Ghost Hunting and Parapsychology - Is there a difference?

Ghost Hunting and Parapsychology - Is there a difference?

Since my previous blog on Paranormal Investigation Groups was posted I've received several emails from folks who seemed agitated by this blog, stating that they don't need to be "professionals" or have a degree to "hunt ghosts." They do it because they enjoy it and its who they are. And I totally agree. You don't have to have a degree in parapsychology or have some certification to search for ghosts. And it is completely fine to do so if you enjoy this.

This has urged me to focus some light on the topic of ghost hunting. My main concern with ghost hunting in general and ghost hunting groups in particular is its high level of missing knowledge, especially where the fields of Parapsychology, Quantum Physics, and Noetics are concerned. There seems to be a general ignorance that ghost hunting or ghosts, hauntings and poltergeists have anything to do with Parapsychology. This is odd, because it is Parapsychology (or the earlier term of Psychical Research) that created this field and defined the phenomena in the first place. Parapsychology has pioneered the investigative techniques (and technology used), and has been on the cutting edge of paranormal and psychical research for over a hundred years. With this being the case, you would think that those who are truly interested in investigating the unexplained and take it seriously (that is, its not just an infrequent hobby) would be avid students of Parapsychology and its research, but sadly this just is not the case.

Why do I feel the need to address this? Do I have a degree in Parapsychology? No I don't, nor do I presently have any "Paranormal Investigation Certification". It concerns me because I take this seriously and I desire to know all that can be known about Psi and the paranormal (and the two are intertwined).

I believe that there are many people who are also very serious about the paranormal, but just have not been challenged to think through things. Freethinking is what I am about...thinking through things thoroughly, being a constant student and ever learning, even if it hurts. I just want to challenge all of us "ghost hunters" to think and not to be lazy. Its easy to do. Its easy to go down to Barnes and Noble and pick up one or two books on ghosts and paranormal investigations by a self proclaimed "expert" in the field and feel like you know most of what you need to know about these matters. If you are really serious you may have five or six books on the paranormal, are a dedicated member of a local ghost hunting group and have been actively investigating for several years with up to fifteen or twenty investigations under your belt. Which is great. Yet, do you continue to grow and learn? Are you still willing to learn and research and gain knowledge even if it goes against the current beliefs or position of your ghost hunting group? Are you dedicated to truth (inward and outward truth) or to being accepted and looked up to? That, I believe, is the real issue.

There are many wonderful folks with fantastic intentions that are experienced ghost hunters and leaders in the paranormal investigation community. Yet here is my question for the leaders of groups like T.A.P.S.: Is your dedication to ghost hunting to really find truth or to be well regarded for your hard work and admired as being an "expert" in your field? I mean, who wouldn't want that? Would you be willing to lay down your positions in these groups or change your group's stance if you found out that you were propagating unscientific or misinformation about ghosts and hauntings? Would you change or would you seek to justify yourself and turn a deaf ear to better and more scientific information?

Unfortunately this is what I have seen in many of the ghost hunting communities. Truth and scientific fact many times ends up taking a back seat to the excitement of the hunt, the thrill of the unexplained, and becoming an "expert" in the field. Its a hard thing to be an "expert" and then change your position to become more inline with the scientific research if you are wrong. You loose friends and have descention, groups split and reputations are ruined, a lot of hard work is lost. Its easier to ignore the science and continue on than to run the risk of change.

To some degree many of the larger ghost hunting groups have become like churches. Governed by a core group of experienced "elders" who do not take well to being asked too many questions. The less experienced members take their orders and training from the "elders" and generally follow the direction and beliefs of the group without the need to question. The "elders" are the most knowledgeable and have no need of being challenged by less knowledgeable underlings. If there is conflict with or unwelcomed questioning of the leaders then you are disciplined or removed from the group. I've seen this happen first hand many times.

What I am getting at here is that many ghost hunting groups base their knowledge and understanding of ghosts, apparitions, hauntings, poltergeists and other unexplained phenomena on information other than the cutting-edge scientific research of parapsychology. This is attune to Christian churches using something other than the bible for their understanding of God. Paranormal Investigations SHOULD be based on science, not the writings of a self-proclaimed expert on the paranormal.

