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One night, three years ago Shelley Sullivan, co-founder of the Ghost Stalkers of West Tennessee, walked out of her kitchen into her other room. She returned to her kitchen, seconds later for a forgotten drink and she found all of the cabinet doors, stove, refrigerator, had been opened She was alone in the house. "A lot of stuff began happening and instead of being frightened," says Sullivan, "I wanted to know more. I was skeptical, just like anyone else, until something happened to me."
Ghost Stalkers was created a short time after that, and interestingly enough, the founding members met on the Internet. Investigating between four or five incidents a month, the team is keeping busy. The team is comprised of several members; some who have chosen to remain anonymous. Though paranormal studies and ghost hunting has begun to enter the mainstream, in many social and professional circles it is still not condoned or tolerated. This does not curb the group's enthusiasm for investigations, however.
A majority of the time the people who call on ghost investigators are one part confused, one part frustrated, and mostly frightened. They are frustrated because most have gone through the 'normal' channels. Some have called law enforcement, church clergy and/or have tried to ignore activity in their homes or places of business. Part of what seems to have made Ghost Stalkers the premier paranormal research group in the area is their attention to the feelings of the living as well as the capturing of anomalies of the dead.
"In my opinion, what makes up a good team is good organization, good people, positive attitudes and open minds," states Sullivan. Michele King, and their friend Steve, who hooked up with Sullivan after meeting in a ghost chat room, agree with that philosophy. "You also have to be somewhat skeptical and rule out all natural causes first before jumping to any ghostly conclusions."
Much of their success revolves around their practice of keeping accurate records. "You should always try to document a phenomenon using multiple sources such as a digital camera, video camera, EMF meter, IR thermometer, etc. instead of just relying on a single photo. The more collaborative evidence you can collect during a paranormal event, the more convincing your proof will be."
"Of course, if you investigate long enough, there are bound to be snags." Sullivan states with a wry grin, "We were at a particular cemetery and a car drove by shining a spot light at us. We decided to present ourselves in a professional manner by identifying ourselves and stating our purpose for being there instead of running and hiding."
What more than likely comes to the average person's mind when presented with the notion of ghost hunting is 'WHY?"
Ghost Stalkers are dedicated to their work and believe that what they and other ghost investigators are doing is extremely important. "If we can scientifically prove the existence of a spirit world beyond our life here on Earth, that knowledge would benefit all of us personally and possibly help put the rest of humanity on a more spiritual path."
More information about Ghost Stalkers, upcoming paranormal events, and a posting of photos are available through:
www.theghoststalkers.com
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