| We get a lot of questions. Some are sensible and reasonable. Others give you the feeling that you're secretly being filmed. So below are some of the most common questions we've been asked, along with a few rare ones that simply stuck in our minds. Why does ghost hunting happen at night? Many investigators have noticed a pattern in hauntings. Most activity takes place between 11 pm and 3 am. This is not always the case, but it seems to be so in the majority. Also, most individuals or businesses that wish to be investigated, and the investigators themselves, can schedule a nighttime investigation much easier than they can at during the day. Why is ghost hunting always done in the dark? Some say it's easier to detect spirits in the dark, that high light levels make mostly intangible spirits fade too much into the background. Other say it makes no difference either way. We figured is best to play the odds. How do you know that this isn't all a hoax? Millions of people claim to have paranormal experiences each year. Thousands of photos, videos, and audio recordings are made. Almost all of them are different. No doubt there are a lot of people who just want to cause trouble and mischief, but the odds of it all being a hoax are much smaller than the odds of something actually going on. We try very hard to debunk potential evidence and do everything we can to eliminate the hoaxes. Do you ever get scared? Sometimes we get startled. We just try to keep our cool and set about the debunking process. If we cannot debunk an incident we are far more likely to be overcome with excitement at the possibility of capturing evidence than with fear. Randy Sayz - Does a dog have fleas? I don't care how long you've done this, when your mind is on a hot dinner and a warm bed and then The Great Unknown slips up behind you and shout "BOO!" in your ear, you're gonna need that extra paur of underwear. You did bring extra underwear, right? How does a UFO's engine work? Not a clue. We'll let you know if we can catch one. It probably depends on the UFO. (Is your car combustion, electric, or hybrid?) If Nessie/Bigfoot/Ghosts/etc are real, why don't we see them all the time? First, it is often assumed that they are actively avoiding human contact. Second, there are frequent reports of such sightings; they are usually dismissed as unreliable witness reports. Third, most people will not report a sighting because they do not want to be labeled as liars or crazy. And fourth, many creatures are seen only rarely; grizzy bears, sperm whales, bald eagles, and so forth, and those have relatively large populations within limited areas. What's your religion? Which one of us? We've got a fairly wide selection. Will a stake in heart really kill a vampire? A stake in the heart will just about anything. Most legends seem to report that it will paralyze or incapacitate. Only a few Hollywood vampires have been said to rise again after removal of the stake. Other legends state that only certain woods will work, like hawthorn, ash, or holly. It really depends on what part of the world you're looking at, and what century. (Ed's Note : This question is included not because it's a novelty, but because we get asked a lot. How disturbing is that? What's so special about silver? It is said to have mystical or magical properties, often associated with ancient lunar traditions. It is also a natural hypoallergenic metal, and many germs rapidly die when in contact with silver. But mostly, it's just an old tradition that Hollywod had kept alive. Randy sayz - on a related note, it's odd how the number of werewolf sightings world-wide went into sharp decline about the same time that antibiotics were developed and distributed. Where there still exist legends of shapeshifters, there's also poor supplies of modern medicine. Just something to ponder. Why don't ghosts know they're dead? From what we can tell, some of them do. A few others were never "alive" to begin with. But if the death was very traumatic, or the person was highly disoriented at the time of death, or was simply taken by compete surprise, then a spirit might never have realized it's condition. We simply don't know how a ghost perceives it's reality, so it's impossible to even guess. Why don't psychics ever win the lottery? Who says they don't? It has been estimated that perhaps a half percent of Americans have significant levels of psychic ability, and perhaps one tenth of them have well developed control. Perhaps one in thirty has an ability that would help them pick lottery numbers (remember, a lot of psychic powers are basically useless in day-to-day life). That's about 5000 people. And there are a lot more than 5000 people winning lotteries across the country each week. How many dimensions are there? It depends on your definition of "dimension." If you are speaking of alternate realities, there could be an infinite number. If you are talking abut "planes of existence," there's no way to know. If you are talking about measurable characteristics, then there are at least