The Nasty Bugger
During my first few experiences as a paranormal investigator, several things became quickly apparent…my sensitivity to entities and my lack of protection against the malevolent ones.
I have since learned to protect myself with the white light of God, the prayer to Archangel Michael, and a request to my spirit guides to keep away all that is evil.
I certainly wish that I had that information before we stepped into a home in the northern part of Cincinnati. On entering the property, I experienced a physically uncomfortable feeling. We were informed by the owner that a member of the family, a child, sensitive to paranormal activity was being threatened by an entity. We split the group in two so that some would explore upstairs while the others were in the basement.
My group headed to the basement first. Two investigators and I took flashlights, cameras and an EMF (electromagnetic field) detector with us. There was a definite feeling of uneasiness in one particular place…behind the furnace near a corner that I did not want to explore. Though still a fresh investigator, I forced myself to enter the area. I half jokingly said as I passed through the confined space “coming through”. Doing a full circle around furnace, I saw another investigator pointing to the area in which I had just passed. She pointed directly at a life sized cardboard coffin used for Halloween decoration. Her comment was” right there, something is not right” She photographed the area and with no other reason to stay, we returned to the main floor to wait for the other group to finish their work upstairs.
Not wanting to just sit, we questioned the homeowners about any infomation on the history of the house and it’s past owners. It was at that time that we heard a member of the team upstairs yell , ”We need the rest of the team upstairs NOW!” I quickly ran up not knowing what was going on. One of the members said “We’re getting unusual EMF readings and they’re moving around” I approached the door of the room where most of the members were. Before I could enter, I saw what can only be described as a grey film across the doorway. My entry was blocked by something that didn’t want me to go in. It took effort to pass through. As I did, a cold dark feeling enveloped me. It’s hard to describe but it’s a feeling I have never felt in my life. Later I discovered that others in the paranormal field have seen the same kind of thing in other situations. I immediately had nausea and pain in my head, neck, and back. There was a flurry activity in the rooom. All of the investigators, with the exception of one, were taking photos, following moving EMF readings and using digital voice recorders. The one not participating was a very talented medium/investigator who was sitting on the bed moaning with her head in her hands rocking back and forth in pain. It, the entity, was attacking her. I felt the same kind of pain but in a much lesser degree. She later told us that she opened herself to the attack to protect the others in the group. I can only wonder what I would have felt if she hadn’t done that.
At that point I was angry! I wanted that sucker out of the house! To strengthen my confidence ,I began to sing to myself Jesus Take the Wheel. Another medium, Bill, was called into the house to help at which time the activity began to dissipate. My instincts told me that it went down to the basement. The female medium said exactly the same thing that I had been thinking so the whole crew headed down. Bill immediately felt the entity in the corner by the furnace near the coffin. What a surprise. He told all of us to go upstairs and close the basement door.
As we stood in the living room directly above the basement, we could hear Bill telling the entity in a very loud voice that it was not welcome in the house and that it must leave immediately and that he would not tolerate the mental abuse it was inflicting on the boy who lived there. As Bill mentioned Archangel Michael, the evil thing knew the fight was over and at that point was up the stair and through the house to be scattered across the universe. I was aware of the exit and our EMF meters responded to it too. The event was both emotionally and physically draining for some of us.
Later after we gathered to talk about our experience, I learned that the two mediums both felt that the entity was a human spirit who was most likely a nasty person in this world only to pass and be the same on the other side.Being part of a paranormal group is exciting and challenging. What I really wasn’t prepared for was the destructive criticism from those outside my group IKOPS. I knew it would come but how to handle it wasn’t something I was ready for.
I have taken great pride in doing things well and honestly all of my life. I do understand that there are skeptics and that’s fine with me. We have them in IKOPS! That’s what creates a great balance in our team. Those skeptics are the people who work their butts off to debunk any possible evidence we collect so we don’t make the mistake of putting things up for people to see or hear without a good solid amount of debunking. Paranormal investigators have to take into acccount many factors when reviewing their evidence. These factors plus more are taken into consideration; equipment malfunction or misuse, indoor and outdoor enviromental effects such as temperature, wind, humidity, materials used to create the structure(i.e. metal, wood, cement etc.), dust and debri , mechanical devices and electrical wiring. Since our ghost hunting team does this, I find unfounded accusations of trickery and manipulation of evidence disheartening. IKOPS is based on volunteers helping others. Constructive criticism is welcome. The other members and I would love to learn of better ways to improve our group. Unfounded accusations from those outside our group is just plain wrong.
