PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS
ARE NOT JUST "GHOST HUNTS"
S.M.A.R.T PROTOCOL
GHOST HUNTING AND PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS REQUIRE CERTAIN GUIDELINES IN ORDER TO BE PRODUCTIVE, SAFE AND EFFECTIVE. OUR DETERMINED PROTOCOL INCORPORATES GUIDELINES THAT ARE COMMON TO MANY OTHER REPUTABLE PARANORMAL RESEARCH GROUPS. WE BELIEVE THAT THESE GUIDELINES ENABLE OUR INVESTIGATIONS TO RUN MORE SMOOTHLY AND TO PRODUCE GREATER QUANTITIES OF VERIFIABLE SCIENTIFIC RESULTS.
01
ALWAYS RECEIVE PERMISSION FOR A HUNT OR INVESTIGATION
​BEFORE ANY INVESTIGATION, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO OBTAIN PERMISSION FROM THE PROPER AUTHORITIES, AND TO DEFINE ALL RELEVANT PARAMETERS INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) LOCATION, SCOPE OF ACCESS, TIME AND DURATION. FAILURE TO TO SO MAY RESULT IN LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM. ADDITIONALLY, TEAMS WHO CONDUCT UNAUTHORIZED INVESTIGATIONS MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR OTHER TEAMS (WHO FOLLOW CORRECT PROTOCOL) TO OBTAIN ACCESS.
02
FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE AREA YOU WILL INVESTIGATE
BEFORE BEGINNING AN INVESTIGATION, WE DO A GENERAL WALK-THROUGH OF EVERY ACCESSIBLE AREA. WE NOTE BASELINE EMF (ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS) AND TEMPERATURE READINGS, OPTIMUM CAMERA AND MICROPHONE LOCATIONS, AND ANY CONDITIONS WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE PHENOMENA WHICH APPEARS TO BE PARANORMAL BUT IS ACTUALLY DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES. FOR INSTANCE, A COLD SPOT IN A ROOM MAY SEEM TO INDICATE PARANORMAL ENERGY -- BUT IT MAY SIMPLY BE THE RESULT OF AN UNSEEN AIR CONDITIONER VENT.
03
DON'T OVER-RESEARCH YOUR AREA OF INVESTIGATION
BEFORE ANY INVESTIGATION, IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW SOME GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT AN AREA, BUT BE CAUTIOUS NOT TO RESEARCH TOO DEEPLY. THE IDEA IS TO RESEARCH THE INFORMATION GIVEN YOU BY THE ENERGY SOURCES YOU MIGHT FIND. SOMETIME DEEP RESEARCH AHEAD OF TIME CAUSES INVESTIGATORS TO "FIT" THE INFORMATION INTO WHAT THEY ALREADY KNOW - THIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO RECOGNIZE THE VALIDITY OF THEIR FINDINGS. RESEARCH OUT BASIC INFORMATION - WHO OWNED IT? WHO MIGHT HAVE DIED THERE? WERE THERE ANY SPECIAL/ UNUSUAL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED THERE? THESE TYPES OF THINGS WILL ALLOW YOU TO ASK QUESTIONS AND GATHER INFORMATION - WHICH THEN, YOU WANT TO SEE IF YOU CAN VERIFY.
04
ALWAYS BRING SAFETY GEAR TO AN INVESTIGATION
OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS SAFETY OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS -- AND SAFETY BECOMES A BIGGER ISSUE IF WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC JOINING AN INVESTIGATION. NEVER DO AN INVESTIGATION ALONE, OR WITHOUT BASIC SAFETY EQUIPMENT: FLASHLIGHTS , WALKIE-TALKIES AND A FIRST AID KIT. IN ADDITION, MAKE SURE TO NOTE ANY POTENTIAL HAZARDS DURING YOUR WALK-THROUGH, COMMUNICATE THEM TO ALL PERSONS WHO MAY HAVE ACCESS DURING THE INVESTIGATION, AND PHYSICALLY BLOCK ACCESS TO ANY AREAS WHICH MAY BE TOO DANGEROUS. PROPER FOOTWEAR IS ESSENTIAL, AND CLOTHING WITH LOOSE ACCESSORIES (LIKE CHAINS OR LONG SCARVES) CAN CATCH ON OBJECTS AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED. A NOTE ABOUT CELLPHONES: WE DO NOT ALLOW THEM DURING INVESTIGATIONS BECAUSE THEY MAY CAUSE FALSE READINGS AND/OR OTHERWISE DISRUPT THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS.
