So you’ve completed your investigation and it’s time to pack up. You go home, review your evidence, and you end up with countless EVP, and whatever else. You determine that in fact the place you’ve investigated is most likely haunted. Well, now what?
Chances are after we return to give our reveal of information we’ve collected, and it turns up that we do believe a location is indeed haunted, the home or business owner is going to have more questions than ever. What solutions would you leave that client?
I guess this is about the time I should tell you, this article is solely the opinion of Angels of Light Paranormal Society, and does not necessarily mean that what we think is the end all be all of paranormal solutions. But after our years of experience, we’ve come to the conclusion that this is what works best for our team, and for our clients.
The first step in my opinion, is trying to find out what we’re dealing with. Now even though the paranormal field mostly based on theory, this part is easily debatable. Is whatever the client dealing with malevolent in nature? Is it causing damage emotionally or physically? Or is it possible the the client is perceiving it this way, and is simply misunderstanding whatever is there (if anything at all).
Interview processing is extremely important. This is your chance to get to know your client. Lots of questions can give you some insight to your client and how their train of thought is. Simply asking them what their favorite shows are can tell you a lot. If they have every paranormal show DVR’d in existence, they COULD be reading a little too deep into those bumps in the night.
*It is NOT our job to impede on a person’s personal life. We DO NOT have the right to ask questions that makes anyone uncomfortable. We need to be sure to let people know they only have to answer the questions that they are comfortable answering. We always simply let people know, “You have the right to answer only what you are comfortable revealing. But the questions we are asking are part of finding a solution for you, should we find something” Explain each question, and RESPECT PEOPLES PRIVACY. NEVER RELEASE PERSONAL INFORMATION WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE CLIENT. USE COMMON SENSE!
I cannot stress how important this step is. Before we even begin to start jumping into paranormal reasoning, we need to figure out first of all if there is anything even paranormal in nature causing the havoc within the location. Whether its low lying branches on a roof top, a highway of headlights in the distance, a pest control problem or even high amount of EMF in the home- we need to exhaust EVERY chance of this being a nature occurrence that is being misconstrued as supernatural. It’s easy for the mind to play tricks when we really don’t understand the cause of certain things. Our team does consider themselves a debunking team. We would rather explain to someone they need an exterminator over needing an exorcism any day of the week. Keeping from adding to people’s fears is probably the most important job of a paranormal investigator. WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM. This subject could be a whole ‘nother subject but will save this for another time.
OK so now you’ve exhausted every natural solution there is, and have determined that something strange is indeed going on in the home. We should do our best to look at the bigger picture. Has anything presented itself as malevolent? What experiences are the clients having? Are they just curious about the activity, or are they living in fear? What information can you provide the client that is useful? Should you release everything to them that you find? What has the potential to be misconstrued?
As a team, Angels of Light believes the goal is to empower the client to take their life back and learn to live in harmony within their home or business. Private space such as this should be an individuals fortress and safe haven. An unhealthy environment can cause issues in all aspect of a persons life, and they can easily be over ruled by unhappiness if they no longer feel safe in these places. This can cause a slough of issues including health issues, relationship issues, financial issues, and pretty much the entire gamut of personal problems. What solution can we offer, that makes it possible to gain these things back?
An important question we ask in our interview process, is the persons religious preference or faith system. This is an important factor 9 times out of 10 in finding a solution that suits the individual. This is why we feel its important as a team to understand different religions and faith systems. You will find out quickly if you are doing something that goes against ones religious standards. This, in my opinion, is detrimental in building a trust with your client. If you begin smudging (saging) in a persons home who’s never seen such a thing, they may associate you with witchcraft which is not necessarily well understood by many people. Occultist type cleansing may be interpreted as something dark and even evil. You want to be sure to communicate well with your client and explain your processes before beginning any ceremonial type activity.
Some faiths may require simple prayer, while others may require asking for a member of clergy to enter the home. We do ask that the client be involved in the process of taking their home back. After reviewing we do try to explain that most of the time a mutual agreement can be made between the living and the dead, by simply laying down some ground rules.
