This was a risky investigation, since there are still deadly levels of radiation at the site. Josh, with his usual sense of humor, cracks a few jokes about the risks, but he’s obviously nervous about being there. Still, the team presses on and conduct an investigation, complete in full radiation protection suits.

The investigation doesn’t take too long, which is understandable considering the location. The high radiation levels play havoc with the FLIR infrared imager and other data recording devices, but the team does manage to record a few strange images before packing up and heading back to the States. Once there, Josh takes their footage to Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson of Ghost Hunters to analyze. None of the evidence collected proves that the site is haunted, but the fact that the team ventured to Chernobyl made this segment unnerving enough.

In the second segment, the team travels to Egypt to investigate claims that the Sal’Awa, a large canine creature, is attacking children. During their investigation, the team collect some evidence of an animal, including a cast of a footprint and the audio recording of a deep, drawn out growling sound. They have a run-in with an animal in a farm field, and this adds credence to the claims.

When they return to the United States, Josh consults an expert about his evidence. The expert and Josh conclude that the claims of the Sal’Awa are most likely the result of panicked misidentification of a known animal.

It’s a pretty enjoyable episode. One of the best things about Josh is his willingness to reject the paranormal or cryptozoological explanation for the claims he investigates, if there are reasonable explanations for the evidence he collects. It’s entertaining, watching them conduct the investigations, and that, if nothing else, makes the show worth watching for fans of the paranormal investigation genre.

Related Links

‘Destination Truth Live From Ireland: Search For The Banshee’ Review

Paranormal investigators come from all walks of life, doctors, lawyers, firemen, housewives, and as we all know, plumbers.  They all have one thing in common, an interest in the paranormal.  Lets examine for a moment what exactly a paranormal investigator is.  The typical paranormal investigator is different from a “ghost hunter.”  A ghost hunter is usually someone who does it as a hobby and typically sets out to find a ghost.  They usually assume that any unexplained activity is the workings of a ghost and can be found exploring cemeteries.  The paranormal investigator systematically explores all possibilities and attempts to prove natural and scientific reasoning’s for such activity.  They gather and compare evidence collected ranging from photos, video, electronic voice phenomena, also known as EVP’s and personal experiences.  Paranormal investigators are generally open-minded to the existence of ghosts but do not automatically assume that the activity in question is a ghost or paranormal.  Once evidence is gathered they painstakingly try to recreate the activity in question to rule out the possibility of paranormal activity or in short, to “debunk” the claim. 

While many of the operational responsibilities such as fundraising and promotion of the organization are shared by the group, the typical investigation teams consist of five key rolls.  The case manager who is usually in charge of client contact, finding and accepting cases and maintaining client files.  Second is the researcher.  The researchers job is exactly what the title infers.  While they may also be involved in the on-site investigations, their main responsibility is researching the case.  Checking and cross checking deeds, titles, geological maps and many other public records as well as conducting interviews with clients and others who may have insight to locations. Ultimately it is their job to investigate and validate the background of the case.  Third is the team’s tech manager, which is in charge of purchasing, maintaining, set-up, and monitoring of equipment such as video camera’s, motion sensors, and other monitoring equipment.  Finally, come the investigators and lead investigators.  The lead investigator while not an expert in any particular field, he knows by experience how the investigation should progress.  The investigators themselves are the “grunts” of the operation.  During an investigation they spend most of their time walking through locations with digital cameras or video cameras while asking questions out loud trying to get responses either in the form of object movement, knocks, or voices that are usually only heard during replay of digital voice recorders. They also spend hours on end after the investigation, analyzing the data collected, looking at all the possibilities for a particular occurrence or debunking. While it isn’t required most teams also rely on outside consultants or experts in a particular field such as demonologists, parapsychologists, and mediums. 

As I stated before, the vast majority of paranormal investigators don’t get paid for their services but, if your interested in becoming a paranormal investigator there are a variety of jobs that need to be done and each person performs a key role in the investigation.  If you’re like me gaining a greater understanding of the paranormal and ultimately finding out if the paranormal really exists, is payment enough. Where do you see yourself fitting in?

