Keeping Emotions in Check

Being on a paranormal investigation can be very scary, very
exciting, or very boring. No investigation will produce
exactly the same emotions. However, a person’s feelings
can directly affect the entire outcome of the investigation.
This is why I suggest all team members always keep their
emotions in check. Sometimes unusual emotions can come
out without any realization, or rationalization. Sometimes
they can be directly due to the nature of the investigation,
but sometimes they can be directly due to the nature of the
entity.

Some time ago, I was conducting an investigation with a few
other teammates, one of who was on their first
investigation. The night was very slow, meaning no activity
occurred (yes, this does happen). The new person began to
develop quite a negative attitude about being so bored.
The excessive whining eventually put a damper on the rest
of the group, making us all irritable and annoyed. The result
of this became catastrophic. The other agents refused to
work with the complainer again, and boycotted any
investigation the complainer was on. Eventually this blew
up into a major catastrophe with no winner. In other words,
one negative attitude eventually hurt several people, with
no one right or wrong, just damage. There are times when
investigations require a lot of patience and no “action” and
if someone cannot handle the slow times they really should
not be in this business.

Panic is another emotion to keep in check. Everyone gets
scared, and it’s justified. However, the reaction to the fear
is what’s important. Although we all see the “Fear” based
programs on cable TV, the worst thing you can do is let out
a blood curdling scream in a suburban neighborhood at 2
AM. Especially when it was just the family cat that scared the
screamer. It’s highly inappropriate at any time, and if
someone is that scared of ghosts should they really be
looking for them? Just imagine the reaction of the
neighbors, the police, fire department and the client when a
circus forms on the front of their front lawn all due to one
investigator with unsteady nerves doing a bad rendition of
Jamie Lee Curtis.

Finally, Sometimes a haunted area will produce unusual
feelings simply due to the entity. Sometimes more sensitive
people experience unusual feelings being in a haunted
place. One time upon leaving a haunted location I felt
irrational rage for no apparent reason. It took me two days
to get over those feelings. They weren’t aimed at anyone or
anything, but I was in an unusually terrible mood. I know two
of the five ghosts in that house were quite hostile and
angry in life, and I do believe somehow I picked up on that
negative energy. Right after that investigation I was very
sick with a major cold for about a week. Some professionals
say the immune system is directly related to our emotions,
so it’s very possible my sudden bad attitude triggered the
bad cold. Fortunately I learned, although the hard way, to
analyze my emotions more. I have also had people on my
team experience extreme sadness with no rational
explanation. Twice two different investigators nearly burst
into tears with no apparent reason, once in a private home,
and once in a battlefield. They just began to feel very sad.

A positive attitude is imperative in a paranormal
investigation and if an investigator feels something
negative in any way it’s important to let the team leader
know exactly what’s going on. A pep talk, a breather or just
a change of location may be needed to feel right again. If it
lasts for more than a day contact the director, and a good
director or founder should know what to do. Just remember
if you don’t feel like yourself, there may be a “paranormal”
reason.


Thanks, Al