Haunting Research
Home of the Northern Minnesota paranormal investigators
Articles
Below are some of the articles that I have written over the years. Keep an eye on this area as I will be continuing to write more as time marches on. I certainly hope that you enjoy reading them!
Lights, Camera, Action!
By: Brian Leffler
What is the
most important part of a paranormal investigation? Actually, there are two parts
to it that are equally important. One is the equipment itself and the other is
the integrity of the evidence collected. I am going to explain both points and
the methods used by the Northern Minnesota Paranormal Investigators (N.M.P.I.)
to collect evidence. After all, the reason we all do paranormal investigations
in the first place is to collect evidence of what happens when we die…if
anything of course.
Ok, you have a few friends together and you want to go out and track down a few
ghosts. What are you looking for? Most likely some still photographs? Perhaps
some EVP or maybe you are interested in recording some videotape? Perhaps you
would like to do it all in a full-scale investigation. This is the way that
N.M.P.I. does it. Full scale all the time.
What type of equipment do you want to take along with you? Well, for an N.M.P.I.
member, it is anything analog. We use 35mm cameras with 400-speed film. We do
not allow any digital cameras to come anywhere near our investigation. Digital
cameras are not trustworthy for evidence collection. They have problems with
their chips inside, they compensate on every shot you take to give you the best
shots possible. Basically, from the second that you push the button to take the
picture, your evidence is tainted and not worth a hill of beans. They also are
great at creating orbs in your picture even if a location is not haunted. During
the Christmas of 2005, I used my digital camera (yes I do own one) at two
separate Christmas programs at the high school. This school has never had any
kind of haunting reports to anyone’s knowledge. The other place I used this
camera was in my home on Christmas. I took a total of 33 pictures. Out of the 33
pictures I took, 26 of them had at least one orb in the shot. Granted film isn’t
perfect either but I have never come close to anything like that before with a
film camera. Another reason to stay away from digital is the fact that it leaves
you with no “tangible” evidence. With film, you have a negative that can be
scrutinized by any professional. You can determine if the anomaly in your photo
is something that the camera actually saw or if it was an error in processing.
If you photograph an object toward one edge of your picture, you can take in the
negative and have them move over and capture the entire anomaly that the camera
saw. With digital, you have no options. You get a picture that only exists in
the camera and on your computer with nothing at all that can be scrutinized. The
team from N.M.P.I. has the negative to every paranormal photograph we have ever
collected.
Now that we are ready to take still photographs, let’s get ready to record some
EVP. I think that EVP is about the most interesting form of evidence that there
is. Ok, I love videotape too but hey, it is in the top two. We use your standard
everyday cassette tape recorder with a remote microphone. Nothing fancy, it
doesn’t have to be. We use each tape only one time and it must be brand new and
right out of the wrapper when we start recording. We never flip over a tape and
use the second side that can lead to bleed through which is just as bad as the
archival noise that occurs on digital recorders. Archival noise is something
previously recorded that didn’t erase completely and is now coming through on
your recording. You think that you have an EVP but it was just your conversation
with your sister that you recorded. The only way that a digital recorder would
be sufficient for paranormal investigations is if you were to replace the memory
stick each time you record and use it only one time like we do with our cassette
tapes.
Now, we are shooting film and recording the voices of ghosts…well…hopefully
anyway. It’s time to set up a camera and perhaps (as N.M.P.I. did in 2003),
capture us an apparition on videotape. We at N.M.P.I. use two different methods
of achieving this goal. One is through the use of a Sony Handycam that is set on
the nightshots setting. The other method is a security camera that shoots in
infrared and is recorded directly to a standard VCR. This works very well and
has captured some really great shots!
Well, that is the basics. How about a few extras that are not absolutely
necessary but everyone loves getting a new toy to play with. My first extra was
an infrared thermometer. N.M.P.I. never leaves home without it. This thing is
very accurate and can tell you just how much a temperature rises or lowers. I we
don’t consider anything out of the ordinary unless it is a 10 degree difference
in either direction. Ok, you might ask “what about EMF meters, I see them on
every television show”? Yes, you do see ghost hunters running around following
this little box and yelling out the readings as they track something around.