Hi. I am Allen Hobbs, founder of W.H.I.P.S. (Winter Haven Investigators Of The Paranormal Society). I want to tell you about one of several ways to try communicating with spirits. The paranormal field has came a long way and now that it is more accepted by the public and getting more popular every day, the ways to communicate with a spirit seem to be endless. My group is always open to trying new techniques. The one I am going to tell you about today is using a flashlight. If you watch the ghost shows on tv you may have seen this done before. You take a small flash light that you can unscrew the back where you put the batteries in. In some cases you don’t even have to unscrew the back, such as the one in the video I posted here. My group just set the flash light down and asked a spirit to turn it off and on, and the spirit did as he was asked. But it is easier for the spirit to control the flash light if you unscrew the back just to the point to where you can touch the light to make it go off. This really works. I know because I have done it. It works alot like the k2 meter in a sense. You tell the spirit what you are doing, what your intentions are, you unscrew the back, set the flash light down some where while it is on, and ask the spirit if he or she can turn the flash light off as a sign of it’s presence. Then, if he or she does turn the flash light off, you thank them and then ask them if they can turn it back on at the count of 3. If the flash light comes back on at the count of 3, then more than likely it is a spirit doing as you asked to show that it understands you and wishes to communicate. So the next time you are out on an investigation, why not try it. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

As Nikki and I climbed the hill we saw a young boy sitting on a log inside the cemetery fence, being used to seeing people in a cemetery I didn’t give it a second thought and didn’t think to snap a picture. When we got to the top of the hill, the boy was gone. There’s only one entrance/exit to the cemetery and we were blocking by walking up. An iron fence with spikes surrounds the cemetery so there’s almost no way he scaled it and ran away. Also near the top of the hill was a patch of soft deep mud that had recently been stepped in. Two sets of tracks led up to, and away from the cemetery, the set leading away were deep and sloppy, hallmarks of someone running. The logical conclusion is that whoever was in the cemetery before us got scared and tucked tail and ran. We snapped several pictures of the cemetery, as well as one of me kissing the cross, the only thing standing in that cemetery over 3 feet tall. I don’t usually try to illicit a response from spirits when I’m at a location, but I was feeling particularly adventurous that day. Aside from a slight burning sensation in my lips (no doubt a chemical reaction to something in or on the stone) I experience no ill-effects from kissing the cross. I had heard reports that if you do kiss the cross, you’re in for a whole world of trouble once you get out of the cemetery, and when nothing happened I was rather disappointed. We snapped a few more pictures and looked around a bit then decided it was probably a good idea to head back home. We weren’t really clear on who owns the cemetery or if we were allowed to be there but several signs posted at the entrance said it was state park land. The ride back was uneventful, aside from seeing a racoon getting hit by a car on I90 there’s nothing worth mentioning. 

Ghost hunters don’t spend their paranormal encounters wrapped up in a sleeping bag awaiting a ghost’s appearance like Don Knotts in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken”. Using modern technology to chase ghosts, they use ordinary electronic devices and a few special tools to capture evidence of a paranormal presence.

Photography

Capturing ghosts on film seems like a concept straight out of the movies, but many modern-day paranormal investigators use a camera during their investigations, snapping pictures of their surroundings or wherever they sense a potential presence. The presence of light spots or “orbs” is typically interpreted as a sign of spiritual energy by ghost hunters, but others have captured more compelling images of shadowy figures or human shapes in the background of their photos.

Audio Devices

EVP or an electronic voice presence is a phenomenon made possible by electronic voice recorders, such as handheld tape or digital models or camera mikes. Many paranormal investigators have detected unknown voices speaking during recording made of their expeditions to haunted sites. Some of the eerie recordings are surprisingly audible despite background noise and ongoing conversation.

EMF Detectors

Used to detect the presence of a paranormally “charged” atmosphere, paranormal investigators use this device to detect a potential spiritual presence in a haunted house. The presence of energy or the “busy air” which might otherwise be explained by electrical currents or power sources often doesn’t have an explanation at abandoned sites or old houses, which is why many ghost hungers view its presence as a sign of paranormal energy.