I guess when I really think about it, those people throwing out wild claims are just not educated in the fine art of criticism and in the many facets of paranormal investigations. If you are one of those people, I’d be happy to teach you how to do it right!
That’s the question I had to ask myself. I’ve known for awhile now that I have some kind of ability that all people have but not all have discovered. Whether it’s seeing events to come or an entity that needs attention, I’ve felt a drive to develop those senses. One thing I had to consider before taking on the task of building that gift was whether it would be of benefit to my family and me.
Since my early childhood I’ve known that I wanted to help people in some capacity. To me, it was the reason for our human race as a whole to even be here. (Big thoughts for a little kid!) During my 20’s I was interested in tarot cards and crystals but nothing serious. My thirties were basically filled with starting my family with no time for anything else. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that I felt the need to further my knowledge in ghost hunting and mediumship. The sense that my life mission was not yet fully discovered encouraged me to dig deeper into the idea of being a psychic medium. It certainly helps to have supportive people around you. The experiences you have, you’ll want to talk about. Having the sympathetic ear is valuable. The other side of that is not having support. You’ll have to decide if what you want is important enough to possibly alienate those close to you. I wasn’t sure how my family would take it but I knew I had to be true to myself. Some of them were more supportive than others. The group I have been a part of, IKOPS, has encouraged me to move along with my studies.
Should you develop your medium skills? There is no ONE answer for all people. Do your research online, read books on the subject (Allyson Dubois and James Von Praagh for example), consider the time and energy, and talk to other mediums but most of all…listen to your heart.
So recently, I had an experience that was all too real. I encountered what I perceived as a bit of a jealous or “snippy” comment from someone working with another paranormal team. They didn’t like the age of our group, they didn’t like the number of investigations we had posted on the web. They felt like for all the media attention we have recieved, that we didn’t deserve it in their eyes. So my question is this: why did this person care? Are they jealous they don’t have the attention? Do they not see that anytime a paranormal team gets some notice that the awareness about the paranormal groups as a whole goes up even more locally? Don’t they get it that they get benefit from it too? I’m not sure why people act like that.
Yes, IKOPS is less than a year old as a group. However, some of the members have solid experience before joining IKOPS, and the newer members are getting good experience. As for the number of investigations, I guess it never occurred to anyone that we might not post everything? Maybe we’re getting notariety in our region because we do QUALITY investigations, not a quantity of them. Maybe we’re just a better group than they are. I’m not saying we are or aren’t, but there could be many reasons why IKOPS is where it is, and other teams are not. Since I’m not in those other teams, I’m not qualified to say what their issues are.
All I know is that as a team, IKOPS does the very best we can to offer a well rounded investigation and we present the evidence without fanfare. We’ve offered to include other teams in our investigations and have in fact collaborated on a few projects with other teams. We want to share and learn from others as well.
So if you’re a member of a paranormal investigation team, lighten up. All this stuff doesn’t have to be so rigid and stiff. Conduct a solid investigation, let the facts speak for themselves, and enjoy all the new people (past and present) that you get to meet!
In the last year, paranormal investigation teams have popped up all over the place. But what does it take to be a good investigator? Well let’s take a minute to discuss, and maybe even debate, what it takes to conduct a good investigation and to be considered a good investigator.
First and foremost, you must be willing to accept the fact that more often than not, you will find nothing paranormal going on in the locations that you investigate. That’s just the plain and straight truth. Second, you must have patience. To think you’ll walk into an investigation and have the ghosts clamoring to talk to you just isn’t realistic. Third, let’s take a look at your motivation for being a paranormal investigator. Are you trying to get on TV? Write a book? Be on the radio? Seeking fame and fortune? If so, this may not be the thing for you. Are you willing to manufacture evidence to get the world to notice you? If so, the paranormal investigation world doesn’t want you.
