The madness of it all.....and starting a ghost hunting group

I had a very timely email in my box this morning....a reader who is starting her own paranormal investigations group somewhere on the east coast, wanted to know what to do when clients are drunk, high or crazy, and does this even happen. Oh yeah, it happens WAY too often.

How do you know when it is emotional or substance abuse issues rather than ghosts? Well there are a lot of tell tale signs, and I will email the ones I know to her, but from growing up in a "not so nice neighborhood" , working in Las Vegas, and having a psych degree, I have a pretty good idea when these things are going on. Different drugs do different things, some hype people up, others slow them down. There are physical signs and there are smells, environment, and other things that make you realize there may be more going on than meets the IR camera.

The other side of this however is that negative entities are attracted to those with drug, alcohol and mental issues. Many times the person is drunk and seeing things, but the things are real, not alcohol induced. People who attract spirits this way however, are usually die hard drug addicts, alcoholics, and have severe mental issues where they are not usually in control of themselves or aware of their surroundings.They attract negative entities and the things that happen in the home are usually HUGE. Not a footstep or a door closing slowly, but rather things flying about the room and people getting hurt.

Investigate, but make sure you are not alone. Never go to a client's house alone. Not only because they may be dangerous from drugs, alcohol or mental illness, but they may be dangerous in many ways. You also want another person there in case something paranormal happens to witness and help.

When investigating, you will usually see signs of an addiction of some sort, but not always. People who are deep in their addictions don't try to hide them so much, and are pretty obvious.
Knowing your paranormal end of things helps too. When you know your stuff and people start to spout nonsense, you know something is off. It could be a new experience, but there really aren't any new experiences, just us being able to capture them now on film, and digital recordings. Be wary, have others you can talk to about it that have more expertise than you.

I remember once going into a house and saying there really wasn't anything there (now remember from earlier blogs that when I say this I mean haunting spirits, you always have a guide etc with you, and just having spirits pass through doesn't make your house haunted). I captured an EVP, but not a response to a question. A newbie laughed and said..."and after you said nothing was there". I said...Did you ever hear of residual hauntings??? Response: "oh". Know what you are doing, and know all the circumstances and signs. This ONLY will come through personal experience.

Know what you are doing, and know where you are. Ask the people questions up front and see what their experiences are and if they make sense. When you feel you are in a dangerous place, get out. Make sure that you reconnect with the client and let them know you won't be coming back. You don't have to tell them it was because they were drunk, high or crazy, but let them know.

Don't start a group just because you watch all the paranormal shows. They are still experimenting themselves, have equipment you will never own, a film crew, and a list of experts at their disposal. They have buildings all to themselves which you may or may not have, and they usually have experience with the paranormal. They also make mistakes, and assumptions they shouldn't.
Learn from an established person who has been doing this a long time and who can tell you of both real experiences, and ones they debunked. You want to learn from a person who doesn't see ghosts in every shadow, bump, and creak of a door.

The human factor will always be there and will always be the one that you have the least control over. Be wary, and when you have an experience that makes you think that all the spirits are in the person's mind, or bottle, then don't waste too much time. Hauntings do happen to drug addicts, alcoholics and crazy people, but you have to take all their personal experiences out of the mix, and if you have nothing left after that, you don't have a paranormal event.

Research some drug , alcohol and psychological reactions , and be knowledgeable. It is what separates the great groups, from the ones who don't have a shred of real evidence in their portfolio. It is a factor, especially in this day and age. Don't forget to consider it.

Don't try to start a group until you have years of experience, good people partnering with you, and the right equipment. People will be counting on your to help. You need to be able to help them honestly , and accurately. Make sure that you have people at your disposal who are experienced in things like cleansing homes, and specialize in areas, like Native American spirituality, or Exorcism. Make sure that you are handling the situation in a way that helps the client, not just gets you some good sound bites or shadows on tape! That is NOT what it is about.

And above all....be safe out there!




Peshaui Wequashimese




(C)2012 Dr R M Wolf, may not be used, copied or reproduced without prior written permission.