While skeptics question the methods behind their activity, the modern-day ghost hunter’s task remains much the same in the modern era as it did in the past: finding ways to identify and acknowledge potential paranormal encounters and unexplained events. With the help of new technological conveniences, paranormal investigators continue to collect evidence and stake out some of the world’s “most haunted” sites.

All photos have been approved by and are courtesy of the Illinois Ghost Society and the Confidential Paranormal Investigators. All audio / EVP clips are posted on and linked to my personal web site.

The Invitation

For the past seven years I have become among the millions of people who are completely enamored by the paranormal. I am not an investigator nor do I belong to any paranormal group. I simply consider myself a very intrigued student who cannot get enough of this amazing field.

Besides watching all of the popular paranormal shows religiously, I do quite a bit of networking with people involved with the paranormal field including investigative teams, psychic mediums, ghost hunters, authors etc. I do this through My Space, a community called Super Natural Connections and a writing community called Triond.

A few months ago I was fortunate enough to befriend Laura of Illinois Ghost Society (IGS) and Mary from Confidential Paranormal Investigators (CPI) . Over the course of a few weeks we exchanged emails, comments, thoughts, articles and ideas. I had no expectations other than to learn from them and become friends. They were both very sweet, friendly and open with sharing whatever information they could, including their ideas, views and beliefs on various topics in the field.

After a few weeks, Laura extended a very gracious invitation to accompany her team (Illinois Ghost Society) on their follow-up investigation of the Manteno Insane Asylum in Manteno, IL. Needless to say, I was honored and excited. I had been dying to go on an investigation for years! She told me to do my own research on the site because it has quite a history of paranormal activity. This would give me a feel for what I could be facing and would help get me prepared, which I did.

During my communications with Mary, she told me that CPI would actually be leading the investigation and Laura was a member of that team as well. She seconded the invite and thought it would be a great first experience for me. She also advised me it would be good because she was bringing her daughter Jackie on her first investigation. So, I would not be the only first-timer, which made me feel much better.

Fueled with excitement, it did not take me long to decide I really wanted to do this. I have never had any kind of paranormal experience in my life. I am not a sensitive nor do I have any kind of psychic abilities. I needed to find out what this was all about. The hundreds of episodes of Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Paranormal State and Psychic Kids gave me an idea of what it would be like, but I assure you, there is nothing like the real thing.

After graciously accepting the invitation, both Laura and Mary left me with these instructions. Dress warm in layers. Bring a flashlight. Bring any kind of equipment I wanted including digital camera, audio recorder, video camera etc. Be respectful of the process and the spirits. Go with an open mind. Do not go anywhere alone.

For some company, I invited my good friend Mark, who also has a passion for the paranormal. We were both very excited, but agreed that we would know our role and place. We would be students and observers, who would not get in the way, would follow the rules and would help in whatever way we could.

The Manteno Insane Asylum

The Manteno Hospital / Insane Asylum dates back to 1929 when it was first built. It closed in 1985, but for sure remnants of its past roam throughout the grounds to this day. There are several buildings including underground tunnels. The tails of abuse, pain and suffering are numerous. So, it is easy to understand why spirits would linger. For years there has been documented evidence of strange sounds, EVP’s, apparitions, strange mists etc. So, it is rich with paranormal history.

There are several web sites that detail the history and haunting of this location. Just click on these links for more info: The Unexplained World of Manteno and Manteno Hospital. There are also various EVP’s and videos available on You Tube. Just got to You Tube and perform a Manteno search. For those that do not know, EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon. This is a disembodied / unexplained voice or noise, captured by an audio recording device. In the case of voices, they usually cannot be heard by a human ear.

Below are some photos of the outside of the buildings at night. Notice the orbs. Although orbs have never been proven to be entities, and are very questionable evidence, they do make you wonder some times, as you will soon find out.

Image courtesy of Laura of the Illinois Ghost Society

Image courtesy of Laura of the Illinois Ghost Society

Preparation

A few hours before the actual investigation, we all met at an IHOP restaurant near Manteno. This gave us time to say hello, meet everyone and get a feel for what really goes on within in the inner sanctity of a paranormal group. Both Mark and I were very impressed. The enthusiasm and passion were inspiring and contagious.