So sit back, examine what motivates you to enter this field and see if you have what it takes to be a good investigator.
Some people say that our destiny is preordained. Others believe we choose our own path. I’d like to think that we are led down a certain path and then we choose in which direction to go next. It’s kind of like a GPS for the future. There is the belief that nothing happens coincidently. So if this is true, one must believe that many of our IKOPS clients are led to us by unseen forces.
This past Memorial Day weekend (2009) my interest in a paranormal investigation site was sparked for no apparent reason. I was led to one of the worst tragedies in the Tristate area, the site formerly known as the Beverly Hills Supper Club. The structure, filled with patrons out looking to have a good time, was destroyed in 1977 by a fire. The fire killed 165 people leaving many families without mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sister and brothers.
I felt the need to research on the web in order to find out when and how it had happened. I can honestly say that I had no exposure to any information about the fire except that it happened many years ago and that my parents had almost gone there that night. Upon looking online, I found that the fire had indeed occurred on Memorial Day weekend 32 years ago. I knew there was a reason for my interest and if I had to guess as to why this place, I’d say some “thing” was leading me in that direction. Being a developing medium, it might very well be a spirit of someone who was killed in the fire.
After several communications with the property owners, my group, IKOPS, has been denied access to the property of the former Beverly Hills Supper Club. The land and its spirits may never be at rest. Such a horrific fire would certainly leave spirits in the location. Some could be lost and unsure in which way to go. Others might still linger looking for a lost family member not realizing that they too had perished.
My only wish is to help those who have died and to help their families. What a tragedy that I am unable to do so because of bureaucracy. My path may still lead me to help but for now I must wait until that time arrives
So this morning at 9am, Bill and I were on the 96 Rock Morning show in Cincinnati with Gamble, Fin and Sister Karen to talk about IKOPS and to see if Bill can get a reading in. We were on for an hour, and oh man was that fun and exciting. I’ve even been told after the fact that it was even riveting because while Bill was reading Fin, he started to get visibly choked up and emotional. We were off the air during this few mins while music played, and when we got back live on the air, everyone could hear the hesitation and choked back emotion in Fin’s voice. If you missed it, you sure missed something great. We’re going to post clips of our interview on YouTube soon. We had a film crew in the studio with us and while we will not show you the off-air reading of Fin (that was a personal moment for him that we will keep private) you can ask him yourself just how powerful the experience was. Want to see some photos of us in studio? Here ya go!
You can check out our newest video on www.youtube.com/boochaser or by going to www.ikops.com/crump.html.
We’ve made all 8 EVP’s from the Crump Theater investigation in Columbus, Indiana available via video. Come check it out!
We’ve also posted a new photo. Is that an apparition caught in the picture? You be the judge! Check it out on the Crump Investigation page listed above.
On Thursday, August 20th 2009, at 9AM, IKOPS Lead Investigator Dave, and our founding Medium, Bill Pettigrew, will be live on the air with the morning show of Gamble, Fin and Sister Karen. If you’re local to Cincinnati tune into 96 ROCK to check us out, or stream it live at http://www.purerock96.com/!
Who wants to be normal when you can be…PARANORMAL!
I’ve never liked the idea of being “normal” or common. To me, that is B-O-R-I-N-G. The unusual and unique are much more interesting and adventurous! Looking for adventure in Cincinnati can be somewhat challenging, especially when I’ve lived here most of my life. A friend suggested that I check out a website for meet-ups in the area. That was the beginning of my adventures in paranormal investigations! Did I have any training? Absolutely not! The group I discovered was newly formed, but had experienced investigators, mediums and newbies, like me. A good compliment of skeptics and believers seems to work the best.
So what does a person need to be a paranormal investigator? Definitely a strong curiosity to discover the truth about paranormal happenings and the equipment to attempt to validate or debunk the experience are a must. Our group has tech people that research cutting-edge detection devices for use in the field of paranormal research. Pretty cool, huh? The array of equipment available is very impressive, and the price can be rather shocking. EMF meters can range in quality and price from $25.00 to hundreds of dollars. Special cameras with night-vision capabilities start in the hundreds of dollars. Computer programs to analyze data captured at an investigation can become costly, but are necessary, and the list goes on.
