The scientific study of the paranormal has become a booming success because of the popularity of such shows as Sci-Fi's "Ghost Hunters" and others. I encourage people to support their local paranormal groups. Most paranormal groups are made up of people who work full time jobs,have families, and live regular lives by day. Many have had their own personal experience prior to joining a group and that's what fuels their interest. Equipment to study the paranormal can range from very cheap to very expensive. All of this comes out of pocket. The time spent reviewing evidence can quite a large chunk of time. A four hour investigation times five pieces of equipment equals twenty hours worth of evidence that needs to gone over. The basic point is this is not a task many people are willing to take on. As mentioned above the popularity of paranormal shows has flooded the field with thousands of groups,more and more every day. So here are some simple tips to help you when deciding who is for real and who is a hack.
1) Never use a group that charges a fee. Any good group will do it for free,because of their compulsion for the truth.
2) Find a group that looks for reasonable answers. There a million sites with pictures of dust that they claim are spirit orbs. Saying something is paranormal should be the last answer,not the first.
3)Ask questions. Find out what a groups goals are and how they conduct an investigation. A flashy website doesn't mean they know what their doing.
Many groups mean well and just don't realize how much is involved in doing this type of research. So choose wisely. The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) the stars of "Ghost Hunters" are about as top of the line as you can get. Many groups model their own investigations after TAPS protocols. Other groups are just as good as them though,just not as well known. So please give your local group a chance. In New Hampshire where I live, there are many groups for a small state. In my opinion the best group in this area is the... Seacoast Paranormal Research Group and would highly recommend contacting them if you live in the area and are in need of paranormal services. Their website is currently under going some construction but functional and informative. You can find them at www.SeacoastParanormal.net. If you don't live in the area give your local group a chance.



