![\"divide1\"](\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/divide1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nInvestigation Procedures: Doing the Research (Part 2 of 5)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Just visiting a place that has reported claims of the paranormal and snapping a few pictures or recording some audio doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve investigated it thoroughly.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve landed a big investigation you\u2019ll want to research the location as much as possible.\u00a0 Background and historical research is a big part of any valid investigation of the paranormal, especially one with a long history of reported activity.\u00a0 It involves conducting a lot of pre-investigation interviews of witnesses, tedious historical research, looking up prior media coverage, and contacting other investigation groups who may have been there before.<\/p>\n Take organized and concise notes of the names, places, and events you find in your research.\u00a0 Make sure you also site exactly where you found your information and site your sources.<\/p>\n The historical data of the land itself must be looked into including any geological and environmental factors; the architectural history of any buildings that currently or previously existed on the land needs to be looked into as well as the people who occupied the land.<\/p>\n Google might be easily accessible and convenient but despite its claims, you can\u2019t find everything on Google- or accurate information for that matter.\u00a0 Many historical documents aren’t on the internet at all.\u00a0 It takes deeper insight and work to find the answers you seek, often resulting in a need to actually GO somewhere and looking over hardcopy yourself. \u00a0\u00a0Look through historic documents and manuscripts such as a photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, and artifacts by visiting local libraries and historical societies; tell them what you\u2019re looking for and ask for their help; they\u2019ll be more than happy to assist you in your search and they\u2019ll likely know exactly where you need to look or who to talk to.<\/p>\n Visit the county or city\u2019s Registrar of Deeds office and do a background on the history of the building and the land it resides on.\u00a0 Look up the current landowner under Warranty Deeds and trace the ownership of the land backwards.\u00a0 Take note of the various uses of the land itself as it may not have always had a business or home on it.\u00a0 The names you encounter can also help to cross reference with local news about and events connected with the area like epidemics, murders, and other newsworthy events. \u00a0Often a spirit isn\u2019t attached to the home as much as it is to the land itself.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all heard stories of homes being built near or directly on Native American burial grounds. \u00a0There could have been a natural disaster that wiped out early settlers to an area, famine, war, the possibilities are endless so extensive research of the area is crucial.\u00a0 A massacre could provide the emotional fuel for a haunting.<\/p>\n Look for any mineral deposits or environmental factors which could explain the reported occurrences.\u00a0 Theories suggest that water lines, quartz, and limestone deposits amplify paranormal activity so if a home lies on a property rich in certain elements take it into account when examining the paranormal activity.\u00a0 Look into known or reported environmental phenomenon specific to the area and consumer energy depots.\u00a0 Consider factories and plants that could be producing byproducts that affect health and mental states under prolonged exposure.\u00a0 I should note that electromagnetic fields are unavoidable in residential areas and despite the theory surrounding so-called \u201cfear cages\u201d there is no significant scientific data to support the claims that it causes hallucinations or nausea.<\/p>\n Research the previous owners.\u00a0 Often families will write or pass down stories of unexplainable events that occur in their homes.\u00a0 Talk with former owners to see if they had any odd or paranormal events occur during their occupancy.\u00a0 See if there are any consistencies in stories from family to family.\u00a0 Sometimes a cause can be found to debunk or explain claims, or further support the claims.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want detailed information from the client about the types, frequency, and level of paranormal activity.\u00a0 Are the events specific to a day, date or time?\u00a0 Do they recur at specific anniversaries as is the case with residual hauntings or do they interact at random?\u00a0 Do they occur only in specific rooms or do events occur in every room except a certain one?\u00a0 Do they occur only when certain people are in the home?\u00a0 This could even be the result of a friend or someone else who visits the location.\u00a0 There could be something positive or negative about the person that is causing psychic turbulence or giving unrest to the spirit.\u00a0 Also make it clear from the stat what the client\u2019s desires are.\u00a0 If a haunting is confirmed are they comfortable with it or do they want it removed?\u00a0 They may have a lot of needs and wants before, during, and long after the investigation.\u00a0 These will all be covered later.