We all love what we do. There is no doubt in my mind about that. I enjoy helping clients, I adore my team members and would take a bullet for each and every one of them. I know they have my back as well. I get a kick out of the witching-hour giggles when we are all punch-drunk from fatigue, when my shadow-puppet demon dog appears, and I even like the endless hours of EVP reviews. But a recent experience with a residential has given me pause to seriously examine what we do and why we do it.
Yes, investigating the paranormal is a blast, especially when you do it with a team that has become your family and best friends. Being able to debunk claims or verify activity to bring peace of mind for the client is what it is really all about. Most want to know if they are simply just crazy. We had one elderly client that would panic every time the air conditioner thermostat clicked on. She was truly afraid that it was a ghost. Now that might sound funny to some, but in her mind she was truly terrified and to be able to bring her comfort was very satisfying. But when a team is faced with something that is actually demonic in nature.....how does one wrap their head around THAT? To have the thought go through my head "Holy crap....this s**t is really REAL and not manufactured by Hollywood for entertainment value!" was really a life-altering experience.
This story falls on the heels of my previous post. It involves the same family and most of the same team members. Based on the evidence we captured previously we decided to bring in someone that specialized in Demonology for a consultation. The family was already making very positive steps in deaing with the situation, but we felt that the case warranted further review as a safety precaution. Four of us gathered back in the bedroom with all the claims of activity and we began an EVP session. Barrie sat down on the bed and removed his hat to get nice and comfy. He utilized our new "ghost box" and began asking questions.
As my eyes grew accustomed to the dark I began to see black figures moving about in the room. At one point I called out to the man next to me and I asked if he was sitting or standing. He told me he was kneeling down and almost at the same time, Barrie and I said "There's someone standing behind you." I saw a black figure directly behind him. He replied "Yes....I know he's there." At times the air in the room seemed to physically change. At one point I found it hard to breathe and told my team mates that I felt my throat constricting. the air became heavy and you could swear you were being watched. It was apparent that we were.
After the EVP session ended, the four of us stood around each other to discuss our next plan of attack. Out of nowhere we all heard a loud crash and I uttered my usual profanities such as "what the f**k was THAT?". Barrie walked over to the bed and replied "Ummm....guys? My hat is missing". We turned on more light and I walked across the room to where we had heard the noise and his hat was laying there on the floor! His hat literally FLEW across the room right in front of us! Projectile hats are cool as hell, but the worse was yet to come.
As we met and mingled with the family, at one point Barrie came to me and urgently hauled me into the bathroom with him. Once inside he handed me his camera and began to remove his shirt. I was astounded to see four very long, angry red scratches begin to rise from his skin. They appeared to run from the bottom of his neck to almost his beltline at the longest point. The scratches welled up before my eyes and one was so deep I was concerned that it would begin bleeding. I can attest that there was no physical way for Barrie to do that to himself. Hell....I was the only one around with fingernails long enough to do that kind of damage. We were with the family the whole time so it was none of them either.
I found myself in a very different place from that moment on. I'm still not out of it because it has changed me to almost a molecular level. To witness the things I saw, to hear a disembodied voice capured saying very clearly "GET OUT"....it put investigations on a whole new level for me. I don't want to say I was scared because I wasn't. It sounds crazy to say that, I know. But I was shaken to the core emotionally and mentally. It was physically draining. I did not want to talk about the experience for a few days simply because I had to wrap my head around what had happened to my team. And to know that the family LIVED with this was even worse. When I went to work the next day I didn't feel "normal". My dreams were so vivid the emotion involved stuck with me the entire day.
So many people tend to only see the fun and even the boredom involved with paranormal investigations. Don't get me wrong! It IS fun. But there is also a very dark, very real side to what we do that isn't generally understood or appreciated. This isn't Hollywood kids. Barrie says it perfectly when he tells us "We are on the front lines of a spiritual battlefield". I didn't honestly understand the full magnitude of that statement until this week.
This isn't a hobby. This is a calling. And understand that when you call us for help, we are potentially taking on something that is very dangerous. Our emotional, mental, and spiritual welfare is under attack right along with you, but it is something we are ALL willing to do to bring you peace.
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