This book was written by two of America’s leading paranormal investigators, Jennifer Lauer and Dave Schumacher. They draw upon over 35 years of combined experience of investigating the paranormal as it relates to ghosts and hauntings. Their investigations uniquely blend science, investigative technique, questioning skills, psychological and parapsychological information into a successful mixture for a credible, serious paranormal investigation. This book will take the reader from a general, “Ghost Hunter” level to a well informed, analytically thinking, credible paranormal investigator. You will gain the knowledge of the author’s experiences to bring the reality of paranormal investigation to a higher level.

An excerpt from the book:

People have a tendency to watch things they See on TV and at the movies and accept it as realty. This in turn shapes their beliefs and perceptions. Therefore it is no wonder why people have such a warped view of the paranormal and what paranormal investigators really do. This in turn can damage the credibility of the serious paranormal investigator.

So, it is up to all of us that are serious about the field to correct these misperceptions and beliefs by establishing ourselves as credible paranormal investigators!

Bringing Credibility to the Field of Paranormal Investigation

Why is it important to establish and maintain credibility in the field of paranormal investigation? 'Well, doesn't it bother you that most people who are interested in this are labeled as ghostbusters (or as we were once called, “phantom finders”) at best and “nuts" at worst? Are you afraid to tell your family and friends that you are interested in ghosts and conducting ghost investigations? Are you tired of psychologists and psychiatrists saying that every person who thinks they see a ghost needs therapy and drugs (or is on drugs)? Are you tired of mainstream science saying there is no such thing as ghosts and they will never accept ghost research or parapsychology as a real science? Well, WE CERTAINLY ARE!

Of course, much of the criticism is deserved. There are many people and groups that call themselves ghost hunters or paranormal investigators that are an embarrassment to the field. They pick up one book on where the local haunted locations are, buy a cheap camera, maybe get an electromagnetic field (EME) meter, pick up a flashlight, and head out to the local cemetery.

Even worse, they are asked to "investigate" a private residence and help the homeowner with their reported haunting and these 'investigators' show up, take a few pictures, wave their EMF meter around and claim there is a ghost. The evidence they claim to prove a ghost is present is a picture with an orb in it and one EMF 'spike' near a fuse box in the basement. Now, they relay this to the homeowner who is now scared out of their mind because these 'experts' have concluded there is a ghost in the house. All we can say is .0.... HOLD ON A SECOND THERE, JOE GHOST HUNTER! YOU'RE KILLIN' ME (no pun intended) AND MY GROUP'S CREDIBILITY!

Doesn't sound very credible, does it? Well, it's not and there are way too many people out there doing this. Now, don't get us wrong, we know that many of these people have very good intentions. The problem is that they are not educated enough in the paranormal field to have taken into consideration all of the possible natural causes for that picture and the EMF reading. Perhaps the orb was just a dust particle or pixilation from a cheap digital camera.  The EMF 'spike' could very well be from the fuse box itself. Did they interview the homeowners and other witnesses about the reported activity as to what was happening in the home? Did they know and use their equipment properly? Did they provide any useful information to the homeowner (and we wouldn't consider scaring them out of their mind, good information)? So, how do we prevent this from happening and prove to people that we are serious and credible investigators? Here is what we've done.

The Southern Wisconsin Paranormal Research Group, of which we are both members, is one of the Midwest's most professional and credible paranormal research organizations. This is because of the emphasis the group puts on credibility. When the group was founded back in 1999, it recognized how important and necessary credibility was to the paranormal community and even stated it as the main goal of the organization. The group's byline specifically states: The goal of our group is to bring credibility to the field of paranormal research and to make a concerted effort to display the best evidence and information that is possible.