05
RESPECTFULLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM TO THE AREA
​YOU MAY THINK THIS SOUNDS CRAZY BUT, IF YOU ARE TRULY IN THE PRESENCE OF PARANORMAL ENERGIES, REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE INTRUDING IN THEIR SPACE. RESPECT THEIR BOUNDARIES AND KEEP IN MIND HOW VERY LITTLE WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT THEIR EXISTENCE AND CAPABILITIES. SOME PARANORMAL ENERGIES CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN PROVOKED.
06
NEVER INVESTIGATE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL
​ANYONE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION, FOR THREE MAIN REASONS: FIRST IS THE SAFETY ISSUE - THE INCREASED RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY TO THAT PERSON (OR TO SOMEONE ELSE) AND PROPERTY INJURY TO THE LOCATION OR TO TEAM EQUIPMENT. SECOND, ALCOHOL AND/OR DRUGS COMPROMISES A PERSON'S ABILITY TO OBJECTIVELY OBSERVE AND INTERPRET OCCURRENCES -- YOU MAY MISS SOMETHING THAT IS THERE OR SEE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T. THIRD, PERSONS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS AND/OR ALCOHOL MAY BE MORE PRONE TO PARANORMAL "ATTACK" OR SPIRITUAL ATTACHMENT. LEAVE THE "SPIRITS" AT HOME - AND PREVENT BRINGING ANOTHER KIND HOME WITH YOU. ​
07
USE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS THAT REQUIRE MORE THAN YES OR NO
​PARANORMAL ENERGIES, JUST LIKE YOU AND I, WANT TO BE RECOGNIZED AND ENGAGED IN CONVERSATION. TRY NOT TO BE BORING - ASK QUESTIONS OF THEM JUST LIKE YOU WOULD ASK OF SOMEONE YOU JUST MET. CONNECTED ENERGIES, OR SPIRITS, HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF PERSONALITY IN THEIR REALM AS THEY DID IN THIS ONE - SO CONSIDER DEALING WITH THEM IN A HUMAN WAY​. YOU MAY FIND YOU WILL GET MORE RESPONSES TO YOUR QUESTIONS.
08
MAKE NOTES ABOUT PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS
​IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU RECORD ANY AND ALL OBSERVATIONS THAT YOU MAKE DURING AN INVESTIGATION. THINGS THAT YOU SEE, HEAR AND FEEL DURING THE INVESTIGATION MAY NOT SEEM RELEVANT AT THE TIME, BUT MAY BECOME RELEVANT AS YOU GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR WHEN YOU ANALYZE OTHER RESULTS. BE SURE TO NOTE ANY SOUND YOU MAKE DURING AN INVESTIGATION (A BUMP, A KNOCK, A LAUGH OR EVEN PASSING GAS!) WHICH COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR PARANORMAL ACTIVITY DURING ANALYSIS OF RECORDINGS​.
09
ALLOW ADAQUATE SPACE BETWEEN QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
​IT MAY TAKE AN ENTITY OR ENERGY SOURCE A LITTLE TIME TO COLLECT ENOUGH ENERGY TO RESPOND TO YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS - SO ALLOW THEM THE SPACE TO DO SO. NEVER INVITE AN ENTITY TO USE YOUR PERSONAL ENERGY - THIS COULD BE VIEWED AS INVITING "POSSESSION," WHICH WE DO NOT ENCOURAGE. INVITE THEM, INSTEAD, TO USE THE NATURAL ENERGY AROUND THEM OR THE ENERGY FROM ITEMS LIKE BATTERIES OR EMF PUMPS -- NEVER YOUR PERSONAL ENERGY.
10
ALWAYS THANK THE AREA FOR ALLOWING YOUR TEAM TO INVESTIGATE
​AGAIN THIS MAY SOUND CRAZY BUT DURING THIS TIME YOU SHOULD GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR INVESTIGATION AND REQUEST THAT ANY ENERGIES IN THE AREA REMAIN THERE TO ASSIST OTHERS IN LEARNING ABOUT THEM. THIS PRACTICE MAY ALLOW YOU TO RECEIVE EVEN GREATER ENERGY RESPONSES DURING A SECOND INVESTIGATION AND REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ENERGY SOURCE ATTACHING TO ANY MEMBER OF YOUR TEAM AND RELOCATING.​