Family Dealings

As you may all know, ghost hunters have families, just like everyone else. Some of us have boyfriends or girlfriends; some of us have wives or husbands; some of us are single. We all have families. So what do we do when we are gone for a week or a long weekend for an investigation? We tell our families that we will see them when we get back.

What is it that causes normal people to leave their families for days to go on a ghost hunt? What is it that we do that we just can't turn our backs on it or just say no? Is it the thrill of the ghost hunt? The possibility that we might just find something? Could it be the fact that we may be helping someone? Yes, it's all those things and more. For me, it's all those things and the idea that we are doing research and can add more to this research. It is interesting to note that in the time we have been researching paranormal activity, scientists have begun to take a closer look at our results. Although it is their job to discount everything that we say and do, they are actually taking a look...something they would never do even as close as five years ago. Obviously we are headed in the right direction and doing something correctly. Even though we do not have the grander initials such as Ph.D. after our names, we are making great strides with our B.A.'s and B.S.'s. In some cases and in some groups, even those do not mean too much. It is the group itself that determines the type of research and results that are found. Taking the time to find every little piece of "evidence" and running them through a series of tests is what is making them take a closer look at what we are doing. Again, even though they are scrutinizing what we are doing and it is their job to tell us what we are doing wrong, they are taking note of the fact that we are coming up with some pretty good conclusions. It is with these conclusions that we are able to further our testing and make even better strides.

I am not a scientist. My background is in medicine as an emergency room nurse. I do have a lot to contribute to the paranormal community. Many of our group members are of such diverse backgrounds and have such different jobs that one only has to see how we all work together and get along so well together that we can accomplish our tasks so completely. I think our group does work together well. I am very fortunate to have these great people with me. We are able to accomplish the goals we have set to achieve the results we need.

What can be better than that? I have a family that understands what I need to do and maybe even why I have to do it. I have a group of people that work together well and that are smart enough to know how to question and formulate answers together. We all know that there's a missing piece of the puzzle in this life and we are trying to find that missing piece.

Research takes time; lots of time and we think we have all the time in the world but truly we don't. We are up against time. Time is not kind because it keeps ticking. We may want to be still or rest but time doesn't. Time is not on our side. We are all trying to find that one piece of the puzzle that will allow us all to really know what paranormal activity means and what a ghost is, does, wants. This is the time our research takes, trying to find out what the meaning to these things are.

We may find this answer one day but I do not believe it will happen in my life time. I think the next generation has a shot at the answer because they are a smart, very inquisitive generation. In the meantime, the support of my family, friends and colleagues continues to get me closer to the answer.

So...what do I know?

So what do I know? Sometimes I think I don't know much. There is so much research, so much time, effort, collaboration with others that it can become overwhelming. Sometimes I just need to step back and breathe.

I get so many emails from people. Many of them are from people in the United States but periodically there are some from around the world. It's just amazing to me that there are so many people who have questions regarding paranormal activity. All these people think they have problems when, in fact, they just have to learn how to deal with the situations as they crop up. Once we teach people what to do in any given situation, things are much better.

What do we teach? We teach how to stay calm, how to actually deal with the problem. We teach how to make decisions of what exactly is the problem...is it a manmade, natural or environmental problem as opposed to paranormal activity? We make sure that the people we deal with understand completely what is possibly happening in their home and give them several different options to deal with the problem.

What we have discovered is that more often than not, it seems to be the "raging hormone syndrome", that is, that age that pre-pubescent children are going through where they are defiant, rebellious and trying to be independent.

Once parents or anyone for that matter, learns to deal with these problems whether it is paranormal or living problems, the situation tends to calm down and things go back to the normal mode they were in prior to the occurrence. Our success rate in dealing with people asking for help is probably 98-99%...not too bad for someone who questions....What Do I Know??