I' ve found myself heading up another NEW team this month. I doing a freinds a faver by taking on his team for a big investigation that will have 5 teams working toghether.More news coming soon!

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Although ghosts and apparitions have been reported for thousands of years by all walks of life, surprisingly little information is available with regard to their nature or essence. Ghosts are elusive and unpredictable, and the ways in which they manifest are surprisingly diverse. Contrary to popular belief, most ghostly encounters are not visual, but rather consist of noises, smells, sensations, voices, cold spots, electrical disturbances such as lights switching off or on, and displacement or movement of objects. Much of the available data is anecdotal and is therefore prone to exaggeration, embellishment, and sometimes outright deceit.
Although studies suggest that approximately 1 in 10 of us has the ability to perceive ghosts, those of us who are actively looking for them are apparently the least likely to have a ghostly experience. Children seem more apt to experience manifestations, suggesting that adults develop some kind of blocking mechanism as they mature. Women seem more attuned than men, and it appears that the higher your IQ, the less likely you are to experience ghostly phenomena.

So where does this leave uyou and I? Below are five interesting theories to consider regarding the basics of ghostly manifestations......

Theory #1: Ghosts are the earthbound souls of the deceased.  

This is the most common interpretation when confronted with a visible apparition, and it certainly does fit many hauntings where the apparition is more or less recognizable as someone who is deceased. For most of us, this theory is also comforting, as it hints at a life after the physical body is gone.

One common example of this type of manifestation is when an individual suddenly becomes aware of the death of a loved one through one or more senses. This type of occurrence is often visual, but may just be a sudden "feeling" as if relayed telepathically, or may even come in the form of a vivid dream. Typically, this type of manifestation relays important information to the observer.

We know from science that everything is composed of energy. Our thoughts, feelings, sensations, experiences, and indeed our very souls are all forms of energy. The theory is that when the physical body dies, this energy continues on in some form and can be tapped by living persons sensitive enough to perceive it. Animals seem to be quite sensitive to this type of energy, and many very reliable reports of them avoiding certain rooms, chasing unseen prey, or sitting contently as if being stroked and petted have been recorded throughout history - another indication that this type of phenomena is quite interactive.

Theory #2:Events are somehow recorded in certain surroundings to be replayed over and over to living people sensitive enough to discern them.

This theory accounts for a lot of our ghost legends and is likely the source for virtually all hauntings that repeat again and again, such as the many "lady in white" sightings and ghostly battle reenactments. These apparitions are often visual, but sounds and smells are common too. The catalyst that starts the recording is usually very emotional or violent, such as a war or a mother losing a child. These apparitions never interact with the observer or acknowledge the presence of the observer in any way. They are reported as walking through walls or just disappearing into thin air, and they do not appear to be conducive to photography, though EVP recordings are occasionally successful.

Although most concur that these types of apparitions do appear to be "recorded" somehow in the surroundings, there is disagreement on how exactly we as observers perceive these recordings. One side postulates that it is something within the observer that sets the recording in motion, and that the recording thus "plays inside our heads." The other side postulates that the recording is being played externally for all to see, but that only those with the right "antenna" can experience it.

Thus, as frightening as this type of manifestation may be, the apparition is not a thinking entity, nor does it have a will or a purpose, and it is no more of a threat to the observer than watching a character on a television show.

Theory #3:Apparitions are created from some type of naturally-occurring electrical, magnetic, or electromagnetic condition.

Many serious paranormal researchers believe that measurable properties such as electricity or magnetism play a part in why we experience ghostly encounters. Equipment for detecting anomalies in atmospheric, electrical, and magnetic conditions for the purposes of detecting paranormal activity is big business these days.

Many different variations on this theme have been postulated through time, likely originating with the "feelings" reported by observers in the vicinity of paranormal phenomena. Feelings of "magnetism" are often reported, as are sensations that the hair is "standing on end," a common occurrence around fields of high electricity. Temperature fluctuations have become the litmus test for detecting activity, as have vague feelings of the area being "energized" by some unknown process.

Many different theories regarding how naturally-occurring elements may interact to allow for paranormal phenomena have been offered, and include exotic theories ranging from energy emitted from earth ley lines, natural geologic fault lines creating bursts of energy, or some kind of natural vibration or earth harmonic.