Everyone greeted and treated us warmly. None of the team members complained that first-timers were on board. As a matter of fact, most of them jumped at the opportunity to not only welcome us with open arms but to share some of their experiences and ask us about our interests.

Kathy of CPI led the meeting. Although the contents are confidential, as they should be, we both learned quite a bit. Everyone was very gracious with answering our questions and explaining things, which really made us feel included.

As we prepared to head towards the location, Kathy gave instructions that were pretty similar to what Laura and Mary had informed us earlier. However, we were told that a group prayer would be conducted before we entered the buildings, and after we exited. This is standard procedure for these folks and with good reason. You want protection going into an investigation, and you do not want to take spirits home with you, which has been known to happen.

A Walk to Remember

Everyone arrived in a convoy of vehicles. All totaled there were twenty-four people and four paranormal teams. Along with IGS and CPI were members from TRAP (Tyszko’s Research About the Paranormal) and JPS (Joliet Paranormal Society). The TRAP team has some documented evidence on You Tube and on their web site from other visits to Manteno.

Everyone geared and bundled up. Mark had his digital camera and I had an audio recorder. We decided that one of us would take pictures and the other would handle the audio, instead of us trying to fumble around with both. One piece of equipment and a flashlight each were enough for two rookies.

Within minutes we all headed out on a long walk to the asylum. This was the only time things felt kind of eerie to me. The quietness spoke volumes and voices turned to whispers. I simply assumed that many of them were mentally preparing themselves for any kind of paranormal encounter. After the first block the streetlights ended and the only lighting came from flashlights.

I thought I would start to get nervous or become a bit scared, but to be honest, I didn’t. I felt very excited, but not afraid. I usually do not scare very easily, but then again, I have never had a paranormal experience, nor have I ever come face to face with a ghost, so I do not have a reference point. We’ll see if that changes over time.

A Prayer

After about a half a mile walk, we approached our destination. With no working lights around the building, we all gathered around the entrance using our flashlights as guides. Below is a picture of the main entrance that night.

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

We quickly broke up into four groups. Mary and her daughter Jackie offered to work with Mark and I. Then Michael another member of CPI, and his friend Mike, joined up with us to make six.

Before entering the building, Laura led us in the opening prayer of St. Michael the Arch Angel. So, when you hear this prayer on television programs like Paranormal State, it is not just for show. It is something most investigating teams do for real, and with good reason.

After the prayer, we were all reminded to not leave the premises without saying the closing prayer. Spirits are known to attach to people. So, as a defense mechanism you need to let them know they are not welcomed.

The Investigation

Michael and Mary were the veterans of our group. Between them and Michael’s friend Mike, they had some serious equipment: digital cameras, digital audio recorders, KII meter, video camcorder, infrared video, and a ghost box.

At this point my heart began to race a bit and I took a deep breath. I looked around to catch my surroundings and for the first time I realized it was pitch black and we were about to enter a beat up, old building that is known to be extremely active with paranormal activity. Mark stood to my right, and I caught him looking around as well.

I patted him on the shoulder. “You ready for this?”

He turned and grinned. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

As we reached the doorway Michael hesitated for a second and turned around waiting for us to catch up. He then gave some further instructions. “I only ask one favor guys. If you are going to take a picture please warn everyone by saying flash. This way when we are going through evidence we know what it is and no one gets surprised by the light.”

The inside of the building was completely falling apart. There were concrete, drywall, wood and porcelain pieces all over the place along with dangerous ruts and holes in the ground. Most of the windows were busted out or cracked. Several areas of the ceiling were caved in, some to the point of being able to see right through to the dark evening sky. There were also ice patches in various spots so we had to be extra careful. We walked slowly trying to take in as much as we could without tripping or missing anything.

We made a few turns and came across a few small rooms that were used for various therapy treatments and bathrooms. Graffiti from previous visitors appeared all over the walls. We then entered one of the main hospital rooms.

