Most of the calls I get as the case manager are from clients who believe they have a demonic entity in their home. I begin my series of questions to see if what they have may be demonic. The responses are usually that they see shadows and hear noises. I probe further with many questions. I usually find that what they have sounds like regular sprit activity and can possibly be debunked. I want to help them and so I tell them my thoughts on what they may be experiencing. They feel relieved by the conversation and thank me for listening to them. I feel bad that they feel like they cannot speak about this with anyone as they will be looked at like they are crazy.

Religion can play a part in people believing they have a demon. Some religions believe any paranormal activity is demonic. This is an absurd belief. The house could be settling, a mouse playing in the walls or many other reasons could be attributed to sounds. Not all sounds are demonic. I had a caller one time tell me she caught a demonic voice on her recorder. I asked her why she thought it was demonic. She told me it was because it sounded evil. I listened to the recording and did not hear anything evil. I did hear someone say “get out”. I explained to her that because I was not there for the recording I cannot tell her what made the sound. Perhaps her boyfriend was playing a trick on her? Perhaps it was real but I was not there to confirm this. To date there is no device that we can run an audio clip through and it give us data back verifying it from the other side or from a boyfriend. If it was a real evp is did not sound demonic to me. She became agitated with me for not telling her it was demonic.

Some people do not believe in hell, the devil or demons. The devil would like you to not believe in him. It gives him greater room to play in so to speak. It is dangerous to not believe or not to have an open mind. Just because something is not tangible does not make it not real. I can tell you that I have had personal interaction with demons. I understand that because you have not had that same interaction you are skeptical. There are people who have had interaction with demons that had their eyes opened. It is life changing to realize there is something else out there. I have investigated with people who believe there are no demons however they believe in spirits. To say nothing is demonic is the same as saying everything is demonic.

I go into each situation with an open mind. I try to find the rational explanation for what is going on. My group will use every means to figure out why the door is opening or the sound is happening. We do find explanations that have nothing to do with life after death. Sometimes we have clients who are disappointed that it isn’t a spirit or isn’t demonic. I once had client call in other groups who also came to the same conclusion. She was very upset and decided to believe everyone was blind to her activity. Sometimes people need to seek counseling because they are hallucinating.  Some people do not know or believe that they are hallucinating.

There are things we have found that we no explanation for. These things are neither demonic nor earthbound and do not fall into other known categories. I am not going to get into the other categories right now though.  My advice to clients is to be open to what we find. We want to help you figure out what you have going on. We will offer an explanation and advice that may be different that what you thought you were going to be told.

So you want to go ghost hunting? There are certain things you need to take into consideration before you go out. You must first have permission from the homeowner/landowner or you are trespassing. There could be a fine and/or jail time if you are caught. We always get permission before we go anywhere. If you have never gone out before you need to be aware of certain dangers. Most buildings that are in a state of decay are not allowed to be explored because of these dangers. Some dangers are no floors, fallen walls, hanging wires, wildlife, broken glass and other hazards are there and you can get hurt.

I have a really good friend that fell over 30 feet and fractured her back one night while ghost hunting. She is paralyzed and was told she would never walk again. She is still in physical therapy and is hoping for a miracle. I will never forget the day I received the phone call with the chilling details. It could happen to anyone! She lost her balance while walking on a beam. Many people think that will never happen to me as I am really careful. I want to you know it could happen and you can’t be careful enough!

I knew a professional team that one night while crossing a bridge didn’t realize how far it was to cross. They heard a train coming and tried to outrun it. One of the men pushed another female team member off the tracks before he was hit and killed by the train. That was the last act of his life. Saving a friend was truly a beautiful thing for him to do. If they would have known how far the bridge was and that a train was coming they would not have gone across. Why risk your life? Always be aware of your surroundings. Yes these things could happen to you!

Here is a video on the dangers of urban exploration

http://www.youtube.com/user/HauntedChef#p/u/5/9eGSKemwtaQ

I get calls almost daily from potential clients. The calls almost always involve stories about their photographs containing orbs. They have read that these orbs are really spirits and they are calling because they are scared. They sometimes talk about them with co-workers, friends or family who also tell them that orbs are spiritual and possibly demonic. I now have to explain the truth about orbs to them over the phone. Sometimes the truth is disappointing as it is really not as dramatic as they thought.

Orbs can be dust, moisture or other contaminant within 6 inches of the camera lens. It can also be from within the lens. Contaminants can be hair, bugs, fibers, sand, dirt and various other particulate. Sometimes what looks like an orb is really a light from someones flashlight, a street light, someones face and is not paranormal. You need to understand that because an orb can be caused from these other things you cannot offer an orb photo as proof of the paranormal. Scientifically based groups who are researching the paranormal will never say an orb photo is spiritual.

Photos which are unable to be explained by logic and reason are looked at more closely. These photographs are usually offered to show the public the possibility that they are paranormal. We look to professionals from different professions to try to explain what the anomaly might be. There are photos which have never been explained. Usually these photographs are not of orbs.

There is another explanation for what orbs might be. They could be the energy of a spirit, a guide or an angel. There are whole websites dedicated to exploring orb phenomenon. Perhaps one day we will be able to scan a photograph and tell the difference between dust and energy. Until we are able to tell the difference between them I cannot show you a photo with an orb and tell you this validates that the paranormal is real. I have taken thousands of photos with orbs. I have not thrown the photos away as they have some value.

Here is a video with examples of orbs and what was known to cause them. Some of the photos are unexplained

http://www.youtube.com/user/HauntedChef#p/u/4/eY5qRmF-2Jw

I have always loved ghost stories! The feelings of sitting by a campfire listening to a storyteller speak about things that go bump in the night. I can still feel the goose bumps that I got listening to those stories when I think about it. I have many of those stories to tell myself. I think I should start with me and explain a bit about how I am able to tell those stories from first hand experience. After several incidents around the age of three I began to have things happen that I couldn’t explain. I would dismiss it because I was tired or rationalize it to fit the most logical explanation. I grew up in the church and found some explanations through my priest or religious studies. As I got older I moved into a very old home with unexplainable activity and couldn’t always explain it away. I started seeking more answers by reading everything I could get my hands on as well as asking questions. I took some classes in parapsychology and dove more into spirituality. After a move to Oklahoma I was able to get involved with a well known group of professional people all seeking answers to the age old questions. I have since then spent years investigating locations all over. I have been able to see and experience many things that most people never get the opportunity to experience. I feel blessed to confirm for myself certain things that we are really only supposed to have blind faith for. I can tell you that it is real although I cannot give a full scientific explanation of everything. It is my goal to prove it to you.