Just this weekend the TV Network Animal Planet was in Yukon, OK with high hopes of finding Bigfoot. Why they did not head to the southern part of Oklahoma is beyond me! Regardless, you can read about their visit to the Yukon area on this News9 Link.

People that have witnessed unexplainable (to them) monsters in the woods have a firm standing on their experience. They are convinced that a large creature was around them and no matter how much logic or possible explanation  was given to them, they still believe it was Bigfoot.

I will admit that I am not a “fan” of the Bigfoot race that is currently taking place. I am not convinced that there even is such a thing as a monster in the woods. Being a self proclaimed city girl, I do not get along with the deep woods in the state of Oklahoma. I am more afraid of snakes and ticks than anything. The last thing on my mind is Bigfoot. Is it possible that Bigfoot shacks up in parts of Oklahoma? With as many sightings that are reported  it’s hard to say that there is without a doubt no such thing as Bigfoot.

If you are interested in reports of Bigfoot you can visit websites that report sightings of the creature. You might be surprised that a bigfoot was spotted right in your own backyard! click here for one websites reports- BFRO.

Some reports of Bigfoot are nothing more than comical in my opinion. For example this report that hit local news some years ago. Click here to see photos and read the article. What do you think? Bigfoot? Bear? or Costume?

There are now countless photos being taken as hunters set up their game cams.

For example: This image was taken in Atoka, OK. Staged costume or is it Bigfoot?

Is this Bigfoot?

Each year Oklahoma hosts the largest Bigfoot Festival/carnival/conference in this part of the nation. Hanobia Bigfoot Festival is held in the Kiamichi Mountains in eastern Pushmataha and western LeFlore counties lies Honobia, OK, a town with a history of strange sightings of an ape-like creature.  They celebrate the fact that there are so many sightings and they welcome everyone. It is kind of like the “Roswell” of Bigfoot if that makes any sense. Signs like these are posted everywhere. You can also find a Bigfoot host/guide to take you out on a real Bigfoot hunt. With a click of a mouse you can have access to many Bigfoot videos on the internet. I do warn you… if you are into Bigfoot you may find yourself being sucked into that part of youtube where you may end up looking at even more paranormal things…such as people being born with teeth around their eyes or 3 headed squirrels!

I wish I had a great Bigfoot story to share but I don’t. But, I do have a story about a trip to El Reno Oklahoma where no matter who you are or what you believe the locals can possibly convince you that there could be such thing as Bigfoot.

While out doing a ghost hunt outside of El Reno we came across some locals from the Cheyenne & Arapahoe Tribes. The reservation outside of town is more known for the Casino than anything but it is riddled with claims of pretty much every kind of paranormal phenomenon outside of the Loch Ness Monster.

Finishing up an paranormal investigation a group of Tribal elders led us to a campfire. We sat around under the stars like small children listening to them share their first hand stories of ghosts, wolves, shadow people, shape shifters, screaming banshee’s and of course Bigfoot. The elders spoke to us about how they would set out food for the creatures and how they coexist with them. Of all the stories shared not a single person  exclaimed the thought of fear when it came to the creatures. After our campfire tales we headed to the woods to see if we could witness a Bigfoot. That time of the year the monsters were supposed to be in the area so we were excited. We headed down and met up with a man who played strange noises over his car stereo into the woods. The noises were “Bigfoot noises” he had recorded. The method was to play back the recordings to get the creatures to respond back. He played sounds of owls, wolves and other animals that he claimed to be Bigfoot. The rumor is that Bigfoot will repeat sounds they hear, kind of like a Lyre Bird mimicking sounds. It was amusing and interesting to hear the woods repeat back the noises the man played on his car stereo. But what was the strangest noise we heard was not per-recorded and it kind of came out of the blue.  The man played a screaming noise and from the woods, out of nowhere we heard a baby crying. The sound was of a very young infant, just months old.  Nobody was in the woods making these noises back at us that we could see. We did shine bright spotlights  into areas we thought a repeating noises came from.  We were just amused until the baby crying took place, that sound pretty much made our skin crawl and jaws drop. It was truly an unexplainable moment. The man just smiled and said “He’s out there!”  I never caught a glimpse of the Bigfoot of course and I am still not sure that they even exist. The baby crying moment was pretty bizarre and I would love to get more feedback about what we heard.

Is Bigfoot Real? Have you witnessed a Bigfoot? I would love to read your stories and get your opinions about this very popular paranormal subject!

