By Chad Wilson,
Publisher — Paranormal Underground eMagazine

There are many different approaches to paranormal investigation. Believers approach it from a standpoint that the paranormal does indeed exist; all they are trying to do is prove that what they believed all along is the truth. Skeptics, on the other hand, look for ways to debunk the same activity, stating that what cannot be proven scientifically cannot possibly exist the way it is said to exist by the “paranormal community.”

But the question that strikes me is this, which way is the correct method, or approach, that should be used in paranormal investigation? In my opinion, investigators should not use either method. Why? Because investigators shouldn’t be looking for proof of the paranormal or trying to debunk activity, at least not initially.

They need to come from a neutral standpoint, looking to neither prove nor disprove, while gathering environmental data such as temperature, barometric pressure, electromagnetic field fluctuations, and any readings that might be present at the scene of the investigation. They should also document when nothing is happening, as even the nonexistence of data can mean something.

Once the investigation is complete, all data is entered into a computer and analyzed and correlations are made; only then can investigators begin to determine what is going on at a specific location or area.

The readings during paranormal events must first be quantified in order to determine what exactly is happening. Only then can paranormal activity be determined, as well as its possible causes.

Only by approaching paranormal investigation from a neutral direction can one gather unbiased data. In other words, collect all data with no opinion about what you are looking for; that will come later when all the data is looked at as a whole. Only then can theories be developed as to what the paranormal really is.

That is our eventual goal here at Paranormal Underground — to gather data and quantify the paranormal. We are seeking to establish a database containing the information from investigations and experiments, and through this database we will try to further understand paranormal activity.

Once we get our database set up, we hope that others will join us in our cause, for we feel that all should share in the knowledge that such a database and quantifications of the paranormal could bring to everyone.

Let us know what you think by participating in our forum discussions here:  www.paranormalunderground.net/site/forum/.