The Fate of the Paranormal Field by Preston Galera

Spiritualism reached its peak in the early 1900's. For many of you, just seeing words like spiritualism, meditation, psychics, and spirit guides automatically turns you off and you view people speaking of such topics as "out there." Why? Mainly because entrepreneurs and frauds saw that there were ways to earn a quick and easy buck by taking advantage of the beliefs, emotions, and lack of understanding of the general public...the normal person. Though there were records of actual communication with the "spirit world" and people who actually had the ability to do so, they were quickly ignored or discounted because of the acts of frauds and charlatans.

Sadly, I see the same trend going on with the field of paranormal research and investigations. There are hard working, dedicated groups and individuals trying their best to find scientific based evidence of an afterlife and who are trying to help people who are being affected by entities, negative experiences with entities or even the perception of such experiences and interactions. These people spend hours upon hours going over frame by frame of video footage, second by second of audio recordings and look over and compare picture after picture. They go digging through records and archives, talk back and forth with clients and other people in the field, all in an effort to find answers to questions and claims. Many have spent years researching and experimenting.


So how are people being taken advantage of? Well on one side, you have the people who see the ability to make money, again off of the belief and ignorance of the general population…because of the “fad.” The average person who aspires to capture a ghost will not take the time to experiment and research the use of the equipment that is used and understand the difference between actual paranormal phenomena and normal phenomena that appears paranormal, such as pictures of orbs and reflections on mirrors, or movement and whispers that sound like EVPs, so entrepreneurs build equipment such as meters that make noises and have blinking lights that are so sensitive that they are triggered by wall outlets and home appliances, or cameras that have filters that are removed so the pictures look eerie or ghostly. They advertise that you too can capture evidence of ghosts with these pieces of equipment and they make a killing off of sales. But do these pieces of equipment work? Some, yes, if you know how to use them properly and understand what you are using them for. Just because you have a meter that starts beeping or blinking, it does not mean you are interacting with a ghost. Just because you have a picture with a transparent circle in it, or a shadow on the wall in the background, it does not mean you captured an entity. But again, the average person does not know that. Do you need all these fancy, and at times pricey, pieces of equipment with bells and whistles and endorsements? No. Most people who started off before the big "hype" utilized very basic equipment like a voice recorder, a camera, a camcorder, and a flashlight. Do you think that all the shows you see on TV now a days are meant for actual people in the field? No. They are meant for the viewer who has the curiosity, but not the understanding, so they tune in week after week, which increases ratings, which in turn…brings in money! Don't get me wrong though for I am grateful for the first shows that aired for they shed light on the field and introduced it to many people across the world which made paranormal investigations and research more acceptable to society, but now a days, it's getting out of hand. Almost every station has some sort of paranormal reality show. Many actual researchers, including myself, do not watch these shows now because for one thing, they piss us off with the portrayals. What is shown on these TV shows is just a tiny fraction of what actually goes on during a real investigation. But if the average person were to sit back and watch a real investigation without the drama, without the acting, without the sound effects, they will get bored in a short while and end up changing the channel.

Now on the other side you have the people claiming to be in the field of paranormal research and investigations but are actually just jumping on board the bandwagon. I call them “Ghost Hunters.” They are in it just for the hunt, the thrill, and for the popularity and ability to say, I look for ghosts. They do not care to understand how the equipment works or that they could just be picking up something absolutely “normal.” They just know that the meter is beeping and that looks cool. They do not realize that the cell phone they are carrying around with them to update their Facebook status or Twitter feed is setting the meter off, or that the sound of footsteps and stray cold spots may actually be due to temperature changes during the transition from day to night and cracks in insulation. They will present pictures that are filled with ghosts not knowing that they are actually showing pictures of dust, bugs, or moisture in the air, but they don’t care because the average person is agreeing that it is a picture of many ghosts. Almost daily I get requests on my personal facebook account and the HIPRS page to “like my group.” Are these serious researchers who want to showcase actual evidence and share thoughts and ideas with us? A few yes. The majority, no. Most are groups and individuals who just created a name, a page, and are keeping tallies of the amount of likes they can get. I see it all the time. “Wow, my group now has 1000 likes!” Then I look through their pictures and see orbs, light reflections, and so on. Are there case logs of people who have been helped? Nope, just pictures of people walking in graveyards or abandoned buildings and probably without the proper permissions. Likes, Hits, and Views on Facebook, YouTube, and the Internet in general have become the goal of these types, not presenting actual, credible evidence or case logs of people who have been helped, and definitely not trying to gain credibility to the field of paranormal research. In fact, their activities do the complete opposite; they give a black eye to the field. Now, it’s even harder and harder for actual researchers and investigators to be taken seriously. Now, it’s spiritualism all over again. What upsets me is the fact that there are real people who actually need help that come across these groups and individuals, seek them out for assistance, and are left with more questions than then started off with and at times may be put in more danger because of the inability for these “ghost hunters” to fully understand the paranormal and how to deal with it or the psychological effects of perceived interactions. They collect what they want and flee the scene leaving the clients high and dry.


So now, many of the serious individuals and groups are sitting back, waiting and watching patiently for the fad to dissipate, silently carrying on with our mission, outnumbered by the ghost hunters and the unknowing public. We watch as TV show after TV show showcase groups and individuals claiming to be professionals or experts, presenting pictures and videos of orbs and matrixes as the TV programs rack up the ratings, advertisers rake in the money, and scientists shake their heads and laugh. If there were a clear distinction between the "Ghost Hunters" and the Researchers and Investigators, maybe things would be different, but that line is blurred by the media and the general population. When the dust finally settles and the children are bored of playing with their new toys and move on to the next fad, the adults will enter the room to clean up the mess. In the end, many will hear us say, I am a paranormal investigator and they will probably be turned off and think we are “out there,” but at least we, the paranormal researchers and investigators, will still be here to continue on…