ten known dimensions (three physical, three temporal, one conditional, three mathematical) and four more theoretical dimensions. It's guaranteed that some scientists somewhere are adding to that number as we speak (publish or perish). If ghosts are only here sometimes, where are they the rest of the time? It's very likely that they don't go anywhere, that they are present all the time. As for why they are more active at some times and not at others, there's a lot of theories but no real data yet. That's one of the main focuses of our research, answering questions like this one. Why do ghosts get fixated on certain places / people / objects? If a person's personality survives the death of the body, then it's likely that their emotional connections are a part of it. Or perhaps it merely something related to habitual behavior. Those are the two most common theories. If it is more a matter of intelligent choice, then there's no way of knowing. Are there paranormal investigators in the Star Trek universe? Um... what? Beth - Yes and no. Yes there are people in the Trek Universe who investigate this type of thing. However all these fields of study arewell developed and accepted disciplines, and are no longer considered "paranormal". Do animals have ghosts? There are several known encounters with the spirits of deceased pets. Most people do not consider a pet haunting to be threatening, so they rarely report it. To our knowledge, there have been no known hauntings involving wild animals. Why do some animals react to the presence of ghosts? No one knows. It is suspected that, since most animals can see further into the infra-red spectrum, this allows them to detect some phenomena that human eyes miss. This is the same reason that investigators use infra-red cameras. Why doesn't science believe these things exist when so many people encounter them? Science has three serious disadvantages. First, witness testimony can never be used as evidence. Second, nothing can be scientifically proven until it has been examined under controlled conditions (such as a lab). Third, scientists tend to get themselves stuck in a highly-educated version of "tunnel-vision." It takes quite a lot to shake them out of that state. (Randy sayz - It doesn't help that there are not many research grants for paranormal studies, thus not much incentive for mainstream scientists to pursue the study. Contrary to popular opinion, scientists don't make piles of money, and they spend a lot of their time fighting over funding.) Do we use psychics? SJP does conduct metaphysics research from time to time. On occasion, there may be someone with suspected psychic abilities on an ethereology investigation as a secondary research project, but not as investigative tools. What do Bigfoot/aliens/ghosts/psychics have to do with each other? Not a blooming thing. Randy sayz - Because all four topics are unproven in the scientific eye and well established in the public eye. Oddly, it's the human factor that connects them. Beth - The fields of etheriology, cryptozoology, ufology and metaphysics can all be classified as parasciences. The prefix "para-" simply means "beyond" or "outside of". The term "sciences" refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on a systematic method. All of these fields study things not currently accepted into the more traditional scientific disciplines. Is SJP part of the TAPS Family? No, SJP is not affiliated with The Atlantic Paranormal Society in any way, nor does it have any plans to be in the forseeable future. However, some SJP members are involved with projects that also include some current and former TAPS members. After all, TAPS has had a lot of people over the years, and the TAPS family is huge! In the paranormal community, you can't throw a stick without hitting one. Are SJP members certified paranormal investigators? Does SJP offer any certification programs? Sadly, the "paranormal certification" is a myth. It simply does not exist. There are quite a few people offering these certifications for sale (usually at obscene cost) but they really mean nothing. However, there are some people trying to change that. There are several well-respected researchers that have assembled general education and training programs, and several groups now sponsor classes in local colleges as "continuing education" courses. SJP is slowly working toward that as well. Hopefully the paranormal community as a whole will come to recognize the value of these programs in the coming years and will run off the fruads and profiteers with great gusto. How much does SJP make in an investigation. We make nothing. There is no charge for our sevices, and all expenses come out of our own pockets. Remember, it's not really ethical to charge a fee to study something that cannot be proven to exist. Also, SJP will not conduct an investigtation of any location where the caretakers want to charge us for it (for the same reason). Back to the Q&A pages Back to the Front Page |
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