One essential thing I have learned is NEVER do paranormal investigations alone. It is best to have at least one person along who is experienced in ghost hunting. Do your homework, read anything you can get your hands on about the subject, watch the shows about ghost hunting on cable television, take notes. Not only is validation important, but also safety is a huge factor. Having the buddy system in place will keep both investigators safer. Also, getting the permission of the landowner or landlord before entering the premises is the best policy. Trespassing can be a serious offense and can lead to high fines and even jail time!
On a personal note: To date, I have not had the mind-blowing, life-changing paranormal experience that I’ve been hunting for. I’m willing to be patient and continue to be methodical and skeptical as well. Once I’ve had that unmistakable experience that proves to me that there is life after death, I will definite be back to blog about it, you can count on that! Until then, a skeptic I will remain.
I found this online test today and took it. It says that I am predestined to have the skill, but I’m barely one step up from the avg person. Are you predestined? Do you think you’re a Medium or Psychic now? Can you beat my score of 6266?
| Extrasensory perception (clairvoyance) test |
| Dave’s score: 6266 (35% abilities) |
| View my position in clairvoyance TOP100! |
The IKOPS team has been getting quite a bit of media exposure lately, and that exposure is going to continue into September. For a look at the newspaper clippings and the radio interviews we’ll be giving, check out www.ikops.com/media.html
We investigated a private home in the Cheviot suburb of Cincinnati on Tuesday. While nothing was felt there, we found several pieces of evidence that leads us to believe something may be happening in the home. We brought in two Mediums to do seperate readings, and found that the spirit of a passed relative seems to be in the home keeping the family company. There appeared to be a positive energy around this occurence, according to the Mediums. At this time, we are reviewing the evidence further to ascertain if we captured any voices or sounds not audible via the human ear.Stay tuned for more updates!
IKOPS has posted their first investigation video clips to YouTube. Check out http://www.ikops.com/ for more info.
Our YouTube name is Boochaser
Check us out here
Check out our Investigations page, we’ve updated today!!
The first ghost hunting experience as an investigator, for me, was a bit intimidating since I really had no idea what to expect. My past paranormal encounters were very limited. A bar/restaurant in Oakley, Ohio was an interesting place to start. It had a fascinating history which I was only partly privy to before going on the investigation.
On entering the building there was no obvious signs of any ghostly activity for me. The practiced mediums in the group would later tell me the opposite. Other than a decor rich with the history of the building, I had no clue as to what I would encounter later in the exploration of the building. Our group, IKOPS, only sends teams of at least two people to probe an area. My team, armed with cameras and EMF meters, focused on the basement. I only felt slight feelings of uneasiness in the area. As we emerged from the basement someone suggested we check out the kitchen area.
After crossing the threshold of the kitchen, there was an immediate tension running from my head to my feet. The EMF meter was spiking and I could tell that something wasn’t right!! For me, dizziness and tension grew stronger in certain areas of the room. A more experienced investigator entered the kitchen and showed me the cause. It was a man-made high electromagnetic field called a “fear cage” that I and others had reacted to. A “fear cage” can cause tension, headaches, nausea and hallucinations. It would not be until after the official investigation that I would have my encounter with an actual entity.
