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Q.  How large an area do you service?

A.
  That depends on what you mean by "service".  As our name implies, we cover the eastern United States,  but anybody in he world can view our site or contact us by email.  We prefer to limit telephone consultations to the US and Canada. 

Typically we conduct investigations and do our ghost hunting in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina but on occasion we've traveled as far as Connecticut and Massachusetts.  

As a general rule, for on-site investigations, any location within a few hours drive is no problem.  Beyond that, the distance that we're willing to travel depends on the situation.  We wouldn't travel 500 miles because somebody reported creaking floorboards, but we might well make the trip to investigate an unusual and frequently occurring phenomenon, or to assist somebody who's having unpleasant paranormal experiences.

Q.  Why didn't your article about orbs didn't say what they really are?

A.
We didn't say because we don't know for sure, and we question whether anybody really does.  In fact, as the article states, we think that there are many different possibilities, not just one answer. 

If you want to read something by people who claim to know for certain, the Internet is full of sites that you can visit.  One site we ran across claims that orbs are energy beings from distant galaxies and provides the names of their home planets and their starships.  (Although we can't imagine why energy beings would need starships, or how they'd go about building them.)  Another site claims that orbs often visit the site owner and communicate with her by changing their shapes and colors. 

We may have opinions, but unlike some sites, we won't portray them as facts without verifiable scientific evidence.

Q.  Can ghosts physically harm you?

A.
We don't know of any solid evidence that ghosts can do any kind of direct physical harm to people.  Our experience indicates that they certainly can create feelings of uneasiness, anxiety, fear or dread, which can affect a person's physical, mental and emotional health and well-being. 

There have been reports of demons and other hostile entities bruising, scratching, biting, or pushing people, but we've never personally encountered anything like that, nor do we know anybody who has.

Q.  How come I've never heard of you?
A.  
If you wrote to us you've obviously heard of us.  

Q.  Recently when I've been alone I've felt as if I wasn't alone, like somebody or something was watching me.  Do you know what might cause that, or what I can do about it?

A. 
First, and most importantly, if you've added, changed or discontinued any prescription medication you should consult your doctor to make sure that it's not a medication related issue.  Assuming that's not the case, consider whether anything significant in your life or your support system has changed for the worse and whether that might have a bearing on your feelings of uneasiness.  

If neither applies, we'd recommend is that you start keeping a journal of where, when and under what circumstances this happens.  Sometimes a pattern may emerge with regard to dates of the month, days of the week, times of day, activities, weather conditions or other factors that may be related to your experiences. 

It's also helpful to try to determine whether you feel threatened or just visited.  If you really are experiencing visitations, those feelings may provide clues to what kind of entity might be visiting.   Try to push any fear, apprehension or discomfort aside and see if you get any feelings that might hold a clue.  If you do, write them down while it's fresh in your mind.

Finally, if you're able, keep a digital camera close at hand and take photos of your surroundings whenever you get the feeling of another presence.  Very often things that we can't see will show up in photographs.  Feel free to keep us posted as to what you find out.

Q.  When is your site going to be finished?

A. 
Probably never.  Hopefully there will always be new information, articles, photos or videos to add.  We invite you to check back often to see what's been added or changed.

Q.  How does ESP compare to TAPS?

A. 
The short answer is, "They're rich and famous and we aren't!"

We don't compare ourselves to TAPS or any other paranormal organization.  Almost everybody in this field is very serious about paranormal research and each group or organization goes about it in whatever way works best for them. 

Some investigators or organizations may focus on certain aspects of the paranormal while others may be more general in nature.  Some may be more into outings and ghost hunting while others may pursue structured scientific research.  Some may focus on specific "haunted places" in their locality while others may travel greater distances to visit well-known "hot spots". 

Bottom line, we're all on the same team.  With the obvious exception of those who have TV shows, most investigators aren't compensated for their services.  They willingly contribute their time and effort and share information, photos, videos, EVP recordings, articles, etc. for the benefit of all who are interested in the paranormal.

Q.  I just want to say that I don't believe in ghosts.  Dead people go to Heaven or Hell.  They don't get to choose to stay on earth. 

A.  
We respect your right to your own beliefs, and we'll never challenge anybody's personal or religious convictions.  We hope that you'll give the same courtesy to others.

Q.  I read on another site that you shouldn't bother with photos because you can't tell what happened before or after they were taken.  Why aren't there more videos on your site?

A.  
That's a great question.  The answer is that although we do shoot videos we've  actually had better results taking photos.  While it's true that  photos reflect just a moment in time, they seem to capture images more often or capture more detail from that moment than videos.  One theory is that the energy from the flash may actually attract paranormal entities. 

