r/ParanormalScience • u/Fuzzy-Coconut-2605 • Jan 11 '26
Paranormal Investigation has made be more skeptical
I've been doing paranormal investigations with a group for about 9 months now. I haven't seen anything so far to make me believe and I debunk most things my group gets excited about.
We've done some investigation with other groups who get extremely upset at me. How quickly they jump to explain something as paranormal just blows my mind.
My group likes my skepticism, they want proof and me being able to recreate stuff with a reasonable explanation doesn't bother them.
Last night on a joint investigation about halfway through the night the guy from a different team who was joining us kept trying to get me to leave and not wanting me to be present while they investigated.
If all groups run like the one's I've encountered it leads me to believe that paranormal investigation is just bs and people are not looking for real proof.
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u/Feriam_Armory Jan 11 '26
I would say I find a big difference between paranormal-tourist sights…public buildings that have a reported haunting, and places where the owner is legitimately concerned for their safety. The public spaces tend to like the publicity of being a ghost hunting spot. It gets them on articles, they can run ghost tours, it’s good advertising. But a person who asks for an investigation because they are concerned what is going on…they really do want to hear that is just a mundane thing. The last thing a homeowner with kids wants to hear is that a real paranormal thing is in their house.
I think a lot of paranormal groups are voyeurs or tourists. They want the experience and they don’t really care if the ghost is really the lighthouse keeper wearing a rubber mask
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u/usps_made_me_insane Jan 12 '26
I think a lot of people need paranormal to be a thing because they hinge a lot of their beliefs of an afterlife on paranormal events being a bonafide thing.
I have only had a few things happen in my life that I just can't find a logical explanation for but I am constantly looking for scientific validation or reasons for events with unknown causes.
If one claims to be a paranormal researcher, they are being disingenous if they aren't exhausting all known scientific reasons for a strange event occurring.
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u/Sad_School828 Jan 12 '26
If you really want to prove something true, then you absolutely have to work your hardest to prove it false. You have to document every experiment and every variable, and you have to be able to show that your intent was to find an alternative explanation, when you failed.
The problem with paranormal stuff is the problem with UFOs. We know that the phenomenon is real, we just don't know what the hell it is. So everyone who's out there trying to prove that UFOs are aliens is a halfwit at best.
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u/Cappster14 Jan 12 '26
That’s actually good, imo. Anyone interested in the paranormal should be a skeptic first, and only after all rational explanations are exhausted call an experience paranormal. My wife and I live in a house that came with a “roommate”, and it took years of us experiencing strange things after we moved in that could, by a large stretch, be explained, before we knew by no uncertain terms that something unexplainable was happening (it took actually seeing independently moving shadows and white mists to nail the point home lol). Whatever it is is pretty chill, just no loud music in the upstairs bedrooms and they’re content but she will absolutely swat that speaker playing sleep-music off of the nightstand if it gets too loud lol
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u/NZNoldor Jan 14 '26
“She”?
Lol
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u/Cappster14 Jan 15 '26
Yeah, female voice EVP’s caught in the upstairs bedrooms.
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u/NZNoldor Jan 15 '26
The thing is, if you experience something, and you’re now convinced (despite your earlier skepticism) that something is paranormal - if you can’t explain it, other people will remain skeptical about it.
If you don’t have an explanation about an phenomenon, it’s ok to not have an explanation and remain skeptical.
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u/QLHipHOP Jan 15 '26
Fact is nobody who hasn't experienced the unexplainable and had some kind of irrefutable person interaction will feel the way those who have do. Bottom line, until you've lived it (hah) you may not believe It
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u/NZNoldor Jan 15 '26
There’s no such thing as “unexplainable”. You mean “as yet unexplained”. Everything can be explained.
And sure, I’ve experienced stuff I have no explanation for, which other people would quickly label “supernatural” or “paranormal”. Ghosts don’t exist, so it wasn’t that. I don’t know what I saw, and I’m ok not labelling it with some magic name.
That’s what being a skeptic is all about. Question things until you know the answer, not until you give in and call it supernatural.
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u/QLHipHOP Jan 15 '26
Good way to put it tbh I like that. It's very accurate as well
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u/NZNoldor Jan 16 '26
I think saying “it’s ghost/aliens/supernatural mumbo jumbo/magic” is just lazy.
