The Building Blocks of a Paranormal Investigator
HAVE INTEGRITY
The definition of integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. When it comes to being a dependable individual or part of a team; you want to be true to your word, show up on time, follow directions, and be honest. When you are part of a team or an investigation, investigators and members shouldn't just think about themselves; they should do what they can to help the team achieve their goal. One bad apple on a team or investigation that fakes paranormal claims, lies, acts disrespectful, creates negative situations, or doesn't help with tasks; can make the entire team suffer and in turn destroy the public's trust. Paranormal Investigators need to have a good moral compass to engender good relationships with teams and the community, so that others can trust you and your findings.
BE PREPARED
Being prepared for the investigation is a key component to having a successful investigation. Forgetting flashlights, digital voice recorders, necessary equipment, or other items make you look foolish. Now we all have our forgetful moments but I am referring to the habitual unprepared individual that just can't seem to be organized. An unorganized person or team can generate a lack of faith in your capability of helping a client. It also makes you and your team look unprofessional. I personally have a checklist of items that I need to take to the investigation and I check them off as I get them prepped and put into the car. This makes sure that I am always prepared for the investigation and every item I need is noted prior to starting the prep work. (Note: During this prep work I am changing and charging batteries, checking equipment memory/ storage, and making sure everything works. This is also an important part of being prepared.) Preparedness also extends to getting enough sleep, making sure to be at the location on time, getting directions to the location ahead of time, reading any location plans or safety concerns, and dressing for the appropriate weather. Sometimes the preparedness can make or break your experience during the investigation.
SHOW UP
There are two components to showing up, be available and bring your A game. While life does have a habit of creating havoc, it's important to remember that someone may be depending on your attendance to make sure that the investigation goes smoothly. Don't be the guy that flakes out all the time with various excuses, people come to the conclusion that they cannot rely on you and may stop asking you to participate. A good example is if you are on a roster of three for a private residence investigation and one of the others can't come due to an illness or family emergency, there are now two of you attending the investigation. If you are that guy that always says you can't go or never shows up, eventually you will not be part of the three. Why join if you can't go? I have always wondered this... The second part of showing up is to be mentally and emotionally present, bring your A game. Again, I will say that life has a habit of creating havoc; but being impaired mentally or emotionally can be dangerous. These distractions can potentially open you up for accidents or spirit attachments.
BE RESPECTFUL AND PROFESSIONAL
It doesn't matter if being a paranormal investigator is just a hobby, please be respectful and professional. There is already a healthy disapproval and skepticism attached to the paranormal, do not contribute to it. Respect the clients, the locations, the spirits, the equipment, and your peers. A lot of teams approach paranormal investigations as a service to a client, professionalism should be practiced at all times. Now don't get me wrong, have fun, but be respectful. All too often I see negativity thrown around on social media, be the better person and don't feed the drama. Keep your eyes on your goals and move away from situations that try to distract you from being the better person. No one wants to be involved with these low vibrational conflicts, it's kind of trashy.
BE A TEAM PLAYER
One of the first things I mention in regards to safety on paranormal investigations, is to never go alone. As part of a group or team that will be together investigating the paranormal, you should be a good team player. Learn what you can from seasoned investigators while jumping in to help where you can. Helping with research, listening to plans, be involved in discussions, help with investigation set up, participate in the investigation, help with data review, and be open to helping with any other tasks that make the investigation successful (before, during, and after). While you may have your own goals for being a paranormal investigator, you need to find a team that matches your goals or allows you to pursue your mission; however as a member of a team or group, you need to fulfill your obligations to the team. Additionally being a team player is sometimes doing things you don't really like to do that are part of the case or investigation. Don't be the guy that refuses to do something every time it's his/ her turn. Every part of the case or investigation is part of the paranormal as a whole. If you are just there to experience something thrilling, may I suggest riding roller coasters as a hobby instead? Go on public ghost hunts instead...
NEVER STOP LEARNING
There are so many ways to learn about the paranormal that it can be a bit overwhelming. A dedicated paranormal investigator will probably want to read as much material as they can to learn all the things. Books, social media, blogs, articles, and more can be found to learn about the history and case studies. If you are starting out you should find a mentor or join a team on some investigations to learn in the field. I don't recommend watching paranormal television to get an education but it is a good way to learn what not to do. Just be wary of the material you find, not everyone has integrity or will be communicating material to help with the pursuit of knowledge. Always read opposing viewpoints! This really helps you learn both sides of an argument. Learn about the different paranormal theories, learn about the equipment (how it works and false positives), test equipment, do experiments, use critical thinking to debunk natural events, ask questions, and make mistakes (mistakes are the best ways to learn). The day you think you know everything, is the day you need to accept that you know nothing.
DO THE WORK
Paranormal Investigators don't just go on investigations and nothing else. You will find that they are always planning investigations, doing walk throughs of locations, creating or testing equipment, creating theories for their cases, debating conclusions, researching history, reviewing audio or video, or more. It is a time consuming, thankless hobby that may only have one EVP as evidence during review. At the end of the day all the work that you put in may make someone more comfortable in their home, it may make a client happy that you validated their experiences, or you may have debunked the claims and allowed the client to move on! Good paranormal investigators do it for these reasons and don't need fame or fortune, but in order to have these feel good conclusions, you have to do the work.
BE OBJECTIVE AND HAVE A HEALTHY DOSE OF SKEPTICISM
Never be attached to an outcome. A paranormal investigators approach should always be to listen to the information provided and seek out the facts. Make an attempt to debunk any paranormal claims which allow for the claims to be more valid if you cannot find a natural explanation. Do not allow the clients claims to influence your conclusion, you are there to get and give facts. The skepticism allows you to step back and use critical thinking when you are forming your conclusions. A lot of what people experience is simply a misinterpretation of natural events.
You may be thinking that none of these really say what a paranormal investigator does before, during, or after an investigation but the building blocks of being a paranormal investigator are more of a moral compass situation than following strict rules of a how-to. I am a firm believer that there are real paranormal investigators and there are the others, you can take that statement however you wish. There is a measure of real dedication that makes the difference and if you can't see it or you refuse to acknowledge these key components, you may not be a real paranormal investigator.
Rebecca Boyer
Co-Founder/ Case Manager
Antietam Paranormal Society
Well-stated! 100% agree!!
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