Drinking While Investigating

 My question is, do you allow members or guest of your team to consume alcohol beverages right before or during the scope of the investigation—i.e., “drinking on the job".  If you do, then please explain to me why you would.  I personally think, allowing your staff to drink on the job is the ultimate act of stupidity, irresponsibility, and disrespect for the welfare of your team and your client. Not only that, alcohol affects judgment and impairs one’s ability to rationalize or perform a function that requires effectual understanding or quick reaction. “Misreading” a situation is ordinary for anyone consuming alcoholic beverages, regardless of the amount consumed. Making a judgment call, responding to a pressure situation, can only be done with a clear mind. Alcohol is not a “performance enhancer”; but a sedative that affects the body almost immediately. Alcohol in your bloodstream affects your prefrontal cortex: the part of your brain responsible for logic and judgment. When it is sedated by alcohol, fears that would normally prevent you from performing certain actions are also sedated. This is why some people often refer to alcohol as "Liquid Courage." Alcohol depresses your nervous system and impairs your ability to process information. Your sense of judgment suffers and you are inclined to behave in ways you would not normally behave. People who suffer from loss of judgment due to alcohol often overstep boundaries, make poor decisions, exhibit loud and obnoxious behavior, and demonstrate emotional irrationality. I would even go so far as to say that most could have one drink and not really be affected as long as that one drink was not a gallon of Kentucky's finest. With all the effects that alcohol has on our bodies and minds, and with all the things we may encounter during an investigation, I would just assume that drinking during or right before an investigation would be highly discouraged, Am I wrong. or what ~ Tracy

The Demon Phenomena 

 There has been a lot of talk recently about the demon phenomena and since this is something I may encounter one day I figured I'd best get to studying it. These are a few things that I have found and I thought I might share them with you. I tried to take several opinions on this matter and combine them to make up one synopsis. Often a demon will begin just as ghost activity would. You may see movement out of the corner of your eye, have a feeling of uneasiness, or possibly hear noises that couldn't be coming from a natural source. A demon will usually follow a certain blueprint, and in nearly every documented case, the door to this demon was opened either intentionally, or unintentionally, through the use of Ouija boards, seances or some other type of conjuring. These demons are very rare and a very small percentage of people playing with the supernatural, actually suffer these types of consequences, however the danger is there, and real. At first this demon  will typically portray itself as cold spots, strange odors, as well as knocking in the walls, and other types of noises that we would associate with either a residual or an intelligent spirit. During the next stage, the entity may become more violent in nature; objects may levitate, or disappear altogether, damage may be done to the house or personal items, and there may actually be attacks on those living in the house. After a period of wearing down those in the home, the demon will eventually attempt to possess someone, and the possession does not have to be on a continual basis, and usually happens intermittently. Demon possession is dangerous and should dealt with as soon as possible by a professional exorcist. Most exorcists, especially priests of the Roman Catholic Church, have a strict guideline that must be followed before permission is granted for an exorcism. The possessed person must first have a thorough psychological, and physical examination in order to rule out physical or mental illness. Additionally, they must show knowledge of things they could not possibly have access to, and be speaking in languages they did not know previously. There are other rules involved, but these are the basics. Permission for an exorcism is only granted in a very small percentage of cases. 

To keep yourself safe from the danger of this demon, it is best to not attempt any type of communication with the dead unless you are very experienced in this type of phenomena. I know what you are thinking, I also have the same questions. Are the tools we are using such as a K-II meters, the numerous types of ghost boxes, etc....... Be actually opening doors for demons to come through. The only answer I have is "I Don't Know". There is always that possibility. The other questions I have is this. What does it take to become a demonologist? I am pretty sure that since this is a very serious concern for those involved, I would say that it should take many, I mean many years to study this demon phenomena. Is there a professor that accredits you and says you're a demonologist?  What I do know, well I think I know, is that all exorcist are demonologist, but not all demonologist are exorcist. Another question I have is who is it that actually should classify a demon entity. Should it be us, or someone that knows a little more than us? I do have a short little rant here. I get awfully disheartened when I see young groups set out on one of their investigations/hunts and hear a chair move or a door slam or get a picture of some type of mist outside that if you look at it long enough and hard enough you will eventually see some type of scary face in it, and then turn right around and say because of these things it is a demon. So as a Paranormal Investigator, I think it would be a very smart move on my part to not necessarily become a demonologist but to be really well informed about demons. I think it is our responsibility to know the differences and to know what to do, if or when one does show up. ~Tracy 

