Paranormal Investigators, Who to Call?
Paranormal Is a “Catch-all” Term for Phenomena Science Can’t Explain
Aug 11, 2008
You’ve experienced the paranormal. Who do you call? Obviously, this depends on the phenomenon. If the experience involves ghosts, you wouldn’t call a cryptozoologist and vice versa. This is a brief primer about paranormal investigators.
Paranormalists
This is a general term for those who study more than one aspect of paranormal phenomena, which are events, objects or human abilities that defy known scientific laws. “Para” means beyond. Supernatural and occult are older terms for the paranormal. Parapsychological and psychical are frequently and mistakenly used as synonyms for the paranormal. In addition to the phenomena described below, vampires, werewolves and possession are subjects for paranormalists.
Paranormalists usually have more then one area of expertise. A parapsychologist might also have expertise in cryptozoology; an anomalist, in ufology.
Parapsychologists
Parapsychology is the scientific study of psychic phenomena, psi, done without bias involving extraordinary human experiences. Subjects studied and investigated include:
- ESP:clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, clairaroma and clairgustus, the psychic extensions of the five senses, precognition, retrocognition, remote viewing and telepathy
- Psychokinesis: PK, ability of the mind to affect matter
- Apparitions, Hauntings and Poltergeists
- Out of Body experiences, OBEs
- Near Death Experience, NDEs
- Anpsi, Animal Psychic Phenomena
- Alter States of Consciousness, ASCs
- Dreams
- Psychic Healing
- Telekinesis
- Survival After Death
- Reincarnation
- Trance Channeling, Mediumship
- Dowsing: ability to locate objects underground
Ghost Hunters
Generally, their field is limited to investigating apparitions, hauntings and poltergeists. Some have in-depth knowledge about the subject and use electronic equipment, as do parapsychologists. The pioneer in using electronic equipment is ghost hunter Rick Fisher. Unfortunately, many don’t have in-depth expertise about ghosts that a parapsychologist does. Some who call themselves ghost hunters are doing it for the thrill of maybe finding a ghost and, other than this, aren't knowledgeable about the phenomena. Equipment includes:
- EMF detesters
- Infrared thermal scanners
- Night vision equipment
- Air ion counters
- Tape recorders to record EVP, electronic voice phenomena, and interviews with experients
- Thermometers
- Cameras
- Pens and papers
- Ghost catchers AKA wind chimes
Some ghost hunters will include psychics in investigation because many highly respected parapsychologists believe psychics are the best detectors of “ghostly” activity.
Cryptozoologists
Cryptozoology is the study of hidden animals which are those not recognized by scientists. This includes:
- Animals, like Bigfoot, who haven’t been captured or killed but have been sighted, photographed and have evidence such as paw or foot prints
- Animals believed to be extinct, like the coelacanth, a fish that’s been caught
- Animals in habitats they are not native to and cannot be account for as having escaped captivity such as Alien Big Cats
UfOlogists
These people study unknown flying objects, extraterrestrials and Men in Black.
Anomalists
Fortean phenomena are their area of study and research. Charles Fort was the pioneer in this field. Mysterious lights and spontaneous human combustion, SHC, are examples of anomalies.
So, Who Do You Call?
Obvious answer: Call an expert in the field. Many times, when poltergeist activity is involved, people call the police or a member of the clergy. Most police officers aren’t experts on the poltergeist, so they can’t investigate as a parapsychologist can. While there have been documented cases of demonic possession, a religious subject, most exorcists consult a parapsychologist to rule out poltergeists, a psychic phenomenon, because they aren’t experts in them.
Some people turn to psychics for help. Psychics, in general, aren’t experts in the paranormal. There are a few who investigate parapsychological phenomena, like the late Eileen Garrett, one of the most gifted mediums, who, with the Hon. Frances P. Bolton, co-founded the prestigious Parapsychology Foundation to encourage and support unbiased scientific research into the field. Unfortunately, there are too many cases of wannabes, never-were and never-will-bes self-proclaimed “psychics” who take advantage of innocent people.
Related articles:
Eileen Garrett: Gifted Psychic
How to Find Genuine Ghost Hunters
Source:
ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists, Loyd Auerbach, (Warner Books, 1986)
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