Every day in America, someone experiences a haunting. These can seem to come out of nowhere, or be the result of an unfortunate choice. No matter how your haunting came about, you’re most likely going to need some professional help. These helpers can be anything from psychics, investigators, witches, or on occasion a combination of all three.
As someone who has done this work for quite a few years, I recommend getting some references, or at least looking them up online before agreeing to let them into your home. Safety is important, and there are a lot of weirdos out there pretending they know what they’re doing. You also have to decide ahead of time what kind of help you are looking for, as this usually impacts who you will need to hire. Most folks just want proof they aren’t crazy, and the majority of Para Teams are equipped to bring you some sort of proof that something is indeed going on. But if you want more, you’re going to need to make sure they can deliver before you sign up with them.
For instance, if you’re hoping to clear up the haunting, you’ll want to ask the team if they are able to do that ahead of time. An overwhelming majority of Paranormal Investigation teams are more than happy to use your haunted home as a guinea pig for “science” and then leave you with the mess once they are done. As you can tell, it’s a personal pet peeve of mine. Very few teams know how to properly resolve a haunting, and some can make it worse by trying.
However, well rounded teams do exist! Ask around, see who has had a good experience and with which teams. You’d be surprised to find a lot of people know someone or has had their home investigated themselves. Even in the smaller towns there’s often something available near you. Lots of teams travel, and some even work remotely.
Once you have chosen your team or professional, you have to make sure you’re ready for them to come to your home. This can be a daunting prospect. What matters? What doesn’t matter? Is it like a crime scene where you shouldn’t touch it? Below is a checklist to help you avoid common mistakes, and prioritize what steps are the most important when preparing for an investigation.
The first thing you need to do is clean your home. I give this advice often and it pertains to nearly every aspect of Magick and The Paranormal. Not only is a clean home less susceptible to hauntings, it’s also extremely helpful for your investigators. We don’t need to be tripping over your stacks of WWII Memorabilia, or wading through animal feces (true story). Anyone who has been an investigator for more than ten minutes can tell you that most of the houses we go to are often in varying states of disaster. Sometimes we even have to reschedule for a later date if the home is too out of hand. A clean home will not only help your haunting but it will help your investigators.
The next thing you need to do is make sure your pets and children are removed from the premises all together. Kids and pets make our job nearly impossible. During an investigation we are often straining to detect almost imperceptible changes in sound, temperature, light, etc. Your cat darting around in corners or Peppa The Pig in the next room will directly hinder this effort. Not to mention, it’s dangerous. Some spirits when challenged become violent and will lash out or attempt to hide in the nearest susceptible host body. Your children and pets should be removed for their own safety as much as for investigator convenience.
Another thing you need to do is be completely honest with your investigators. People often lie when asked about their haunting. They pretend they don’t know how it started and casually leave out their unfortunate Ouija board experiment. Or they over-dramatize their haunting, hoping to be taken more seriously. Even if you’re at fault, your investigators should be told everything. Hauntings need to be handled a certain way and the details can really change how they may have to go about their business. A professional investigator isn’t there to judge you, they’re there to help. Also, if they bring a psychic, the spirits will more than likely rat you out. This is more common than people think, so it’s best to just be honest.
The fourth thing you need to be aware of is, the investigative team or spiritual professional you are working with does have a finite amount of time to spend with you. We know that you’ve been living with this for some time now, and haven’t had the opportunity to talk with anyone about everything that’s happened. Being the victim of a haunting can be extremely isolating, and we understand.
However, there is a time and place for stories and the more stories you have the less time there is for us to do our work. Most teams will do a preliminary interview. This is your opportunity to unload all the details and get it all out. Once the investigation or work begins however, it’s time to let them do their thing. If you are working with a spiritual worker, they may not want you to give them any details at all. As a psychic, the more you tell me the less I can do my job. I personally prefer it if I’m allowed to be in the home alone and not even talk to the inhabitants until I’m done. Which brings me to the final, and most important taboo.
As someone who is getting investigative/spiritual work done, you need to be keenly aware of the number people who will be around during the event. This work is not for entertainment. It’s serious business and people are doing their best to get you answers and fix your home. Usually on a voluntary basis, I might add. We know that your cousin saw a UFO once, and that your BFF just loves Ghost Adventures. However, neither one of them should be present.
You would not believe the crowds that show up when an investigation begins. Friends, family, hair dressers, distant relations, former elementary school teachers, all come out of the woodwork. Each and every one of them excited to talk your leg off about something odd they had seen once many years ago. Not to mention, stare at you unabashedly and pepper you with questions as you try to do your work.
This is not ideal for any professional, especially ones who do paranormal work. Much like the pets/children issue, this isn’t just an issue of annoyance; it can be dangerous for those who attend. I’ve seen some pretty scary stuff, including (but not limited to) dangerous objects being hurled across the room. The less people present, the better. So, you’ll need to put your foot down and tell your friends and family (no matter how into the paranormal they are) this isn’t something they should attend. This goes for those who live in the house as well. Do you have seven roommates? If you do, that’s great, but they gotta go. Try to have as few people as possible. Elect one or two spokes-roommates and send the others out to lunch.
By following these simple guidelines, you’re helping the Para professionals give you the best results they can. They will appreciate it and have more time and energy to devote to giving you the answers you are looking for. Together we can successfully conquer your haunting.
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