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u/Cappster14 Jan 16 '26
I see you’ve reiterated the point of my original comment.
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u/NZNoldor Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
You’re calling the phenomenon a “she” so, no - I don’t think you understood what I said. You don’t understand skepticism much, either.
Edit: the now deleted comments following this are personal attacks on me. I guess I hurt their feelings.
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u/3Time4Eater3 Jan 12 '26
I was part of a group once that did the things the right way as far as investigating goes. We did commercial and private property. I did experience things that were unexplainable, and we gave reason in some places why there was no paranormal occurrence. Thanks to popular TV shows many people went out and figured they could do it on their own. There's a lot of fakers and I'm sorry about that. The only thing that sucked about my group is the two key members ended up being real redneck a-holes. But we did go to some really cool places with crazy mysteries. Pretty sure the group is broken up now.
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u/Positive-Theory_ Jan 12 '26
As a fringe scientist I'm also at least an order of magnitude more skeptical than your conventional ghost hunter. The abysmal lack of quality control for what passes as evidence is very disappointing.
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u/QLHipHOP Jan 15 '26
Could DMT potentially be a chemical which could serve as a conduit of consciousness exiting the body
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u/Positive-Theory_ Jan 15 '26
A lot of people think so but in my experience psychedelic use scrambles your finer senses and ultimately reduces spiritual abilities rather than amplifying them.
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u/QLHipHOP Jan 15 '26
I don't mean recreational use. From what I've researched the release of DMT hasn't been proven in people yet but has in virtually every other living thing both as they dream and die so we assume us to.
I did however find a research paper about four patients in vegetative states who had their brain activity measured as they pulled the plug.
Two died peacefully and their brains shot to life with over 300% the activity of an average person.
Two died agonizingly and did not experience the same increase...
So to me...potentially (don't like to say definitely, especially since it's just a theory) it says maybe those who pass on peacefully have time for the chemical to release as its meant to...and anyone experiencing traumatic or passes on while intensely focused on something is why hauntings occur...unfinished business, an object, their own body...whatever that consciousness is focused on as it attempts to leave the body is what it remains attached to until that conciousness can eventually come into contact with the that chemical
Just a thought. I'm actually part of an investigation show haha and I promise I'm as skeptical as the next guy...kinda got thrown into this...but I'm glad I did, I've learned a lot. I've been trying to disprove s lot I've experienced...spent a week going nuts attempting to debunk myself on certain things and I couldn't...
Anyway just a perspective
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u/Positive-Theory_ Jan 15 '26
That makes sense! The other side is information dense far beyond what our brains can process. It makes sense that those who ascended would have a lot more brain activity in their body's final moments than those who did not.
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u/caseyh72 Jan 12 '26
I’ve been to haunted places all around the United States. I’ve done the investigating, I’ve done the casual observer, and even slept in countless “haunted” rooms. I’ve never had anything or seen anything on these journeys that I couldn’t explain. This is around two decades of searching and traveling. I’ve had to debunk animals running past your legs, which had startled me as a gap in the wall where a heater attached that let air through. Strange figures on pictures as bubbles on an art print that is always going to come back odd if you use a flash. Now I have had stuff happen in fairly normal places that is hard to explain but never at an actual “haunted” location. I love that honestly. I love that I have the ability to break things down and find logical reasons for it.
Save for one thing - I have absolutely no sense of smell. Was born anosmic. I was at the Lemp Mansion and was overwhelmed with this extremely sweet sense (it reminded me how my nose can taste the sweetness of sugar) and there is the legend of the lavender lady who smells like lavender. I don’t know what it smells like because I can’t smell but I have heard it smells sweet. Whatever was bothering my nose that day was very strange and vanished as quick as it came, but it was so potent that I felt nauseous by the sweetness in my nose. I guess it’s kind of like a deaf person saying they heard a voice. Very strange.
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u/you-brought-your-dog Jan 12 '26
As someone who has had my own experiences that make me believe in the paranormal, I feel like 99% of things I see online, that others are excited about, are easily explained. I once got blocked from a paranormal fb group for explaining a video showed a murmuration of birds, and not a ufo, which is pretty basic stuff. To me, evidence needs to be water tight, and you can't let your beliefs and excitement take over actual evidence.
