Local Paranormal Group Investigates Local Haunts
By: Israel King
(The full article can be found here.)It seems that you can't turn on the television anymore without running into a program featuring someone "hunting" for ghosts. In the past 5 years or so, snooping around in the dark for the things that go bump has come into fashion. People of all sorts can be found haunting locations that are reportedly haunted themselves, looking for an otherworldly encounter. Ghost tours and attractions lure in many wannabe ghost hunters, hoping for the excitement that they see on all of those docudrama programs.
However, did you know that the Cincinnati area has its own teams of men and women who are dedicated to helping others who believe that they are subjected to a haunting? One such group is the Paranormal Activities Research Group based in Batavia, Ohio. PARG, as it is also referred to as, was founded with the mission to help those who believe that they are haunted with figuring out what is really going on. Through the use of techniques like electronic voice phenomenon, or EVP, and more traditional investigative fare such as evidence photography and research, PARG attempts to provide as much objective evidence of a haunting as possible.
"We are not about sensationalizing," explains co-founder Stephen Bernhard. "Before we will claim that a place is truly haunted, we need solid evidence." Solid evidence is, as Stephen admits, not easy to come by. "A lot of evidence obtained during an investigation is circumstantial or anecdotal," he notes. "Neither of which hold up well to scientific scrutiny. It can, though, allow the client to decide whether he or she may be haunted."
So, who makes up a team of paranormal investigators? According to Stephen, it truly does take all sorts. "Paranormal investigation is as much about science as it is about a person's spiritualism," he explains. "We consist of both skeptics and believers. We have professionally trained investigators, licensed ministers, and a scientist on our team."
"Basically," he continues, "we try to cover all bases." He adds that having such a wide range of people helps his team to not be too narrow in finding all possible causes of an alleged haunting. Sometimes, though, no rational explanation can be found. "It happens," sighs Stephen. "We do our best to determine a cause. However, we aren't out to specifically prove or disprove anything. We just want to provide the best evidence for either scenario."
"The people who request an investigation are generally very sincere in their concerns." He adds. Whether a member is a skeptic or not, their main goal is to assist the client. "We make a point to be respectful to the client and to any paranormal entity that may or may not be there." So, does he think that ghosts are real? "Well, they are to those who request help. And that’s what matters."
The Paranormal Activities Research Group performs investigations for residences and businesses throughout the Southwest Ohio region. Their services are done free of charge. For more information, visit their Web site at http://paranormal.thecuc.org.
(The full article can be found here.)