What are the problems facing the paranormal community today?
Dave: As a young group ourselves, this answer is going to sound a bit satirical, but here goes. I believe that the greatest problem the paranormal community faces today is the exponential growth of the paranormal community itself. With new groups springing up weekly, the nation is becoming saturated with paranormal ‘researchers’. It is not that an abundance of groups isn’t always a bad thing, in theory; we can all learn, share and grow together. In reality though, this equates to groups; trespassing on private property without permission, inundating owners of purported haunted venues with requests to investigate, and as there are no minimum standards to which groups must adhere, a bunch of poorly trained, well intentioned but misguided groups representing the paranormal community as a whole.
As anyone connected with serious paranormal research can tell you, this line of work can attract individuals that are, as I like to put it, “just a bit left of center”. By this I mean, “friggin weird. And while it takes all kinds to make the world go around, when these individuals find each other and start a paranormal research team, it becomes a big problem for the serious groups.
When we are contacted by a client to help them with something they can’t comprehend, we step into their lives. This is something we take quite seriously. We are there to improve their lives and how we conduct ourselves and the professionalism we show speak not just for us, but for paranormal research as a whole. When a group looking for no more than a thrill ride, act in this capacity, it is a roadblock to the rest of us.
If you are reading this and are considering starting a paranormal research group, my advice is this. First, determine why and for whose benefit are you doing this. It is okay to have goals for yourself in paranormal studies, but foremost, the clients’ needs must be your focus. Secondly, don’t either present yourself as an expert in the field, or believe that you know everything about the paranormal that you need to know. I recommend doing your homework, studying as many books on the subject as you can and signing on with an experienced group to learn the trade from the inside out.
Jake: I think one of the biggest problems facing the paranormal community is the lack of believers. Far be it for me to chastise anyone for not believing in ghosts because I'm not religious, and there are many parallels between the two. But one of my biggest beefs is that paranormal investigators cannot always be trusted. PPS is a grassroots group of people dedicated to learning about what may be awaiting us after earthbound life, and if we can help others who are scared along the way, then even better. But shows like Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters, both of which are very much focused on the entertainment side of paranormal investigating, one must wonder if all of us are a bunch of head cases. The fact is that until someone actually "sees it to believe it," a ghost still looks like Casper.
Rex: It seems to me that the main problem facing paranormal investigators is also in some ways a blessing. The popularity of this field has grown so much in recent years, mainly because of tv shows like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State. Shows like this have done a lot to bring our beliefs into the open and allow home/business owners to come forward without fear of being ridiculed. With that also came a surge of "Paranormal Investigators" most of these spur of the moment groups are mainly just a gathering of thrill seekers who break into cemeteries and private property in order to conduct an investigation. Sadly these groups have made it 100 times harder to allow admittance into some of these places. The other problem is that some of the more famous "haunts" have been inundated with requests to do investigations that they have resorted to charging large sums of money for a group to spend 1 night. A lot of groups out there will gladly pay these fees just for the chance to say "I investigtated <insert haunted location here>" We at PPS do not condone tresspassing in the name of investigation, nor will we pay someone to investigate. We feel that our reputation will speak for itself and that the satisfaction of our clients is more valuable than the quantity of "famous" haunts we investigate.
Dave: As a young group ourselves, this answer is going to sound a bit satirical, but here goes. I believe that the greatest problem the paranormal community faces today is the exponential growth of the paranormal community itself. With new groups springing up weekly, the nation is becoming saturated with paranormal ‘researchers’. It is not that an abundance of groups isn’t always a bad thing, in theory; we can all learn, share and grow together. In reality though, this equates to groups; trespassing on private property without permission, inundating owners of purported haunted venues with requests to investigate, and as there are no minimum standards to which groups must adhere, a bunch of poorly trained, well intentioned but misguided groups representing the paranormal community as a whole.
As anyone connected with serious paranormal research can tell you, this line of work can attract individuals that are, as I like to put it, “just a bit left of center”. By this I mean, “friggin weird. And while it takes all kinds to make the world go around, when these individuals find each other and start a paranormal research team, it becomes a big problem for the serious groups.
When we are contacted by a client to help them with something they can’t comprehend, we step into their lives. This is something we take quite seriously. We are there to improve their lives and how we conduct ourselves and the professionalism we show speak not just for us, but for paranormal research as a whole. When a group looking for no more than a thrill ride, act in this capacity, it is a roadblock to the rest of us.
If you are reading this and are considering starting a paranormal research group, my advice is this. First, determine why and for whose benefit are you doing this. It is okay to have goals for yourself in paranormal studies, but foremost, the clients’ needs must be your focus. Secondly, don’t either present yourself as an expert in the field, or believe that you know everything about the paranormal that you need to know. I recommend doing your homework, studying as many books on the subject as you can and signing on with an experienced group to learn the trade from the inside out.
Jake: I think one of the biggest problems facing the paranormal community is the lack of believers. Far be it for me to chastise anyone for not believing in ghosts because I'm not religious, and there are many parallels between the two. But one of my biggest beefs is that paranormal investigators cannot always be trusted. PPS is a grassroots group of people dedicated to learning about what may be awaiting us after earthbound life, and if we can help others who are scared along the way, then even better. But shows like Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters, both of which are very much focused on the entertainment side of paranormal investigating, one must wonder if all of us are a bunch of head cases. The fact is that until someone actually "sees it to believe it," a ghost still looks like Casper.
Rex: It seems to me that the main problem facing paranormal investigators is also in some ways a blessing. The popularity of this field has grown so much in recent years, mainly because of tv shows like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State. Shows like this have done a lot to bring our beliefs into the open and allow home/business owners to come forward without fear of being ridiculed. With that also came a surge of "Paranormal Investigators" most of these spur of the moment groups are mainly just a gathering of thrill seekers who break into cemeteries and private property in order to conduct an investigation. Sadly these groups have made it 100 times harder to allow admittance into some of these places. The other problem is that some of the more famous "haunts" have been inundated with requests to do investigations that they have resorted to charging large sums of money for a group to spend 1 night. A lot of groups out there will gladly pay these fees just for the chance to say "I investigtated <insert haunted location here>" We at PPS do not condone tresspassing in the name of investigation, nor will we pay someone to investigate. We feel that our reputation will speak for itself and that the satisfaction of our clients is more valuable than the quantity of "famous" haunts we investigate.
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