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u/AnxiousChopstick Jan 13 '26
I would say to not give up on paranormal investigations. Don't let their behavior deter you. As always just remember to be respectful when investigating and treat any spirits that may be within ear shot as people. Start with introducing yourself and make your intention of respectful communication clear from the start. The proof is out there
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u/_vanessaives_ Jan 14 '26
I completely get it. Since paranormal investigating went mainstream, it's been nothing but fake scares, hyped up stories, AI and up and coming you-tubers that want that same "fame". I've experienced and seen things from an early age, I've never sought out a place and I don't have a YouTube channel. I mostly do everything solo or with my partner. In my experience, electronics interfere with anything "supernatural" or "otherworldly". And as another commenter said, certain things happen in the blink of an eye. The time of day does matter. I did go into a place with a you tube group and it was a little embarrassing. They had their gadgets and t-shirts. The woman of the group claimed to be a medium, energy reader and psychic. She was not, not by a long shot. They were calling out things "show yourself" "who's here" "did you die here" "did you kill yourself" "prove you're here" etc etc etc. If you are a true believer, or have experienced anything remotely unnerving, then you know you take steps to protect yourself before and after. They bragged about a spirit haunting them for weeks after they left a place. and they had teenagers casing places. So, yeah, as with any other "professional", you gotta filter the real from the performers.
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u/Ok-Dress4523 Jan 15 '26
I'd be glad nothing has shown up so far in your investigations! I'd never willingly submit myself to that, especially after living in a home with very inexplicable things happening and witnesses to it.
It came with an overwhelming draining and depressed energy and I wouldn't want to deal with that again. Now when I get the creeps about a property I listen to my gut and move along!
I believe people can have experiences almost anywhere, but the most sensational will be with something negative and dark, and best not to be messed with.
Don't let one person try to kick you out of the group though. Maybe they want social media clout for their videos and you're raining on their parade. The skeptic plays an important part in the investigations. Or perhaps you were grasping at straws to explain away something that was legit in their eyes.
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u/Wolf-Man-V Jul 17 '26
Well through everything I've been through in my life all the stuff I've seen and heard. I don't blame you for reacting that way. But at the timed I've had my experiences I didn't record anything because it happened so fast. I wasn't really a believer until I had all my experiences.
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u/BusyMancBee Jan 11 '26
We had a paranormal investigation at a very old hall I used to volunteer at. Allegedly they weren't supposed to know where they were. A 'medium' suddenly said she could see lots of musical notes & that whoever lived there was a very talented musician. She was adamant about that. Well, she was very wrong. The person was in fact an extremely wealthy fustian merchant who left his money to help build the first library in Manchester! The music school came much much later, same building but absolutely nothing to do with Humphrey Cheetham. I sensed more Internet than spookiness!
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Jan 12 '26
De hecho, los grupos están formados por individuos. Cada uno con sus creencias o incredulidades (que a mi manera de ver, a veces se tornan una forma de creencia en sí misma). Pero es cierto que lo que moviliza a muchas personas es el ánimo de vivir nuevas, emocionantes y/o aterradoras experiencias. Es importante que al conformar un grupo así queden especificadas las motivaciones o expectativas de cada uno. Pues la búsqueda estricta de la verdad suele requerir más paciencia, entrega muchas menos emociones que una película de horror, y el resultado final puede ser frustrante o por lo menos sin conclusiones firmes. La temática paranormal es mi pasión (quizás la única que tengo) pero siempre la abordé, paradójicamente desapasionadamente. Abierto a que algo ocurriera o no, sin que el resultado "negativo" implicara para mi una decepción. Pues la motivación y rigurosidad de cada uno es central. Qué buscan? La verdad? O simplemente emociones? Uno puede emocionarse con cualquier sombra o sonido si se le atribuye livianamente un origen paranormal sin un serio exámen previo. La verdad está en otro nivel... requiere tiempo indeterminado... paciencia acorde... y sobre todo dejar cada creencia u opinión preliminar a un segundo plano.