Can anyone fault me for being a stickler for science in a field like the paranormal? Why is this important? Because science creates a standard of knowledge, especially with regards to the unexplained. Could you imagine a Physicist ignoring the principles of science and writing a book based more on feelings and half-baked ideas than from hard science? Absolutely not. What makes us any different? The very fact that most paranormal investigators, whether leaders or not, have very little knowledge of parapsychology, its history and its research (past, present and where its going), is sad. Especially since it was Parapsychologists who began paranormal investigations in the first place.
Do I believe that Parapsychologists today are the real "experts" of the ghost hunting community? Yes I do. So am I saying that if you are not a Parapsychologist that you can never be an "expert" in paranormal investigations, regardless how many years of study and investigation you've put in? No, certainly not, but if your investigations and studies have not been based on the founding protoscience of Parapsychology, then how can you rightfully consider yourself or anyone else an "expert" in the field? Think about this.

Loyd Auerbach, director of The Office of Paranormal Investigations, and one of the leading Parapsychologists in the world has a "Certificate Course in Parapsychological Studies" http://www.mindreader.com/paraprogram/ that one can take if one so desires. To my knowledge this is the only Parapsychological course available in the United States. I have not been through the course, but have heard great things about it. I am not trying to sell the course, just putting the information out there for others to consider.

I believe that if you are serious about paranormal investigations, desire to see uniformity and high standards of investigation throughout the ghost hunting community, and to truly know and prove that there is life after death, then continuing the way we are going is actually causing more harm than good. Study the works by accredited Parapsychologists. We need to lay our knowledge of the paranormal on the foundation of science instead of something inferior. If the books that we have read on paranormal investigations are not either written by Parapsychologists or is heavily based on parapsychology then we need to look elsewhere. I am not saying that other works are useless, but we need a standard to measure the information by and that standard should be science. Using high-tech, state-of-the-art technology during investigations is NOT science and does not make you an expert in the field regardless of how expensive it may be or how much technology you use.

How can I say that shows like "Ghost Hunters" on the Sci-Fi Channel promotes fear-based sensationalism and ignorance? Because it is not based on the science of Parapsychology. How do I know this? Just by watching the show and their explanations of the phenomena. Its a shame and a disservice to the field of paranormal investigation. Sure everyone likes to be scared and enjoys the thrill of brushes with the unexplained in a dark basement, but this should not be the sole rationale of paranormal investigation groups. We can still have the rush of coming face to face with a ghost, but having the tools of real science to propel us forward
instead of running in place or even backwards is what we should all be about.
I have a real love for the paranormal, paranormal investigation/ghost hunter groups, and even the thrill of touching the unexplained in the dead of night, and this is why I write what I have in this blog. We have gone far enough without the light of real science to guide our way. Remember, question everything. Leave no stone unturned. This is part of the adventure and if your leaders or the "experts" you look up to have said little or nothing about Parapsychology then ask them why that is. Do the research and educate yourself and you will be amazed at the difference between being a follower of half-baked unscientific information and holding a hundred years of cutting-edge research of real science in your hand.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John

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Comments from MySpace:

Loyd Auerbach:

Excellent blog, John.

"Ghost hunting" is part of what parapsychologists have long called "spontaneous case investigations." There is a rich history of investigations, methodology, findings and theories within the literature in and around the field of Parapsychology (and its precursor, psychical research) seemingly ignored by ghost hunters. More than 125 years of history and material.

Beyond that, the connections between ghostly phenomena and other psychic experiences (and the research that exists in the lab on psi) is overlooked and even dismissed out of turn by many so-called "professional ghost hunters."

One comment on courses and such...

Besides my own program in basic parapsychological studies (it is NOT an academic/university program), there are a few accredited colleges offering a course here or there on Parapsychology (though be careful of the ones offered by debunkers). More importantly, the Rhine Research Center (www.rhine.org), the Institute of Noetic Sciences (www.noetic.org) and the Parapsychology Foundation (www.parapsychology.org) offer various educational opportunities.

Finally, no one approaching this field should ignore the greater field of Parapsychology -- especially when real information is available. Start with the site of the Parapsychological Association (www.parapsych.org), the ONLY international organization of parapsychologists recognized by most science associations (including the American Association for the Advancement of Science). And do visit the Parapsychology Foundation's site (www.parapsychology.org) not only for the aforementioned info on education, but for so much more.

Loyd Auerbach, MS
Director, The Office of Paranormal Investigations
Paranormal Research Organization
Instructor, HCH Institute Parapsychological Studies Program
Adjunct Professor, JFK University
Rhine Research Center Advisory Board