Endangered: Paranormal Research in the 21st Century

In the course of our periodic phone sessions, Searcher Group founder Richard Palmisano and I sometimes bemoan the fact that neither of us were born into the ideal era in terms of paranormal investigation. Gone are the days of Harry Price, Hans Holzer, and Peter Underwood: days when one or two experts in this field were high-profile enough in their respective countries to actually be invited to stay in people's homes, served meals and granted full access to explore potentially haunted locations (sometimes accompanied by their spouses).

So much has changed in the field of dedicated and academic paranormal research since the late 1900s, and not necessarily for the better. Despite new experimental technology introduced to the field (courtesy of forward-thinking reality TV tech-heads) and a minor relaxation of the stigma of paranormal phenomena around the water cooler, I submit that advancements in earnest life-after-life research have remained in a virtual holding pattern for the last two decades.

Before I explain further, please know this is not an easy article to compose, for in the course of describing the roots of a very real dilemma, I risk alienating a rather significant subsection of paranormal enthusiasts.

So, in the spirit of good-natured, open-minded, honest discussion (and before you aim a neutrona wand in my direction), please hear me out. I'll begin by describing the issue as it pertains to southern Ontario, Canada.

In our part of the world, both our urban and rural communities alike are plagued by ghost-hunting groups comprised of members who—like their television heroes—are out to prove that ghosts exist and expect to be thrilled in the process of seeking them. This has become a weekend pastime between friends who have invested in the gadgets they see on TV, exploring an abandoned building at night with the hope of reaping a reward of notoriety to share on social media, afterwards.

The downside of this ghost group overload is that some have used what they've learned by parroting television actors to convince naive property owners that they are experts and that they are qualified to be taken seriously. Other teams have deluged social media with their exploits, often taunting unseen spirits into manifesting themselves, asking a banal line of questions and even running away in response to naturally-occurring, explainable sights and sounds—sometimes even ghosts themselves!

An unfortunate consequence has been that several owners and managers of promising historic properties are justifiably dissuaded by the sheer amount of para-hype and react accordingly by outright refusing investigation access to anyone—including professional, registered researchers with spotless reputations, safety and confidentiality records, governmental support, and meaningful intentions.

When you take into consideration the possible amount of information and intelligence that might be available or might have been gained in locations like these, it's hard not to feel perturbed on a regular basis.

I believe that our situation is not unique and is in fact a microcosm for a larger issue, worldwide. Are there similarly-minded, serious teams out there who can relate to this?

Instead of agonizing over an issue we had/have no control over, Richard and I decided a proactive measure was needed; we would share every one of The Searcher Group protocols that have worked for us since 1979 in an advanced field manual, and trust that more teams will be inspired to "up" their game for the good of forward progression in ghost research. An indispensable compendium of practical information is what you can look forward to finding within The Complete Paranormal Investigation Handbook, which marries tried, tested, and successful investigation tactics with contemporary original theory and field-related knowledge that you won't hear mentioned on your favorite ghost show.

As I mention in the Acknowledgements of Haunted Town Halls (Quagmire Press, 2018), it is in the spirit of cooperation—not competition—where we will see true advances in this exciting region of human study. I proffer that it is high time that that progress resumes straight away.

We are so past proving that ghosts exist; they DO! While quantum science is gradually validating what we're finding in the field, mainstream science has proven it will never be swayed, so let's cease wasting time and energy trying to appeal to it—or convincing the general public, for that matter.

Instead, I encourage us all to focus and pool our efforts, share our findings, conduct tests of each other's experiments, engage in intellectual discussion, and delve deeper for answers into what to expect after "death" before we, too, shuffle off this mortal coil.

Who's in?