Important reprint from shadowlands founder
Hobby, Research or Assistance ?
An open letter to everyone in the ghost hunting or research field
I have always wanted to address this topic but have held off because
of the toes I may step on in the process but after recent events in my
own area I have to say what's been on my mind. The people in this
field of ghost hunting, ghost research, etc all have different motives
for being in this field and want different things out the time they spend
doing related activities.
Many people are what I consider hobbyists. They are the ghost hunter
who is looking for proof that ghosts exist and enjoy they the thrill of
the hunt. The excitement of the actual ghost hunt and the possibility of
experiencing something supernatural first hand is what drives this type
of person. Many are dedicated and spend many hours enjoying their
hobby and they do contribute much to the collective data pool in this
filed of ghost research. They do their ghost hunts in cemeteries and
other locations that are open to them. There is one place that the
hobbyist does not belong, a private home. Unless they make it
perfectly clear to the home owner that they are just hobbyists and
have some experience in doing home investigation they should not be
there. There are many things that can go wrong naturally and
supernaturally by inexperienced people messing around in homes
where the residents will be staying in long after the ghost hunters
leave. You can wind up scaring the residents, stirring up activity, etc.
The scenarios are endless and it is not fair to the residents. There are
plenty of other locations for the hobbyist to go to do their work without
putting people at risk.
The next group is the serious researcher. Whether they use scientific
equipment or methods and/or psychics to go about their research in
the ghost realm, they both are seeking the same thing, proof that
ghosts exist. They go about this in very exact manner and many
established groups fall into this category. The overall focus and goal
is to provide evidence that there are ghosts at a location or that
ghosts exist overall. They use meters and other equipment, follow
strict protocols and provide documentation of their research. They will
be the ones who will find the "proof" if it is ever gong to be found. The
serious researcher also should steer clear of private homes unless
they explain exactly what they are going to do and why. If you go into
someone's home who is experiencing a lot of spirit activity and you
find nothing on your equipment, do you now conclude the house has
no activity ? Even if you don't tell the witnesses that, how do they feel
after you leave? Do they feel like they were imagining it all? How do
they react if the activity still occurs? If the people in the home are
concerned or frightened in some degree then the researcher can
often make things worse. Going into someone's home to collect data
and telling them what your meters read does little to console a
frightened child who cannot sleep in their room at night or the adult
who wants to sell their house because of the activity in it. If you are a
strictly research oriented group or investigator, please consider the
situation in the home before you decide to do your research there.
Remember you get to go home after your research is done but the
homeowners have to stay. If the residents are not completely
comfortable with what is going on in the home, then please show
sensitivity and go somewhere else to do research. I am speaking from
experience as a resident who once called a scientific research group
from a university for assistance in my childhood home.
The final category are extremely similar the researchers. These are
the investigators that are in this field to provide comfort and
assistance. They follow most of the same procedures and use much
of the same equipment in their work. The proof that ghost exist is
secondary the these investigators, the living come first. They go into a
home with the goal of making people who are frightened or
uncomfortable feel better about the events in their home. They use
many techniques to educate the residents. Sometimes just sitting
down with the residents and listening to the experiences can help
them over come their fear, especially when they see that they are
talking to people that understand what they are going through. If it
takes more than that, this kind of investigator will do whatever they
can to make the residents comfortable in their home. If the end result
comes without the investigator getting any good photos or EVPs, that
is ok with them because the reward is in seeing the people relax in
their own home. I have personally been on cases where after we were
finished the resident took down their "house for sale" sign or the
parents of a young child called to say that their son slept through the
night in his own bedroom. This is the reward for this type of
investigator. Along the way there is data collected for the research
field but people come first. This is the type of person that goes into
private homes to do investigations for people who are more than just
curious about what is going on in the home.
I implore all persons and groups that fall into the first two categories
only to please refer cases in homes to other groups/persons who are
put the residents first. There are groups and individuals that are in
this 3rd category all over the country and world. If you are not going to
refer the cases to others then please stay away. I have gone into
homes where the people reached out to the first group they found
only to have someone come in, take some photos and video, and tell
them "yep, you have 12 ghosts" and then leave. One case I had
recently was this exact situation and the residents wound up calling
my group on our emergency phone number at 1am hysterical
because they were more scared now that they had "professionals" tell
them that there were 12 ghost in their home earlier in the evening.
Please, think about the consequences of what you do in this field and
remember, when dealing with private homes, you get to leave but the
residents have to stay and spend the rest of the night there with your
words and actions ringing in their ears.
You have more to fear from the living than from the dead.
Dave Juliano (djuliano@theshadowlands.net)
Founder of The Shadowlands:Ghosts and Hauntings
Director of South Jersey Ghost Research
Hobby, Research or Assistance ?