A lot of paranormal investigators, especially those on TV, use videos almost exclusively.  But how often do the videos actually capture anything?  Think about it for a minute.  There are a lot scenes where investigators feel something, hear something, sense something, get "creeped out", or find that some object has been moved.  But how many paranormal entities are captured on the videos?  You'd think that with film crews, the latest equipment, and their pick of allegedly haunted places they'd have hours of videos of paranormal manifestations - but they don't.

We're currently researching some of the theories about why photos typically seem to capture more paranormal activity than videos, but the project is still in progress,  so we aren't prepared to release any findings yet.

Q.  Have you done any cleansings besides the one you wrote about?
A. 
Yes.  The one we wrote about is the only one that we received permission to publish any information about. 

Q.  Can you explain how a camera could take pictures of things that we can't see?

A. 
There are a number of possible explanations.  If night vision equipment was used the camera would record things that would otherwise have been hidden in the darkness.  Even without infrared capabilities most cameras are able to "see" a larger portion of the spectrum than the human eye, so what's invisible to us can still be captured in a photo. 

Another thing to consider is that the brain doesn't consciously remember everything that the eye sees, especially if the event was very brief or if your primary focus was on something else at the time.  The camera on the other hand records everything that was happening at the exact second, or even fraction of a second that the photo was taken. 

Q.  I could understand why a deceased relative might want to come back and look in on loved ones, but why would a ghost want to haunt an unpleasant place like an abandoned building or a prison?

A. 
Those types of hauntings usually occur at places where someone met a sudden or violent death or suffered a traumatic event.  Nobody can say for certain why they happen, but we can share some current theories. 

One theory is that the ghost may be repeating an event in the hope of changing the outcome.  Another is that the ghost is unable to accept his or her demise and is therefore "stuck" in the last place that they were alive.  A third theory is that the ghost may be angry about something or feel that it has unfinished business that's somehow related to the place that it haunts.
 
Q.  I was on another paranormal site that seems to hate Ouija boards and made a big issue about not using them.  Your site says that you don't recommend using them either.  What's the big deal?  Why is everybody so against them?

A. 
We can't speak for other sites, but we'll gladly give you our own opinion. While the paranormal can be intriguing and fun to explore, it has elements that can be dangerous, especially if you're just dabbling or don't take it seriously.  We feel that Ouija boards fall into that category.

When you use one you're opening yourself up to forces that you don't understand, and inviting them, to some extent, to take control of your body in order to move the planchette.  How can you REALLY know who or what you're in contact with, whether or not the information you're being given is accurate, or what else may be happening while you've given up control?

During an appearance on the Glenn Beck show, John Edward, the very gifted psychic from the program Crossing Over, was asked whether he had ever let a spirit speak through him.  His answer was something like, "Absolutely not!  I'll pass on messages that I receive, but I'm not about to let anybody else use my body."  We think that's pretty sound advice.

Q.  Have the photos in your galleries been edited or retouched?

A. 
The photos we post may be edited or enhanced but they are never retouched. 

To be more specific, there are several process that we may apply to photos to improve their quality or make them more suitable for viewing on the Internet.  For example, we resize large photos so they are more viewable and use less bandwidth.  We may also lighten or darken improperly exposed photos, adjust brightness and/or contrast in order to make faint images clearer, change the gamma setting if a picture was taken in darkness, or crop out unnecessary or distracting portions of the photo.
 
What we don't do is add anything to a photo or alter it in any way that could make it appear to be something different from what it is.

Q.  I noticed that there were no EVP recordings on your site. Do you do any work with EVP? 

A. 
We've used EVP as part of paranormal investigations because in those types of situations it might help us understand the purpose of a possible haunting or shed some light on who may be responsible.  Investigations are confidential, so we don't post these recordings on our site.

We tend not to record EVP when ghost hunting - especially in places that are open to the public.  Under those  circumstances it's difficult to control the surrounding environment, so there's a good chance that the recordings may become contaminated by ambient noise from non-paranormal sources. 

Also, recordings made on ghost hunting expeditions tend to be only random sounds, words or phrases that generally don't provide much useful information, other than possible indications of paranormal activity. 

We do, however, have a fairly significant EVP research project in the works and will post our results once it's completed.

Q.  Are ghost hunting and paranormal investigations the same thing? 

A. 
The terms have similar but not identical meanings.  Although sometimes the lines get blurred, here's a pretty much universally accepted answer:

Ghost hunting tends to be a hobby for paranormal enthusiasts.  It's generally recreational and less structured than a paranormal investigation.  Often it has no specific purpose other than "let's go somewhere and see what we can find".  

