Bobby Elgee asked:


This article is an open query to all ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, psychics, mediums, parapsychologists, and theologians regarding the possible moral obligations concerning assisting certain types of ghosts–as defined as the consciousness of deceased persons possibly trapped in the material realm–to move on to ‘the other side.’

I am an amateur paranormal investigator with limited experience and many questions cross my mind, not only about the research and gathering ‘evidence’ of the paranormal, but also questions related to the moral, ethical, and spiritual aspects of this endeavor.

My question is this:

Do we have an obligation to assist ghosts in their transition to ‘the other side’?

The question is based on a series of assumptions as follows.

1. Ghosts are the consciousness of deceased humans and certain ghosts are ‘stuck’ in the material realm.

2. Some ghosts may be unaware that they are ghosts and/or they are unable to muster the actions/steps necessary to ‘move on.’

3. There is something beyond the material realm. A place or state exists that is a natural and probably desirable next step, and getting there is  necessary to complete the spiritual evolution of these free-floating ‘minds’ called ghosts.

4.  Thus we, as the living, being knowledgeable of the condition of their existence–and theoretically having the tools to assist them in their spiritual evolution–should render this assistance.

The above assumptions possibly place us–as paranormal investigators and others concerned with the spiritual evolution of our species–in a unique position to be able to provide this assistance. If the assumptions above are true and/or you believe in ghosts, to not act based on these assumptions be could something akin to leaving Kitty Genovese bleeding on the street.

If you believe that people should be altruistic–that is being obligated and willing to help our fellow humans (and ghosts)–we should seriously consider this issue.

There is research that shows that humans can be altruistic. They certainly may demonstrate this trait. We operate in groups for the greater good and are social creatures. However, there is also social psychological research that demonstrates that we are very selfish, e.g. we may only clearly operate altruistically when it serves our own needs/ideals or that of our family. We may be unique in the animal kingdom considering our combination of altruistic and selfish traits. The discussion of  these psychological and sociological ideas certainly goes beyond the constrains of this article, but they do bear mentioning.

So, when considering this question, one has to look deep into oneself and society and consider whether your answer to the question is self-serving or genuinely altruistic.

Considering the popular television show Ghost Hunters, rarely do they televise cleansing efforts, involve religious authorities or psychics specific to this issue, and it appears that their activities in regards to their clients mostly involve educating their clients to paranormal phenomena with the tenet that knowledge reduces fear–and that there is really nothing to fear. At least for the humans involved.

This is just on the surface, and TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) certainly provides more services than is discernable from their television show and  has demonstrated the capability to provide referrals to professionals and experts capable of operating under the assumptions I mentioned earlier.

Anyone that has done any background research on Grant, Jason, and Steve–the force behind TAPS– realizes that their paranormal experiences far exceeds what is able to be shown in an hour television show. For all the commercialization and debates to as to whether the ‘evidence’ they present is valid, they do deserve immense credit to bringing the realm of the paranormal–and implications on the spiritual evolution of the human race–to light and educating the general public in regards to these type of phenomena as genuine and legitimate human experiences.

Other television shows have a bent that lends themselves more toward addressing the possible  moral and ethical responsibilities that this article is questioning. Paranormal State, the team of young investigators and paranormal entrepreneurs from Penn State, definitely deserves credit for bringing this issue more to light and embracing a wider spirituality that underlies the entire endeavor.

Both groups, Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State, are clearly human-centric. The living are more important then the dead. Their needs take precedent, being the primary needs in any case. This is a premise I have to believe, as my belief in ghosts and the afterlife are unresolved at best. If a child is scared, or an adult is being tormented by paranormal experiences, the impact on their quality of life is obvious. Why the supposed ‘ghosts’ are exhibiting this ‘behavior’ is always secondary to the needs of the living..

Are we ****** against ghosts? Do we neglect their needs in support of the living? Absolutely, but this is the way it is. There is a conscious and unconscious assigning of priorities in any paranormal investigation, and whether we are ‘racists’ considering ghosts is fodder for another article, the implications of which are not discussed here.

I take this type of bias as possible indication of genuine altruism exhibited by the human race. It is one of the ways that demonstrates that we, as living humans, are part of the same family. Ghosts, by definition, are not, though perhaps they once were. Thus ghosts become the second-class citizens of any paranormal investigation. Though ghosts are the reason we’re investigating in the first place, in reality they are not. We are investigating for us, and sometimes ghosts are treated like nothing more then strange animals in a zoo where we go to gawk. Again, these issues are very interesting, but beyond the bounds of this article.

