Got ghosts? MICKEY GOCOOL provides advice on how to you safely pick the best paranormal team possible to investigate your haunting…
Are you thinking of asking a paranormal investigation team or “ghosthunters” to investigate your home? You should, as with choosing any tradesperson, research them if you intend to utilise their service. You are inviting strangers into your home after all whether they charge you or not.
Make sure you get references from previous clients
Ask the team to provide a list of private clients contact details they have worked for previously, who have agreed previously to act as a point of reference. Choose one or two from that list and call them. Of course, they may suggest that they have a confidentiality agreement with previous clients and unable to provide any contact details. I am of the opinion that if a previous client was fully satisfied with the service received from the Paranormal Investigation Team, then they would not hesitate to act as a referee so other smay benefit too.
Be wary of any claims they make about belonging to official organisations
Be wary of claims of belonging to certain paranormal organisations etc. There is NO official body who oversees Paranormal Investigators and therefore the “industry is unlicenced and unregulated”. When individuals or teams do make claims, on most occasions, the individual or team, has subscribed to a membership to that organisation or just had their details placed on a Paranormal Database or a website, for example.. This is not testimony of the team’s expertise or credibility.
You need to be particularly wary of teams who promote themselves as “CRB CHECKED”. The CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) ceased to exist in 2012 and was replaced by DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) which is a record of an individual’s relevant criminal history and may also contain police intelligence and DBS barred list information. A DBS check is usually needed when working with children and vulnerable adults to protect them, so it is highly questionable why any team would be working with children or venerable adults. It is also unethical to do so. DBS checks are for employers to check the suitability of a job applicant for a specific job where contact is likely.
Don’t be fooled by teams mimicking TV shows
A very dangerous practise in my opinion. One needs to be wary of teams who have only been established a very short time and make claims that they are “growing fast”. The only thing that is “growing” is the social media follower base which seems to be the measure of their own success. One will question the amount of time spent promoting themselves as opposed to conducting any beneficial research, experiments and analysis. These teams are parasitic in nature and feed on the experience of others, often mimicking, the success of other established teams in order to appear “Credible”.
Mediums and Psychics should not lead teams
Whilst is it not uncommon to use a or a Medium in a private investigation in your home, it is bad practise to allow them to lead the investigation. It is potentially damaging when they reveal a “Negative Energy” in a home. This causes fear for the residents. A “Good” medium or Psychic in a home investigation would only be there to pass information to the lead investigator and not to the client. The investigation is, after all, an evidence gathering exercise and not to be confused with a House Clearance (Spirit Removal) or Exorcist.
Get a non disclosure agreement
Non disclosure agreements should always be in place when conducting an investigation in a private house. Neither you or the Paranormal Team should be seeking publicity.
How much does a paranormal investigation cost?
We have never charged anyone for our services but it is acceptable for a team to ask for their costs to be covered as long as this is agreed in advance.
How long does an investigation take place?
That depends. In most cases a team can be in and out in one evening. If the investigation is purely for research purposes then your team will want to visit your home as many times as they can without being obtrusive to your home and family life. This could mean a few visits a year over a number of years.
Still not sure? Get more advice
Below I have listed a few established and credible paranormal research organisations.
- Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena (ASSAP): ASSAP is a charity and learned society founded in 1981 to investigate, research and educate on a wide range of anomalous phenomena, from hauntings to UFOs, mediumship to monsters. ASSAP conducts paranormal investigations and train members to become accredited investigators who undergo extensive study and an examination to become accredited!
- The Ghost Club: The Ghost Club is a paranormal investigation and research organization, founded in London in 1862. It is widely believed to be the oldest such organization in the world. Since 1862 it has primarily investigated ghosts and hauntings.
- Society for Psychical Research: The Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1882, is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal.