One of the few things we do know for sure is that paranormal phenomena is more likely to be experienced at night, and sure enough, there is an scientific explanation for why this may be. In short, the earth is covered by a fluctuating membrane we all know as the atmosphere, which is constantly being bombarded by a strong solar wind from the sun. During the day, this membrane is at its thinnest and densest because it is being directly hit by the solar wind. However, at night, when sheltered from the sun, it expands much farther into space and has much less resistance (see illustration below). This explains why television and radio stations come in better at night, and why you can tune into stations much farther away than is possible during the day.

Therefore, the reason we see more paranormal activity at night is because there is much less resistance to every kind of magnetic and electrical current or force, making it easier for energy-based manifestations to appear. Indeed, the best time to go on ghost hunts is widely believed to be between 9 pm and 3 am, with midnight being optimal. For these same reasons, since ancient times, total eclipses of the sun have been the source of many legends and tales of paranormal occurrences.

Anyone who has ever gone on a ghost hunt has likely realized before too long that ghosts can be annoyingly camera shy, and the explanation for this may very well be related to the above discussion of electricity and magnetism. It stands to reason that if paranormal occurrences are energy-based, the arrival on the scene of man-made energy-based devices may put a kink in the environment needed for the apparition to appear. Even a battery-operated digital camera, voice recorder, or flashlight may put out enough energy to disrupt the natural energy of an area, to the chagrin of ghost hunters everywhere. This might explain why as a whole we are remarkably unsuccessful at capturing verifiable ghosts on film.

Theory #4:Ghosts are actual beings living in one or more parallel dimensions.

The concept of a parallel universe is a fairly complex one. To put it simply, this theory suggests that there are one or more (perhaps an infinite number) of complete universes co-existing with us on a plane we are generally not aware of. Picture a lot of soap bubbles all floating around in a room. Each soap bubble contains an entire unique universe, and though there are hundreds of bubbles in the air, each is independent of all the others. Occasionally, two bubbles will collide and stick together, creating a passageway between the two universes.

Any type of spectral appearance, sight, sound, or anomaly can fit into the theory of parallel dimensions. Thus, when we see an apparition, especially one seemingly from another time and place, it could be that we getting a rare glimpse into another dimension or reality and we are seeing events develop in that plane of existence.

Interestingly, it is also theorized that each of us even have parallel selves living on different planes in different stages of development and that we may be aware of them at times on a subconscious level. Obviously, this theory is just that - a theory - but it is a particularly tantalizing one, and hopefully we we progress technologically, more scientific light will be shed on this topic. For more information in this same vein, please see Other Dimensions.

Theory #5:Ghosts exist only as figments of our imaginations.

This theory can be made to apply to every kind of paranormal manifestation there is, and in some cases, it is probably at least in part correct. Medical studies have proven that when certain parts of the brain are stimulated, various perceptions are disturbed, such as visual, auditory, and tactile functions. Various external stimuli such as very low frequency sound waves and high fields of electricity can cause hallucinatory experiences that for the subject are indistinguishable from reality.

Indeed, schizophrenics often relate seeing, hearing, and even talking to very real entities that nobody else can see or hear, but medical science thus far has not found the cause for this. Are they really seeing things that nobody else can see or hear? The consensus seems to be no - it is "all in their heads" due to an unknown short circuit in the make-up of their brains, but nobody really knows for sure. Further study in this particular type of mental disorder may eventually shed light on some areas of the paranormal. However, there are still a lot of questions left unanswered by this theory, such as when more than one person sees the same phenomena. Skeptics use the term "mass hysteria" for situations like this, but nobody has offered an explanation for the core catalyst causing many brains to suddenly go haywire.

Obviously, this theory needs a lot of work, but it will probably be among the first to be proven or disproven by science. Time will tell....

Parapsychologists have clearly failed

Although there has been over a century of formal empirical inquiry,myself and other parapsychologists have clearly failed to produce a single reliable demonstration of “paranormal,” or “psi,” phenomena. Although many parapsychological research projects have been carried out under what have been described as well-controlled conditions, this does not by itself make a science, for unless and until it can be demonstrated that paranormal phenomena really exist, there is no subject matter around which a science can develop. Indeed, parapsychologists have not even succeeded in developing a reasonable definition of paranormal phenomena that does not involve, or imply, some aspect of mind-body dualism. Moreover, parapsychology has developed several principles (such as the experimenter effect) which can be used to explain away failures, and the use of these principles contributes to making the psi-hypothesis unfalsifiable.