So, we come back to the original question:

Do we have an obligation to help ghosts move to the other side?

Consider the following series of questions which represent a potential can of worms related to the question above.

1. What if some ghosts choose to stay?

There are documented cases of people who are alive, astrally traveling or presumably engaging in ESP and appearing as apparitions to people, family members, or even complete strangers. How do you determine the difference between this phenomena and that of a  haunting?

Then we would need to determine the difference between a residual haunting and an intelligent haunting, assuming that residual haunting is not caused by a conscious spirit.

What’s left may be an intelligent haunting. If so, how would we decide if the ghost wants to be here, or that it doesn’t know it is trapped? What if the ghost knows it’s trapped, and believes that the other side is hell? Again, we have a can of worms here which may place us–as paranormal investigators–casting judgements that have already been decided by the concepts of God across a variety of religions.

2. How do we determine the reasons why an intelligent ghost is staying?  How do we decide those reasons presumably using the tools we have now?

3. Once we’ve determined the answers to #1 and #2, what do we do next? How do we decide which ghosts to help, and those that don’t need or want our help? What tactics do we employ to accomplish this?

So, we are left with a series of questions that are very important, addressing the basic premise of what it is to be human–and to be a ghost–and our obligations and responsibilities as to what that means. Ranging from theology, spirituality, psychology, to the tactics of ghost hunting, this “hobby” certainly generates questions–and possibly answers–that may affect all of the human race.

I have no answers, only questions. However, in my quest to become a more competent paranormal investigator, I believe the techniques and technology are the relatively easy questions to address. The questions behind why we are employing such tactics–the difficult part in my opinion–and our eventual goals become very important for all ghost hunters to consider.

I firmly believe that we cannot flail blindly in the dark when dealing with such questions. I think, whether we believe in ghosts or not, we do have an obligation to help them if they need it. Not to do so makes you less human in my opinion. And, I feel that many groups neglect these questions or when they are addressed, it is done so in an cursory and self-serving way. I certainly do not exempt myself from this, and perhaps writing this makes me a hypocrite.

In my opinion, there are many obstacles in the way of developing any type of consensus in these matters. One of the main obstacles is inconsistent use of language and even a basic ignorance, and perhaps disagreement, in regards to various terminology.

For example, many groups state that their goal is to find proof of the paranormal. This is a misnomer. The fact is that paranormal phenomena does exist. I define paranormal as something that is currently unexplainable by science. There is plenty of phenomena that is unexplainable by science, as every scientist will tell you.

One needs to clearly define the words they are using if they pretend they are doing something remotely resembling scientific research. If everyone uses the same word in a different way, no one has any idea what anyone is talking about. In scientific research, one doesn’t generally have to worry about this. In the field of paranormal investigation, I feel this problem is pervasive.

Some groups clearly state that their goal is to prove the existence of the afterlife or life after death. These groups come more closely to presenting themselves in a way that elucidates their goals. But what exactly are their goals?

Lets be frank, no one is probably ever going to prove the existence of the afterlife in the foreseeable future. A lofty goal, sure, but one in all likelihood is probably  unobtainable. Setting realistic goals is important in any endeavor, and ghost hunting is no different. Perhaps setting such an all encompassing goal undermines the method, and the ability to work toward obtaining this goal.

Running around, taking strange photographs, capturing audio of unexplained voices, and documenting cold spots and spikes in EMF activity may not be advancing the body of knowledge toward proving the afterlife in any meaningful way. However, at this point, these are some the most popular tools we have.

If you do want to prove the existence of the afterlife, and you capture some evidence of what you feel is a ghost, how come most people just walk away from it? They put the picture on their Web site and show it off, with little regard to the ghost itself. Even worse then that, they may return to the location–even bringing in more investigators–in an attempt to capture further ‘evidence.’ And yet, what is done as far as attempts to determine why the ‘ghost’ is there and what can be done to help it’s spiritual evolution? Again, this unfortunate spirit is reduced to an exhibit, a zoo animal, and something to be harassed.

There has to be more then that, and as a ghost hunter or paranormal investigator, especially if you believe in ghosts, you should do something about it, and hopefully something that will help on a spiritual level. Otherwise, in my opinion, you are nothing better then a tourist and an amateur, and are solely thinking of your own needs and desires. In other words, you are being self-serving.

Many groups are very committed to debunking. In my mind, these groups have less of an obligation to assist these disembodied spirits. For myself, I am not convinced of the existence of ghosts. The paranormal phenomena I have captured evidence of is simply that in my mind. It’s paranormal–unexplained by science. Subsequently calling such phenomena a ghost is a leap of faith I can’t make with any degree of certainty at this time. Thus, I’m fairly comfortable not attaching any spiritual implications or obligations to any such phenomena.