Abandoned Post Office

New and positive changes are in the works for myself, this blog and the G.H.O.U.L.I. team. No, we are not filming a TV pilot. I know, I know, every time a team says they have good news, it typically follows with something to do with reaching for reality TV stardom. Well, as much as some folks would love to see the GHOULI team on TV, it’s just not one of our goals. We have been working discretely at a few residential locations and soon to be researching and investigating a few historical locations in the state of Oklahoma. I have learned a lot in the past year in regards to local teams and what their intentions are. I have also rediscovered how many absolute crazy people there are in this so called paranormal community. It boggles my mind to think that people that claim to be rational or even “scientific” are the most outrageous middle school minded adults I have ever come across. The paranormal community is a horrific scene, it really is. I have witnessed liars, fakes, frauds and flat out utter stupidity take place with people and they still pretend to be some kind of scientist. It truly does blow my mind. But, I have made it a point to not be involved anymore with such vicious and conniving people anymore. I have been conducting paranormal research for over 12 years now in this state and if I am to be so bold to say, I am better than they are. Sure, hate me but I’m not wrong. I do not care at this point because the community has officially separated itself from real paranormal research and I am glad that the separation is blatant and obvious to the rest of the world. With that said, I am back on track. Adventuring out with my team or alone. The weather is warming up and do not forecast anymore harsh winter conditions. The GHOULI team and myself have teamed up with some great open minded individuals that do not have “paranormal reality tv” on the brain. We are getting back to the basics of documentation, history and supplying a valid non-hyped up opinion concerning subjects of the unexplained.

This blog: This year I will make this blog a bit more personal. You the reader will be able to tell the difference, I hope. I am excited to be able to visit some of Oklahoma’s best historically significant locations and talk about them, right here on this blog. I want to be able to offer readers a chance to visit the places I visit and enjoy Oklahoma history and culture as much as I do.

Conference time! Yes, it’s almost that time of year. Where people that enjoy a good old fashioned ghost story, urban legend or anything strange concerning the state of Oklahoma. April 23rd is the 6th annual Oklahoma Paranormal Conference. We have given the event a new name as the original title of Para-Con has been used by hundreds of events across the nation. With pleasure, we have titled the event “Ghostlahoma!” We hope everyone that has an adventurist side to them will be able to make the event this year. So far we have a lot of people getting ready for the event and we have yet to do much advertising. This is a fun event for everyone and we encourage you to attend. We have moved to a new historically haunted location in downtown El Reno, OK. The old Centre Theater is being preserved and we are happy to have the conference in such a magnificent old theater. www.ghouli.org for details.

I am excited about 2011 and so far I have made so many positive changes and I have a goal to have them reflect here on this blog. Just this week I will be dining at one of Oklahoma’s most secret haunted restaurants. I will not only review the food, I will share the ghost story.

As always… if you have a location you would like to see me review, please email me tonyahacker@gmail.com I will be happy to offer my unbiased opinion about your establishment. I review places to eat, sleep, tour and drink that have a great or unusual history.

Sincerely,

Tonya Hacker aka Paranormal Eyes

—–>>>>>This book is Family and tourism friendly!

Looking for Unusual tales across the Sooner State. All locations must fit into the outline. Hotels, Motels, Bars, clubs, B&B’s, Diners & restaurants… Please contact me to have your location added to the book. Contact me at tonya@ghouli.org OR right here on NewsOK-Paranormal Eyes.

PLEASE SHARE & help the word get out that I am needing locations for part 2 of “Ghostlahoma” book series.

NOTICE: ALL LOCATIONS MUST BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! THIS SERIES WILL BE TRAVEL FRIENDLY!

PUBLICATION SET FOR OCTOBER 2011 email today tonya@ghouli.org

Even the makers of IPhone and Ipod touch admit it is a joke. The sad thing is, people want to believe so much that they are not staying current with technology. These are the same group of self proclaimed “scientists” that boasts and brags about having piles of technology available to them when they “hunt ghosts”.

Lesson here. Stay current. If it looks like a full bodied apparition than it probably is not. If someone emails you or sends you an apparition photo, please get into the habit of comparing to the millions of Phone App ghosts that are floating around the internet like a swarm of deranged  locusts on a hot sunny day in the prairie.