For example; In my own house, I do have a man who wanders around and sometimes spooks me. Until I was used to this, the things he did, did have me worried that he may have been unfriendly. But after witnessing him a few times, especially at bed time, I realized he was merely observing or passing through, he just happened to be noisy. After cursing him out a few times for spooking me (which I profusely apologized, that’s rude to do), I laid down ground rules for him. I let him know that during daylight hours he was free to roam. Neutral spaces are neutral spaces. If I happened to pass him, then that was fine, it was his home too. But when people are trying to go to sleep, I asked for the same courtesy that I would ask of anyone in my room while I trying to go to sleep: to leave me alone, that it was my private time. I did give him run of the areas of my home that were unoccupied during those hours, my workout room, the office, the kitchen, living room, hallways. After all these are free range areas I allow any member of my home to wander, why would I deny him freedom of movement? My kids rooms were absolutely off limits no matter what time of day. These are ground rules that seem to work well for us, and he has yet to violate them since being set in place.
What would you expect of a roomate? Expect that of your spectre friend.
Now I understand that this is something that might not work for every situation. There are people who are absolutely terrified of the paranormal and want nothing to do with a ghost in their home, especially people who have children. This is where I believe faith steps in. Giving the person strength to stand up to whatever frightens them, is extremely empowering. This is not only in this situation, but in all aspects of life. Building self esteem from becoming a victim to their situation is very important. During this time I will actually have the personal vocalize (sometimes it takes a few cause some people have never spoke with the dead), how the spirit makes them feel, and what they want to ask of the spirit. Whether its to leave them alone, to stay away from their children, or simply to hang out in the garage after dark, is fair game.
As I said earlier, we try to figure out what the client believes in. In my experience, if you don’t believe in it- its not going to work. While some people are religious, I have found that most people are spiritual and open to whatever offers some solice. At this time our team will conduct a smudging with the client, (with their permission) to help neutralize the environment spiritually. We teach the client how to do this so that they can continue after we leave. Depending on the situation, we usually leave a care package with whatever we use in the cleansing. (Sage, salt, holy water, etc.) This is where self empowerment comes into play. Teaching the client to take back control of their house, but to do so in a respectful manner.
The key for us, is treating the spirit as if they are human, because they are.
After this part ensues, we reiterate to the client that our services will continue to be available until they feel that they are able to live in harmony in their home with whatever is present. Should something arise that they no longer feel that they are able to maintain this neutral living with whatever maybe present, we will return and either investigate or move on to a harsher step. Where we draw the line is with malevolence or physical harm. This is very rare for this to happen, but has on occasion. Sometimes more cantankerous personalities require much harsher ground rules or much more aggressive means of cleansing. Regardless we do try to remain respectful, but firm.
We do try to avoid moving spirits over, because this is very personal. That alone is an entirely different blog.
We find that baby steps are usually the best best. The most non-invasive steps first, and then slowly moving on to other bigger solutions if necessary. Running in like an authority can sometimes cause more resistance. Give what is present the chance to resolve the issue.
If we are unable to come to a working solution, we feel there is no need to kick a dead horse, so to speak. This is the time we will call on a team that we trust within the region for a a second opinion. We cannot stress ENOUGH to make sure you know this team well. You do not want the hard work you have done to come undone. You want to make sure this team will work fluidly with your own standards of investigation, and work with integrity. The client is whats most important here. We will then relay the information and case file of procedures over to that team if they want it, and other times they will want to go in blindly so they are not swayed with previous findings. This is extremely rare that we need to call on an outside team, but it has happened. Sometimes swallowing your pride and recognizing that your solution has not worked is the best bet. Sometimes the client simply hearing the same information from a second team is all they need to feel as if they have an understanding of what is occurring. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
******NEVER- I REPEAT NEVER SUGGEST OR JUMP TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WHATEVER IS IN THE HOME IS DEMONIC.
This is something I believe, that should be left to someone who specializes in this, such as clergy. I firmly believe that anyone who has not dealt with demons previously should leave this to the church. We are here to help, not cause more harm or confusion. Because we have worked with spirits, or read books, does not make us an authority on this subject. If a true demon is at play, take heed and consult someone who is actually able to help the family. If you suspect demonic activity, you and your teams safety should trump. SAFETY FIRST! It is not our job to play a super hero. Our job is to find the client the appropriate help.