An open letter to everyone in the ghost hunting or research field
I have always wanted to address this topic but have held off because
of the toes I may step on in the process but after recent events in my
own area I have to say what's been on my mind. The people in this
field of ghost hunting, ghost research, etc all have different motives
for being in this field and want different things out the time they spend
doing related activities.
Many people are what I consider hobbyists. They are the ghost hunter
who is looking for proof that ghosts exist and enjoy they the thrill of
the hunt. The excitement of the actual ghost hunt and the possibility of
experiencing something supernatural first hand is what drives this type
of person. Many are dedicated and spend many hours enjoying their
hobby and they do contribute much to the collective data pool in this
filed of ghost research. They do their ghost hunts in cemeteries and
other locations that are open to them. There is one place that the
hobbyist does not belong, a private home. Unless they make it
perfectly clear to the home owner that they are just hobbyists and
have some experience in doing home investigation they should not be
there. There are many things that can go wrong naturally and
supernaturally by inexperienced people messing around in homes
where the residents will be staying in long after the ghost hunters
leave. You can wind up scaring the residents, stirring up activity, etc.
The scenarios are endless and it is not fair to the residents. There are
plenty of other locations for the hobbyist to go to do their work without
putting people at risk.
The next group is the serious researcher. Whether they use scientific
equipment or methods and/or psychics to go about their research in
the ghost realm, they both are seeking the same thing, proof that
ghosts exist. They go about this in very exact manner and many
established groups fall into this category. The overall focus and goal
is to provide evidence that there are ghosts at a location or that
ghosts exist overall. They use meters and other equipment, follow
strict protocols and provide documentation of their research. They will
be the ones who will find the "proof" if it is ever gong to be found. The
serious researcher also should steer clear of private homes unless
they explain exactly what they are going to do and why. If you go into
someone's home who is experiencing a lot of spirit activity and you
find nothing on your equipment, do you now conclude the house has
no activity ? Even if you don't tell the witnesses that, how do they feel
after you leave? Do they feel like they were imagining it all? How do
they react if the activity still occurs? If the people in the home are
concerned or frightened in some degree then the researcher can
often make things worse. Going into someone's home to collect data
and telling them what your meters read does little to console a
frightened child who cannot sleep in their room at night or the adult
who wants to sell their house because of the activity in it. If you are a
strictly research oriented group or investigator, please consider the
situation in the home before you decide to do your research there.
Remember you get to go home after your research is done but the
homeowners have to stay. If the residents are not completely
comfortable with what is going on in the home, then please show
sensitivity and go somewhere else to do research. I am speaking from
experience as a resident who once called a scientific research group
from a university for assistance in my childhood home.
The final category are extremely similar the researchers. These are
the investigators that are in this field to provide comfort and
assistance. They follow most of the same procedures and use much
of the same equipment in their work. The proof that ghost exist is
secondary the these investigators, the living come first. They go into a
home with the goal of making people who are frightened or
uncomfortable feel better about the events in their home. They use
many techniques to educate the residents. Sometimes just sitting
down with the residents and listening to the experiences can help
them over come their fear, especially when they see that they are
talking to people that understand what they are going through. If it
takes more than that, this kind of investigator will do whatever they
can to make the residents comfortable in their home. If the end result
comes without the investigator getting any good photos or EVPs, that
is ok with them because the reward is in seeing the people relax in
their own home. I have personally been on cases where after we were
finished the resident took down their "house for sale" sign or the
parents of a young child called to say that their son slept through the
night in his own bedroom. This is the reward for this type of
investigator. Along the way there is data collected for the research
field but people come first. This is the type of person that goes into
private homes to do investigations for people who are more than just
curious about what is going on in the home.
I implore all persons and groups that fall into the first two categories
only to please refer cases in homes to other groups/persons who are
put the residents first. There are groups and individuals that are in
this 3rd category all over the country and world. If you are not going to
refer the cases to others then please stay away. I have gone into
homes where the people reached out to the first group they found
only to have someone come in, take some photos and video, and tell
them "yep, you have 12 ghosts" and then leave. One case I had
recently was this exact situation and the residents wound up calling
my group on our emergency phone number at 1am hysterical
because they were more scared now that they had "professionals" tell
them that there were 12 ghost in their home earlier in the evening.
Please, think about the consequences of what you do in this field and
remember, when dealing with private homes, you get to leave but the
residents have to stay and spend the rest of the night there with your
words and actions ringing in their ears.
You have more to fear from the living than from the dead.
Dave Juliano (djuliano@theshadowlands.net)
Founder of The Shadowlands:Ghosts and Hauntings
Director of South Jersey Ghost Research
Dave's Words....
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