The Human Element

 Often times I feel that too many paranormal investigative groups focus on trying to prove a location is haunted without taking into account the human element. I believe that the conclusion aspect is often ignored. To me this is what is missing with so many groups. To achieve this takes time, effort, and knowledge. I feel that investigating cases that are self-generated, such as news of apparitions seen along the roadside, paranormal investigators have the comfort of being able to put the investigation first, as there are no clients to deal with. They may proceed with the investigation without having to consider the impact the investigation may have on their clients, so they can experiment with new equipment and techniques. But, most often the team will be called in to investigate when there is paranormal activity that is affecting people's lives. I think that sometimes investigators who embark on challenging cases are so wrapped up in the thrill of the hunt that they forget the human aspects of the job. If an investigative team is called in to discover the reasons behind paranormal activity, it is usually because truly troubling or frightening events have disrupted the lives of the clients. Although every client will be different, one constant seems to be that the situation will have reached a stage that is disturbing to the people in the environment. We, as serious investigators, must take on the responsibility of reassuring the client that the right decision was made to call the team in. We must act as professionally and calmly as possible during the execution of the interview all the way through to the reveal. Any evidence (if any) that we decide to reveal to the client should be done with tact and care. You have to remember that these cases involve real people and should not be treated just as a notch on your tool belt. -Tracy

The right equipment.

 As paranormal investigators, we use a wide variety of equipment. This equipment has been bought and paid for with monies that we have saved, while working at our everyday jobs. We always find and buy the best equipment that we can afford. It would be nice to have someone else pick up the tab for some of this stuff, then maybe we too could have the latest and greatest stuff. I understand that it does not take high dollar equipment to get great evidence. I believe you can achieve great results with absolutely no equipment by your side. You don't have to have all these electronic devices to speak to those who have passed. All you need is heart, and an open mind to hear them. These devices come into play when you need to prove your findings with others. There is a lot more to our equipment and what we use it for and believe me I know that. The thing that really gets my goat is when other folks from other teams think that if you don't use the exact equipment they use then your results are worthless. I was listening to a radio show, and one of the guest that was on stated basically that he used brand X voice recorder, brand Y video recorder, and brand Z video camera. He stated on the show that he pretty much could explain away any evidence that was caught on any voice recorder, DVR, or video camera unless it was the brand listed above. I thought to myself what nerve this guy has to say that the evidence that I have collected is no good because I don't use those brands. I looked up these items and saw 2 things, number one they were pretty high priced and number two these items looked a lot like the ones that certain people carry while doing their television shows. I was going to call into the show so he could explain to me why he thinks what he thinks, but figured my heart just would not be able to handle the sudden increase in blood pressure. All I know is this, we at ECPC do not have the most expensive equipment out there, we have had the same equipment for some time now and we have been able to collect some of the best indisputable (well practically undisputable cause we all know there will be one or two who you will never convince) evidence. I really have a hard time understanding people such as this. What makes them any better than me and my team or you and your team for that matter? How can he justify himself as being a paranormal investigator by making such statements. I just don't get it. Please somebody help me understand. Please do not ask me who this was or what show it was on. ~ Tracy

