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Hi Alison, Welcome to our site. I believe the majority of us are here because we believe and I do think that those of us who believe, do so because of personal experiences; though some here may just be curious, while a few may find it down right crazy. Being skeptical is the right way to be, and I would like to use the guys at TAPS for example. Every time they come across something unusual, they try to debunk it and recreate it if at all possible. When they are unable to debunk, they merely say they have no explanation. That is not to say that someone else might not be able to find a logical explanation later, but they put it out there for anyone to try or not and to also educate people to the possibility. Skeptisism will only help to better prove to the world of the existence of spirits in my own opinion because the more and more people get involved, the more attention gets brought to the subject, the more researchers and scientists will be tempted to investigate and experiment and in the end, there will be only one reachable conclusion, and that is that in this mast,hugh universe we are not alone. Again welcome and explore the site and I am sure lots of us will explore yours.

-- ebbsmom

I agree with Emom here, many believers are also major skeptics of claims of hauntings, ghosts, etc....

It is only wise to be skeptical when dealing with the paranormal, fraud hurts the study immensely and invalidates experiences that bring paranormal believers to their conclusions in the existance of the paranormal....

Keeping ones integrity is especially important when you are a paranormal believer, and exceptionally so when you choose to investigate paranormal incidents....One poory placed conclusion can in fact invalidate your opinions and findings greatly.....Which then adds to the idea that paranormal occurances are nothing more than either fraud, silliness, or insanity.....This would hurt many paranormal believers desires to prove that these things exist and in the end make it more difficult to discuss ones own experiences.....

Well I suppose if I say publish me that I should explain a bit about my own reasons for belief in the paranormal....Since I was a child I saw, heard and felt things others didn't seem to or at least didn't admit to. I have always had this underlying belief in something beyond and to date I have not questioned that there is, but merely what it is. As a child my belief system was so strong that my step father asked me questions about it and why I felt so comfortable with it at the age of 9...At 9 I did not have the answers he was looking for only that I felt it was right.....

I have attempted for possibly as much as 20 years to allow Doctors and specialists try to explain my experiences scientifically which turned out to be a disaster to my life. The only constant in my life being the experiences I have had that were not evident to others in the same area at the time. When I finally stopped looking at medical reasons for my experiences and started to accept myself as I was my life became much easier and the experiences less difficult. I finally looked for people who were like minded (just a few months ago) and found this place....I am extremely grateful that I did because now I feel less alone....

-- Fay

I would consider myself to be a believer, but the further i delve into paranormal research the more i question my own beliefs every day. I first became interested after seeing an apparition in my home which i was not able to explain. Years later, I'm skeptical of my own experiences I have had in the past due to the knowledge about the phenomenon I have now. I definately believe in paranormal phenomenon, though I can't say that I am aboslutely certain of anything we deal with in this field of study. Although, I am a believer, I will only base my own beliefs on my own personal experiences. If I was not present for an experience or I did not capture an image with my own camera I do not accept it as anything more than an interesting picture, and perhaps as grounds for further investigation into the location.

-- Ryan "Ponyboy"

Seeing is believing. Since I was a young girl I have been able to see apparitions. I have seen them in different forms and under a variety of circumstances. I never know when it will happen and I cannot see them at will. I have also been physically touched by something unseen on one occasion.

I have only been doing actual paranormal investigating for about one year. I wanted to see if I could get something physical to support what I know to be there. I have got some good results thus far.

I believe it is vital that any findings be scrutinized honestly and that every attempt be made to find natural causes for them. To seriously study the paranormal, and possibly find any correlations, we dont want to waste time looking at something that isnt paranormal in nature.

Ghosthounds plays an important role in my study of the paranormal. Many of the people here strive for the same integrity in their findings as I do. We share our findings, our ideas, and most importantly, we share our experiences and knowledge. I have learned so much here in regards to ruling out false positives. When you are a beginner, you often mistake natural things for something paranormal. An example would be dust or moisture in the air. Being able to discuss our pictures openly and getting opinions helps us learn to rule out those things. Thru others we also learn about taking better pictures, getting better recordings, how to use equipment properly; So many things.

I think, for the most part, people want to know if what they got is truly something paranormal. But, to be a good investigator, you really have to be able to accept it when something you were so excited about initially, turns out to be something that can be explained by natural causes. Its really disappointing sometimes!! We always need to keep that skeptical view first and foremost in this field to keep it pure!

One other reason I am very interested in studying the paranormal is because, since I do see apparitions, I am very curious as to why, and if there is some reason or purpose to it. I want to determine if I am supposed to use that ability for something, or is it just a random occurence, when certain criteria are met, that I am able to get a glimpse of the other side?

-- hoot_n_howl

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