The investigators gathered in the bar area to talk and wait for those still working in the basement and kitchen area. I thought that I was done for the day so I decided to take the chance to explore the main eating area, bar and office. I walked about by myself with no real intent to investigate. As I neared the office doorway I had a feeling that stopped me in my tracks. There was a sense that something had happened in that room that caused definite discomfort for me. I backed away without entering. Walking slowly down the short hall, I stopped by a window that looked out over the alley. It was at this time that a type of communication with a spirit began. The inner dialogue was with a deceased police officer. Not likely a conversation heard by the human ear or recorded. It went like this … ‘I want to cross over ‘ he told me but he felt great remorse for what he had done. He believed his family was angry and ashamed of him. I told him that they weren’t angry. . They knew that what he did was with good intentions for his family and friends. His mistake was that his actions were illegal. As I stood looking out the window to the area below he told me again that he wanted to cross over but felt that some things were left undone. I reassured him that it was ‘ok to go’ and that his family loved him and wanted him to be happy. They forgave him for what he had done. I said again ‘It’s ok to go’. My last bit of conversation was said aloud. I felt kind of silly standing there talking to what would seem like myself to an observer. I later learned that it is perfectly normal to have conversations like this with a spirit especially for a “medium”. I wasn’t sure that what I had just experienced was real or in my head. I went back to the group and listened to our two “mediums” describe a similar conversation with the spirit of a police officer who wanted to ‘cross over’. Wow, what I just had felt was as real as a talk between you and me.
I would find out later that a police officer was shot and killed in the alley behind the building… the result of some illegal transactions gone wrong. It was then I realized that my role in IKOPS might be more than just as an investigator.
The Crump Theater investigation has a small news blurb here:
http://dunes.cincinnati.com/pubnews/story.aspx?id=152672&siteID=1
Go check it out!
One of the ways that we let the community know that paranormal investigators aren’t a bunch of “nut jobs” is that we participate in the community. We offer free readings by established Mediums to those who are in need of peace of mind. We volunteer our time for different charitable causes, and we look for ways to help other paranormal groups.
Some examples of our work so far: We teamed up with Miamitown Ghost Tours to help them form a marketing video to help them grow their clientele and help folks discover the rich history of Miamitown, Ohio. We charged no fees, and we simply want to help grow awareness and tourism to the region.
Another example is that the IKOPS team, along with Medium Bill Pettigrew, attended a small function in Northern Kentucky this past spring. Our booth was by far the busiest, because Bill had agreed to give free readings. We had people who were read early so impressed with his accuracy, they were calling family and friends to hurry up and get there to sign up for a reading. The event ended at 5pm and all the booths were tore down and empty by 545. The IKOPS booth was taken down at 630, after Bill stayed to read everyone who came seeking his insight and unique abilities.
Another example is that our Lead Investigator, Dave, is a information technology professional. He is going to speak to current IT college students about the career path, and offer insights and advice on how they can make the most of an IT career.
IKOPS is also going to be opening a new business called Awakenings. This venture will be a spiritual center designed to help you get re-centered, re-energized and help you to understand the universe around you. There will be Reiki, meditation, crystal and aromatherapy and mediums available for training, group sessions, personal sessions and just about anything you need. We’ll be adding other services as well, based on need and demand. We will offer a one stop, natural way to solve some of life’s woes and to increase the quality of life. To stay tuned to our grand opening (scheduled for Oct 2009) check out the website (it’s still a work in progress) at www.awakeningsspiritualcenter.com to attend our grand opening!!
Ok, so here’s the tricky part of being a paranormal investigator. Classifying evidence, and trying to validate it as something possibly paranormal, or of man-made origins. Some of the methods we employ at IKOPS are outlined below. We will never introduce evidence that we know is questionable and at the very least, we spend quite a bit of time trying to debunk it where possible.
One of our methods includes multiple verification. What that means is that when we believe we have experienced something, we try to validate it with multiple methods. For example, if we have unexplained EMF spikes, we’ll also run a digital voice recorder to see if we capture voices or sounds not audible to the human ear. We may also snap a few pictures with a digital camera to see if anything shows up in the picture that we could not see with the naked eye. We use several combinations of equipment to try and verify that something did happen, and wasn’t just a “personal experiece”.
Now that we’re on the subject of personal experiences, let’s talk about that for a second. When an investigator feels something touch them, or thinks they heard a voice or sound, without corroboration from a scientific device or someone else also experiencing the event, we call that a personal experience. You can’t validate it, but you, and only you, knows for sure it happened. These experiences are not considered evidence on their own, but when combined with other evidence, can help to form a picture of what’s going on at a location.