Want an application to fool people? Maybe even those “scientists” that you may pay big money to see speak at some ghostly get-a-way? Click here for many FREE applications to play with.

according to the National Historic Register. I came in contact with the new building owners as I was looking for the next location to hold psychological trials at. Upon meeting them and getting a tour of the buildings and learning about the history I realized they were in need of help. The buildings have sat dormant since the late 90′sand  remnants of two antique malls still in sight. There was a lot of garbage to be taken out and  a lot of cleaning to do at these two historically significant locations. After getting to know the new owners I did offer to help them get things hauled out and cleaned up so renovation efforts can begin. Tackling historical buildings and preserving them is very costly and trust me, it is from the heart.Not everyone cares about “old places” but the people in my circle of friends and even “paranormal affiliates” do care. They care about the history, both haunting and not so haunting. They care about the architecture and they care about the beauty and charm within the older properties that news structures are lacking. Even if it’s covered in pigeon poop, it is still beautiful.

Room before it was cleaned out

We set a date with the owners and I started to recruit volunteers for the clean up. I was expecting a lot of “ghost hunters” to step in, bring their teams and roll up their sleeves just to be able to enter a building that parts of it have been untouched since the late 1940′s. I didn’t get the feed back as I expected but some of Oklahomas best did show up to help out.

Room after Clean up

We had some of Oklahomas more renowned experts attend the clean up. Cullan Hudson- Oklahoma Blogger & author of “Strange State” stepped in to help clean up. Speaking with Cullan about why he showed up to sweat it out and do a lot of manual labor on aSaturday afternoon, he told me that he just loves the history and the historic buildings.  He stated it was not so much about ghost stories, but it was being able to have the structures preserved for future generations.

My first time meeting one of the team members from AbandonedOK , Billy Dixon showed up to represent the team.

Room after clean up

Being an Urban Explorer myself I was thrilled to meet up with them and also learn more about the AbandonedOK team and what they stand for. I could only wish that paranormal teams in Oklahoma shared the same passion as they do. Being a photographer myself, I am always thrilled to meet up with other people that see the absolute beauty in sometimes pikes of rubble and historical destruction.  He worked very hard and had a chance to explore the building and take some wonderful photos to share with fellow Urban Explorers.

Joe Hanson of the ESP Team, based out of Oklahoma came to represent and help with the clean up.  Being a fairly new team within the state, Joe discussed the importance of giving back to the places that we investigate as paranormal researchers.  He was curious as to why there were not more investigative teams helping

out and he stated several times that he felt like a kid in a candy store. The buildings are massive and the clean up has just started but he felt it was his duty to come and give back to the historic community.

Some members of my team GHOULI came to work and we also brought volunteer teenagers along to help out. Getting teens involved with community service and understanding the importance of saving our

Everything must go, except the boat.

historical buildings is very important. The kids had fun and after talking with them they had several reasons as to why they enjoyed the clean up. They enjoyed digging through the old items, finding old yearbooks and photographs. The coolest thing they said was just being able to be in old buildings that have a history to them. I want to thank my team members and their teens that sacrificed their Saturday to come help out with this massive project.  We had people that live in the area show up to help out because they love their town and want to see it prosper. The building owners, Linda & Paul were more than happy to have the help. It’s just two of them against a lot of square footage.  We filled up a 40 foot dumpster in about 3 hours. Swept floors and filled up countless bags of rubble and garbage.  I do wish more people in the paranormal field attended this clean up. I am hopeful they will either find a place of their own to volunteer with or assist with the next clean up date. We all had a great time and it was nice to be able to meet some of Oklahomas nicest people in the paranormal field while being able to do something good for others.

I do challenge all of my readers to keep an eye out for volunteer opportunities such as this one. Preserving our historical buildings is hard enough and most property owners would welcome a group of organized and energized people to help them out.  I want to give special thanks to my team members and the teenagers that came and worked diligently on their projects. I want to thank Cullan Hudson of “Strange Stage” for his hard work and his passion for history. AbandonedOK, I am looking forward to working with them more within the state and helping people see the beauty in our forgotten places.  I would like to thank Joe of the ESP team for showing up and expecting nothing in return as a paranormal investigator.

Getting directions for cleanup

I am looking forward to the Fall months this year and of course Halloween. As most people say in this field, “It’s the busy time of year”, it is true. I will be speaking at the Belle Isle Library October 2nd come and say hi! If you visit www.ghouli.org there are a couple of October events taking place but they fill up fast.