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

There were several of these rooms throughout the buildings, each the size of a basketball gym. I could just picture beds lined up along the walls like you see in the movies.

We spread out and kept quiet for a while trying to pick up noises or movement. Every few minutes a picture would be taken. After about twenty minutes of roaming trying to see or hear something and letting recorders do their work, Mary suggested that we conduct an official EVP session. So, we separated along the walls leaving the middle unattended. I stood in the middle of the left wall. Mark migrated to the corner on my right and Michael to my left. Mary and Jackie stood in the corner across to my left and Mike stood in the corner diagonally to my right.

Mary and Michael alternated with the various standard questions.

“Is there anyone here with us?”

“Please make yourself known to us.”

“Can you make a sound, so we know you are here?”

After just a few minutes I heard something. Mark made his way over to me, so I thought he heard something too.

“Did you hear something?” I whispered.

“No.”

“Wait. Shh. Shh. Listen”

Mark shrugged his shoulders.

I held my one finger up. “Oh shit. That’s one of the other groups talking. Damnit!”

The session continued with more questions. Each question followed with a pause long enough to get a response.

“If you want, we are open to being touched.”

“Can you please show us a sign of your presence?”

“Are there any past residents here?”

“Are you stuck here? Do you feel trapped here?”

“Can you knock on something for us?

After about ten minutes, Mary decided to end the session. “Okay. We’re going to move to a different room.”

As soon as she finished her sentence, BANG!!

Click on the word BANG to go a recording of this EVP. Scroll to the bottom left of the web site where it says Ghost Hunt Evidence and click on the first link called Loud Bang EVP. There is some vulgarity in the recording and I apologize for that. The voice is mine, and it just shows my initial reaction.

“Are you okay?” Mary calmly asked us.

I kept my composure. “Yep.”

Mark happened to be standing about ten feet to my right, and we both immediately looked in the direction from where the sound came from, which was down from our right. “That was from down there.” I said. We both immediately headed in that direction.

Everyone followed. “Was that one of you?” Mary asked us.

“Nope.” I replied.

I asked Mark. “Was it right here or what?”

“Down there, but I felt it hit the ground.”

Mary came closer. “Alright. That was not you?”

“No. Absolutely not!”

“Cool”

We all gathered in what used to be a bathroom.

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

I remembered seeing a wood pallet resting up against the far wall during our walk through. I thought for sure that’s what the noise was. But, when we got there, the pallet was still upright and leaning against the wall.

“Thank you!” Mary said to the possible spirit.

We collaborated and deliberated for a few minutes. We tried everything we could think of to reproduce the noise, but we could not do it. None of us really knew if this was paranormal, but it sure gave us something to think about. The timing to me was impeccable because it occurred exactly as Mary began to end the session.

We found out later that just about everyone heard this noise, and no one could duplicate it or figure out what it was.

After a few minutes we decided to move on to allow another group to come in. We spent some time in what is called a therapy room.

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

In the middle of the room were structures that looked like tubs that were supposedly used for bathing and some kind of water therapy.

Michael took out his KII meter and set it in the middle of the floor. Mary started another EVP session. Both Michael and Mary asked all kinds of questions geared towards patients, their experiences, how they were feeling, what the room was used for etc. But, none of us caught or felt anything. After about twenty minutes we moved on to another large hospital room.

We all spread out again. This time I stood near the middle of the right wall. Mark hung right next to me. Mary and Jackie were in the corner to our right with Michael a few feet from the corner across the room. Mike stayed in the back of the room by the entrance.

We agreed to shut off all flashlights, which made it pitch black and impossible to see. Within seconds Mary spoke up.

“Michael can you please point your infrared to the corner by you?”

Michael quickly turned. “Did you see something?”

“Yes. Just point your infrared there please.”

Michael obliged, and we all stood perfectly still.

“What did you see Mary?” Michael asked.

“A figure, like a man standing there.”

Mary was absolutely right. There was something there. Within minutes of Mary’s sighting Mike took a picture of the corner where Mary saw the full bodied apparition of a man. This picture produced the image of a dark shadow man. Look closely at the two pictures below. A ghostly figure sits in wait way in the back of the room on the left. The second picture highlights the figure with a blue outline.

