Extract:
Ghosts or Demons?
 So, why do people often believe they are experiencing demonic infestation? Well, there are a couple reasons for this. The first is often the religious beliefs of the household. If the clients attend a church that promotes the idea of active demons, demonic possession, and infestation (or attended such a place in their youth), they will often be quick to jump to the conclusion that they are under just such an assault. Another key factor is the overall fear level of the household. Not everyone is as thrilled as ghost hunters at the prospect of encountering a spirit! If the clients are afraid of what’s happening in their home, they can often come to think of these occurrences as a kind of negative activity. For instance, a door slamming is now done "in anger" rather than it, perhaps, being the simple act of an entity to get some attention. Nine times out of ten, once you remove the fear factor from a household, you will then be able to help the inhabitants understand the benign nature of what is occurring around them and to bring about a resolution to their haunting. Interestingly, though, there are a few key concepts that come from the "demonic infestation" theory that deserve a closer look. Famed Roman Catholic exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth has stated on more than one occasion that he believes all ghosts to actually be demons that are attempting to gain the confidence of the afflicted—with the intent of eventually possessing that person (you can read about this in his book, An Exorcist Tells His Story). Let’s say, just for the sake of argument, that this is the case. It would certainly illuminate several unique situations that involve some hauntings:
Does this mean that we all need to take a lesson in exorcism from Father Amorth? I’d have to vote "no" on this as well. Let’s leave the religious rituals to those who specialize in such things and concentrate on performing a sound paranormal investigation. As I stated before, most instances of demonic infestation usually pan out to be hauntings. Of course there’s nothing wrong with wearing a cross or other religious medal while investigating either… |
Interview with Rich Newman
An Interview with Author Rich Newman
1. Your new book is titled The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide. What initially drew you to ghost hunting and the paranormal?
When I was a teenager, I briefly lived in a home in Missouri that had a strange and subtle haunting; every night my bedroom closet door would open by itself. You could actually hear the door knob jiggle, then turn, and the door would swing up with a long groan. Though it didn’t happen at the same time each night, it never failed to occur. But nothing else happened in the entire home! The mystery of investigating the ongoing activity and trying to uncover why it was happening was my initial draw to the paranormal.
2. In recent years there has been a spate of ghost hunting shows on television. Do the investigators on these shows do the field of ghost hunting justice?
That’s a tough question. Not every investigator agrees on (or uses) the same types of ghost hunting techniques—though these days there’s probably a program that appeals to every style of ghost hunter. I believe that the actual investigators on the shows do their best to stay true to their own style of investigation. If there’s a flaw to the programs, it comes from the producers of the shows. Their need to provide "entertainment" to viewers often causes a lot of disingenuous moments, encourages the exploitation of controversial methods, and creates a lot of misconceptions about how an investigation is often conducted.
3. How does one become a ghost hunter? Are there any recommended "tools?"
For those who are simply interested in the paranormal and want to experience haunted places, there really are no requirements. Grab a copy of The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide, pick a location that’s close by, and go! Your best "tool" in this instance is yourself. Learn how to conduct a silent vigil and stay tuned to what’s going on around you. If you decide this is something you want to keep doing, you can then think about investing in some basic equipment (audio recorder, digital camera, EMF detector, etc.).
4. The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide includes haunted locations in all fifty states for ghost hunters to visit. Have you personally been to each location?
I wish! Honestly, I don’t know that it would be possible for anybody to visit every location in the book (there are over one thousand) unless they had the time and money to make it a full time vocation…though it sure would be fun trying! I have visited a fair amount of the listed locations, but I have relied on the expertise of numerous other reputable paranormal groups for verification of these hauntings, as well as the locations themselves.
5. Is there any one state or region that you would consider to be more haunted than any other?
Not at all. Over the course of my research, I quickly figured out that some states are better known for their hauntings than others. And, certainly, there’s more available information for some regions versus others. But once I started delving a bit deeper into each state, tales of the paranormal began to surface. Discovering these new ghost stories and learning about each area’s haunts was one of the best parts of writing this book.
6. What advice do you give to those who are just beginning as a ghost hunter?
Don’t believe the hype. Being a successful ghost hunter isn’t about being on television programs, buying an arsenal of gadgets, or even "becoming" a psychic of some sort. It’s about unraveling a mystery through solid research and investigation—and, hopefully, experiencing a bit of the paranormal for yourself. But then, this is all covered in my book Ghost Hunting for Beginners, which is being released by Llewellyn this September...
When I was a teenager, I briefly lived in a home in Missouri that had a strange and subtle haunting; every night my bedroom closet door would open by itself. You could actually hear the door knob jiggle, then turn, and the door would swing up with a long groan. Though it didn’t happen at the same time each night, it never failed to occur. But nothing else happened in the entire home! The mystery of investigating the ongoing activity and trying to uncover why it was happening was my initial draw to the paranormal.
2. In recent years there has been a spate of ghost hunting shows on television. Do the investigators on these shows do the field of ghost hunting justice?
That’s a tough question. Not every investigator agrees on (or uses) the same types of ghost hunting techniques—though these days there’s probably a program that appeals to every style of ghost hunter. I believe that the actual investigators on the shows do their best to stay true to their own style of investigation. If there’s a flaw to the programs, it comes from the producers of the shows. Their need to provide "entertainment" to viewers often causes a lot of disingenuous moments, encourages the exploitation of controversial methods, and creates a lot of misconceptions about how an investigation is often conducted.
3. How does one become a ghost hunter? Are there any recommended "tools?"
For those who are simply interested in the paranormal and want to experience haunted places, there really are no requirements. Grab a copy of The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide, pick a location that’s close by, and go! Your best "tool" in this instance is yourself. Learn how to conduct a silent vigil and stay tuned to what’s going on around you. If you decide this is something you want to keep doing, you can then think about investing in some basic equipment (audio recorder, digital camera, EMF detector, etc.).
4. The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide includes haunted locations in all fifty states for ghost hunters to visit. Have you personally been to each location?
I wish! Honestly, I don’t know that it would be possible for anybody to visit every location in the book (there are over one thousand) unless they had the time and money to make it a full time vocation…though it sure would be fun trying! I have visited a fair amount of the listed locations, but I have relied on the expertise of numerous other reputable paranormal groups for verification of these hauntings, as well as the locations themselves.
5. Is there any one state or region that you would consider to be more haunted than any other?
Not at all. Over the course of my research, I quickly figured out that some states are better known for their hauntings than others. And, certainly, there’s more available information for some regions versus others. But once I started delving a bit deeper into each state, tales of the paranormal began to surface. Discovering these new ghost stories and learning about each area’s haunts was one of the best parts of writing this book.
6. What advice do you give to those who are just beginning as a ghost hunter?
Don’t believe the hype. Being a successful ghost hunter isn’t about being on television programs, buying an arsenal of gadgets, or even "becoming" a psychic of some sort. It’s about unraveling a mystery through solid research and investigation—and, hopefully, experiencing a bit of the paranormal for yourself. But then, this is all covered in my book Ghost Hunting for Beginners, which is being released by Llewellyn this September...
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