(Photos courtesy of Billy Dixon/AbandonedOK.com)

Sincere Blogger,

Tonya J. Hacker- aka Paranormal Eyes

On September 18th I teamed up with 17 other curious Oklahomans to see if things truly go bump in the night at this historic location. I offer the project to the general public mainly because they have no preconceived notions or established ego as a paranormal researcher. They are real people participating in a real research project. Many people want to tag along on a “ghost hunt” just to potentially witness something unexplainable. They have true open minds and enter as believers, skeptics or they have no opinion at all. Those in my opinion are the best researchers you can find. I will be continuing the trials in the month of October and they do fill up fast. There are still slots available but they are by reservation only. We ask only the serious participate in this type of research. This project is not a tour or some over crowded local haunt where people are piled in and forced to listen to some local team boast and brag about their accomplishments. You the participant are the team and we get right down to business and have a lot of fun while we do it.

What are cognitive trials? They are psychological tests being ran at a potentially haunted location. There is not known or established “haunt” at the property. Just a rich history and glorious architectural structure that very few will have an opportunity to explore. Is the location haunted? We can’t answer that until all of the trials take place and data is placed into a statistical format that will make sense to even the skeptics.

We do not go in filling a persons head full of spooky stories and manipulated history. The first run of the evening is a cold/blind run. Where participants know nothing about the location or history. They are led by a guide and given a map and a notebook. They are encouraged to take notes according the numbers on the maps and document anything and everything they feel should be documented about the property. After the first run, participants are allowed to speak out about what they witnessed on the first round. The second run begins and they continue to explore the same way as they did on the first run, but with a little bit of historical information, claims and occurrences that took place during the first trial. Do things get more “active” on the second run? You can find out more by reserving your spot in one of these trials. Space is very limited and they fill up fast. All groups are small and there will never be overcrowding.

I will blog after each and every investigation to keep you tuned in. I will also blog about some of the local places, news and announcements that are being made right here in Oklahoma! It’s an exciting time for preservation, history and even the good old fashioned ghost story. It’s also a great time in the field of parapsychology and we are proud to be leaders and supporters “real research”, not just ghost hunting.

Cognitive Trial Team # 1

If you would like to participate in any of the October dates of this trial please visit www.ghouli.org and click on “Cognitive Trials”.

I personally have met the person making the complaint. In fact, this person has worked right beside me on a few investigations. No, this is not drama or some kind of internet cat fight, it’s nothing more than the reality that there is no “research” taking place. There is no research taking place anywhere, especially within the state of Oklahoma!

What do I do? Well, I search the internet or perhaps I visit a location and learn about their ghostly tales and I am supposed to report them here. What do I find? Not much of anything to be honest.
I visit local teams websites, they are doing nothing but marketing themselves as some type of super hero. Where is their research? There are a couple articles here and there offering a very elementary break down of possible theories concerning paranormal activity. I have even seen a few articles concerning ghost photographs and how to properly use EMF meters. This is not research!!! This is just a basic website full of nonsense that makes the team look “officially scientific” when in reality they are not utilizing anything close to a scientific method. I browse around and see brand spanking new teams pop up, claiming to have 20+ years experience in the field but for some reason, I don’t know who they are. These people are not even in a Google search. What have they been doing for the past 20 years? Stumbling around dark buildings and cemeteries waiting for Casper to pop out? These same brand new teams of “expert scientists” are also charging people for workshops, promising people that they too can become a “ghost hunter”, just like their hero’s on TV. First, I have a problem with someone that has had a “team” in place for less than 3 months teaching the public about how to be ghost hunters, but then again, a monkey truly can walk around in the dark holding a flashlight and jump to conclusions every time the wind blows.

So, where is the research? There is none, not in this state and not across the nation. If there are real research projects taking place, please send me the link to the team so I can get in touch with real paranormal investigators, not “ghost hunters”.

So, before anyone says “hey, practice what you preach” to me and attempt to make me look like a goon or hateful. I am happy to announce that I will be starting a real research project at the first of September. I have been working to find the perfect location and I just found out today that a great location has been reserved for this project. It’s a real location, real people and a real protocol that has been developed and approved by my NewsOK blogging counterpart. Dr. Bryan Farha has helped me and my team in the past organize a paranormal investigation that makes sense. No bells and whistles, just good old fashioned paranormal research.