Thinking to much These last couple of days I have been feverously trying to stay away from the paranormal side of my life. It was coming to the point to where every moment was spent thinking about it.  I would start as soon as I would wake up in the morning and it wouldn't stop until I feel asleep thinking about it. I would contemplate  about it so much that it started to affect my job, it started to affect my ability to get a good night's rest. There is so many more questions than answers in the paranormal, and that is where my problem lays. I try and figure each one of them out. I sit and listen and watch our investigation evidence along with other evidence from other teams and try to come up with a sensible answer. Every time I do, I think of 20 other things that it could be. I start thinking about my own religious beliefs and how they play a part in it and then realize it is just a vicious circle. I know that our brains are built for thinking, but there comes a point when it gets to be too much, and now I needed to figure out how the best way for me to turn it off, so to speak  for a while, but still keep the desire and passion I have for the paranormal alive. So how was I going to do this? I really didn't know, because for me to figure it out was going to take some serious thinking on my part which was what I was trying to shut off. I spoke to Susan (My wife and best friend) about this and she gave me some great advice. I spoke with a couple of great friends of mine in the field, Gary, Julie, and John and they also gave me great advice. I was really glad to know that I was not the only one who has felt this necessity to turn it off. Julie stated to me something that I think is the best solution to my issue. She stated that she believed that no one is going to have the answers, because we are not meant to know all the answers, and the best we can do is to continue on. I need to try and start thinking that way, instead of always trying to figure every little detail out about a particular investigation or particular evidence. I know, as a paranormal investigator I am suppose to figure things out that is what I do, and I will continue to do that, but when the answer is not clear, I have to step back, and understand that maybe it is because I am not suppose to know the answer at that time, but will eventually attain the answer if I just continue on. I am good with that.  So, now that I have stepped back and pretty much have had nothing to do with the paranormal for the last few days and trying not to think about it has lead me to know this. I know that I can’t just stop thinking about it. My thoughts about it are here to stay.  My brain wants to think. So I will think, but I will do it differently. I will stop dwelling on all of the "what if's" and concentrate more on the what I know now. I believe, there will be a lot less burden in this way of thinking than there is about the "what if's". I will be much more productive doing what needs to be done now. I must continually remember that thoughts are just thoughts and the most important detail to remember when you start to think too much is that these are just thoughts and I will not give them more power than they deserve. I don’t have to be dominated by my thoughts. I want to thank Susan, Julie, Gary, and John for assisting me in getting over this hurdle, and people tell me there is no Paranormal Unity. Now that I know what I have to do I am ready for our next great adventure in being a paranormal investigator. ~ Tracy