Photo courtesy of Kathy of CPI.

Photo courtesy of Kathy of CPI

About twenty minutes later another group came into this room and started taking random pictures. They just happened to take a picture of that same corner in which there was a sighting. The picture they took showed the corner now void of any apparition, shadow, or discoloration of any sort. This clearly indicated that our ghostly friend had moved on.

After Mary’s apparition encounter, Michael took out a gadget called a ghost box. Simply put these are radio type contraptions that perform linear sweeps of AM or FM bands. Voices can be heard as they happen. Supposedly ghost voices can be carried through the audio fragments with white noise. However, the difficult part is deciphering what is a radio voice and what is a ghostly voice.

After numerous attempts to get a response, and getting nothing but radio voices and white noise, we were on the verge of ending the session. In a last ditch effort, Mike posed this question. “Can you say the name of someone in this room?”

Mike was standing right next to the box so no one picked up on what he heard, but he thought he heard the name Dave. “Did you say Dave?”

Then Mary asked, “Who is Dave?

Mike followed with, “Do you want us to leave?” Then it happened. Click on EVP to hear a recording of this exchange. Scroll down to the third link called Ghost Box EVP.

“Leave.” Said a voice.

Michael questioned. “Leave?

The voice responded again. “Go away.”

Again Michael asked. “Go away?”

Mark turned to me. ”I heard go away.”

“So did I”.

Jackie turned towards the both of us wide eyed. “Then lets go!”

We walked around a bit more trying to find new rooms to investigate, but it was getting late and cold. Besides, many people, including us, had long rides home. All of the groups gathered around and Kathy asked us all to gather in one of the hospital rooms for one big, final EVP session. Unfortunately, after even trying to provoke the spirits with comments like: “You worthless spook!” “We ain’t afraid of you!” “Come out you chicken!” Nothing happened. With that my first paranormal investigation ended.

Other evidence:

A few days after the investigation, other evidence started to filter in to CPI and IGS. Here is what the teams captured. .

At one point, while standing in one of the large rooms, Kathy felt like someone touched her elbow. At that moment she asked someone to take a picture. Below are two photos. The first has an orb and the second, taken seconds later does not. As stated before, orbs are controversial and when captured alone are rarely considered evidence. However, when they are captured in conjunction with some other kind of evidence like a personal experience, it does give reason for thought.

Photo courtesy of CPI

Photo courtesy of CPI

Laura felt someone pull at her hair. Instinctively, she did the same thing and immediately asked for someone to take a picture. That picture is below. Again, you see an orb with a trail right by her head.

Photo courtesy of IGS

Finally, Carol and Cindy of CPI managed to capture another very impressive EVP while in the basement of the complex.

Carol: “My name Carol. This is Cindy. Can you tell us your name? Can you tell us now?”

Click here for the actual EVP. Click on the second link called Name EVP

Reply: “Butch”

Recap

This investigation lasted only about 2 ½ hours, but for such a short period of time, some pretty impressive evidence was captured:

1. Our group heard a loud, unexplained bang EVP
2. Mary saw a ghostly figure
3. That same ghostly figure was captured in a picture
4. A voice from a ghost box said, “Leave” and “Go away.”.
5. Kathy felt touched. A picture taken at the second showed an orb by her arm.
6. Laura felt her hair tugged. A picture taken indicated an orb with a tail by her head.
7. An EVP was captured giving a name

I’m no expert, but I am very comfortable saying the Manteno Insane Asylum is for sure haunted.

Special Note:

We have come to find out that this investigation was one of the very last full-blown ghost hunts at Manteno. It has since been locked down. No one can get in anymore. Below is a picture of Joe, a member of IGS, trying to get into Manteno about a month later.

Photo courtesy of Laura of IGS

Maybe one of the famous paranormal Groups like TAPS through the show Ghost Hunters or PRS through the show Paranormal State can pull some strings and do an investigation for television. It is certainly a prime location for activity. If they do, they should call in IGS and CPI to help them.