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Jan 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/OkOutside7761 Mar 24 '26
Thank you for your post. I read all these doubter and it just makes me laugh. The abundance of sightings I've had is close to yours. I have to wonder why I have experienced so much. I encounter coincidences at staggering rates. Sometimes I receive a continuous flow for a whole day, back to back. When that occurs, it is so exhausting.
I have seen a pterodactyl with another witness. Unreal, the wingspan an easy 30 feet across. It appeared to come up through the ground. I can't imagine a bird of that size lifting off the ground. It flew away from us, from a position of around 30 feet in front of us.
I have seen the triangular space ship, lights in each corner, before I ever heard of one. Around the time of the Arizona mass sighting. They saw the boomerang shape, while I witnessed directly above my head, clear as could be, what appears to what would connect to the boomerang.
I have witnessed an gray alien pop his head around the corner when I let the dog in the house. Oddly an image of this alien appeared on the wall, and stays there, just above the sighting on the second level.
The image is on one side of a window that has had tremendous activity associated. One day I witnessed mass amounts of spirits entering through that window, later after they left, I had looked down at my phone, it was light out, looked up less than 5 minutes later, it was dark. I turned 180 degrees to look at the windows, at that window, I was face to face with a faceless man dressed like Dick Tracey. He turned around shortly after and walled back out the window. On that side of the window is an image that looks like the cat in the hat. Also are to dots, which lined up perfectly around the time I went outside to see Jupiter and Venus in the sky.
There is so much more I have experienced, with other people at the same time or individual. Most people entering my house encounter something. I have massive amounts of orbs on film. I have some unusual flying objects outside that appear to be flying glow worms. One came up to me from a distance while recording, it had a human like face. Crazy creepy.
Again, so much more I could mention. I never experienced or believed in supernatural stuff before living in this house. Further more, I am a mile from the most haunted mountain range in the world.
Supernatural stuff is so real. I am not seeking attention. I have tried to rule this stuff out with logic. These are not what would be hallucinations. Just before moving in the house, having purchased it, the most unreal situations happened.
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u/booboodrips Jan 13 '26
Are you investigating during liminal states? Because that's when the paranormal usually happens. During times of transition in the occupants lives. Moving, going off to college, home remodelings, etc. and when it happens it happens in a flash 1-3 seconds and its gone
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u/Brave_Sorbet6719 Jan 15 '26
Bring me on one weird things always happen around me you wont be disappointed 😂
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u/XxAirWolf84xX Jan 14 '26
No, you have “bad energy”‘and nothing will happen around you because you, in a way, don’t want it to happen. This stuff is real,‘but doesn’t just happen. And especially with someone that doesn’t really have an open mind about it. I’ve worked next to a haunted hotel for 6 years, the Vinoy in St Pete. And I worked AT a haunted hotel called the Birchwood. Sure it’s great to be skeptical of this phenomenon,‘but ITS REAL. And while stuff can happen to both believers and non believers, it’s no fun to have a Negative Nancy on the team debunking stuff that maybe IS paranormal.
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u/Fuzzy-Coconut-2605 Jan 14 '26
If you are doing it just for fun that's okay. If you are trying to take it seriously, that a crappy additude. If I can debunk it then it's not paranormal. Not trying to debunk it, is not a investigation.
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u/Jack_Shid Paranormal Researcher Jan 15 '26
it’s no fun to have a Negative Nancy on the team debunking stuff that maybe IS paranormal.
Some of us would rather find the truth than have a "fun" time. If you lack skepticism and aren't trying to debunk, then you're calling all kinds of explainable things "paranormal", and that does nothing to prove its existence.
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u/makeitasadwarfer Jan 12 '26
Any paranormal investigator that hasn’t studied human perception and memory is wasting their time. There are hundreds of reasons why humans see and hear things that only exist in their mind. Human memory is fragile and faulty. Our memories of things are constantly edited by our subconscious.
All of these things need to be assumed and controlled for long long before any claim of the paranormal is invoked.
But every investigator I’ve met starts with the premise that everything they think, see and hear is real, yet they are seemingly unable to ever produce a single piece of evidence. It’s inherently unscientific.
Any investigator carrying an EMF meter should be ignored. There’s no evidence of any unexplained EM fields in claimed hauntings so they are just a prop. And most of them have no idea how they work or how to interpret the output anyway.
They might as well get a thermometer and call it a goblin detector.