Until I am actually convinced that there are such things as ghosts, I don’t necessarily feel any obligation to take further steps beyond just trying to figure out what “it” is. However, I do articulate this, and don’t run around identifying such phenomena as ghosts, then do nothing about it. Also, I do work with people who study these aspects of paranormal investigations, and feel that they have the skills to address these aspects if necessary.

Of course, I may be wrong and self-serving and–in an effort to justify my actions and reconcile them with my thoughts and opinions on the subject–may be neglecting a very important piece of the puzzle. In fact, I have a nagging feeling in the back of my head this may be the very case.

Given the original premise of this article, ghost hunters become elevated to a unique group– a group who has to have an understanding of human psychology, culture, and spirituality, and be able to offer advice and take action concerning a spirits spiritual well-being.

The field of paranormal investigation will evolved only  if people consider the basic questions, motivations, and drives beyond just capturing evidence. Look at the original question underneath it all…why do we do this?

To take a basic tenet of ethics, one must first do no harm. Regardless of whether ghosts exist–and by default this implies the existence of an afterlife–I sincerely don’t believe that most paranormal investigators are causing any harm. But if one does consider the spiritual implications regarding helping a trapped spirit, we are acting on a body of imperfect knowledge, and thus by doing so, perhaps could cause harm if we aren’t very careful and thoughtful in our methods.

So, are there any answers in this article? Probably not, but there are many questions and the half-baked musings of an amateur ghost hunter who may just be in over his head.

David Slone asked:


Ghosts are different things depending on who you ask. While 32% of Americans believe in ghosts, according to a 2005 Gallup poll, there is a divergence of opinion as to what constitutes a ghost. Parapsychologists are in favor of the term, apparition, because it’s purportedly more precise. An apparition is considered immaterial, but it can seem real and tangible. There are a variety of entities that qualify for the catch-all term, ghost, and here they are, in no particular order.

The spirit of a deceased person could make itself known in its former habitat, i.e., a home or office. In this case, the ghost is said to have a likeness to the deceased either in appearance, behavior, or vocal imitation. Of course, it may not be an imitation!

Other common uses of the term refer to angels or demons, or even as a synonym for a person’s immaterial spirit, whether or not they’re presenting themselves to others.

Ghosts are portrayed as having a semi-transparent, unspecific form, loosely resembling the person they once were. Their motives are helpful, ominous, or treacherous. Their motions are transient because they pop in and out. They’re often seen fleeing or scurrying. Of course, reports abound, and these are only a few examples of the alleged behavior of ghosts.

Ghost mythology is common in every ancient culture – from the Egyptians, to the Chinese, to the Europeans of the Middle Ages Ghosts were thought to be the disembodied soul of the person they once inhabited.

Parapsychologists study ghosts as part of their living. A parapsychologist seeks to understand paranormal phenomena. Paranormal phenomena is described as any phenomenon or occurrence that exceeds the bounds of what is possible, according to the established principles and laws of science.

Skeptics charge the controversy with several explanations for suspected ghost sightings. For instance, Scientists Richard Lord and Richard Wiseman explain that sound waves having frequencies less than 20 hertz are normally inaudible, nonetheless, they may cause someone to feel a presence or shift their mood to anxiety or dread. Carbon monoxide poisoning was cited as a cause for haunted houses as early as 1921 because it can cause hallucinations, ill feelings, and a sensation of dread as well.

Another condition, pareidolia, is a condition that causes someone to recognize human faces or forms in random patterns. That’s kind of like a case of seeing what you anticipate, hope for, or want to happen, instead of just seeing. Skeptics aside, extraordinary sightings and stories flow in from all corners of the world at large.

Let’s take a look and see whether or not ghosts might have a scant possibility of really existing.

The New Testament acknowledges the existence of demons, the real spiritual beings that tempt, lie, deceive, and physically harm humans. According to the Bible their intention is to turn people away from God, from the best interests of the human and what will make then happiest, and to try to cause humans to think that they’re smarter than the All mighty loving God. Jesus gave humans the power to cast out demons and walk over the enemy. We have a shield of protection through Christ’s blood. A study of the gospel and the historical teachings of Jesus as it relates to angels and demons is too important and is a separate area of study outside of ghosts.

But, before we begin, let’s move on to the ghost stories of the world.

The face of Martha Rendell, the only female to be executed at Fremantle, appears in the window of the church frequently. The face seems to be produced by ripples in the glass that reflect light in an abnormal way, but the resemblance is eerie.

