— the spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to appear in bodily likeness to living persons or to haunt former habitats

— the soul, considered as departing from the body of a person at death; incorporeal consciousness

— to inhabit, visit or appear to in the form of a ghost or other supernatural being

— the quantity left over at the end of a process; a remainder

psychic — of, relating to, affecting, or influenced by the human mind or psyche; mental

energy — dynamic quality; the capacity of acting or being active; a usually positive spiritual force

— having sense perception; conscious

Our Theories

What is a "ghost" or "spirit", and why do some places seem to be "haunted"? There are many different theories about the nature of ghosts, spirits and hauntings. In our experience, paranormal activity seems to fall into two broad categories, residual psychic energy hauntings and sentient discarnate personality hauntings.

Residual Psychic Energy Hauntings

In this type of haunting, we believe that psychic energy has been stored at a particular site due to a sudden or sustained emotional release. This could be the result of a traumatic event such as an unexpected fatal accident, a suicide, a war battle, etc. It might also result from an exuberant event such as an annual family gathering, a theatrical production, a religious experience, etc. Finally, it could also result from continuous repetition of a favorite activity at a particular site. In all of these scenarios, we believe that a substantial amount of emotional energy is generated and released.

The psychic energy which was expended seems to have been somehow absorbed into the environment where the event took place similar to how a battery stores energy. Under certain conditions which are not fully understood at this time, this residual psychic energy can be detected by specialized equipment or perceived by individuals who are sensitive to this type of energy.

A good analogy for a residual psychic energy haunting is a video recording. Like the magnetic tape used in a video recording, the environment in a location can "record" an event in which an emotional outburst of psychic energy occurs. Later, the environment can "replay" the event over and over much like a video recording. The "replayed" event may be something as simple as footsteps, voices, etc. or it may be something more dramatic like the actual appearance of a transparent or solid manifested figure. Like repeated plays of a video tape, the recorded psychic energy event seems to fade away over time.

In a residual psychic energy haunting, the apparition does not appear to be aware of living persons in the surroundings and does not acknowledge the presence of observers. The repetitive actions of psychic energy imprints can sometimes correspond to the previous physical features of a building or site. Examples are the sighting of a figure walking through a solid wall where there was previously a doorway or a figure floating down from an upper story of a building where a stairway was once located.

These types of paranormal events can sometimes be experienced by the five human senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) or can also be captured on magnetic media such as audio and video tape or by infrared light sensitive sensors used in digital cameras. Light sensitive 35mm or Polaroid film emulsions can also record images of these psychic energies.

Sentient Discarnate Personality Hauntings

The Law of Conservation of Energy is a physical law which states that energy can change form, but cannot be created or destroyed. Our research supports this theory as it applies to sentient discarnate personality hauntings. In this type of haunting, the living observer encounters an intelligent, interactive discarnate personality which can be detected by the five human senses and by certain electronic equipment.

In our experience, we have found that the human electromagnetic energy field is not destroyed when a person's chemically based body ceases to function at the moment of physical death. This psychic energy field, which apparently contains the essence of a person's consciousness, personality, intelligence, soul, etc. continues to exist.

Our most dramatic evidence of the continued existence of an incorporeal consciousness was collected in September 2004 when two of our team members recorded the voice of a little girl in an old movie theater in a small town north of Memphis, Tennessee. During an investigation in which only adults were present, our recordings revealed that an unseen sentient personality had commented on our activities during the investigation. Subsequent recordings made at this location confirmed the presence of this child's incorporeal consciousness when the same disembodied voice greeted one of our team members by name during a later investigation!

Using sensitive EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) meters, we have also been able to facilitate interactive exchanges with other sentient discarnate personalities in two different investigation locations. These interactive exchanges were documented in analog audio and video recordings.

Why do sentient discarnate personalities linger at a particular location? Theories for this type of behavior range from sudden unexpected death, unfinished business and affection for a living family member to fear of judgment for past deeds, etc.

The "Orb" Controversy

"Orb" is the name that has been given to spheres of light which sometimes appear in photos and video recordings at allegedly haunted locations. The sizes of these spheres range from tiny pinpoints of light to larger spheres the size of a basketball. This same type of light anomaly has also been noted in everyday photos and video recordings and can easily be caused by the reflection of a camera's flash off dust, pollen, moisture or insects in the air.

The problem with accepting "orb" photos as "proof" of paranormal activity is due to the high probability of reflected false positives (dust, moisture, insects or pollen) in flash photos.

We believe that true paranormal "orbs" are extremely rare and may be indicators of the presence of psychic energy. Are these balls of light actually "ghosts" or "spirits"? No one knows at this point in time, but these anomalies sometimes register on EMF meters which indicates that they do have a strong electromagnetic field associated with them.

We do not consider "orb" photos as possible proof of paranormal activity unless they meet one or all of the following criteria:

1. The "orb" must be moving with a trail of light behind it and/or
2. The "orb" must be partially hidden behind an object in the distance showing that the light anomaly is large and far from the camera lens

In addition, we require other supporting evidence before we consider an "orb" photo as possible proof of paranormal activity. This might include an EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) recorded at the same time the photo was taken or an EMF (ElectroMagnetic Field) meter spike reported when the photo was taken.