I am excited about this opportunity. These Cognitive Trials are a lot of fun and very intense but they also make sense to the rest of the world. There is no “research” based off baseline EMF readings, moon phases and whacked out tools that talk on behalf of the dead.

In closing, I invite anyone to point me in the right direction of a team that is conducting any type of research. No, not just historical research, I’m talking applied research that is custom to a location. Not research where the team is doing nothing more than eliminating the obvious to find the unexplainable moments so they can call them ghosts. So, before anyone complains about “what” I am doing on this blog and if it’s a waste of a media outlet, please share with me something that is slightly informative, educational or intriguing concerning subjects of the unexplained. Until then, I will keep browsing, pointing and laughing at the thousands upon thousands of “ghost hunters” that are all doing the exact same thing.

Starting out in the field it was a very small community. The internet was growing quickly. I recall the moment I was able to get rid of my dial up and got “high speed” internet service. As people were able to upgrade computer and connections researchers started building websites that showcased their work, theories and ideas. Back then, teams were not selling anything and honestly, it was taboo to even mention selling anything on a website. There were teams that tried to sell t-shirts and they would be shunned, mainly because this field was for research, not making a buck. There were teams back then, but there were no titles or an “image” to be found. Honestly, it was a community of people, coming together asking questions and allowing their evidence to get reviewed. The term “debunk” was in it’s infant stage, today, it’s a common word that even elementary school children use. Back in the day, if someone posted something for review, they actually wanted it to be explained away, before they made a fool out of themselves by posting it on the internet. Yes, you read that right. Researchers then actually cared what their peers thought of potential evidence. Today, not so much. In fact, it’s the opposite. Boy oh boy, do I miss those days of paranormal research.

Today, searching the net for a paranormal research team can be a daunting task. Not many are actually “paranormal researchers”, they have adopted the title of “Ghost Hunter” and the majority of them claim to be some kind of expert or leader of some sort. As people may need help with their unusual problems, I can only imagine the stress they deal with as they pick a team to come and investigate their homes and private properties. What they have to filter through is a lot of fluff, advertisements and narcissistic claims made by the team. They have to filter through team bio’s complete with semi-professional team “photos” and of course the drawn out history of why each member is involved with the paranormal. None of those things are important, but it seems to be the new thing as team are selling their image, not their skills.

I won’t get into the reasoning as to why I think Paranormal based TV shows are literally killing the field of parapsychology, as most of you are already aware of where I stand on that issue. But the lack of information, testing, ideas and theories have seemed to be neglected. To me, and many veteran researchers it takes more than a “cool image” to make a team reputable and rational, otherwise just good researchers. The word research has been replaced with “hunt”. Do people really want teams of people in matching t-shirts to come to their personal property and “hunt” for things that go bump in the night? Or, am I so crazy to think that these people actually want some answers, explanations and rational reasoning behind their unexplainable moments. The general public that watches these TV shows are entirely educated as today’s ghost hunter. They do not need any additional knowledge outside of what they have seen on TV. Why? Today’s ghost hunters are just mimicking what they see on TV, they do not have any upper hands or extended knowledge of paranormal research. Not to mention, the mass majority of teams today will enter these properties already assuming the place is haunted. Wishful thinking, from a hunter. Not a rational view from a researcher.

Back in the day, it was word of mouth as to how investigations were researched. As more households jumped on the world wide web finding help became easier for people. They could just send photos and explain unnatural occurrences via email. Today, there are thousands upon thousands of “ghost hunters” claiming to be paranormal researchers on the internet. Very few have any information posted for public view. Most of these teams treat their personal websites as some sort of infomercial as they try their hardest to get a potential clients attention. They boast and brag about going to haunted locations as seen on TV, as if that makes them bolder, braver and more experienced than the next team. These teams proudly sell items from t-shirts to bobble head dolls, all to which are to help them pay for their “expenses”.

Expenses in the field are limited and the general public should never donate or pay a dime for services. EVER.
What are these teams using the money on? There are several things they use the money on. Here are a few…

Toys- Somewhere people have confused technology with science. In reality, a team can base a very nice and scientific based investigation with nothing more than a pen, paper, flashlight and some sort of recording device, audio or video. Meters, thermal imaging and laser pointing temperature gauges are used to make a team appear to be scientific, in fact it’s just a bunch of people playing with overpriced electronic gadgets that make them look as if they are important. Technology and gadgets are not scientific. These people have not been properly trained on the thermal imaging camera they purchased used on Ebay. Does the item work properly is a whole other question. Nobody should ever donate money for teams to get toys for ghost hunting. If you are that free with your money, I am sure there are deer hunters, scuba divers and even treasure hunters that could use a nice donation. Besides, what they are hunting for has already been proven to be real… ghosts have not according to science. The real scientific world does not approve of the tools they use. Figure that one out. If a team needs to earn money for their “Paranormal Princess Lifestyle”.. they should raise it themselves with public events. But, remember public events are for fun and entertainment, just roll with it.