Thanks

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mary and Laura for making my (and Mark’s) first ghost hunt possible. Offering up an invitation to complete strangers that are not affiliated with a paranormal group is not a common thing. Mark and I both realize that and will be forever grateful.

We also want to thank Kathy, her CPI Team, the IGS Team and everyone else that we met for making us feel so welcome. Everyone was patient, gracious, friendly, informative and helpful.

To everyone who took part in the investigation, your passion and enthusiasm for this field is contagious and extremely respected. I am still learning about the field, but I know for sure, I would recommend either of these teams in a heartbeat if I needed something investigated.

For more information about these paranormal teams please click on the hyper links below.

Illinois Ghost Society / IGS

Confidential Paranormal Investigators / CPI

Closing Thoughts

I have no idea what the future holds for me as far as ghost hunts and paranormal investigations go. I am certainly wide open to the idea of going on others. Every location with paranormal activity certainly has a story to tell.

I for sure have a better feel for what real investigations are all about. Watching TAPS and PRS perform investigations for television is one thing, but being on one for real is something else. As much respect as I had for all investigators, I have even more now.

Each of these shows comes equipped with it’s own version of an overly dramatic front-man (or often front-woman), who’s seriously diluted monologues often connect or compare the possibility of ghosts with both an afterlife of some kind, and a latent religiosity woven into the very nature of the so-called haunting.

My purpose here is to examine the logic of what is essentially the anthropomorphising of the “Ghost”.

First we should define the word Ghost.  Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines ‘Ghost’ (noun) as:

1: The seat of life or intelligence: soul

2: A disembodied soul; especially: the soul of a dead person believed to be an inhabitant of the unseen world or to appear to the living in bodily likeness

This is interesting in and of itself, and it’s important to note that there are several other definitions, relating to photographic and other social issues which are not relevant here.

While most people would immediately associate the word with the appearance of a dearly departed loved one, the unexplained effects of apparitions, and the spooky after hauntings of the evil dead.

Does anyone see a pattern here?  Is it coincidental that the very mention of the word ghost, elicits a response that produces any variety of mental images based on one’s own experiences?

It seems even more interesting that the more etymological definition of the word relates to that internal person, that entity of consciousness and awareness that lies behind your eyes.  (You describe your body as “my body”, ask yourself, who is “my”?).  Religiously speaking, one labels that entity as one’s soul; that precious energy to be saved through redemption and eventually communicated to heaven upon the eventual death of the outer body.

Are you lost yet?

Well, personal beliefs about religion aside, the argument at hand is one of removing the Hand of God from this discussion, and short of entering into the forum of quantum physics, epigenetics and transcendence, we need not debate the overall validity of religious belief to continue.

Let’s consider logically, what ghosts could be in terms of our physical world.  The emerging science of epigenetics has produced some interesting theories revolving around the central idea of “knowing the knower”.  That’s really a fancy existential way of saying, how do we define the energy that makes up our consciousness, as examined on the subatomic level.

This isn’t as complicated as it might seem.  As long as you can accept two presuppositions: 1. everything in the universe reduces, ultimately, to pure energy (this means that if you focus in at a powerful enough magnification, there is no matter, only energy) 2. That energy is the fundamental component of thought.

If we accept those presuppositions, which are quite a leap to be sure, we are faced with the possibility that a ghost could be a residual field of energy, left over by the intensity of a particular emotion, which could be tied to an event at a particular location.

In simpler terms, there is a widely held belief that ghosts are essentially displays of a person, now passed on, who is reliving some traumatic or intensely emotional event from their previous life.

As we move about through our world, we leave traces of that energy, everywhere we go.  Our thoughts, emotions, instincts and reactions are all functions of the intricate and delicate frequency (vibration) of that energy.  Biologically, as we are highly complex communities of specialised cells, which are, at their most basic functioning, designed to sense, receive and react to energy fields; one could assert that we are essentially walking antennae, capable of sensing the energies of other people or creatures in our immediate environment.

Following this line of thinking, we can theorise that ghosts can be the incidental reception of and partial awareness of residual energies, left in our environment by people who have previously passed on.