In China, Tuen Mun Road in Hong Kong is apparently causing excessive death tolls due to “ghosts popping up in the middle of the road”. Drivers avert the apparitions by veering their cars quickly and end up crashing. Hundreds of people allege that this highway is haunted, and many claim to have lost complete control of their automobiles.

Traveling to England we find a case with some substantial evidence, no pun intended. London’s primary criminal court, the Old Bailey, has an uninvited guest at major trials. Judges, barristers, and policemen attest to this strange apparition.

Even Mount Everest has its ghost in resident, probably the ghost of climber, Andrew Irvine, who tried to reach the summit in 1924 with George Mallory, but disappeared on his journey upward. Two climbers in 1975 said that they occupied a snow hole with him, and other climbers have seen a ghost too.

Ireland has the Temple Michael, a quint church and castle positioned on the blackwater river, with a close proximity to Youghal, Co Cork. The place is not used, and it overlooks the blackwater river. Visitors and local inhabitants of the region claim to have heard shrieks, screams, lights in motion, static on cameras over the church grounds, twigs that break without explanation, and coffins that close and open of their own accord.

In Japan, the tomb of Masakado near Tokyo is said to be haunted by the ghost of Masakado. During the 1920’s, the Office for the Ministry of Finance was built on top of it. In 1926, the minister of finance and 10 staff members died of disease. The tomb was restored. After WWII, however, they attempted to construct over it again. The driver of the bulldozer died, however, when it overturned.

The most haunted abode in Scotland is the Close of Mary King in Edinburgh. It was built in the 1600s, and it contained hundreds of people during the plague of 1645 when they were quarantined. Voices, dogs, and a lady clad in black have all been recorded.

Several fables, stories, and accounts arise out of the United States. One of particular interest is the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky. It used to house tuberculosis patients and people refer to it as the most haunted place ever. More than 60,000 unconfirmed deaths have been reported and the owners of the property, construction workers and maintenance staff, and paranormal investigators have claimed one can see unnatural lights and phantasms darting around the premises at night. The hallways and rooms are filled with appearances of ghosts.

It is clear that immaterial entities exist because Jesus cast these personal and evil beings out of people. They shrieked and screamed and cursed, and this was written about as an account of real events by the meticulous doctor and historian, Luke, in the gospel of Luke. Get protection from spirits through Jesus Christ. Whether or not they’re actual people or vicious demons, Jesus has all power in heaven and on earth, and it says this in Matthew 28:18.

Paranormal phenomena are alive and well because the physical world isn’t all there is.

Bobby Elgee asked:


by Bobby Elgee, Sights Unseen Paranormal



Ghost hunting is not a science. Out of all the individuals and/or groups of ghost hunters in existence, very, very few actually have any experience with the scientific method or have any experience actually conducting experimental research.

Still, many groups will tell you that they have photos and audio of what are spirits; evidence of ghosts. As far as I am aware, there is no scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts or an afterlife. That is a question of faith at this point in time. If somebody knows something I don’t, please let me know!

As the member of a group whose members actually have some background conducting scientific research, I realize that ghost hunting doesn’t lend itself to a well-controlled scientific experiment. The methodologies are weak, the equipment used was never originally designed to detect ghosts, and it is nearly impossible to replicate the results.

Even more perturbing is the fact that certain groups are damaging the credibility of legitimate and accomplished paranormal researchers and parapsychologists by posting photographs that are easily dismissed as well-known and easily identifiable camera malfunctions and other artifacts of the photographic process.

Capturing a photograph of an orb or strange mist is just that. A photograph of a strange orb or mist. Competent paranormal investigators will attempt to rule out the anomaly….is it a reflection? Is it a bug? Is it dust? Is it condensation on the lens of the camera? Is it a problem with the developing and/or printing process? The logical possibilities are nearly endless, and yet, certain people will make a claim that “it’s a spirit orb,” or that the mist is representative of “the paranormal energy of the ghost that haunts the” location.

We try and look at our “evidence” with a critical eye, and include the use of accomplished photo consultants in an attempt to rule out all rational explanations. What we can’t explain means simply that, we can’t explain it. If we’ve done a good job ruling out everything, we may just be left with something paranormal.

Remember that the word ‘paranormal’ simply means ‘not scientifically explainable.’

That’s it. To take the next step and call a possibly paranormal photograph a picture of a ghost is a leap of faith that I, personally, can’t swallow. A person can certainly make that statement, but at that point it becomes an opinion, a statement based on belief and faith. I mean, it just as well could be a picture of a 1957 Chevy or Fred Flintstone. At that point, I can choose what I believe. There’s simply no evidence backing it up.

