The official stance of PPS in regards to provoking is that we will not provoke during a residential investigation. We do not want to cause any more problems for the homeowners by making a spirit angry. The question is, how do you feel about provoking as a method of getting a spirit to react? is it safe in some cases or should it never be used?
Dave: This question is an important one as it defines what role the paranormal investigator plays in the lives of others. PPS does not provoke a spirit in the attempt to cause the activity level to increase so that we can obtain evidence. Our role as paranormal investigators are to investigate the reported activity in the home, or business and try to determine whether the cause is normal, or paranormal. If we do determine the activity is not of earthly origin, we educate the client as to what we believe is happening and support them as needed on an ongoing basis. To date, no client has requested that we come to their location to "Stir up the entities."
I believe that an investigator that provokes an entity in the attempt to capture evidence of its presence is there for their own benefit, and not that of the client. Paranormal Investigators must remember that we get to go home after the investigation. Our actions and efforts that we leave behind should adhere to the outcome the client anticipates. It is one of the most important traits that determines the professionalism and purpose of the group.
This is why we are so meticulous in determining the activity level frequency and duration when deciding if a full investigation is warranted. If there has been no activity for six months, what benefit would we provide in disrupting the property owner for the duration of the investigation and then leaving empty handed? Groups need to provide a service that is congruent with what the property owner experiences on a normal day, without provoking the entity to react. Remember, there is a difference in asking the entity to provide evidence of their presence and that of telling the entity that its mother was a drunken slut, in an attempt to coax it out. The ultimate goal is to educate the client that they can live with what is there without compounding the problem.
Jake: Provoking a spirit should be considered in the same manner one would consider provoking a human or an animal. While we think we might be able to predict the reaction of a person or animal --- or entity --- during provocation, the technique is only as smart as the investigators using it.
And maybe provoking a spirit works 99% of the time. Lord knows that Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) had a very good track record with sneaking up on animals and using his lack of fear to get up close and personal with an array of dangerous animals. But the one time it backfired, it was fatal. If investigators use provocation and it works 99% of the time, that means that there is still someone out there who now has not only the original haunting, but maybe an open Pandora's Box of other activity, and that is not fair to them. The investigators are able to leave the home at some point, but the residents will have to deal with any potential fallout.
While I think provoking spirits is effective toward drawing them out into the open, it's not effective for the proper dismissal of spirits from someone's home.
James: I believe in the same methods of pps. One cannot be sure of what it is that is affecting a resident. If we piss it off who knows what that could do.
Rex: I am in complete agreement with the PPS stance, we can never be completely sure of the consequences that could occur due to provocation. I have seen succesful and unsuccessful attempts of provoking, meaning that it gets a response, and basically it gives about the same success rate as not provoking. With that in mind its not worth the risk to endanger yourself, your team-mates or your clients, after all they have to return to the location while you get to leave.
Dave: This question is an important one as it defines what role the paranormal investigator plays in the lives of others. PPS does not provoke a spirit in the attempt to cause the activity level to increase so that we can obtain evidence. Our role as paranormal investigators are to investigate the reported activity in the home, or business and try to determine whether the cause is normal, or paranormal. If we do determine the activity is not of earthly origin, we educate the client as to what we believe is happening and support them as needed on an ongoing basis. To date, no client has requested that we come to their location to "Stir up the entities."
I believe that an investigator that provokes an entity in the attempt to capture evidence of its presence is there for their own benefit, and not that of the client. Paranormal Investigators must remember that we get to go home after the investigation. Our actions and efforts that we leave behind should adhere to the outcome the client anticipates. It is one of the most important traits that determines the professionalism and purpose of the group.
This is why we are so meticulous in determining the activity level frequency and duration when deciding if a full investigation is warranted. If there has been no activity for six months, what benefit would we provide in disrupting the property owner for the duration of the investigation and then leaving empty handed? Groups need to provide a service that is congruent with what the property owner experiences on a normal day, without provoking the entity to react. Remember, there is a difference in asking the entity to provide evidence of their presence and that of telling the entity that its mother was a drunken slut, in an attempt to coax it out. The ultimate goal is to educate the client that they can live with what is there without compounding the problem.
Jake: Provoking a spirit should be considered in the same manner one would consider provoking a human or an animal. While we think we might be able to predict the reaction of a person or animal --- or entity --- during provocation, the technique is only as smart as the investigators using it.
And maybe provoking a spirit works 99% of the time. Lord knows that Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) had a very good track record with sneaking up on animals and using his lack of fear to get up close and personal with an array of dangerous animals. But the one time it backfired, it was fatal. If investigators use provocation and it works 99% of the time, that means that there is still someone out there who now has not only the original haunting, but maybe an open Pandora's Box of other activity, and that is not fair to them. The investigators are able to leave the home at some point, but the residents will have to deal with any potential fallout.
While I think provoking spirits is effective toward drawing them out into the open, it's not effective for the proper dismissal of spirits from someone's home.
James: I believe in the same methods of pps. One cannot be sure of what it is that is affecting a resident. If we piss it off who knows what that could do.
Rex: I am in complete agreement with the PPS stance, we can never be completely sure of the consequences that could occur due to provocation. I have seen succesful and unsuccessful attempts of provoking, meaning that it gets a response, and basically it gives about the same success rate as not provoking. With that in mind its not worth the risk to endanger yourself, your team-mates or your clients, after all they have to return to the location while you get to leave.
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