Ask
anyone and they will either claim to have had a paranormal experience
or know a person who has. Ghosts have been part of our human
existence since the beginning of time, yet we still spend our lives
searching for the ultimate proof that “Ghosts are Real”. And, I
guess, I am one of those people.
I
have had a fascination with the paranormal since a young age. In
fact, my first experience was in the haunted watch-tower of Plas Mawr
in Wales, at the age of 10, where my father’s camera refused to
work. It worked in every other room bar that one. Yet, it was that
one experience that has always led me to take a logical approach.
Machinery breaks down for a variety of reasons and of course, it is
possible that light or room conditions mean a camera will not
function.
The
field of investigating the paranormal can be fascinating, with its
highs and its lows. I have spent hours in damp, cold underground
closes ( old streets ) in Edinburgh, where we have no activity at
all to the hidden gems of possible evidence; voices recorded onto
Dictaphone, light anomalies and trigger objects that moved.
But
there is another side to the paranormal that I feel we overlook and
that is those affected by the presence of a ghost. For instance, most
calls from a resident will start of with the words “You will think
I am crazy.....but” and then their story will begin.
In
most cases, it takes a lot of courage for someone to call either a
medium or a paranormal investigation team. In one case I had, a
couple almost separated due to the problems going on in the house and
it took them a year before they contacted us.
And
then of course, along comes the investigation team, the medium, the
cameras, the equipment etc etc. I fear at times, we sometimes add to
the problem and suddenly the whole situation is heightened, certainly
for the home-owner. We carry out an investigation and head off.
Mediumship
has taught me one thing over the years and that is the need for
sensitivity towards people, and this is no different in the field of
the paranormal. If I had unexplained events going on in the house, I
would want to know one of two things. Does it have a logical
explanation and if not, is it something to be scared of !!
If
we find a logical explanation, such as noisy heating or natural
movement with the house structure, then we have done our job. The
resident is much more content in the knowledge that they have an
answer to the problems experienced.
If
there is no logical explanation, I have long been conscious that a
full investigation is often not the answer to the problems.
I
have heard of one incident where a group had gone along to a house
and said that there was a portal in one of the bedrooms which was
causing the paranormal experiences. Not the sort of thing that I
would want to hear and the chances of sleeping in that bedroom again
or even staying in the house...well,.,,probably not.
Sensitivity
has to be the most important part of paranormal investigating. We are
dealing with people and it is important that there is a sense of
closure at the end of it for that person.
More
often than not, I have found that it is a case of the sceptic and the
psychic coming together, to investigate a case, long before any
paranormal investigation is carried out, if at all. I often work with
a person who will speak to the house-owner, long before I step in as
medium. They will research the history of the house, the area and
even look round for anything that may even offer the slightest hint
to a logical explanation.
But
if no logical explanation can be found, we can look at the
mediumistic element. Who may be causing the problems and why. Often ,
I have found that there are issues going on in family or there are
alterations going on in the house, which cause these events. These
may be caused by a previous owner of the house or a family member who
has passed over, even long ago. But once again, anything given
mediumistically has to be verified, either by the owner or the
researcher.
And
when it is verified, this is where we often get closure. Nine times
out of ten, if the owner knows who is causing the phenomena, and
perhaps why, they are much more content. We have an answer and in a
number of cases, I have found that the activity suddenly stops.
We
are quick to reach for our cameras and ghost hunting equipment, but
there is always a person affected by paranormal events. We always
need to remember that.
