3 minute read
Introduction
tific method, which to date has not really been applied. This is why I enjoy working with Brandon and the rest of the team at APRA, because they not only have a desire to apply the scientific method and to use devices that could actually detect signals above the noise level, but also understand that if supernatural entities exist, they might not all be the same. From different paths, we each reach the same conclusion that if you are to study the supernatural, a classification system is needed so you are not pooling every observation. Imagine going to Africa in search of a lion, and as you searched the forest and found evidence of animal footprints, scat, and heard animal sounds, you classified that all as proof of lions. If you did, you end up with no picture of a lion, as it is a mess of conflicting evidence. It would be absurd to do that. So why is it acceptable that most supernatural investigations just describe everything as evidence of a ghost or “haunting”? It’s because they lack a good classification system. With such a system, you could begin to detail all the conditions around potential phenomena and perhaps find true evidence of various supernatural entities. In the book you are about to read, the authors put this principle into action. Whether you are a believer, a skeptic, or a scientist like me, I think you will enjoy the authors’ approaches and the application of them to their own experiences/investigations. Now turn off all but one light, sit down with a cup of hot chocolate or a good scotch, and enjoy. —Dr. Harry Kloor
According to the Barna Research Group of Ventura, California, “eight out of ten Americans (81 percent) believe in an afterlife of some sort. Another 9 percent said life after death may exist, but they were not certain. Just one out of every ten adults (10 percent) contend that there is no form of life after one dies on earth.”
Since my interest in the subject of life after death began, I have been into deep research about different beliefs and ideologies associated with investigating ghosts and hauntings. I began my research by going back in history to study the origins of phenomena. I started to look at case logs dating back to 1895, from researchers at the “Ghost Club” of London. To my surprise, well-known people like Irving Washington, Sir William Crookes, Lord Byron, Lewis Carroll, Titus Bull, and Charles Dickens had all investigated alleged hauntings.
After years of book research, I wanted to take that knowledge and adapt it to factual data collection in the field.
The opportunity to do just that presented itself when I was contacted by Pilgrim Media Group about a paranormal program they were producing. Years of working with my organization, American Paranormal Research Association (APRA), garnered the
attention of the most prominent paranormal show ever created. A show called Ghost Hunters. When I first arrived in Los Angeles to screen test for the series, I was greeted by many paranormal investigators that were trying out for the team. It was all very chaotic until I met a guy named Mustafa Gatollari. One of the show’s producers was pairing up team members to go in and investigate an allegedly haunted structure. Mustafa and I naturally gravitated to each other. Since that moment we have had one of the best friendships and working relationships that I’ve ever experienced.
Since meeting Mustafa in February of 2019 when we worked our first case for A&E’s Ghost Hunters, we have actively been developing a classification system for ghosts and hauntings as a model for all paranormal investigators. Early on in our investigations with Ghost Hunters we started to recognize common patterns in haunted locations throughout the country. These patterns helped us implement the classification system to its fullest extent. The cases presented in this book will go into detail about the location’s history, our investigation techniques, and how we use our research to explain factual data.
Mustafa and I will lay the foundation for a scientific approach to paranormal investigation. Not only will we introduce a classification system for ghosts and hauntings, we will also demonstrate the ethics, standards, methodology, protocol, and technology that led to this system. Join us as we connect history with science to uncover the elements of a haunting.