<\/p>\n It might be uncomfortable for some people to ask or discuss, but it is also important to find out about the emotional, psychological, and physical status of each resident as well.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to claim a place is haunted if it turns out the daughter was hallucinating due to high fever from the flu or the father has a history of paranoid schizophrenia.\u00a0 During an investigation of claims of apparitions you find a stash of marijuana or anti-psychotic meds in the bathroom.\u00a0 Obviously that makes any paranormal activity suspect.<\/p>\n My own group was all excited when I got a call to investigate a residential home.\u00a0 The home owner had the most fantastic claims including apparitions, moving objects, voices, you name it.\u00a0 He was adamant we come over ASAP and investigate.\u00a0 Three of us went over for a pre-investigation interview.\u00a0 The house had no working lights, no clothes or food, and Spartan d\u00e9cor.\u00a0 Chalking it up to eccentrics we continued.\u00a0 In the next few days I had received no fewer than 64 phone calls.\u00a0 He had claimed that 17 other groups had investigated within the past 2 years.\u00a0 I contacted some of these groups and was provided a wealth of information regarding the individual and the case.\u00a0 It turns out he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the past and is under no treatment whatsoever.\u00a0 He continues to harass myself and any group spanning five different states that will listen.<\/p>\n This brings up a good point.\u00a0 Never, ever meet with a potential client alone, especially if it\u2019s a residence.\u00a0 You can never know what a person\u2019s motives are.\u00a0 Even groups like TAPS have had these situations.\u00a0 They were investigating a house that turned out to all be a ruse because the woman wanted to seduce Jason Hawes in the basement!\u00a0 Always have someone with you and at least one person off site that knows who you\u2019re with and where you are.\u00a0 These things can happen, and there are numerous situations that you\u2019ll encounter that just have to be experienced.\u00a0 I try to cover as many as I can through this column.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re pressed for time you can always do more research afterward to gain a better understanding and clarification of events or to finish up documentation.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have a better and more detailed report to give your client in the end.\u00a0 Do some follow up research after the initial investigation if something comes up like a name on an EVP or an interesting bit of info or eerie personal experience.<\/p>\n Assuming claims have panned out and your background research was fruitful.\u00a0 Next month we\u2019ll get into the hands-on, real-time investigation procedures to make the most of your research experience.\u00a0 Until next time then, happy hunting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Investigation Procedures: Doing the Research (Part 2 of 5) Just visiting a place that has reported claims of the paranormal and snapping a few pictures or recording some audio doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve investigated it thoroughly.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve landed a big investigation you\u2019ll want to research the location as much as possible.\u00a0 Background and historical research is a big part of any valid investigation of the paranormal, especially one with a long history of reported activity.\u00a0 It involves conducting a lot of pre-investigation interviews of witnesses, tedious historical research, looking up prior media coverage, and contacting other investigation groups who may have been there before. Take organized and concise notes of the names, places, and events you find in your research.\u00a0 Make sure you also site exactly where you found your information and site your sources. The historical data of the land itself must be looked into including any geological and environmental factors; the architectural history of any buildings that currently or previously existed on the land needs to be looked into as well as the people who occupied the land. Google might be easily accessible and convenient but despite its claims, you can\u2019t find everything on Google- or accurate information for that matter.\u00a0 Many historical documents aren’t on the internet at all.\u00a0 It takes deeper insight and work to find the answers you seek, often resulting in a need to actually GO somewhere and looking over hardcopy yourself. \u00a0\u00a0Look through historic documents and manuscripts such as a photographs, maps, newspaper clippings, and artifacts by visiting local libraries and historical societies; tell them what you\u2019re looking for and ask for their help; they\u2019ll be more than happy to assist you in your search and they\u2019ll likely know exactly where you need to look or who to talk to. Visit the county or city\u2019s Registrar of Deeds office and do a background on the history of the building and the land it resides on.\u00a0 Look up the current landowner under Warranty Deeds and trace the ownership of the land backwards.\u00a0 Take note of the various uses of the land itself as it may not have always had a business or home on it.\u00a0 The names you encounter can also help to cross reference with local news about and events connected with the area like epidemics, murders, and other newsworthy events. \u00a0Often a spirit isn\u2019t attached to the home as much as it is to the land itself.