Where Are We Going?

Regularly, I pause and look at where this field is going, and what I’m doing in it.

This year has involved many of those moments, as we’ve seen dramatic changes in ghost hunting, many of them behind-the-scenes.

On the TV, one of the biggest has been the shifting emphasis on Paranormal State.  Though I didn’t agree with the direction of the show during the past season or two, I respect them for trying something different.  It’s not easy to find a meeting point between serious research and popular entertainment.

I’m delighted that they’ll be making more changes this year, steering back towards something better grounded in… well, the roots of the show: Authentic paranormal research.

I’ve also watched a few episodes of Ghost Hunters Academy.  That’s been a reminder that actual ghostly activity (or what looks like it) comprises a very small part of a typical investigation.  Trying to turn training exercises into something interesting enough for viewers — even when the training is in very haunted places — well, it looks like a pretty steep challenge, to me.

That brings me to one of those “What am I doing, anyway?” moments: This week, someone wrote and asked me what I do.

What do I do?

That question made me pause, astonished.  I mean, Hollow Hill has been around for over ten years.  (And, as “Yankee Haunts” it was online since the mid-1990s.)

I have more than 500 articles here (probably close to 600 now), plus podcasts and now I’m adding videos.  I’ve written several books, and I’m in even more books about ghosts and paranormal research.

Isn’t my work obvious?  Well, maybe it isn’t.  Maybe I’ve tried so hard to make this site very accessible, I’ve lost my individuality.  Maybe I look like any of a bazillion other people in the ghost hunting field.

I just happen to have worked in this field for 20+ years… and I’m not sure that this website truly reflects that.

(However, when I say that I’m an “old timer” in ghost hunting, people sometimes confuse me with Lorraine Warren.  Umm… no.  I respect the work that she and her late husband did to popularize this field, but my ghost research is different.  Very different.)

Then, someone asked me which TV show I’m on. It was a serious question, as if that’s a normal CV item in this field.

TV show credentials

That question really gets to the bedrock of my current examination of this field and what I want to do in it.

For many years, before the field’s recent popularity, my goal was to make ghost research accessible to everyone.  At that point, we didn’t have enough people doing research.

That’s no longer such an issue, though I raise an eyebrow when “researchers” are simply mimicking what they’ve seen on Ghost Hunters, Most Haunted, Ghost Adventures, and other TV shows.

I’m relieved that Extreme Paranormal was such a short-lived show.  Sure, their historical research — including the Bonito City stories — was an embarrassment.  Unfortunately, historical research hasn’t been a strong suit among many ghost-related shows. 

Far worse were the supposed research techniques demonstrated on Extreme Paranormal. Blood rituals?  Underwater diving, solo?  Getting buried in a coffin? Those aren’t part of actual paranormal research.  If someone tried those techniques during my investigations, that person would be told to leave immediately, and banned from the team.

Entertainment v. research

One of my most frequent pleas has been for more unique research, and sharing of data, so we can figure out what “ghosts” really are.

That’s different from run-and-scream TV shows that, in some cases, have degenerated to self-parody.  Initially, many shows were creepy, chilling, and provided a “good scare.”

Now, many are just plain silly while others — as in the case of Extreme Paranormal — demonstrated things that are downright dangerous.

My point is: The lines between research and entertainment have blurred enough that — to be taken seriously by some people — one apparently needs the credential of TV appearances.

I have two problems with TV shows.  Yes, I’ve been asked to appear on many of them.  When I refuse to fake anything for the cameras, talks fall apart.  (I’ll recreate something that actually happened.  I just won’t make up things that never happened at all.)

That’s made me fairly cynical about ghost-related TV shows.  If you ever see me on one, you’ll know no pretense is involved.  There is no way I’d give up my privacy and compromise my reputation, just to be on TV.

Nevertheless, I try to remember that the TV shows brought many people into this field.  Many of them have stayed, and they’ve become respected and important researchers.  That’s important.

However, being on a TV show does not make anyone a respected paranormal researcher.  It may make them a popular entertainer, but that’s where entertainment and serious research diverge.

So, where am I — and Hollow Hill — going?

It’s time for me to narrow my focus.  Trying to be popular — to reach the broadest possible audience with my articles and advice — has worked well. Hollow Hill — the website and my podcasts — attract a huge audience.

