All too often, the amateur ghost hunter will suggest that paranormal investigators are in a world unto themselves, while seasoned researchers will freely admit that their investigations are tied at the hip to other academic disciplines. The connection is obvious to anyone who has really attempted to explain any paranormal activity and an integral part of any good investigation, unless your aim is simply to recount local legend or fairy tales.

Looking at this logically, what is the good of collecting data on a given site, if you don’t know anything about the place? An eerie old house, complete with a shrouded figure lurking about is interesting, maybe even exciting, but the study of such unexplained phenomenon has to go beyond certification that such an apparition exists and should include a likely candidate from past inhabitants who might be at the bottom of the mystery and a good historic perspective of the time and place that produced the phenomenon.

All too often, otherwise reputable investigators fall into a similar trap. Going back a few years there was a formula to write popular books on the unknown.  You took what you knew for sure, mixed it with some conjecture and if you still didn’t have enough material to publish, you added in local references to Native American burial grounds and 300 year old historic figures who had a shady reputation.  The formula worked well for the authors, Keel, Anson, et. al., but did little to really explain the phenomenon or even report it accurately.  When you include local legend, without some sort of physical tie to a phenomenon, you mislead the reader to think there is naturally a connection.  Good for selling books, bad for real research! This all came into sharp perspective one day, some years ago, while working on an archaeological site in the South West.

A gifted historian and archaeologist was talking to me and I mentioned my interest in paranormal investigations.  His response, “I wish you could tell me who or what is manifesting itself in that cellar over there (pointing to a structure about 10 yards away). Every time I work over there it seems as if I see something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turn there is
nothing there!”

Largely because of poor publicity, researchers of the unexplained are rarely invited to work with academics in the field, yet there are some professionals who will admit the exercise might have a place out there. Likewise, any paranormal investigator who fails to consider the archaeological and historic evidence associated with a case site, is in my opinion, missing the entire point.  It is our job to attempt to explain the unexplained, not just try to document its presence!  I believe that groups like the Association for the Study of Unexplained Phenomenon (ASUP) have the right idea.  Formed back in the days of the now infamous Amityville Horror, the group devised a radical new plan for paranormal investigation. Rather than aim to fulfill some distant goal of  empiric proof, the group’s mantra was to utilize the tools common to police investigations and report findings following long established standards found in journalism. They collected evidence, covered a case site like a crime scene and reported only information that could be corroborated.

The group also embraced the need for historical research and accuracy. To that end, each study is undertaken by two teams; one that is involved early on with the history of a location, researching old newspaper files, land grants and deeds, ownership and title records, etc. That team does not discuss their findings with the second group, the field researchers until the preliminary visits are completed.  Once the field group can outline the reported phenomenon, the historic record would be added and from there, a more in depth investigation can follow.  

Unlike the ghost hunters of the 70’s, who were content to confirm “something” in the field, the ASUP investigations can sometimes last for months on end, even a year or more and the final findings are only published when all avenues of the investigation are exhausted. In some cases they can’t identify a concrete explanation for the phenomenon at hand, but that should be an acceptable conclusion in our field of research.

Today, many field organizations utilize the ASUP model of investigation. The tools of the trade today are far more impressive than when ASUP began and includes GPS (Global Positioning System) to pinpoint a specific location to within a few feet, thanks to satellites. The system allows the research group to pinpoint their location and find it on a map, which can then be referenced to the same area from records that are often achieved, but can give great data on the history of a locale.  Likewise, digital and analog recording devices, both film based and digital cameras, camcorders, non-contact thermometers, barometers, RF & EM metering; altimeters, high tech computer aided equipment to analyze audio anomalies at the site and the Internet, which literally ties dozens of like minded groups together to share findings and information have revolutionized this area of study.

Taking a page from the Federal government and the National Weather Service, many groups are now recruiting Amateur Radio Operators to assist in remote field operations, where cell phones are unreliable and GMRS walkie-talkies do not have enough range. The technology at hand has virtually eliminated what some researchers jokingly refer to as, “Blair Witch effect” when a path of bread crumbs just won’t cut it and a case takes us into the wilderness. While a good deal of our work takes place indoors, field preparedness should always be considered.  Now we also use MURRS radios in most locations which are much better than GMRS.

