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| Using Mediums, Psychics, & Sensitives |
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| Posted on Sun 30 Nov 2008 by Mark Stinson |
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While Ghost Vigil attempts to use a science-based approach to paranormal investigation, we are not a "pure-science" group. We don't want to be a "pure science" group. Paranormal investigations are "fringe science," and the scientific equipment...the methods...the techniques, are all scientifically unproven. Yes, and EMF Meter is a scientific device, but it was not built to measure paranormal energies or detect ghosts. In addition, there are times we "go with our gut." Times that we act on hunches or feelings, about which areas of a building to investigate, etc. There are times you think, "Man...there is something that's just wrong with that room...I think we should set up a camera in there." Its not scientific...its not evidence...but it sometimes yields results once you place equipment in an area where you had a "gut feeling." Maurice Schwalm was a paranormal investigator here in the Midwest of the United States, that was active in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. He's dead now...but he did amazing work with psychics on paranormal investigations. He would take anywhere from 5 to 15 psychics into a location, and NOT allow them to talk to each other. He gave them all notebooks, and took them room-by-room through the place, letting them quietly take notes. He would then gather up the notebooks, and begin the process of comparing the notes and trying to find correlations between the various psychic impressions they had recorded on paper. I find this use of psychics incredibly interesting. On our own investigations, I will often have the team walk through the location individually and take notes about what they feel or sense throughout the location. None of them claim to be sensitive or psychic, but I they have gotten used to me requesting that they walk through and take notes. Almost always, there is a trend in their notes, where certain rooms are identified more often than others. Sometimes this has a psychological cause (creepy painting in the room, dark dank basement, etc.). But sometimes they will all pick a room that I would never have picked, and often its a room the client has had problems with. Do we consider this evidence? Nope. But it helps confirm the clients feelings about the room, and ensures we are focusing our investigations on the right areas of the house or business. I find a lot of truth in Psi-Theory, which proposes that most paranormal experiences are actually mind-to-mind communication with paranormal entities or the mind picking up on residual impressions. In Psi-Theory, everyone has some level of psychic ability...some very little and some a little more, but the mechanisms in the brain that allow for psychic interaction and sensory input is in all of us to some degree. Now, even me..."psychic as a brick"...will occasionally experience something paranormal....  If you have not read about Psi-Theory before, click here. THE TROUBLE WITH PSYCHICS So, if we're willing to "go with our gut" sometimes, and we use the impressions of regular folks to pinpoint where to investigate, why don't we use people who are self-identified as "sensitives" or "psychics?" Really, it comes down to two issues we've had when we have tried to work with sensitives. Disruptions to our investigation and issues with accuracy. Let's discuss some of the ways they can disrupt an investigation 1. We've asked sensitives to take written notes, and not talk out-loud during the investigation. I can't speak for every sensitive or psychic, but taking written notes seems contrary to their personality. They want to talk about their impressions...they want that attention and that feed-back from investigators. And that is disruptive to how we normally work. 2. We've had sensitives latch onto our clients, and start feeding off of them. Cold-reading them. Making small inquiries, and then following up on directions where they get positive feedback and immediately dropping or changing directions when they receive a negative response. When a sensitive and the client start feeding off each other, it can really snowball and become very emotional. And that is disruptive to how we normally work. 3. Sensitives often react very badly to any questioning of their impressions, or any attempt to debunk some of the things they are claiming to experience. They usually fall into the "true believer" category, where EVERYTHING is paranormal. And that is disruptive to how we normally work. If our team could find someone who is a little more attuned to such things, and can follow the guidelines we set for them, we would be willing to consider working with them. They could be a helpful tool on an investigation. But we have not found that person yet, and at this point we aren't really looking. ACCURACY ISSUES The other issue with sensitives, that has not been brought up is simply accuracy. I knew a lady named Joyce Morgan here in Kansas City. A very respected psychic within the psychic community here. Well-known and well-thought-of for decades. She's dead now...but I was happy to have met her and talked with her. There were a few times when Joyce told me things about myself and my childhood, that there was no way she could know. Things I hadn't really told but a few people...and she could not have found those things out. And not cold-reading, either. Just said, "blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," and every "blah" was dead on specific and correct. But there were a few times that Joyce told me things about myself that were dead wrong. So, that made me wonder how she could be so "on" at times...and so "off" at others. She could not have guessed the right answers. They were too pointed and specific. So, whenever I meet a sensitive or psychic, I always ask them about accuracy. Among the more reasonable ones I have spoken with...they all suggested something along the lines of this: Its difficult at times to know the difference between a true psychic impression and imagination. A psychic is in an environment...they may know a bit of the history...they can see their surroundings...they open themselves up, and images and thoughts come into their mind. And according to many I have spoken with, it can be hard to know what is coming from outside of them...and what is coming from inside of them, if that makes sense. So, when dealing with a psychic or sensitive, it is possible that you are getting: 1. True psychic impressions being shared with you. 2. Imaginative details they truly believe are psychic impressions, being shared with you. 3. Or outright fraud, where they know they are making stuff up and sharing it with you. #3 makes me crazy. #2 is understandable. And #1 is what you are always seeking, I suppose. That is why I like Maurice Schwalm's idea of using multiple psychics at once, and then cross-referencing their written notes about a location...looking for images or information that comes up in two or more of their reports to you. It seems like a somewhat credible approach...looking for those correlations, in order to weed out both #2 and #3. After all, if 3, 5, or 8 psychics who have not communicated about a location, all give you written notes with similar details in them, specific to certain rooms or locations...that makes that information pretty interesting or compelling. If absolutely nothing in their notes matches up...or if the things that match up are fairly vague, and possible coincidence, then you really don't have much to confirm those impressions as real. -Mark Stinson  |
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