We live in a nation of habitual skeptics and cynics. With more and more people becoming disillusioned with our financial markets, government policies and overall leadership, it’s no wonder people don’t have much faith in the institutions that have defined our society for centuries. With so much disharmony in the physical world, people have turned inward to find answers, searching for more soulful, less conventional solutions to correct the ills of humanity. The truth is, as hardened and skeptical as people have become, the need for spiritual enlightenment has never been greater.

But what does this mean for paranormal investigators, who find themselves on the front lines of this quest for the ultimate truth? Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the most dedicated researchers in the fields associated with “high strangeness.”

“Tenacity” is the best way to describe how they go about their business, turning over every stone to find answers that never come easily. They are rarely, if ever, satisfied and constantly questioning the often ignorant explanations of others. They are driven, perhaps because they were touched by something out of the ordinary, or simply because they feel the primal desire to explore and search for answers that are often beyond human understanding.

They also do their own research and take nothing at face value because they understand most people are motivated to do and say things based on fear, ego and insecurity. We’ve learned while working on the Stan Romanek documentary that almost every person who is witness to UFO phenomena is deemed either crazy or an outright liar, out to somehow secure fame and fortune. But when you actually take the time to do your own investigative work, you find that this is almost never the case. Most witnesses are down-to-earth individuals who would have preferred not to have had the frightening and life-altering experiences in the first place.

In a book I co-authored with Patrick Burke, “Ghost Soldiers of Gettysburg,” we document our paranormal experiences on the famous — and very haunted — Civil War battlefield. Our goal: Present every piece of evidence in an objective manner. We include relevant details of the battle and explore theories that might explain what happened. We provide depth of information, all presented clearly and logically. Most importantly, we leave it up to the readers to draw their own conclusions.

This should be the goal of every paranormal investigator, writer or producer who documents his or her research and shares it with others. After all, we can best serve our audience by providing a spark and encouraging them to search for their own answers.

Unfortunately, with the explosion of paranormal “investigative” programming on television, many people now look at “ghost hunting” as an opportunity for fame, fortune and celebrity, which, in turn, further tarnishes what could and should be a viable and serious form of scientific exploration. When you weed through the wannabes, who are more concerned with melodramatic television moments, and get to the core scientific experts and conscientious investigators, you’ll find people who truly understand the value of investigating the unexplainable in an effort to seek truth.



It’s why we do what we do. And you can rest assured that we will be looking for answers not spotlights.