Determining the Psychological State of the
Applicant for Investigation

A critical issue has been brought up involving the ever
increasing popularity and growing numbers of individuals
who are offering their services
as paranormal investigators. There is so much more to it
than just identifying and documenting paranormal activity.
On the home page of my website, I take the time to make a
clear distinction between what I refer to as "field trips" and
"investigations" If an investigator chooses to be admitted
into the privacy of someones home, they
have just accepted a huge responsibility (and liability, I
might add ) and will be expected by the persons involved to
deal with the emotions, fear, and confusion that can
surround the home and family. This is a serious
undertaking that should not be pursued by the novice
investigator without available assistance (if necessary)from
professionals in the field of family counseling and
psychology.

Although I am not a psychologist, I have studied psychology
in depth. It has been very helpful in this field, and I just
can't imagine someone conducting these types of
intrusions into peoples lives without at least someone on
staff available to help watch for emotionally charged
situations which may require professional assistance . I
have professional psychological associations, and
individual certified guidance counselors, which I may
refer certain clients to regarding emotional issues detected
during an investigation.

Many people who are experiencing genuine paranormal
activity may be depressed, afraid, confused and desperate
for an explanation. They are vulnerable. And likewise, we
can unfortunately come across individuals who
are delusional, and suffering from mental illness. Symtoms
of mental illness can vary according to the origin and
various stages of the illness, but we
need to be ready to deal with this occurance. It is a
guarantee that sooner or later it will happen to all
investigators who are active in dealing with
the public.

My first step of prevention in this area is to inform the
individual at first contact, that the first priority will be to
visit with them in person and conduct a private interview. I
explain that the purpose of this interview is
to explore in depth the motivation and reasons for the
needs of the family or individuals in question.I take this
early opportunity to explain to them the
implications of paranormal investigations, and discuss the
aspects of psychological considerations. I let them know,
without pointing at them, that
all investigations are given carefull consideration in these
areas. As a result of this screening process,I can tell you
that more than two thirds of
the interviews I conduct do NOT result in a subsequent
investigation into their lives and homes and into the
phenomenon which they may be experiencing.

One reason that a decision may be made to not investigate
could well be a noted mental instability of the person being
interviewed. An investigator should familiarize themselves
with common symptoms of depression, phobias,
and irrational or abnormal and delusionary behavior. A
further confusing complication can be that an otherwise
normal individual may be thrown off balance by severe
paranormal activity, and be showing considerable stress,
but not be ill.

A more frequent reason may be that people just do not
realize how invasive a paranormal investigation can be.
Most have not considered that frequently
spirits appear in people's lives because of personal
indiscretions....moral issues, crimes, abuse etc. I frequently
uncover situations of abuse, (physical and sexual), infidelity
and other serious family issues in the
course of paranormal investigations.The investigator needs
to be aware of the potential for extremes of conflict in these
areas.

In one case, a male apparition was appearing to a couple's
child at night and trying to co-erce the child into leaving the
house. Further questioning produced information from
dreams from other family members, leading to
further admissions, etc and soon it became evident that a
deceased male from a prior relationship, and a matter of
deceit about fatherhood, became be a
part of this developing picture. Confronting the woman with
my suspicion,she admitted the current father was unaware
that he was not the real father. This woman had naively
assumed that they simply had a ghost of the "Hollywood/TV"
variety in the house, and was shocked to find that there
were issues extending deep into moral and spiritual
implications of their own lives.This investigation could have
clearly led to a devastating confrontation between
spouses.

Thus the "official" investigation never happened..... as a
result of the interview only, it was decided to recommend
counseling for the family, not a paranormal investigation. I
am certain that if the family issues are
resolved, the haunting phenomenon will go away.

This is very common. The investigator must develop, (from
study, experience, and professional association with family
guidance and counselors),their own methods of screening
potential cases, before delving into the privacy of the
home.

In particular, I have found that EVP can be extremely
revealing in some family or home hauntings. Perhaps the
entire "personal" spiritual connection of many of these "so
called hauntings" may be missed by those family members
involved. In fact, I find that spirits are frequently
responsible for causing disturbances over family
indiscretions.

Not to slight the fact that hauntings and paranormal
episodes do not have to be directly associated with
personal aspects of someones life. It's just that
it is important that we watch for that very common
situation.....

Take the most important step....... to be aware of the
importance of the mental well being of the people whom
you offer assistance. Experience, caring,consideration and
diligence will guide you. Keep up the good
work

-Rich from Paranormal Investigations of Texas