The “anything goes” attitude in parapsychology, which seems to lend credence to virtually any “paranormal” claim, serves to weaken the credibility of parapsychological endeavors in the eyes of critics. This general willingness to suspend doubt is another indication that parapsychology is more than the quest to explain anomalous experiences, as is claimed. It is argued in this paper that parapsychological inquiry reflects the attempt to establish the reality of a nonmaterial aspect of human existence, rather than a search for explanations for anomalous phenomena.

Many researchers have examined psychological differences between people who believe in the paranormal and people who do not believe in the paranormal (see, e.g., French, 1992; Irwin, 1993). For example, such beliefs have been found to be positively correlated with creativity and sensation seeking (Davis, Peterson, & Farley, 1974), hypnotic susceptibility (Wagner & Ratzeburg, 1987), neuroticism (Windholtz & Diamant, 1974), fantasy proneness (Irwin, 1991a), and ostensible psi ability (Lawrence, 1993).

One focus of this research has been to assess whether those who believe in the existence of paranormal phenomena are cognitively inferior to those who disbelieve such phenomena. For example, Alcock and Otis (1980) asked participants to complete Watson and Glaser's (1964) Critical Thinking Appraisal Scale and found that paranormal believers demonstrated a significantly lower level of critical thinking than disbelievers. In addition, Wierzbicki (1985) found that believers made more errors on a test of syllogistic reasoning than did disbelievers. However, other studies cast doubt on these findings. For example, Irwin (1991b) found no correlation between paranormal belief scores and reasoning skills, Thalbourne & Nofi (1997) found no evidence of a correlation between belief and performance on an IQ test, while Jones, Russell, and Nickel (1977) reported a positive relationship between paranormal belief and intelligence.

One possible reason for the disparity in these empirical findings concerns the context in which the studies were conducted. Some evidence suggests that the degree to which individuals express belief in the paranormal may be to some extent dependent on the social and intellectual context in which it is measured. For example, Fishbein and Raven (1967) found that belief in ESP could be influenced by prior exposure to positive or negative information about ESP. They found that participants' expressed beliefs were increased after reading an article that promoted such phenomena, while participants presented with an article that stressed the methodological weaknesses of ESP experiments showed lower belief scores. In addition, Layton and Turnbull (1975) and Crandall (1985) found that participants tested by an experimenter who displayed a personal belief in ESP and a positive evaluation of ESP research expressed higher belief than did participants tested by an experimenter who showed a negative opinion of ESP. These studies suggest that individuals' paranormal belief is participant to demand characteristics of the test situation. Irwin (1985, 1991b, 1993) has proposed that such interventions do not necessarily change participants' views; rather, they affect participants' willingness to express that belief. If so, this may have considerable implications regarding the validity of purported correlates of paranormal belief.

Irwin (1991b) has speculated that context effects may explain why he did not find a difference in reasoning skills between believers and disbelievers as reported by earlier researchers. He argued that all of the earlier studies had been conducted by publicly professed skeptics whose implicit objective was to show that paranormal believers were credulous, uncritical, and foolish people. Given this as the case, Irwin (1991b) suggests that this is likely to be an important factor in the outcome of such research:

Specifically, it is suggested that critically minded participants in previous

studies were aware of the investigators' skeptical attitude toward the

paranormal and may well have taken this as a cue to be reticent about their

own paranormal beliefs. Participants who perform highly on a test of critical

thinking may thus present with relatively low paranormal belief merely

because they are more alert to the experimenter's own skepticism. (p. 289)

The result of such a context effect would be a spurious negative correlation between reasoning ability and paranormal belief due to believers with high reasoning ability presenting lower belief scores. Irwin, on the other hand, describes himself as being perceived as open-minded in his approach to parapsychology. He suggests that participants in his study did not feel that they needed to hide their belief in the paranormal and so gave more honest answers on the belief questionnaire, perhaps giving a truer picture of the relationship between reasoning ability and paranormal belief. It follows that, according to this model, a spurious positive relationship between paranormal belief and reasoning ability might be expected in a context which actively encourages a belief in the paranormal (assuming it is only those participants who score high on the reasoning task who inflate their belief scores accordingly).