Our group members have varying beliefs. There is one thing we all agree with however….we’re never going to call a picture of a camera strap a “vortex through which spirits can enter our material realm” or a photograph of an orb “a spirit orb which shows a ghost trying to manifest itself.”

This is simply too big a stretch of illogical rationalization in our minds.

I’ve been a member of a group where, to be a member, you had to believe in ghosts! We’ve also had members in this group to whom every cold draft, every sound, and every strange photograph was a ghost, regardless of whether the phenomena was debunked or not.

We like to have fun, and our belief’s evolve everyday, but we feel that we have to be careful and measured in our response to what we call ‘evidence.’ 99% of the pictures we post on our Web site don’t contain anything paranormal. Capturing actual paranormal activity in photographs is quite rare. Also, the majority of EVPs can be debunked or certainly explained away by skeptics as something other then the voices of dead people. We post things of interest and for entertainment, but you won’t catch us calling something a ghost. To be quite honest, there are only two or three pieces of “evidence” I have captured over the years that I can say with near certainty are paranormal–unexplainable by conventional science.

As far as myself, I can definitely say I’ve experienced paranormal phenomena, phenomena that is unexplainable by science. As to what caused this phenomena, well, I can’t say. It’s simply unexplainable in my mind.

This is a hobby for us, and we like to have fun with it, and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, but, at the same point, however, in the spirit of transparency, we feel we have an obligation to call a spade a spade.

Sights Unseen Paranormal

Sophie Chamberlain asked:


Psychokinesis is the psychic ability to move objects through an exercise of the human mind, either consciously or unconsciously. The word, Psychokinesis, literally means soul movement (psyche- soul; kinesis- movement).

Some of the earliest hard-core scientific research revolving around Psychokinesis began at Duke University with the famed researcher, J. B. Rhine, who developed some of the first statistical protocols for analyzing ESP phenomena. His interest in Psychokinesis began when he began to study the success of a gambler, whose talent appeared to be statistically successful rolls of the dice. Could PK be an influence in determining who was successful in gambling and who was not?

Rhine spent ten years before publishing his works on Psychokinesis because, of all the various things he studied, such as telepathy and precognition, he felt that Psychokinesis might be the most controversial. Besides, there were some problems when, after many experiments with hand-tossed dice, it became possible that the tiny embedded markings, appearing as black dots on the dice, could affect the ‘heaviness’ of the respective sides. Thus, perhaps the dice were loaded naturally by virtue of their manufacture and the Psychokinesis effects was imaginary. To compensate for this possible natural effect, Rhine creating a dice-rolling machine which seemed to diminish the power of the original Psychokinesis data.

One interesting experiment Rhine conducted was where a team of professional gamblers was pitted against a team of divinity students in a statistically tabulated dice-rolling contest. The result was a toss-up between the two sides but an over-powering collective result that meant that some unusual force was acting on behalf of both the gamblers and the divinity students.

Much has often been made of poltergeist phenomena, which involves the rapid transportation of objects during episodes often associated with a spirit. Many modern parapsychologists, influenced by research done by the Rhine Research Center. which continued the work of JB. Rhine in the area Psychokinesis, believe that the poltergeist phenomena and its concomitant Psychokinesis, classically associated with rock-throwing spirits, is caused typically by presence of troubled adolescents, attributing the poltergeist phenomena to a human element, a young person with a disruptive emotional or mental state that can trigger events that actually cause Psychokinesis.

Two relatively modern examples of people claimed to have Psychokinesis in their paranormal arsenal are the Israeli psychic, Uri Geller and the Russian housewife, Nina Kulagina.

Geller was known primarily for his facility in Psychokinesis in bending spoons, although he did a lot of work with Psychokinesis in repairing clocks. His Psychokinesis was regularly challenged by the magician/skeptic James Randi, who claimed that his spoon-bending Psychokinesis was so much trickery.

The Psychokinesis of Nina Sergeyevna Kulagina was studied by parapsychologists who reported the movement of sitting objects, the changing of trajectories for objects in motion as well as experiments related to the slowing down and speeding up of a dead and separated frog heart. She has performed her Psychokinesis before cameras for a 1967 documentary. Her Psychokinesis feats have included making matches move across a table, levitating a ping-pong ball and making burns appear on human flesh.

Her Psychokinesis was first noted in the West in Psychic Discoveries behind the Iron Curtain by Sheila Ostrander and Lynn Schroeder (Prentice Hall, 1970).