Finding A Paranormal Team That Is Right For You
FINDING A TEAM TO INTERVIEW
There are THOUSANDS of paranormal teams all over the globe, so it should be easy to Google teams in your area. Here are a few simple details to look for:
*Find a team with a website that is transparent. They share their mission, the members of their team, past cases, how they approach their investigations, paranormal resources, and more.
*Make sure that they do not charge for their investigations or time. While there are teams that charge, there are an equal number of reliable and dedicated teams that do not charge a dime. Do not pay ANYONE to help you (not even psychics, church representatives, or spiritual consultants).
*Make sure that their mission states that they will keep their investigations/ cases confidential. Why can you see some of their past cases and not others? Some cases are at public locations that the client signed a release of confidentiality which allowed the team to share certain details. (More information below.)
*Check their social media. A great way to determine the character of a team is to see how they present themselves on social media. Beware of teams that have a lot of negative commentary, label things as "demonic" too often, or make light of others situations. You want to find someone that is serious and will take you seriously. Do not use reviews online to base your decision, these can be false or made up reviews.
INTERVIEWING TEAMS TO TAKE YOUR CASE
When you call, email, or submit a contact request for a team; make sure that you clearly state you would like to interview them. You can do the interview by phone or in person. Remember however that some teams may require you to fill out and submit a request for an investigation before they will even reach out. Don't worry too much about this, having this questionnaire is important for them to determine if your case is the right fit for them as well! A good paranormal team will already know the right questions to ask the client before deciding to do their own interview, so go ahead and fill out that questionnaire and submit it. (Note: Make sure that the request form states that all information will remain confidential!)
Set Your Goals, Can They Meet Them?
While no one can rope a ghost or spirit and demand answers to why they are lurking around your home or business, you do want to make sure that when you are interviewing your potential paranormal team, that they will do what they can to reach your goal for your case. Through the years we have had many different goals for private residences and historic locations which run the course of: Who? What? When? Why? and How? No one can make promises of definitely finding those answers but having a goal for what outcome you hope to get for your particular case allows the team to make a plan to help you! If they don't ask what your goal is for your case, make sure it's one of the first things you share.
Experience Required!
First thing you need to remember is that there are no standards or protocols that paranormal investigators or teams are required to follow. There are no certifications, diplomas, or classes that an individual can take that would make them an expert on anything that is involved with the paranormal. When you are looking to find a paranormal team or investigator, you need to look for ones with field experience. That means that they have been out there in the trenches learning, documenting, and researching paranormal phenomena. How will you know if they have field experience? Ask for references from current or former clients (Note: These may be confidential, so do not be alarmed if they don't have them for private residences.) If they are unable to share details of their clients for reference and they cannot share the details of the case files, ask questions about how they approach their investigations and how they resolve them.
Keep It Confidential!
Always make sure that the team you choose will keep things confidential. I personally have had cases where the client clearly wanted their home or business to be shared publicly (they wanted more than resolution to their problems, they wanted attention), however that should not be their goal. Paranormal teams and investigators that assure complete confidentiality and provide forms/ signed agreements to this effect, will ultimately have your best interests at heart. So make sure that they will keep all your details: names, addresses, pictures, video, and information confidential; until you decide otherwise.
Bylaws, Guidelines, and Protocols!
When asking the right questions during your interview of the paranormal team; ask whether they have bylaws, guidelines, and/or protocols for their team. Every good and reliable organization has some sort of "rules" for their members, team, or investigations. Do they vet their members to make sure they have not committed any crimes that could adversely effect their reputation or clients? Do they have rules about inappropriate conduct? Do they have protocols for how they do their investigations to maximize results? When asking these questions you don't necessarily need the team to outline them all or provide the document, a good team that has your best interests will outline the most important ones so that you feel at ease with them.
Client and Team Waivers
Not all teams have insurance to do what they do, it is expensive and there aren't insurances that really cover what paranormal investigators do completely. Most paranormal teams are funded by personal money and since they don't get compensated for helping others, they don't have the resources to fund several thousands of dollars for insurance. What they will do is have legal documents that require the client to sign waiving liability and even documents that the team/ investigators will sign to waive liability. Make sure that they provide these documents so that each of you is covered. Experienced and reliable teams will pay attention to detail and will make sure that everyone is safe and the property is left better than when they arrived. (Note: Everyone is human and accidents happen. I personally recommend that one representative/ client be at the location with the team during the investigation. Make sure that this is a possibility.)
