{"id":4410,"date":"2010-11-01T01:10:45","date_gmt":"2010-11-01T06:10:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=4464"},"modified":"2010-10-25T14:55:58","modified_gmt":"2010-10-25T19:55:58","slug":"across-the-great-divide-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/11\/01\/across-the-great-divide-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Across the Great Divide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"divide1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Investigation Procedures: Analysis of Paranormal Activity (Part 4 of 5)<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any paranormal investigation is only as good as the data collected and how well it is analyzed.\u00a0 Some groups do a lot of their analysis on location as it happens, such as Discovery Channel\u2019s Ghost Lab.\u00a0 This has a lot of advantages in that you can quickly determine a course of action, or an area of higher priority.\u00a0 You can also readily debunk claims by being able to recreate activity while still on the site.\u00a0 If you get a shadow figure you can quickly refute or substantiate it by recreating it in the very location at the same time and with the exact same environmental factors still in play.\u00a0 The down side to this is that if you\u2019re spending all your time analyzing the data as you collect it, you\u2019re lengthening the investigation cycles and the potential for missing activity increases.\u00a0 Find a happy medium ground and maybe mix it up with a little on-the-fly and a little post-investigation analysis.\u00a0 Do what works best for you and your team.<\/p>\n

Personally, I think it\u2019s advantageous to wait until after the group has had a good amount of rest but do NOT put off analysis for a few days.\u00a0 After a good rest, assemble your analysis team and go over things as soon as you all wake up and eat immediately following investigation.\u00a0 You\u2019re refreshed, alert, and your tummies are full.\u00a0 You\u2019re able to scrutinize what is in front of you while still having the experiences very fresh in your memory and all team members are present for questions and clarification.<\/p>\n

Split the data up between several group members and go through everything together.\u00a0 That way if something anomalous turns up it can be immediately reviewed by the others as to its validity and provides a sounding board for bouncing opinions and reactions off of each other.<\/p>\n

It helps to have members who have technical knowledge or skill in key areas.\u00a0 I have psychology training and knowledge and can lend opinions related to the psychology of perception; another member of ours is a forensic profiler for the courts and a skilled professional photographer.\u00a0 These are just some examples of the kinds of members who can be an asset to your investigations.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have such membership then you may want to present your findings to reputable experts before presenting your final report to your client.\u00a0 Follow up with professional video and filmmakers, photographers, physicists, geologists, and psychologists, for example.\u00a0 To be honest, even if your crack team does have superior knowledge and skills, it\u2019s always wise to send the data off to third-party experts for an unbiased second opinion.<\/p>\n

Save all raw data files, be it audio, video, or photo in a secure backup location!\u00a0 I can\u2019t stress this enough, as I know first hand the disappointment of losing valuable data. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Put all raw, original data files on a large server and work with copies on individual computers.\u00a0 This ensures that the original is safe in case your conclusions are questioned.\u00a0 Remember to manipulate COPIES ONLY when analyzing them and save anomalous findings in a separate folder.<\/p>\n

With photos you\u2019ll want to import them into a computer and view them on a large screen.\u00a0 Be aware of the matrixing effect and go through each one to look for differences in lighting, shades, and shadows consistent with a vortex, apparition, or various other paranormal activity.\u00a0 Using the hundreds of tools available in programs like Photoshop<\/a>, increase levels and clear up the image as best you can by adjusting for light, contrast, and color balance.\u00a0 Be careful not to adjust a picture in such a way that you artificially create the activity you\u2019re looking for.\u00a0 Any professional photographer out there with expert-level knowledge of Photoshop can slam your claims.\u00a0 The most important thing is to differentiate between reflections and objects that are emitting their own light.\u00a0 Look at how lights and shadows are affected by the objects in question and their positions three dimensionally.\u00a0\u00a0 Light bends around objects, not hover in mid air.<\/p>\n

Next are the audio and video recordings.\u00a0 A photo is a photo- look away for a moment and it won\u2019t change.\u00a0 Unlike photographs, audio and video must be highly scrutinized and paid attention too; if you are distracted by any means you may miss that fleeting apparition or otherwise ghostly encounter.\u00a0 A glance away from the screen or drowsiness could result in you concluding there was no evidence when one of the field\u2019s best verifications is sitting on your hard drive unaccounted for because you were too tired or lazy to see it.<\/p>\n