A client contacted us and asked if we would like to take a look see at a cemetery that was found by a local gent who was clearing his land and literally stumbled upon it. I know it sounds exciting, right? These folks also asked us to take a look at this other area, that is claimed to be an Indian Burial Mound. Now I am really excited. We set up the date to investigate these two places for last Sunday the 18th of Nov. Susan started to do some research into the cemetery and this mound, and was unable to find out anything about either one. This mound started to make me think. I got to wondering how the team was going to investigate it. My big concern was that if this is an actual burial mound how would we know for one, and two how would we communicate with these that are buried there. Susan called one of her dear friends. this friend, I would say, is the Wiki links of Indian culture. She explained to Susan on what to look for at this site in the way it was constructed. She thought that if it was a true mound then it probably belonged to the Creek Indians. Susan asked her friend about possibly communicating with them and how to go about doing so. Her friend suggested that we speak softly, slowly, and with our heads down as a sign of respect. Now where have I heard that before?. She suggested that we not be challenging in anyway. I asked Susan to ask her friend what she suggest about the language barrier. I don't know the Creek language. Her friend said just speak English it is not the language barrier that we need to worry about it is your  posture and the posture of the other team members. She said if there are spirits there and they wish to acknowledge themselves then they will as long as you have the proper both physical and mental posture. I told Susan that it makes plenty of sense to me. Sunday afternoon we packed up our gear to include our paranormal equipment plus some Indian ritual items and we headed out. We met up with the rest of the team and continued on. I guess the best way to describe how far off the beaten path these two places are I will ask you to think about the movie Deliverance, and yes, at one point I did hear banjos, and it was at this point that I was glad that I wore two pairs of pants. We finally arrived at the cemetery. What I saw was around 20 graves most were marked only by a large brick, no words, no dates, not anything. There were a few small concrete crypts and a couple of large ones that were broken, grass was going out of the broken pieces and cracks. There were two woodsmen of the world headstones there also. I looked upon this cemetery in amazement. It is truly lost to the forest. Before we started the investigation and while the others were taking pictures and such, I strolled around the cemetery speaking softly, and telling those who may be lost that I was there to try and help them with whatever need they may seem necessary. I offered my hand to hold, my shoulder to lean on, I offered to listen to every word they might have to say. I told them that I was sorry that they were left here in such a place that no one would come see them. I knelt down at one of the crypts and said I am here for you. I then went into a short explanation of what we were going do and some of the things they might see and hear. A few minutes later I walked back to the truck retrieved some of our gear and began. As we started there was a sense of calmness that seemed to come over the cemetery. That wasn't the case when we first got there. To me it seemed like a busy highway and then all of a sudden all the cars were gone. Maybe it was just my own excitement, when I first arrived that was making me feel the way I was, and now that I was a little more at ease the cemetery seemed more peaceful. We investigated for a couple of hours, but it was getting late in the day and I wanted to get to the burial mound before it got dark out. I decided to go ahead and call it, even though I hated to. I said aloud to those that may be listening but standing off in the distance that I appreciated their time and patients. I said again that I was sorry about the way they were left and told them that we would be back to chat with them again. We packed up our equipment and headed back the way we came until we came to a small truck path. We drove down the path till we came to a locked gate. Luckily the clients had a key. we drove on some more until we came to this deer stand. The clients said that we would have to walk from here. Let me now set this scene. It is dark, we are far back in the woods, it is hunting season and yup I think I heard those damn banjos again. I was not thinking so much about the mound any more, instead I found myself more concerned about Big Foot coming out of the woods looking for beef jerky. My fears were then added to by one of the clients walking over to me and telling me that just a few feet into the woods there sits two broken headstones. We walked over there and sure enough there they were. You can't read the writing on them anymore, but you can for sure tell the were headstones. Could somebody have just thrown them out because of whatever reason? who knows. The client then said that the mound was about 2 blocks into the woods, down this path. We gathered our equipment, pistol and Jerky and then started hiking. It is pretty dark now, you can't see anything without flashlight. We came to the end of the path and in front of us there was a shallow creek, you could see the bottom with your flashlight. The creek was still and not moving one bit. The client then told us and pointed out that right next to us is the burial mound.  I aimed my flash light over there and in fact saw a hill of some type. The client then went on about how a relative of theirs found a couple of arrow heads on top of that hill. They also found a bunch of animal bones. I have to be honest with you guys. I was excited about this mound but I also had my doubts about it. Those doubts are becoming reality for me as the evening goes on. Susan at this point started her investigation of the mound and found that this particular mound didn't not have any of the construction characteristics that a true burial mound should have, or at least should have as far as the Creek Indians are concerned. We decided to go ahead and continue with the investigation. After Susan and Jeff set out the equipment, they started trying to make contact, myself and Dee went on top of the mound to see if we could find something up there. We did not, as a matter of fact we walked probably about 300 yards and this mound stayed flat or even with the surrounding area. We walked back to where everyone else was and told them our findings. Together we decided to go ahead and continue to make a connection or contact just in case this was a real mound. We conducted ourselves as Susan's friend suggested, we spoke very softly and with reverence, we kept our heads down and our arms by our sides so not to strike a provocative pose. The investigation lasted a couple of hours with no visual responses. The only out of the ordinary thing I noticed about this place was the lack of sounds. What I mean by that is there were no animal sounds, no crickets, no bull frogs nothing. I would expect the hoot of an owl or something but there was nothing. So we packed our equipment up and headed back up the path to the truck. It is hard for me to believe that this mound is some type of burial mound. We live in an area where finding arrow heads is a rather common occurrence, and I am pretty sure that animals do pass away in the woods leaving behind their bones. This is a site that I would gladly return to only if it is during the day, so I can get a better overall look at things and after hunting season. I am going through the audio now and so far no results from either place. Thank you for taking the time to read about our latest adventure, you may now go and enjoy the last twinkie in the box.~ Tracy

~

The most common question I get as a Paranormal Investigator is. How do I become one and what does it take to become one. Well, actually I get asked what it takes to be a ghost hunter. My answer to them is always "Are you really ready to become one?" Once, I ask them that question, I usually get this odd look from them as if to say, "uh yeah I am ready". This look is always the same. Ok, I say to them, you are ready, so now tell me what it is you think I do. The answer I can best depict is this: I think you do what I see the ghost hunters on TV do. Ha, I knew it was coming. I explain to them that if this is the way you portray a Paranormal Investigator then you are not ready.