But there is need for much more than nifty tools, namely interdisciplinary sharing and cooperation. As stated earlier, the biggest roadblock to such cooperation has always been the number of undisciplined thrill seekers in the ranks of otherwise dedicated researchers in the field of paranormal investigations; those who would rather profit from telling tall stories than
seek the truth.  Those individuals will always be there, but hopefully their numbers, at least for the moment are dwindling. The real effort must now be made to illustrate our ability to do real research and not just be compilers of folk stories and myth.  While there is probably some grain of truth in every myth, our job is to uncover the truth, not just retell the story.  In a recent investigation by the ASUP of an old “haunted” bridge, the historical research ruled out many of the causes originally associated with the phenomenon.  That is not to say there were not strange noises and eerie lights to be seen there, but it was easy to rule out the ghost of a hanged man or any of the other folklore explanations for the phenomenon. The public record, actual age of the structure and newspaper accounts from the area easily ruled out both a public execution or lynching.  With that in mind, the group could concentrate on the reported sightings and first hand accounts of things heard or seen at the site.

Using all the tools in their bag of tricks, the group was able to do a thorough investigation that was well documented and those preliminary activities are now on record for everyone to consider and build upon, even to the installation of long spikes into the ground that will tell future investigators where photo tripods were originally mounted and at what angle photos were taken, etc.  The study yielded more than two hundred pages of material, all well documented, for anyone to see. And that study is still under investigation and yes, there is something unexplained going on at the site!  In a given year this one group can undertake about a half dozen cases, including hauntings, a Bigfoot case, and a UFO prone location.  They also share their case load with other reputable groups and assist those same groups in the study of their cases and it is not uncommon for an ASUP researcher in Texas to be working with another researcher in New York,when the need arises.  Cooperation, not competition is the key to success, it seems, and the Internet has become a reliable method to make such sharing possible.

Today’s, paranormal investigator is both an open minded, scientifically prone individual, who is also more than willing to play the Devil’s Advocate in questioning his own material and that of his fellow researchers.  He or she is articulate, well educated, and able to write a fact based report and speak to the media, when necessary.  They understand the importance of interdisciplinary activities; they are ready to work with religious investigators, scientists, historians, archaeologists, et. al.  to further their studies. And most important, they are a willing conduit for information sharing between themselves, their organization and others, doing similar work.

There will always be roadblocks in this kind of research and ones we share with others. As an example, there was a case not too long ago where a phenomenon was routinely witnessed each fall of a skirmish between Union and Confederate troops in an area that was not known to be the site of any recorded battle.  Unfortunately, the obvious answer, the use of ground penetrating radar and metal detectors to attempt to find battlefield artifacts was impossible due to the fact that the land was part of a National Park and Wildlife Center that prohibited the use of these tools and digging in general.  In this battlefield case, researchers hit the books, again and again, but found nothing to substantiate the reported phenomenon and while researchers can visit the site; they can’t do anything that would upset the landscape.  This is not a surprising problem. For instance, the Custer Battlefield is a preserved site and for years, historians and archaeologist theorized that there was a treasure trove of artifacts that could possibly uncover the whole truth of that battle, if only they could use the available tools of their trade, but the Parks Service would hear nothing of it, until a great fire raged over the battlefield and researchers were for the first time, allowed to drag heavy ground radar over the fields and utilize metal detectors and do limited excavation.

The outcome was a much clearer understanding of Custer’s movements on that fateful day, as well as a better view of Native American tactics. This one season’s work altered American History textbooks for all times. The future use of these techniques might do the same for the paranormal investigator but a greater trust and level of cooperation is necessary before we can hope to achieve that goal!

So, what are the keys to success in modern paranormal investigations? I think that they can be summarized this way:

1. Share – Everything you know data, techniques, and personnel.

2. Network – Open the lines of communications with others.

3. Upgrade – Consider new equipment and techniques.

4. Outreach – Communicate with your community, local colleges, etc.

5. Cross Train – Have every team members learn every job.

6. Recruit and Teach – Actively look for new people and teach them.

7. Improve your PR – Dedicate part of your operation to updating the media.

8. Be open to new ideas! Never say “Never!” Learn what other disciplines are teaching and be open to those new ideas.

We are entering a new era in our field of research that should include everyone!



©2006 – ASUP (All Rights Reserved)