I’m flattered, honored and humbled by that.

I am proud of the many how-to articles at this website.  My free Introduction to Ghost Hunting Course is also popular, and many serious research groups require it for all new team members.

My next step is to offer more in-depth articles, podcasts and videos about what I do that’s unique. That includes my historical research and my scientific studies.

Paragenealogy

My historical research into ghosts and the place they haunt — called paragenealogy — delves into several areas:

• The folklore of the area, as well as the archetypical stories of similar ghosts.  (One example is the ghostly hitchhiker, or — in theatres — the ghost sitting in the balcony.)
• The history of the community around the haunted site, going deeper than just the haunted-related events.  (My Blair Witch research is typical.)
• The history of the site, including previous owners, guests, property disputes and probate issues.  In some cases, I research modifications to the site: Why a door was moved, a wing removed, etc.
• The documented history of the ghost (or ghosts).  This focuses on traditional genealogical resources including obituaries, family Bibles, vital records, census records, community permits of all kinds, newspaper reports, and so on.
• The evolution of the “ghost story” and how popular beliefs (accurate or not) have influenced the reports… and perhaps the phenomena as well.

Statistical and scientific studies

For years, I didn’t talk about my apparently uncanny knack for finding unreported (and under-reported) haunted places.

To be honest, it’s not that uncanny.

Though I often attributed this ability to being psychic — and I’m sure that is an ingredient — I’ve only recently begun talking about my statistical work to locate truly haunted places.

Some people have mistakenly decided that it’s  simply about ley lines.

Though that can be part of my analysis, it’s usually just one facet of my work.  (My discovery of Abner Cook’s role in creating haunted buildings in Austin, Texas, is a good example of a pattern that’s not related to ley lines.)

However, predicting what’s profoundly haunted but (so far) only known to a few — or what else is haunted, near where a ghost is reported — is among my specialties.

That’s why, at many ghost-related events and public investigations, I seem to vanish from the popular locations.  If you follow me, you’ll probably encounter something wilder and more chilling than the diluted ghostly energy that “everybody” seems to know about.

Quantum and fringe studies

I’m an unabashed geek when it comes to paranormal research.  Generally, I’ve kept that in low-profile mode, as best I could.  I never want to make this research sound inaccessible to others.

It’s not.  Anyone can conduct valid, helpful, original ghost research.

However, I am a little weird.  Whether that’s “good” or “bad” depends on how you look at it.

My childhood involved regular visits to M.I.T., where my grandfather was a consultant.  In fifth grade, when I wasn’t memorizing Shakespeare’s entire play, The Tempest, I was reading everything I could find that even vaguely connected with ghosts.

This took me from Jess Stearn’s books to Hans Holzer’s, to theories by Sybil Leek and Andre Puharich, to… well, lots of issues of Scientific American and sci-fi magazines.

Today, I’m devouring energy studies by biologists in Japan, quantum physics theories, and every off-the-wall report that might have some element of truth that explains some aspect of ghosts and haunted places.

I’ve sometimes babbled about this at Hollow Hill, but I’ve generally hidden those articles and rambles in less-visible corners of this site.

And that’s where this is going

I think I’ve written enough popular articles now.  Oh, I’ll continue to work on how-to articles, courses, podcasts, videos and especially books.

They simply won’t be my central focus.

You can use the Search form (right side of every webpage) to browse articles about… well, plenty of basic and advanced ghost-related information.

Starting now, I’ll be shifting my priorities.

I’m making more time for my unique research and my books.  I’ll be more outspoken about that work, as well.

I never want to sound obnoxious or as if I’m somehow “better than” others.  I’m not. I’m simply different. (If you’ve read this far, you’re probably one of those “different” people, too. I’m glad you’re among my friends.)

Seeing the increasing divide between entertainment and research… it’s time to do what I do best: Research and writing on the front lines (and in the eerie labs and creepy places) of ghost hunting.

Only a small part of my research will be useful.  A lot of it will turn out to be badly flawed, and lead us nowhere.

I’m willing to look foolish.  It’s okay.

The point is to begin sharing the important “what if..?” questions, and the tentative answers.

I’ve already shared the basics, in hundreds of articles at this website.

Now, let’s take this adventure in new directions.