Ashley Hall is a paranormal investigator based in Adelaide, Australia. He is a sceptic with 15 years experience in the paranormal field and runs the popular Facebook page and website The Paranormal Guide.
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Probably the very first thing you should know about Ashley, as an investigator, is that he is a sceptic. Do not let that put you off side, as being a sceptic he is still open-minded to the possibility that one day a piece of evidence, or a personal experience, will pull him over to the side of a believer:
“People do find it strange that I am a sceptic, so I should probably clarify that a bit. I believe people are having strange experiences, and they very well might be with those who have passed, but I am yet to see 100% concrete proof. However, in saying that, I have had more than a few bizarre experiences myself, but rather than say they are ‘paranormal’ I say they are ‘intriguing’ or ‘interesting’. You might expect that this may make me a bore on investigation. I put this to you; hindsight is a wonderful thing. A strange thing to say but it is true. You see, on investigation I do get as involved as everyone else does. I will jump when something sudden and startling happens and I do feel the adrenaline rush when (at the time) unexplainable things occur. It is when I go home and start looking back on the experiences, and the recordings/data I have taken, that I turn into a sceptic. I guess I am sceptical in hindsight.”
Ash (his preferred way to be called) spent about a decade doing pure UFO investigation and research.
It is through that genre that he picked up many of his skill sets: “Yeah for ten years I investigated claims of UFO sightings and Alien encounters. That work is mostly research and communication. I like to believe that I am a great communicator and this is where my previous work has given me a firm set of interview skills. UFO work is nothing like sitting in a house waiting for a spiritual/ghostly presence to make itself known, it is all about communication. And I do not mean communication with aliens, but rather with those who have experienced them. There is a lot of interview work and interpreting what people tell you. It starts on the phone and hopefully moves to in-person. You have to get all of the facts and go with that. Although you could sit in someone’s backyard/field/on the side of the road for a sky-watch, waiting for strange lights, it is something that you would never get a pay-off with. So yes due to those years of work I have developed a good set of skills for communication and, most importantly of all, not placing words in people?s mouths or leading them on.”
It is here that we leave Ashley, but ask him for some words on advice for people new to investigating or people wanting to get further in the field: “I suppose the first piece of advice I would give someone new is to investigate how ever you want to investigate. As long as it does not hurt others then you are fine. Everyone has their own way of doing things so do not let anyone bully you into doing it their way. As for people wanting to go further… stick by your guns and just keep working at it. Just communicate with people and get involved. You do not need to have great evidence as I do not think The Paranormal Guide has ever put forward any ‘evidence’. Make some good friends and utilise social networking.”
Ashley Hall also operates and contributes to the following websites:
The Paranormal Guide – Facebook