It is also possible that participants' scores on tests of cognitive ability are influenced by the context in which the tests are taken. ...

TV Ghost Hunting Shows

TV GHOST HUNTING SHOWS: I’ve been investigating ghosts now for as long as I can remember. I’ve been investigating ghost and haunting since 1993/4 and researching ghosts via books since I was a child. Anyone and everyone who knows me knows that I always give 110 percent into everything I do with regards to my research. I spend a large part searching the internet and looking into other paranormal teams and finding out what there researching at the moment. The thing that gets me more than anything else is why they seem to work as if there on TV. Come on why do you do this? Why do you have to make yourselves look bigger than what you are? Why do you act when you know you’re being filmed?

This effects me somewhat, Why can’t they just be there self’s. See I think its peer TV that does this. They have no individuality about them and this makes me so angry. Just the other day I was sent a email from a team in the US, Will not say there name but I could not do anything for laughing as I clicked on a link for there youtube page and I swear to you it was like watching a bad acting TV show.

Why do you all do this? Please answer me ‘tell me why you can’t just be yourselves when conducting your own research rather than base your work around a TV show that is ONLY entertainment purposes. Listen I’ am not knocking them for who they are, Never! But I want to know why they feel they have to act when the camera is running. See TV shows such as Most Haunted, Ghost Hunters and Dead Famous have made the paranormal investigations a mockery. See in all the years I’ve done this I have never come across activity that they seem to get each show. Listen I ‘am not saying that this stone throwing can’t happen, I’ am just saying that it seems to happen way too much. I know when I have been doing my research and we all have to record everything we do just in case something does take place and you’re in the right place and the right time to pick up the activity. I know why the TV shows does this and it’s because anyone that does do any form of ghost hunting would say that you can sit in a room in the cold and dark for hours on end and nothing ever happen so the TV shows make things happen just to make sure they keep the viewers attention. I don’t mind that but I do mind when team or investigators take this a fact and what is taking place is real.

Come on people please stop this madness.

Its TV and it’s not real!!

The Real Ghost Detective.

The (REAL) Ghost Detective

Shaun Underwood D.I.P

There's many names you can call your self when you investigated ghosts and the paranormal world. Names such as Ghost Hunter, Paranormal researcher or investigator but I go by the term Ghost Detective, The Real Ghost detective!. Ive spent the better part of 20 years studying ghost and hautnings.There are others that go by the name Ghost Detective,Writers etc. With that said and done I am the only fulltime detective so for that reason I am the The REAL Ghost Detective.

Why do I go by the ghost detective? I spend a lot of my time working and interviewing people before for I under go any investigations. My job takes me lots of different places. One day I get called to a house where there has been a ghost sighting. I walk into the home, and the family is sitting there confused.

Another day, I'm looking into a Manor House that that holds some dark paranormal activity within its walls. The another day I can be working in a field of battle where some folks have seen or heard strange ghostly sounds or sightings of soldiers.

Another day, I'm deep in the woods working around a Castle

To some people, this kind of work does not sound like much fun. It can get a little gruesome and dark at times. But to me, it's all fascinating. Every case is a new, special puzzle, and my job is investigate and to help solve it. I do that by looking for evidence, carefully collecting the facts and not fiction.

It's only then by studying it to see what it tells me. The evidence can come from a million different places. I work with all sorts of scientists and experts in the paranormal Field to help analyze the evidence and figure out what going. However I never Remove ghosts with help from any of my locations unless its clear me that the family are suffering because of whats going on at there home.

One of the most important parts of my job is to ask questions over and over again and then try to piece together the answers. Take the case of the ghost skeleton in the castle. I've got lots of questions: The first one is pretty obvious: who died at this location?

If things follow the normal pattern, I have a pretty good chance of finding the answer to this questions with using the internet, books and THE FACTS. The second question is, When did the person die? So how did this person die?.Why is he or she haunting this location?, Are they trying to show us something? The list can go on and on.

Start with the facts of what you have!

Shaun Underwood,Ghost Detective wishes to thanks

ECLIPSE PRODUCTIONS

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