 I got into this field of study because. I personally find it captivating. I like to think that we are not alone, on the planet, and/or in the universe. For me it is also a curiosity, what comes after death, what do people do then, and so forth. I love the paranormal, because it makes life fascinating. I think that we being alone in the universe with absolutely no beings that can help or harm us while calling for help themselves is, honestly, an extremely dreary idea. If your mind is not open to these possibilities then you are not ready.

 Now that you know a little bit more about me and what I do. Let me explain to you that there is another aspect of being a Paranormal Investigator that you must be ready for. It is not all glitz and glamour as you see on TV. We as investigators often find ourselves in situations that involve families that have small children. We find ourselves in places where many lives were unnecessarily cut short. We find ourselves in places where people are laid to rest both in conventional ways and not so conventional ways. It is these situations and places that can really take a toll on you emotionally. You get emotionally attached and you must have the stability to be able to help with this type of event. You must also be emotionally strong, and have a very strong will. You must have these attributes while being as humble, and caring, and respectful as you possibly can. Your emotions that you feel on a daily basis are real, you feel pain, anger, happiness and sadness, you feel excitement and sometimes you feel scared. It is these emotions that you will need to take control of. There are some not so nice things in the Paranormal realm, things that can deceive you into thinking they are someone they are not, things that can attach themselves to you, things that could do more harm not only to you, but to those you are trying to help if not handled properly. It is these things that can use your emotional state against you and others. Do you have enough strong will and emotional well being to ward off some of these things. If the answer is I don't know or no, then you are not ready.

 When I assist someone whether it be by way of an investigation, or by phone or email, I get the satisfaction of knowing that at least one more person can see beyond the normality and perhaps gain a sense of peace. The word integrity and honesty come to mind here. I think, what happens, is we start something with good intensions and as time goes by we let our values go by the way side. If that is ok with you then that is just fine, however you need to think about a couple of things. One, think about the person you told that you were going to help, and did you actually help them, or did you just leave them with more questions than answers. Two; did you really put forth your best effort to find the truth about what was going on?, or did you just put on a show. How does that look to the rest of the scientific community?, we already have a hard enough time convincing those in this community that what we do is real and what we sometimes gather as evidence is real. We don't need anyone giving them the ammo to shoot our studies down. If you cannot say the same thing then in my opinion you are not ready.

There was this one investigation that myself (Team Leader for Emerald Coast Paranormal Concepts) and the rest of the team conducted at the Russ house in Marianna, FL. The investigation was going just fine, I thought I was mentally and emotionally ready. During the night something happened. I do not know for sure what it was. All I know is that about half way through the investigation this urge came over me to go back into one of the large rooms upstairs. When I got there the urge diminished a little. As soon as I would walk back out of the room this feeling of having to go back into that room became intense again. I can only describe it as having lost something. It is that feeling you get when you have lost your car keys and for some reason the keys were in this room. I tried to shake it off but was unable to. This feeling stayed with me for three more days. I had a hard time concentrating at work, I could not focus on anything other than getting back to that room. I contacted a friend of mine for some advice on this. He suggested a couple of things for me to try and they seemed to work. By the third day I was back to normal. I am not saying that I was possessed or anything like that. I just think that because of the lack of any physical evidence at the time, I let my guard down and somehow something got in to make me feel this way. Perhaps whomever this was lost something in that room and wanted me to look for it. Ever since this event I do not let my guard down what so ever. This is just something that happened to me, was I ready for it to happen?, no I was not, but I did know what to do in case it did happen. Are you ready?