We use night vision/IR cameras so that we can see dark masses or anything in complete darkness. There are some in the paranormal world who say that investigating in total darkness is useless. That if a presence is there, it is there all the time, and not based on whether there are lights or not. They go on to say that investigating in the dark is only for the “Hollywood” crowd. Others say that if a haunting is intelligent (meaning that you get active responses to questions or commands) that the entity is aware of it’s surroundings and may prefer a specific time of day, whether that be light or dark. We try to employ different methods of investigating, to try and entice whatever activity that may be there, to happen while we’re there.
More to come later!!
Come check us out over the next few weeks. IKOPS’ Lead Investigator Dave will be featured on two paranormal radio shows. Aug 23rd at 10pm EST We can be heard online and on the radio at
Psychic Radio powered by CBS
“We know you’re listening”
Para X Radio,
WYCD Detroit HD3 99.5,
WBMX Boston HD3 98.5,
KJAQ Seattle HD3 96.5
Then on Sept 9th, we’ll be the featured guest on http://www.asprn.com/ on their 8pm Miamitown Ghost Talk show. Don’t miss us all over the country on HD3 Radio stations and via the web if you don’t have HD radio!
So when you watch on TV or see the websites some terms that are common in the paranormal field, you may know what the acronyms mean. But do you fully understand why something is important to us, or maybe not so important as investigaors? Let’s talk about some of the most common terms and their importance to IKOPS investigators.
EVP- Electronic Voice Phenomena. This is where we capture a voice or sound on a recorder of some sort (digital or tape) that was not audible to the human ear at the time of the investigation. EVP’s are classified in three levels, A, B and C. A “C” level EVP is one that is heard, but we cannot reasonably make out what is said, or what the sound may be, other than it wasn’t audible to us at the time. A class “B” EVP is where you can tell something’s being said, and many folks may disagree on what exactly is said. Sometimes software can help clear it up and can help decipher what’s being said. A class “A” EVP is the cream of the crop. It’s audible, intelligble and pretty much no disagreement on what’s being said. Obviously a class A EVP is very important to us as investigators, as it establishes a non-physical presence during the investigation.
EMF- Electro Magnetic Field. These are generally caused by electrical currents throughout a dwelling, or in nature by things that generally give off their own energy field. In paranormal investigations, many believe that an increase in an EMF reading signifies the possible presence of a spirit. When a baseline EMF reading is established, anything that changes that reading is investigated as a possible “disturbance” or presence. Many items such as alarm clocks, microwave ovens , etc give off EMF in the home. EMF fields can also cause a person to become lethargic, paranoid, seeing/hearing things that aren’t there and general body aches and discomfort. When that happens, it’s not a ghost, it’s simply that person has a sensitivity to high EMF fields and needs to remediate the problem, or leave the area with the high readings. Younger children and older adults are usually most commonly affected.
Orbs - Wow, now these things have been the subject of a ton of debate. Are they or are they not spirits? Generally, they are not considered to be evidence of spirit activity. Orbs are made of energy, and many natural causes of orbs occur everyday (electrical storms, electrical discharge/static discharge from appliances, static from your wool clothing, etc). Obviously these are not paranormal in nature. Additionally, when an orb is almost perfectly round, and is mostly transparent, you’re more commonly looking at an electrical occurence, or the reflection of dust particles in the air at the time of the photograph. Many will argue that if you don’t use a flash, yet capture an orb, you’ve got something to go on. Generally that isn’t the case. In the rare cases that you capture an orb that is of an odd shape (oblong, or no distinctive common pattern such as a circle) or the density of the orb (not transparent at all, seems to be self illuminating) then you have something to really take a look at and try to determine its origin.
Ok..so now we’ve discussed some of the most common terms used. In my next posting, I’ll be discussing some tricks of the trade to find evidence and validate it at the same time. Please feel free to comment and post your own interpretations!
Welcome to our blog. Some members of our team will be writing for the blog about their experiences with the paranormal, as an investigator with IKOPS, some of the equipment we use, etc. IKOPS is a not-for-profit group whose sole purpose is to assist people who are experiencing odd events, and to try and provide some explanation or evidence of what’s really going on. If you feel like you could use our services and experience, don’t hesitate to contact us at contact@ikops.com. You’ll be contacted shortly to discuss your needs.