WHEN TO RESEARCH?

All investigators know that research is part of the job. You've got to know what you are looking for and how to deal with it once you have found it. The real question, when it comes to research, is WHEN to do it. If you are simply ghost hunting, you need to do research in order to know where to go and when. But if you are on an investigation, then you need to do your research afterwards. Here are a few reasons why:

- When you visit a house you want to start off with a clean slate. You don't want to let the stories about the home limit what you feel there. For instance, if you read that a little girl was killed in the home 100 years ago, you'll subconsciously have that little girl in the back of your mind, and it will taint your investigation. This forces you to be true to your feelings, therefore being true to the homeowner.

- If you log every event and detail for later study, you can then compare those notes with what you find when researching the history of the home. Not only is your mind free of predeterminations but you get the satisfying reward of having your theories match closely with fact. This is a good way to determine how advanced your sensing capabilities are coming along.

- You may overlook additional paranormal events because your mind is closed to them and only open to the events you read about in your research. For instance, if you know a man died in a certain closet, you'll probably focus your investigation in that closet rather than searching the entire home and finding one other room is WAY more active than the closet you had read about.

These are perfect reasons not to do research before hand. When investigating someone's home, make sure to research a bit about their lives (without prying too much) so that you can determine if the problem is in their home or just with them, independently of their home.

If you're not sure this method is the best, give it a try. It has made all the difference in what I sense on a case and more than doubles the reward of an investigation when you find out that your theory was correct.

Give it a try, and as always, rock on.

- Grant (TAPS)