When listening to audio for possible EVPs use noise cancelling headphones that effectively remove other noises from the room you are in.\u00a0 Turn the volume up to a reasonable level as to clearly and accurately listen but not result in a burst ear drum.\u00a0 Too loud is as ineffective as too low.<\/p>\n

Effective EVP analysis is something of a special skill that is developed with practice.\u00a0 The more you do it and recognize sounds and effects, the better you\u2019ll become, and the more accurate your findings will be.\u00a0 Listen to everything, even long periods where no one is conducting an EVP session.\u00a0 Just because no one in the group is asking questions doesn\u2019t mean the spirit isn\u2019t asking his own questions or making a statement.\u00a0 Listen for whispers, words, sounds, taps, and bangs.\u00a0 When specific questions are asked listen for intelligent answers.\u00a0 Listen to everything in the context of what is going on at the time of the recording- the conversations between team members, a neighborhood dog barking, cars driving by, or various other factors.\u00a0 Again, this is where time stamping is if importance.\u00a0 If you do have something that is agreed upon by the analysis team to be worthy of further analysis, save a copy for later study.<\/p>\n

Most digital recorders these days come with bundled software to listen to your audio.\u00a0 If you\u2019re lucky it\u2019ll be a robust program that has hundreds of tools to bend, pitch, clean up, and adjust the volume of audio samples.<\/p>\n

Personally I use Nero\u2019s Wave Editor<\/a>.\u00a0 The tool kit in this program is simply amazing.\u00a0 With this you can see a visual representation of the file with spikes indicating verified sound.\u00a0 You can adjust for noise reduction, hums, hisses, and clicks.\u00a0 You can also adjust volume.\u00a0 One of the best EVPs I ever caught might have been missed because the word was said so softly it was almost overlooked.\u00a0 Once the volume was increased it was clearly a direct answer to a specific question!\u00a0 EVPs are among the most spine-chilling but awe-inspiring evidence of paranormal contact.<\/p>\n

When looking over video you not only have sound to pay attention to but the visual happenings as well.\u00a0 Just as with photographs, use a large monitor but not so large that you\u2019re darting around trying to watch everything.\u00a0 A 15-19 inch screen works just fine.\u00a0 Look for light and shadow effects, objects in the environment being affected by unknown means, strange glitches in the video and defined shapes.\u00a0 That glitch most probably is interference from other equipment but it could also be the manipulation of an entity.\u00a0 This is where the IR motion detectors pay their cost.\u00a0 Suppose the room you\u2019re watching has an object move apparently on its own.\u00a0 If the motion sensor guarding the room is not tripped then you truly have something paranormal.\u00a0 Is it a ghost or spirit?\u00a0 Only further analysis will tell, but it is definitely not an easily explainable event.<\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve gone over all the data hopefully you will have something worthwhile to report back to the client with.\u00a0 Even if you don\u2019t, it doesn\u2019t mean a failure for the investigation.\u00a0 All investigations are a gamble.\u00a0 Sometimes you catch good evidence but most of the time it turns up no valid results whatsoever as far as evidence goes but each investigation is a learning experience and that has no price tag. \u00a0Also the client may be comforted by the fact nothing paranormal was going on and whatever logical, natural explanations you may have for the events in the house could put them at ease.\u00a0 If substantial evidence is found it can also comfort the clients.\u00a0 When friends and family give them a crooked eye they can present professional proof to support their claims.<\/p>\n

Quality analysis comes from fair, grounded, unbiased attention to detail and hinges on the knowledge and experience of the collectors and those who go over the results.\u00a0 All of these things come with honest, serious practice.\u00a0 Even the most skilled investigators should still seek second opinions.\u00a0 So don\u2019t get too over-excited or discouraged.\u00a0 Be diligent and keep at it.\u00a0 Even I am always learning something new.<\/p>\n

