A Call to the Cause
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010A Call to the Cause
By Nick Spring
HH Investigator/ Technical & Photography specialist
Sun. Jan. 31st, 2010
As I usually do on Sunday, I was sitting at a local diner I frequent doing some research and reading when I came across a story in “Seeking Spirits: The lost cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society.” A story that made me stop and think about the path I am currently taking and one which many others are now on and many more mock, ridicule or outright deny.
I know that Jason and Grant take a lot of flak from their involvement in a TV show, but they obviously made a name for themselves in order to get to the point of being on TV. This is why I still watch the shows, read the books and have a high degree of respect for them and their organization. Reading about some of the early cases that were never on TV has given an insight into why the search for the paranormal is much more important than just finding the reason for ghosts, spirits, ESP and the like. It’s also about understanding and helping those who don’t. It’s about helping those who feel they have nowhere else to turn due to fear of persecution.
As is with anything popular, you get groups of people who flock to an activity because it’s the “in” thing to be doing. We are currently in a time where paranormal investigating is getting an influx of this due to production companies and TV networks jumping on the bandwagon after seeing successful implementation of “ghost hunting” shows on rival networks. As a result, we are seeing paranormal groups popping up like wildfire all over North America. Don’t get me wrong, this coverage and interest is great! However, the problem that we now encounter is in how each of these groups run and why they were formed.
By this I mean are the members out for kicks? Are they out to make money? Are they trying to further the field scientifically? What about helping individuals to deal with a taboo subject? Are they just trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame on someone else’s coat tails?
No matter what the reason, it’s for the group and the individuals in them to look at and decide what’s important. In the end, it’s them who will have to look in the mirror and deal with not only how others view them, but how they view themselves.
With that in mind, here is a recount of the story that caused me to write this.
In 2001, TAPS was contacted by a woman Ontario, Canada suffering from physical attacks from an unseen assailant in her home. As a result of the severity of the attacks, she was extremely distraught about entering her bathroom, the site of the attacks.
As TAPS was not always the popular group as it is now, their finances did not allow for an immediate trip up to Canada. Instead, they attempted to contact a couple of groups in the area multiple times in hopes of finding help for the woman. They did not receive any response to their inquiries. They informed her that they had been unable to contact anyone but would continue trying and asked that she remain in contact with them. After a couple more weeks of contact, they stopped hearing from her. The assumption was that she had found the assistance she needed.
About a month later, Jason heard from a woman who identified herself as the first woman’s sister. She demanded to know why she had contacted TAPS in an effort to retrace her sister’s last steps. She informed Jason that they had found her dead after she apparently hit her head on the porcelain sink and fell into the tub eight feet away, and drowned.
To make it worse, the conversation was closed with “It would have been nice if you had actually helped her.” Then she hung up on him.
This case was one of the reasons the TAPS family network was created.
(Source: Seeking Spirits: The lost cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson 2009)
This story struck a chord with me. I’ve been attempting a couple of online projects to try and get some new perspectives on old theories and ideas. I saw them both pick up for a short period of time and then die out. I found this very disappointing. I had purposely contacted people who are active in investigating for the first group and anyone who was interested for the other, so we could get the best and broadest perspective possible.
My hopes had been twofold; to find ways to advance thinking in areas that seem to be a little stagnant and to get investigators from different areas and back rounds working together for a common set of goals.
- Help those in need
- Open much needed communication between groups and other investigators
- Keep ideas fresh and evolving as wells as come up with new theories and explanations.
- Promote networking and respect within the community for all ideas and viewpoints
- Promote honest and legitimate procedures and behavior in the field to assist in promoting a positive image.
Of course I do realize that not all teams are equipped as well as TAPS and not all areas have groups that can serve them. However, with communication and co-operation, there is no reason that anyone should have to fear being alone when the paranormal has them doubting their beliefs, senses or sanity. We are all out for a common goal: To prove or disprove, with evidence and certainty, the existence of Ghosts, spirits, entities, poltergeist and anything else that goes bump in the night.
Fame, recognition and money are great, but what about the feeling of helping someone who has been left in the cold due to the feeling of being alone in trying to deal with something they can’t understand? I, like anyone, get a rush out of evidence and personal experience when I’m on an investigation. However, I can’t even begin to describe the feeling I get when someone gives a genuine “Thank you” after explaining to them, validating their experiences or showing them they have nothing to worry about or fear with the phenomenon they are experiencing.
I realize that there will be debates, rivalries and disagreements, but there is absolutely no reason why we can make them productive. I know nothing may come of any part of what I’ve stated here. However, if I can even stir constructive thinking in a few individuals, then it’s not a waste.
We will all benefit from this.
Happy Hunting.
Nick Spring
Nick Spring is an active investigator and photographer with the Haunted Hamilton Investigations Team.
Comments and/or questions can be directed to nick@hauntedhamilton.com