N.M.P.I. has one but seldom uses it. They are great if they are used in a area
that is dead (no pun intended there). I mean that there is not any electrical
feed into the building, etc. Then when you get your base line reading, it is
pretty much nothing on the meter. When you have live electricity in a house or
building, it is too easy to be picking up that electrical source and doesn’t
give you readings that are for sure accurate. I believe personally that you can
use them as a guide. If you believe that you have a good reading on the meter,
take a photograph or point a video camera in that direction but as a general
rule I do not assume that the results are necessarily paranormal. A regular
compass can give you the same results at a much cheaper price.
We are now armed to the teeth for capturing that elusive ghost. What do we do
with the evidence that we have collected? We take our photos in to be developed
and usually get started right away on the video and audio. For the audio, we go
through it about two minutes at a time running it through Cool Edit Pro. We are
able to listen carefully to it, filter out any static that needs filtering and
save it to the computer to share with the world. Keep in mind that we always
have the original tape and can play that at any time or have it scrutinized.
Videotape is watched by at least two N.M.P.I. investigators at the same time.
This helps to not miss anything at all since it can happen very quickly. Once we
have discovered anything that looks “out of the ordinary” we download it into a
video program (we use Windows Movie Maker) and then can look at it frame by
frame. We will always have the videotape. Once the pictures come back, look at
them very closely for any anomaly. Scan them into the computer where you can
lighten and zoom to see if you have something explainable or not. Always keep
every negative! I cannot stress that enough. It is very important.
That is how the investigators at N.M.P.I. go about routine business and the
equipment we use. I certainly hope that all of you get out there and collect
some great evidence to advance the field of paranormal study but don’t forget to
be safe and have some fun while you are at it.
Conducting an Investigation
By Brian
Leffler
Well...this is really what it is
all about, isn't it. The investigation is the reason that we are all here. We
all strive to first help people out that are having a major problem with
something that they don't understand and secondly we want to bring home that
great evidence to further our study of the paranormal.
First, let's talk about the people: This subject is paramount as a paranormal
investigator. I am not talking about the rookie "ghost hunter" that runs around
in cemeteries on weekends but the true paranormal investigator that puts forth
the time and effort to help people and further the study of the paranormal. We
get calls quite often where the people living in the house or working at the
business are terrified. They don't understand what is going on around them and
require some professional help from the investigator. These people must be
treated with respect and their claims must be taken seriously. Most people don't
put themselves out there to make others think they are crazy so what they are
experiencing is at the very least real to them. All of their claims MUST be
taken seriously. It may not be substantiated after the investigation but it is
very real to them and must not be discounted.
The Paranormal Investigation: Since you have already read about the collection
methods with the right equipment, I won't go into that here. What I will go into
is what goes on, or should go on, around the usage of that equipment. The first
thing is organization. This is extremely important. You will want to have a plan
of attack. Know where the "hot spots" are and where the clients are having the
most occurrences. You will need to designate one or two people that will be a
note taker for the investigation. They will write down all that is seen, felt,
touched, experienced by all of the investigators involved. It is very important
and let's face it...experiences can carry a lot of weight especially when
coupled with good evidence. Know where everyone is and don't bring too many or
too few investigators to a site. Don't bring 12 investigators to a small house
while you bring 2 to a large warehouse. You have to use a lot of common sense
here. Keep in radio contact at all times and investigate in teams. Know the
whereabouts of all team members and all clients AT ALL TIMES. If you don't you
could end up trashing a lot of good evidence but can never use it because there
is uncertainty, thus, tainting your evidence. Be professional at all times. You
are a guest in someone's home or place of business. You MUST conduct yourself
accordingly with no messing around. These people called for a reason and aren't
interested in the investigators screwing around. It will only mean that they
will not recommend you to anyone else that they know that has a similar issue. A
bad reputation only takes a few minutes to get but will be the hardest thing in
the world to get rid of...if you are able to get rid of it at all. Once the
evidence is collected, get to it as soon as you can. Don't make the people wait
for a long period to find out if they are going crazy or not, that is how they
may feel after all. Let them know if they are haunted and if they are, find out
what they want you to do. A good paranormal group will be able and prepared to
rid the location of the ghosts and you should also be prepared to explain to
them how to deal with the ghosts until the time you are able to get rid of them.