Ghost hunters may be an organized group, like ESP,  friends who share an interest in the paranormal or a single person with a camera, camcorder or recorder.  Typically, you get whatever you get, no structured methodologies are used and no formal records are kept.

Paranormal investigations are more structured and scientific in nature.  There's typically a stated purpose, an objective and a plan of action that defines the steps to be taken, individual responsibilities and the specific equipment and techniques that will be used.

Formal procedures should always be followed.  They may include interviews, historical research, obtaining an environmental baseline for the site, tagging EVP recordings and documenting the time and place that photos or videos were shot.  After reviewing the evidence (or lack of evidence) a conclusion is reached and documented.

Q.   Many religions believe that after death your soul is sent to Heaven or Hell.  Others teach that you're reincarnated.  Atheists believe that there's no afterlife.  Though they disagree about what happens, they all agree that you don't get to decide what you do after you die.  So how could spirits just stay here for as long as they want to?

A. 
Maybe one of those belief systems is completely correct - maybe not.  But keep in mind that all of them have to do with what people believe, not what science can prove or disprove.  The fact remains that numerous paranormal occurrences have been observed, documented, photographed and captured on video and audio devices.

As paranormal investigators we investigate and document occurrences that can't be explained by the known laws of the universe.  Perhaps someday, somebody in this field will discover the answer to that question, but until then we'll continue our exploration and research and leave the religious questions to theologians. 

Q.  Does ESP do any spirit rescue?

A. 
Yes.  In fact as of mid-2010 we've been involved in a very complicated case in New England that's still ongoing.   

Q.  How do you manage to get so many paranormal photos?  Do you have any tips that might help me get better results?

A. 
Both Jim and Stacey often get feelings about where paranormal activity might be occurring, but they aren't always right.  We still end up with a lot of of pictures of rooms, corridors, and buildings that show absolutely nothing paranormal, as well as photos of open land and empty sky.  We review photos multiple times and alter settings such as  brightness, contrast, and gamma which sometimes enhances paranormal entities that were hidden in darkness.   So our advice is:

    - Trust your feelings
    - Take as many shots as possible
    - Look at them really carefully
    - Review your photos using different viewer or editor settings before deleting them.    

Q.  I have some questions about cleansings.  Can anybody do them?  Can you tell what kind of entity is there?  If a place is cleansed, is it permanent?

A.   Most often a cleansing is a matter of taking control of a place or a space that was yours to begin with.  In theory anybody can do it, but it's usually more successful if you have some knowledge of the processes and techniques and some experience in performing them.

Cleansings don't always deal with entities.  Sometimes the problem can be caused by residual or acquired negative energy.  In the cases of entities,  sometimes you can find out who or what they are and sometimes you can't.  A lot depends on the amount of research that you do, how the cleansing is conducted, and whether the entity in question is willing to divulge information.

From our experience and research, in most, but not all cases, cleansings tend to be permanent.   When residual negative energy is dissipated, it's gone - period.  Acquired negative energy may be recreated if the underlying cause isn't addressed.  In the cases of entities, a successful cleansing either frees them to go on their way, encourages them to leave voluntarily, or forces them out.  although it's likely that the results will be permanent, there are no guarantees.  But theres no reason that another cleansing can't be conducted if it becomes necessary.

Q.  You say that you're serious paranormal investigators, but your site is loaded with happy little ghost animations.  What's with that?

A.  There's no correlation between the seriousness of our purpose, our level of expertise and the design of our web site.   If our site looked like a college term paper very few people would visit it, and most who did wouldn't stick around for long.  There are also other reasons why we chose this style for our web site:

First, people tend to remember more of what they see than of what they read, so we tried to relate our animations to the information that appears on any particular page.  It may help to make our site, our purpose and our message more memorable and easier to relate to.

Second, if people are concerned about paranormal activity in their home or locality  the last thing they want to see is dripping blood, screaming skulls or gruesome images.  Hopefully the design of our site is inviting enough that visitors will stay, read, learn and feel comfortable contacting us for information or assistance if necessary.

Finally, Jim is an ex-techie who can't resist getting creative when he has the opportunity.  Since he works for free, we let him do pretty much what he wants with the site.

Despite its lighthearted theme, our site has a wealth of in-depth information on a wide variety of topics in what we think is an easy to understand format.  We're always open to suggestions, so if you have any ideas that you think might improve our site, feel free to drop us a note.


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