Guest Author - Kim DeLeary

On the day of the investigation with equipment, the investigators will come over and set up. There is to be strictly no smoking or drinking among the investigators. The client's journal is read by the team leader to see what has been happening. The rest of the investigators may still not know what phenomena the client is reporting as a control. This is to ensure that any information from the client does not influence the investigative work.

There will be a walking tour through the house with equipment that can pick up subtle changes in the atmosphere. Equipment used can include a tape recorder, camera, electromagnetic field detector and control objects. A control object may be a wind chime placed in an area free of drafts and away from where anyone can touch it. Another control object may be a coin that is circled and placed on a piece of paper that is checked later to see if it has been moved. Another control object is to put flour on any hot spot so it can later be checked for footprints or hand prints.

Any phenomenon is recorded. After this initial sweep with the equipment, another interview with the client is held. Here is where all of the investigators finally find out what the client says about the phenomena. The team and the client/s discuss their experiences.

Now, another run through with the equipment is made, this time at targeted locations agreed upon by the team and the client. This is the stakeout portion of the paranormal investigation.

The hot spot stakeouts can last a few hours or even overnight. Cameras or video cameras will be aimed at certain locations. Later on, the pictures are compared and enhanced with the computer. The investigators are looking for any evidence to show up. The cameras will be set up so that one camera has film that can detect the infrared spectrum and the other camera has regular film that only records the visible and UV spectrums. The film is later analysed for any difference that could indicate paranormal phenomena.

Audio and video recordings are examined for any iparanormal phenomena. It could be that no evidence has been captured. In the case of paranormal phenomena that seems to be real, some investigators feel that conditions may not have been right for activity or for some reason the entity was just not able to materialize.

Just because the entity does not show up on any of the recordings does not mean the phenomena does not exist. In some cases, investigators feel that the entity knows the investigators are there to help and the entity may not show up because their call for help has already been heard. For whatever reason a ghost decides not to show up, it can be a frustrating time for the client. Conditions that can affect recordings of entities seem to be barometric and these elements include the earth's geomagnetic field, weather, pressure, temperature and humidity.

Images are enhanced with the computer by cropping and enlarging the images and working with contrast, brightness and grey scales to achieve clarity if anything unusual is found. The audio and video tapes are analysed too. The electromagnetic field detectors are checked for any activity.

The investigators may ask for a few more visits so a better understanding of the situation is possible. If you want the entity to leave, the paranormal investigators may be able to refer you to people who can help you.

After the investigation is over, a final report is prepared for the client. Some time after the final report, a client may be contacted to see if there has been any more paranormal activity. If any new phenomenon is reported, another investigation may be set up and the process started over again.

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