Paranormal Investigation and the Like

My Beginnings

How I got started is not very different from how I imagine most got introduced to paranormal investigation... Television. (Later, I'll talk about those shows and my opinion on them. They are an important, yet destructive, part of the field). 

I was at a sleepover with my cousin when I was 10 or so, and she wanted to watch Ghost Hunters. I had never heard of the show before, and was a bit hesitant to watch it. The episode took place at Myrtle Plantation down in the Carolinas. We watched most of it. Admittedly, I did not get much sleep that night. I was too spooked.

I told my parents about the show, and how scary and awesome it was at the same time. We began watching it on a weekly basis. Then we found out that my local newspaper was holding a raffle, and the winners would get to meet Jason, Grant, and Steve, of TAPS, the stars of Ghost Hunters. (Fun fact: Steve used to be a police officer here in Springfield, the city in which I live). We won the raffle, and had the great opportunity to hang out with them for a bit, ask questions, and they asked us questions in return. I remember Jason asked me what my favorite episode was. I incorrectly answered that the Bird Cage Theatre episode was my favorite. I was just so nervous that I picked the first one that came to mind. (It was indeed a great episode but not the best. I would have to say my personal favorite is actually a tie between St. Augustine Lighthouse, The Stanley Hotel, and Eastern State Penitentary, and Waverly Hills Sanatorium, which is my dream location to investigate).

Over the next couple of years, I thought that paranormal investigating might actually be something I wanted to do as a hobby. I told a few people, and they thought I was completely crazy. At that time, I didn't exactly know that it was a real possibility, that I could do it as a hobby. I thought it was exclusive to the people on television. I had not known that small, local, amateur groups existed that are comprised of regular people like me who have a passion for the paranormal. 

When I was 15, I got a call from my mother's cousin. She explained that her and her husband joined a ghost group. She asked the leader of the group if it was acceptable for me to join, since I was only 15. Most groups generally require you to be 18 years of age. The leader said it was absolutely fine, as he saw I had so much passion and maybe even some potential to be a good investigator. The next week, my parents and I joined, and a couple days after that, I went on my first investigation at a private location in Framingham, Massachusetts. 

And since then, paranormal investigating has been my calling.