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all heard stories of homes being built near or directly on Native American burial grounds. \u00a0There could have been a natural disaster that wiped out early settlers to an area, famine, war, the possibilities are endless so extensive research of the area is crucial.\u00a0 A massacre could provide the emotional fuel for a haunting. Look for any mineral deposits or environmental factors which could explain the reported occurrences.\u00a0 Theories suggest that water lines, quartz, and limestone deposits amplify paranormal activity so if a home lies on a property rich in certain elements take it into account when examining the paranormal activity.\u00a0 Look into known or reported environmental phenomenon specific to the area and consumer energy depots.\u00a0 Consider factories and plants that could be producing byproducts that affect health and mental states under prolonged exposure.\u00a0 I should note that electromagnetic fields are unavoidable in residential areas and despite the theory surrounding so-called \u201cfear cages\u201d there is no significant scientific data to support the claims that it causes hallucinations or nausea. Research the previous owners.\u00a0 Often families will write or pass down stories of unexplainable events that occur in their homes.\u00a0 Talk with former owners to see if they had any odd or paranormal events occur during their occupancy.\u00a0 See if there are any consistencies in stories from family to family.\u00a0 Sometimes a cause can be found to debunk or explain claims, or further support the claims. You\u2019ll want detailed information from the client about the types, frequency, and level of paranormal activity.\u00a0 Are the events specific to a day, date or time?\u00a0 Do they recur at specific anniversaries as is the case with residual hauntings or do they interact at random?\u00a0 Do they occur only in specific rooms or do events occur in every room except a certain one?\u00a0 Do they occur only when certain people are in the home?\u00a0 This could even be the result of a friend or someone else who visits the location.\u00a0 There could be something positive or negative about the person that is causing psychic turbulence or giving unrest to the spirit.\u00a0 Also make it clear from the stat what the client\u2019s desires are.\u00a0 If a haunting is confirmed are they comfortable with it or do they want it removed?\u00a0 They may have a lot of needs and wants before, during, and long after the investigation.\u00a0 These will all be covered later. It might be uncomfortable for some people to ask or discuss, but it is also important to find out about the emotional, psychological, and physical status of each resident as well.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to claim a place is haunted if it turns out the daughter was hallucinating due to high fever from the flu or the father has a history of paranoid schizophrenia.\u00a0 During an investigation of claims of apparitions you find a stash of marijuana or anti-psychotic meds in the bathroom.\u00a0 Obviously that makes any paranormal activity suspect. My own group was all excited when I got a call to investigate a residential home.\u00a0 The home owner had the most fantastic claims including apparitions, moving objects, voices, you name it.\u00a0 He was adamant we come over ASAP and investigate.\u00a0 Three of us went over for a pre-investigation interview.\u00a0 The house had no working lights, no clothes or food, and Spartan d\u00e9cor.\u00a0 Chalking it up to eccentrics we continued.\u00a0 In the next few days I had received no fewer than 64 phone calls.\u00a0 He had claimed that 17 other groups had investigated within the past 2 years.\u00a0 I contacted some of these groups and was provided a wealth of information regarding the individual and the case.\u00a0 It turns out he has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the past and is under no treatment whatsoever.\u00a0 He continues to harass myself and any group spanning five different states that will listen. This brings up a good point.\u00a0 Never, ever meet with a potential client alone, especially if it\u2019s a residence.\u00a0 You can never know what a person\u2019s motives are.\u00a0 Even groups like TAPS have had these situations.\u00a0 They were investigating a house that turned out to all be a ruse because the woman wanted to seduce Jason Hawes in the basement!\u00a0 Always have someone with you and at least one person off site that knows who you\u2019re with and where you are.\u00a0 These things can happen, and there are numerous situations that you\u2019ll encounter that just have to be experienced.\u00a0 I try to cover as many as I can through this column. If you\u2019re pressed for time you can always do more research afterward to gain a better understanding and clarification of events or to finish up documentation.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have a better and more detailed report to give your client in the end.\u00a0 Do some follow up research after the initial investigation if something comes up like a name on an EVP or an interesting bit of info or eerie personal experience. Assuming claims have panned out and your background research was fruitful.\u00a0 Next month we\u2019ll get into the hands-on, real-time investigation procedures to make the most of your research experience.\u00a0 Until next time then, happy hunting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}