewhere. Until paranormal activity can be better quantified it's not possible to build a device to detect it. Machines can only do what they are told to do. If you can't explain the parameters of something you can't build a tool, sensor or model for it.

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