If you accept this theory as true, or even partly true, it can be said that this explanation works relatively well, without inserting religiosity.  It seems reasonable to assert that what people do in life, they do in death; and this assertion holds a layered meeting.  One could believe that a soul (as defined above) might behave in a way that is relative to the life they led.  What this means is that a religious person, who has passed on and is represented as a ghost, would likely behave in a similarly religious manner, as they had in life.

Secondarily, in a world where humans have the unique ability, among all other global species, to project our own emotions, fears and ideals onto other creatures, and even inanimate objects; it also seems reasonable to assert that we would be prone to do the same things with the phenomenon of ghosts.  In fact, what phenomenon could be more open to anthropomorphism, than the appearance of an entity, human in form and behaviour that is, generally speaking, entirely unexplained?

If you’re unfamiliar with anthropomorphism, think of the way you attribute emotions and personality to inanimate objects, such as your car.  You label it with a name, with a gender; you assign its operating anomalies emotional identities (i.e. claim that it’s angry with you, when it doesn’t work properly).  It is more than possible, and even likely, that we are predisposed to assign similar explanations to the mysterious and spooky happenings within ghostly encounters.

As for physical and apparently interactive phenomenon, it’s important to understand the basic physics of energy, especially energy field theories.  A field of energy, represented as a wave, interacts with the objects in its path, whether through deflection, absorption, propagation or cancellation.  A residual energy field would behave much the same way, but would be affected by our own energy field as well.

Our own thought patterns would affect the manifestation of the ghost within our perception of the event.  In essence, it’s possible that the act of observing the ghost, serves to energise the apparition and enhance the encounter.

This is not to say that all paranormal encounters are the result of random convergence of energy fields and residual emotion.  There are documented (though questionable) accounts of encounters that offer seemingly irrefutable evidence of highly complex, independent intelligence, manifested in the outward behaviours of the entity(s), and their impact on “real” objects and measurement devices.

It should be of paramount importance to employ Occam’s razor in all cases of paranormal investigation.  Wherein, when faced with multiple possibilities for the explanation of a phenomenon, one must accept as true, which ever explanation satisfies the simplest reason.  In other words, if there is a way to explain an unknown event, which does not rely on a belief in paranormal influence, then one must accept that explanation, however boring and counterintuitive, as the truth.

While none of this theorising speaks to the validity of ghostly encounters on the whole, wherein, the vast majority of them can be explained in real world terms, as functions of environmental interference, mechanical malfunction or simple misunderstood physics; it does provide for a possible explanation of ghostly phenomenon, without the need to bow our heads in reverence to God’s influence.

The very idea of demonising the energy that makes up everything in the universe is counterintuitive and contradictory.  As is typically the case in our culture of pious moderation, many feel that those things, which cannot be readily explained by science, must be attributed to any variety of miracle or satanic debauchery.  This is a highly paranoid and limiting mind set and one that virtually eliminates the possibility of ever truly revealing the scientific nature behind ghostly paranormal phenomenon.

While historically, the church has offered the only answers (believable only through a lack of other options) for this type of event, one need not see demons, where only a reflection of their own fears exists.

Take for example, the popular movie The Sixth Sense.  Obviously intended to be a dramatic thriller, this film serves to reinforce the latent fear we as a society hold for not only the unexplained phenomenon of ghosts, but it also speaks to us about the demonising of those with the gift of being able to detect them, as illustrated through the popularisation of that one famous line from the film…”I see dead people”.

What if we were to consider for a moment, that the continued reappearance of the ghost played by Brue Willis, is attributed not to his personal need to find resolution to his own failures in life, but is actually caused by the grief of his wife?  Obviously this doesn’t fit with the overall story line, but it does present an interesting alternative to the typical view of the tortured soul of a ghost; again, behaving in death, as in life.

Is there room in our paranormal sub-culture for a scientific approach to a phenomenon typically viewed as either the pursuit of strange sci-fi enthusiasts or the fanciful muse of some Hollywood screenwriter?  There must be, and while these ideas may not engender the same drama or controversy, they warrant further exploration as one of the many possible avenues for finally answering the age old question; what are ghosts?