 There are those out there that don't understand what may be happening to them and it is up to us to assist them in understanding. So now that you have a better understanding of what I think a Paranormal Investigator is and does, I ask you again, are you really ready. The only one that knows for sure is you. Search deep down within your own heart and soul and ask yourself can I handle emotionally what I am getting prepared to do. Can I handle it physically, can you honestly say that you are in this for the right reasons. Can you look someone in the eye and honestly tell them that you are there to help them understand what they are possibly seeing, hearing, or feeling. Are you able to help, not only those still living, but those that have passed and need help crossing over. Most of all, are you ready emotionally, to open your mind and heart to hear those who need to be heard. If the answer is yes then God speed. Then it is time to hit the Internet and start purchasing your gear. ~Tracy

In the mind of us humans, there is an elusive yet almost compatible border between dreams and reality. It is said that blessed are those who dream in color and great sensory detail, and especially blessed are those who vividly remember everything, or almost everything, from their dreams. Others, however, may not be as fortunate. These people wake up clueless or confused, wanting to remember the night before but are helpless about it. Dreams are the doorways and trapdoors to our Unconscious. We don't just dream just so we can have a leisurely adventure time during our sleep. We dream because it is our Unconscious mind's turn to process everything we have experienced during our waking hours. ~Tracy

On March 3rd 2012, Emerald Coast Paranormal Concepts conducted a paranormal investigation of the Russ House. The Russ house, which is now the home of the Marianna Chamber of Commerce, was built in 1895 by J.W. Russ, Jr. as a residence for him and his mother. Better known by locals as "The Big House" was home to 5 generations of Russ family members. The Russ House certainly has seen its share of tragedy over the years. There were scandals over marriages, a fortune lost in the great crash of 1929 and its builder, Joseph W. Russ, Jr., committed suicide in 1930, evidently despondent over the loss of the family fortune in the Great Depression. Former residents described mysterious sounds and unexplained sights in the house. One, in fact, recommended that Chamber of Commerce employees think twice about working alone in the house after dark! 

 The team arrived a little after 7 pm, we set up all the gear and started to investigate. During the evenings investigation there were some personal experiences, our K II Meters and MEL meters would light up like a Christmas tree. Over all it was a good night. After reviewing the evidence we captured on video the upstairs bathroom door opening up by itself, and we may have captured what seems like 2 shadows going down the stairs. We captured on a night vision camcorder the sound of footsteps. No one was in the house at this time. We also captured on the camcorder the lights blinking on and off and a voice that said "help" there were 3 of us that also heard this. We were able to capture on our digital recorders 10 solid EVP. There were actually quite a few more than that but after reviewing them again these 10 are the most unexplainable. 

 During the investigation I was overcome by the feeling of having to go into this one room. The room is now the large meeting room they have upstairs. Every time I would leave the room to go investigate another area of the house, I would feel like I had to go back into the meeting room. It was almost like the sense you get when you know that you left something somewhere. We did catch a couple of good EVP in the room. One that sounds like a growl. Even after we had left the house for the evening I still had this feeling that I needed to go back to that room. I felt that way all day Sunday-Tuesday. When I got up on Wednesday the feeling was gone. I really don't know what to make of that. So is the Russ House haunted? and by whom? At this point I would say that the house is not haunted, but I think is being occupied by a female and a male. We were unable to decipher from our evidence any sort of name. I think the male that is here could possibly be a soldier. I say this because of a response we got during and EVP session. There is one thing about this though. The battle of Marianna happened in Sept. 1864. That was 31 years before the house was built. Could this spirit have died during the battle and was stirred up while the house was being built? That is a question I would also like to know.  The female spirit would not give us any information but we heard her speaking on one of our recorders. I don't think anything in the house is evil. I believe that whoever is there is comfortable with their surroundings and does not mind visitors who come in to the house late at night to chat and ask questions. It was our honor to investigate the Russ house, and it was a privilege to sit down and talk to with the spirits that reside in the Russ House. I am so looking forward to the chance to sit with them