If anyone out there is currently conducting investigations or wishes to
start...don't hesitate to contact N.M.P.I. if you have any questions about how
to conduct an investigation. We are always happy to help out other groups. I
would much rather answer some questions than see paranormal investigations get a
bad reputation.
Spirit Communication
Tools
By Brian Leffler
Spirit Communication tools are very often forgotten about as they pertain to a
paranormal investigation. They are also wrongly feared by many people. It isn't
the tool that should be feared it is the lack of knowledge that most people are
lacking that causes the problems. Spirit communication tools allow a spirit to
use your body in order to make contact with our world. When you are done with
that session of communication, you need to make sure that the spirit is sent
back to their world and not allowed to hang around in ours. When people us a
device to communicate, they often just get scared and put it away without
performing this most crucial step. When I have discussed this with people, most
often they ask "what do you mean by closing the door"? I then go into the
explanation that you will find at the end of this section. First though I would
like to explain a little bit about several communication devices and how to use
them in hopes that knowledge will help people be more comfortable with them.
Now, as it relates to a paranormal investigation...it is only a tool and does
not provide any "proof" of the paranormal. It is a guide to perhaps ask some
more definitive questions about the location you are investigating.
Ouija Boards: This one is probably the most common and most well-known
communication device. It is also the most feared of all. Its reputation is
derived from myth and wives tales. There are many that say these boards are
"evil" and should be avoided at any cost since they conjure up demons and evil
spirits. Well...since demons don't exist and ghosts are just people, we really
have nothing to worry about as long as we close the door. I do not recommend the
use of a Ouija board by yourself. There is strength in numbers and when there
are at least two people using the board, it is much easier to close the door. To
use a Ouija board simply place it on a table or other hard surface (you can also
place it on your knees between two people but it is much more difficult to use
this way). simply, very lightly place your finger tips on the planchette and
begin to ask questions of the spirits. You will generally get some very quick
results from the board. I have had very good luck with it. Write down the
answers you get and try to build from them in order to ask questions for EVP
collection, etc. I usually film any sessions in I/R just in case anything can
visibly show up during the session. When the answers slow down drastically or
stop, it is time to close the door and not push any further.
Pendulum: This is a great device and the one that I use in every investigation.
Again, a tool for gathering information about the site or spirits at the site.
The biggest limitation is that you can only get yes and no answers to your
questions so you must be very creative at times about how your questions are
asked but it is a very compact tool to carry around and the main reason I use it
over Ouija. When I am asking questions, I usually use clock-wise for yes and
counter clock-wise for no. I inform the spirits to use this method for
communicating their answer. Remember to close the door when you are done
communicating.
Divining Rods: This is another tool used in very much the same way that the
pendulum is used. The difference is that the rods will either spread apart or
cross (which ever way you instruct the spirits) for yes and no answers. they are
very effective but again, not quite as compact as the pendulum but much easier
to take along than Ouija. Don't forget to close the door when you are finished
with the rods.
Closing The Door
Ok, now that the communication is complete and you are ready to put away your
communication device of choice, you must get the spirits back to their world and
out of ours, or at least to know that they must stay in the location that you
found them.
It is all very simple...you tell the ghosts that they are bound to the location
where you communicated with them if they are already in the location and
intermingling with our world. This is the most common for paranormal
investigators as they usually are not called out until people notice a haunting
going on around them.
If a spirit comes across, you simply tell them that they must go back across.
You are done communicating and that they may not stay in our world. They are
dead and don't belong here.
In both cases you must be stern with your words to make sure they heed what you
are saying. You cannot give them a choice in the matter but above all else...you
must tell them in both cases that they may not follow you anywhere, nor are they
to communicate with you again unless you call for them to. It is very important
that you do this...I don't know how many accounts of people being followed by a
spirit after a session I have been told.
So there you have it...spirit communication in a nut shell. How to be safe and
not worry about using any of these spirit communication devices and that fact
that they are not evil. They do need to be treated with respect and I do not
ever condone the use of them at a child's sleep over for something to do or by
anyone that has no clue what they are doing.