Next month we will wrap up this series with the final component of investigation procedures- The Reveal & Follow Up.\u00a0 Until then, Happy Thanksgiving from yours truly.\u00a0 Next month is also special because it\u2019s the first anniversary of Across the Great Divide.\u00a0 I have had an amazing and fun year providing you with, what I hope, is an enjoyable and educational romp through the world of paranormal research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Investigation Procedures: Analysis of Paranormal Activity (Part 4 of 5) Any paranormal investigation is only as good as the data collected and how well it is analyzed.\u00a0 Some groups do a lot of their analysis on location as it happens, such as Discovery Channel\u2019s Ghost Lab.\u00a0 This has a lot of advantages in that you can quickly determine a course of action, or an area of higher priority.\u00a0 You can also readily debunk claims by being able to recreate activity while still on the site.\u00a0 If you get a shadow figure you can quickly refute or substantiate it by recreating it in the very location at the same time and with the exact same environmental factors still in play.\u00a0 The down side to this is that if you\u2019re spending all your time analyzing the data as you collect it, you\u2019re lengthening the investigation cycles and the potential for missing activity increases.\u00a0 Find a happy medium ground and maybe mix it up with a little on-the-fly and a little post-investigation analysis.\u00a0 Do what works best for you and your team. Personally, I think it\u2019s advantageous to wait until after the group has had a good amount of rest but do NOT put off analysis for a few days.\u00a0 After a good rest, assemble your analysis team and go over things as soon as you all wake up and eat immediately following investigation.\u00a0 You\u2019re refreshed, alert, and your tummies are full.\u00a0 You\u2019re able to scrutinize what is in front of you while still having the experiences very fresh in your memory and all team members are present for questions and clarification. Split the data up between several group members and go through everything together.\u00a0 That way if something anomalous turns up it can be immediately reviewed by the others as to its validity and provides a sounding board for bouncing opinions and reactions off of each other. It helps to have members who have technical knowledge or skill in key areas.\u00a0 I have psychology training and knowledge and can lend opinions related to the psychology of perception; another member of ours is a forensic profiler for the courts and a skilled professional photographer.\u00a0 These are just some examples of the kinds of members who can be an asset to your investigations.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have such membership then you may want to present your findings to reputable experts before presenting your final report to your client.\u00a0 Follow up with professional video and filmmakers, photographers, physicists, geologists, and psychologists, for example.\u00a0 To be honest, even if your crack team does have superior knowledge and skills, it\u2019s always wise to send the data off to third-party experts for an unbiased second opinion. Save all raw data files, be it audio, video, or photo in a secure backup location!\u00a0 I can\u2019t stress this enough, as I know first hand the disappointment of losing valuable data. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Put all raw, original data files on a large server and work with copies on individual computers.\u00a0 This ensures that the original is safe in case your conclusions are questioned.\u00a0 Remember to manipulate COPIES ONLY when analyzing them and save anomalous findings in a separate folder. With photos you\u2019ll want to import them into a computer and view them on a large screen.\u00a0 Be aware of the matrixing effect and go through each one to look for differences in lighting, shades, and shadows consistent with a vortex, apparition, or various other paranormal activity.\u00a0 Using the hundreds of tools available in programs like Photoshop, increase levels and clear up the image as best you can by adjusting for light, contrast, and color balance.\u00a0 Be careful not to adjust a picture in such a way that you artificially create the activity you\u2019re looking for.\u00a0 Any professional photographer out there with expert-level knowledge of Photoshop can slam your claims.\u00a0 The most important thing is to differentiate between reflections and objects that are emitting their own light.\u00a0 Look at how lights and shadows are affected by the objects in question and their positions three dimensionally.\u00a0\u00a0 Light bends around objects, not hover in mid air. Next are the audio and video recordings.\u00a0 A photo is a photo- look away for a moment and it won\u2019t change.\u00a0 Unlike photographs, audio and video must be highly scrutinized and paid attention too; if you are distracted by any means you may miss that fleeting apparition or otherwise ghostly encounter.