"Orb" videos recorded using Sony infrared NightShot technology are subject to the same scrutiny as "orb" photos. Careful analysis of the video must be made in order to eliminate the possibility of dust, moisture, pollen or insects being illuminated by the infrared beam and mistaken as a paranormal light or mist anomaly. As with "orb" photos, supporting evidence (EVP, EMF readings, etc.) is required to substantiate claims of paranormal origin.

Our Methods

Over time, we have developed standard routines which we follow during all of our investigations. Most are common sense procedures and others have been learned through trial and error. In our opinion, here are the most important methods which should be used in all paranormal investigations.

Common Sense Ghost Hunting

IMPORTANT! NEVER TRESPASS ON PRIVATE OR POSTED PROPERTY! ALWAYS OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER OR APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES BEFORE ENTERING PRIVATE OR POSTED PROPERTY!

Need proof that you should never trespass? (154KB)
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Keep proper identification with you at all times. Many cemeteries only allow visitations during daylight hours, so do not enter them at night or you may risk being arrested. You can obtain reliable EMF meter readings and valid EVP recordings at cemeteries during the day as easily as you can at night.

Before, During and After an Investigation

Never investigate alone! You'll need help if you are injured or confronted, and you'll also need a witness if you experience a paranormal event.

Scout each investigation site during daylight hours if possible and make a note of hazards such as holes, fences, etc. which might cause injuries in the dark.

Turn off all cell phones before starting an investigation and leave them outside the investigation area if possible. They can produce false readings from EMF meters.

Use fresh batteries in all equipment and carry spare batteries with you to replace any which become drained during an investigation.

Wear a watch and keep a log of all paranormal events which occur during an investigation. Note the time of the event, a brief description, witnesses present, your feelings, etc. This can be an audio log or a written log.

Don't drink before or during an investigation. Alcohol and paranormal experiences do not mix well.

Don't engage in horseplay or pranks during an investigation. Both are counterproductive and potentially dangerous.

Don't wear perfume or cologne during an investigation. They can interfere with the perception of true paranormal scents.

Investigate each location with a positive attitude, an open mind and a healthy amount of skepticism. Try to recreate all reported paranormal events and eliminate all possible natural explanations before reaching a final conclusion.

Be respectful in burial sites and don't litter. Pick up all litter before leaving an investigation site even if you didn't place it there.

Taking Photos During an Investigation

Ask permission to take photos. You'll get better results if you're friendly and respectful.

Don't take photos in adverse weather conditions such as rain, fog or snow or in windy or dusty conditions. Camera flash reflections in these conditions will sometimes produce false positives in photos which can easily be mistaken for "orbs" (light anomalies which look like small spheres or pinpoints of light).

Don't take photos through glass surfaces such as windows. Camera flashes reflected from glass surfaces will sometimes produce false positives in photos which can easily be mistaken for "orbs" (light anomalies which look like small spheres or pinpoints of light).

Don't take photos when a light source such as the sun is directly in front of you. Refraction caused by the sun's rays striking your camera's lens will sometimes produce false positives in photos which can easily be mistaken for "orbs" (light anomalies which look like small spheres or pinpoints of light).

Keep your camera strap wrapped around your wrist or remove it when taking photos. A camera's flash reflected off the strap will sometimes produce a false positive in photos which can easily be mistaken for a vortex (a light anomaly which looks like a column of light).

Keep all hair pulled or tied back so it won't fall in front of the camera lens. A camera's flash reflected from a single strand of hair will sometimes produce a false positive in photos which can be easily mistaken for a vortex (a light anomaly which looks like a column of light).

Don't smoke during an investigation and ask others not to smoke either. Cigarette or cigar smoke will sometimes produce false positives in photos which can easily be mistaken for a psychic energy mist (a light anomaly which looks like a mist or fog).

Hold your breath momentarily when taking photos in cold weather. Moisture from breathing will sometimes produce false positives in photos which can easily be mistaken for psychic energy mist (a light anomaly which looks like a mist or fog).

When dropping off 35 mm film for processing, tell the photo lab technician that you want all of the frames printed including those which may show unusual lights or mists in them.

Recording Audio and Video During an Investigation

Ask permission to record voices or video images. You'll get better results if you're friendly and respectful.

For analog recorders, use new "brand name" audio tapes and only record on one side to eliminate the possibility of noise bleed-through. Normal bias analog audio tapes yield excellent results. After recording, break off or slide recording tabs to the "safe" position to safeguard your recordings.

Connect an external omnidirectional microphone to analog audio tape recorders and place the end of the microphone as far from the tape recorder as possible to avoid recording internal gear noise. Digital recorders don't have internal moving parts so the use of microphones with them is optional.

Don't whisper during an investigation. Whispers or low voices can be easily mistaken for EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomena or incorporeal voices) and will make the job of finding and authenticating EVPs on audio and video recordings much harder. If you sneeze or cough, or if your stomach rumbles, make a note of the time or announce it out loud so that everyone will know the source of questionable sounds.