Be Our Guest

The picture above is from a movie entitled "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir". This was a movie released in 1947 about a woman who moves into a seaside cottage in England. She arrives to find the portrait of an old sea captain hanging in the home. She soon learns the home is haunted and you'll never guess whose presence walks around the cottage... It's the old sea dawg himself Captain Gregg. After some time the Captain and Mrs. Muir become friends and come to terms with the fact they both lay claim to this home.

I use this movie in fun to show how the known history of a location can certainly influence us when it comes to paranormal activity. Sometimes a client can develop a connection or even relationship with a perceived spirit.

In the years I've been involved in researching the paranormal, the team has encountered a number of clients who reach out to us not because of fear, but for confirmation. Some feel that family members visit them and others attribute activity to former owners or those associated with a property. There is an unsaid protocol when you walk into a home where the residents have already diagnosed their location as haunted especially when they embrace the notion. The entire team knows the information you obtain from a client is vital to our research. It's not only important in figuring out what the client feels is happening, but to also learn about the client themselves. For instance, we will ask if a person has a history of previous paranormal encounters. If it is not a subject that is uncomfortable, discussing culture, religion, or the upbringing of the client can help a team figure out if there is a link that would make normal their sensing or having communication with the dead. Sometimes if we can place ourselves in the shoes of our clients we can gain perspective and may even get a better picture on how the client has concluded what they have thus far. These questions have to be handled tactfully and in no way are they meant to be disrespectful to the person we are trying to help. It is done for insight and I feel it should never hinder an investigation or negate a team from putting forth every effort to discover the truth.

Lastly, I would say being upfront with a client about your intentions is a must. For  example, our clients know we come into a location objectively and impartial. We make it plain to the client that we are there to research the client's claims. That means not only to document but to debunk. In a nutshell, we want to let a client know delicately that we are not there to reaffirm their own synopsis, but to use our sample of time there to give a report on what we have witnessed and concluded through scientific research. We want to uncover the truth even if it's not the truth our client's wanted. No team can claim to be the final authority on the matter, but it's important to make every effort to find the answers for those who have trusted you to come into their home, business, or location. 

It's not always as cut and dry as it was in the case of Captain Gregg.   ;)