\u00a0 A glance away from the screen or drowsiness could result in you concluding there was no evidence when one of the field\u2019s best verifications is sitting on your hard drive unaccounted for because you were too tired or lazy to see it. When listening to audio for possible EVPs use noise cancelling headphones that effectively remove other noises from the room you are in.\u00a0 Turn the volume up to a reasonable level as to clearly and accurately listen but not result in a burst ear drum.\u00a0 Too loud is as ineffective as too low. Effective EVP analysis is something of a special skill that is developed with practice.\u00a0 The more you do it and recognize sounds and effects, the better you\u2019ll become, and the more accurate your findings will be.\u00a0 Listen to everything, even long periods where no one is conducting an EVP session.\u00a0 Just because no one in the group is asking questions doesn\u2019t mean the spirit isn\u2019t asking his own questions or making a statement.\u00a0 Listen for whispers, words, sounds, taps, and bangs.\u00a0 When specific questions are asked listen for intelligent answers.\u00a0 Listen to everything in the context of what is going on at the time of the recording- the conversations between team members, a neighborhood dog barking, cars driving by, or various other factors.\u00a0 Again, this is where time stamping is if importance.\u00a0 If you do have something that is agreed upon by the analysis team to be worthy of further analysis, save a copy for later study. Most digital recorders these days come with bundled software to listen to your audio.\u00a0 If you\u2019re lucky it\u2019ll be a robust program that has hundreds of tools to bend, pitch, clean up, and adjust the volume of audio samples. Personally I use Nero\u2019s Wave Editor.\u00a0 The tool kit in this program is simply amazing.\u00a0 With this you can see a visual representation of the file with spikes indicating verified sound.\u00a0 You can adjust for noise reduction, hums, hisses, and clicks.\u00a0 You can also adjust volume.\u00a0 One of the best EVPs I ever caught might have been missed because the word was said so softly it was almost overlooked.\u00a0 Once the volume was increased it was clearly a direct answer to a specific question!\u00a0 EVPs are among the most spine-chilling but awe-inspiring evidence of paranormal contact. When looking over video you not only have sound to pay attention to but the visual happenings as well.\u00a0 Just as with photographs, use a large monitor but not so large that you\u2019re darting around trying to watch everything.\u00a0 A 15-19 inch screen works just fine.\u00a0 Look for light and shadow effects, objects in the environment being affected by unknown means, strange glitches in the video and defined shapes.\u00a0 That glitch most probably is interference from other equipment but it could also be the manipulation of an entity.\u00a0 This is where the IR motion detectors pay their cost.\u00a0 Suppose the room you\u2019re watching has an object move apparently on its own.\u00a0 If the motion sensor guarding the room is not tripped then you truly have something paranormal.\u00a0 Is it a ghost or spirit?\u00a0 Only further analysis will tell, but it is definitely not an easily explainable event. After you\u2019ve gone over all the data hopefully you will have something worthwhile to report back to the client with.\u00a0 Even if you don\u2019t, it doesn\u2019t mean a failure for the investigation.\u00a0 All investigations are a gamble.\u00a0 Sometimes you catch good evidence but most of the time it turns up no valid results whatsoever as far as evidence goes but each investigation is a learning experience and that has no price tag. \u00a0Also the client may be comforted by the fact nothing paranormal was going on and whatever logical, natural explanations you may have for the events in the house could put them at ease.\u00a0 If substantial evidence is found it can also comfort the clients.\u00a0 When friends and family give them a crooked eye they can present professional proof to support their claims. Quality analysis comes from fair, grounded, unbiased attention to detail and hinges on the knowledge and experience of the collectors and those who go over the results.\u00a0 All of these things come with honest, serious practice.\u00a0 Even the most skilled investigators should still seek second opinions.\u00a0 So don\u2019t get too over-excited or discouraged.\u00a0 Be diligent and keep at it.\u00a0 Even I am always learning something new. Next month we will wrap up this series with the final component of investigation procedures- The Reveal & Follow Up.\u00a0 Until then, Happy Thanksgiving from yours truly.\u00a0 Next month is also special because it\u2019s the first anniversary of Across the Great Divide.\u00a0 I have had an amazing and fun year providing you with, what I hope, is an enjoyable and educational romp through the world of paranormal research.<\/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-4410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4410","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=4410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4410\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}