How Much Time For Results?
Another thing to remember is that paranormal teams and investigators don't do this as their day job. Paranormal Investigation is still considered a hobby and most of us fit our investigations, review, and team duties between jobs and family. In light of that you should ask the question of how long it takes for the team to do the review. Our team can take up to 4 weeks for a review, but in many cases can complete it between 1-2 weeks depending on the case. You need to be prepared for that length of time that it may take. Which leads to...
What Do Your Results Look Like?
This may be different for every team and I don't want to shed negative light on how others do their conclusions for clients. What does concern me is how YOU want to see your results. After our team does their individual reviews of data, we put it all together in a Investigation Report. This report includes quite literally everything. Weather, Moon Phase, Baseline Readings, Location Details (disrepair, notes, etc), investigator movement, audio anomalies/ EVP, video anomalies, personal experiences, debunking notes, historical write-up, team roster, detailed equipment set up, conclusion, and more. (Note: Our notes share details of what was happening when we captured any anomalies or had personal experiences.) We share everything with the client in a paper format with a flash drive that includes all digital data. While I don't know what other teams do for their clients, I would hope that they share these details in person and review everything to support any conclusion they may have. Make sure that the team you choose meets what you want to see for your results and also includes the next steps to resolve your case.
So To Summarize?
In the end ask all the questions you need or what to know about how they are going to do their investigations. Do you feel safe with this team? Do they seem knowledgeable? Are you confident with their plan? Do you think they can help you reach your goals? Sometimes it's not about all of this tangible evidence that the team is a good team, they just may not jive with you, and that is okay. You may be more religious and need someone that is more geared that way. You may not be religious at all and need someone who isn't going to bring that into the case. At the end of the day for me, if my client is happy, that is all that matters (Unless they are not being honest with themselves!).
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO MEET THEIR NEEDS?
While interviewing the paranormal team or investigators is an important factor in finding the right team for you, it is also important to follow through on what you need to do to make sure they can be successful in helping you.
*Follow their guidelines. They may ask for animals to be removed from the home/ property, to only have one person in attendance, no smoking or drinking, etc. A lot of paranormal teams will leave your home if you do not follow the guidelines they have in place for a safe and successful investigation.
*Answer all questions and be honest. If you do not own the property or have rights to be there, you may risk them not actually investigating. Get appropriate permission for them to investigate the location. Additionally don't leave details out or add details that are not factual. A good paranormal team is going to need facts in order to make a plan for the investigation, execute the investigation, and form a solid conclusion. (Note: This includes being honest with yourself. If the team does an unbiased investigation, allow them to be honest and accept their results. If you feel they dropped the ball, are being biased, or they aren't being honest; get a second opinion.)
*Keep a journal. Every detail matters in regards to finding answers to the paranormal phenomena occurring in your home/ property. Date, time, where it occurred, people/ animals present, feelings, detailed experiences, etc. These details can either provide information for the team or investigator to debunk these experiences or it can further their knowledge on the who, what, how.
*Be open to not getting anything. As I said previously we can't rope ghosts or spirits, hold them down and ask them questions. Sometimes investigations are unsuccessful and the spirits just don't talk. The journal notes you have may indicate better times to investigate, the team/ investigator may need to investigate several times for the spirits to be comfortable, or maybe you are not actually experiencing paranormal activity. Be prepared to hear nothing.
*Be open for MORE to happen. Sometimes when a team investigates things get more active, this is not always the case so don't be alarmed but it does happen. Remember that if they are talking and showing themselves, that means we can find answers. Let the team know if this is the case.
*Make the team aware of any mental health, addictions, or medical conditions that can effect the investigation. This is important. We cannot adequately help you if you are impaired by any of these conditions. Always seek out medical professional help first, we are not counselors or health professionals. Do not take medical advice from anyone approaching you as a paranormal investigator, even if they are employed in a medical profession. Remember that some of these conditions can be the cause of the phenomena!
*Make the team aware of any dissention in the home/ property. As I mentioned above we are not counselors and we do not convince anyone that what they have happening is paranormal. If you want us there, everyone has to want us there or you may be bringing us into a harmful situation. Make sure all of your camp is on the same page before calling anyone in to help!
Just like I said in the beginning, it can be a giant leap of faith to reach out to a paranormal team. You may feel crazy or you may be in disbelief (and figure everyone will too), but YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Paranormal Investigation teams are out there and ready to help.
Rebecca Boyer
Co-Founder
Antietam Paranormal Society
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