Travel- paranormal research is not a paid profession. A person can make some money, but it’s not a lot. If a team of fifteen people want to go to a place they seen on TV and pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars to have the place for a night, why would you pay for their vacation? Most researchers pay out of pocket for any travel destinations, especially if it is one that the team is just going to go have a good time at. How I can prove they are there on a paranormal hiatus is this way. Visit their site. See how they market that they are going. Check back and see if they actually did any “research” at the location. Chances are, they will have photos of dust bunnies, maybe some purported EVP’s they collected while they took the guided tour with about twenty other people. If a team does not have gas money to arrive to your location, please dis-invite them. The only thing a team should ever ask for is maybe use of the restroom and a glass of water.

Webspace- It is not the general public’s problem nor should they give a damn about paying for some ghost hunting teams website. If the team eliminated the bells and whistles, they could manage, operate and maintain a website for less than $100 a year. The team members should pay for this, not the general public. They will not go away if their site goes down. They will be forced to simplify and by the grace of God use the space to showcase what they do as researchers, not rock stars. Not to mention the free resources available on the internet, such as youtube and blogs.

Their Time- Ghost hunting is a hobby. NOT a career. Teams that charge for their time are nothing more than scam artists. They should be reported to the police and any other authority that will listen. It is a scam, I repeat. A SCAM. Their time is valuable, to them and nobody else in this field. They should have a day job or other means of income, there is no local experts worthy of collecting money for their services involving any type of ghost hunt or investigation. I can not stress this enough. If a team asks you for money, please let someone know so they can be turned in. If they ask for money to “Clear/rid your property of ghosts” please notify any other team in your area asap to get second opinion, even a third. do not pay anything until you have spoken with other teams in your area about the situation.

*** I can not stress enough that ghost hunting/paranormal investigations is not a paid service. Please report anyone to the authorities or heck, let me know. Just let people know. There are so many scam artists claiming to be ghost hunters these days. People need to be aware.

I’m not going to say that my way is the right way. There are good teams out there. There are good investigators out there, not all of them have commercials on the internet to help them look more official. Google the team leaders names and see if they are actually linked up with any type of paranormal research or if they just popped up in the past year and are all of a sudden claiming to be an experienced researcher.

I did a quick search on Youtube and found a great example of how teams are advertising their services. If you know me and this is your team, I do apologize in advance. But, I am not afraid to say that this is a very tacky and non impressive way to make you and your team look professional. What are you selling? The video is more scary and eerie than the unexplainable events taking place in peoples houses.
Here is the video advertisement for this particular team.

If people were not spooked before, I’m sure they are thinking they have some kind of demonic boogie man in their basement after watching this video. Marketing on peoples fears is the thing with today’s teams, nothing more. They will scare you to have a place to play. They will scare you so they can make a buck off of you. They will scare you and make you believe, what they want you to believe.
Paranormal research is not, nor should it ever be about marketing, commercialism and enterprise.

Agents, head shots and biographies- As you search the internet. See who has an agent, management service, head shots, biography that is similar to an actors. Are these people really doing research or are they just trying to make a name for themselves to be some type of celebrity?

That is the current state of the paranormal field to date. It’s no longer about research to most, it’s about recognition, competition and to see who can get on TV and make “big bucks” so they can live their dreams of overreacting on TV in spooky situations. If you are in need of a reputable paranormal research to help you make sense of the paranormal claims at your property please be careful as to who you have into your property. Ask for references from businesses that have not made money from the teams presence at the location. Google the leaders name, see how much they are really respected in the field. What they have written, research and who even knows who the heck they are. If you, the reader ever need a list of educated paranormal researchers to contact for referrals, contact me I can get you in touch with those that have earned a name for themselves with their research efforts and progress they have made in the field of parapsychology.

I am looking forward to your feedback.

Sincerely,

TonyaH

Over the past nine years I have heard many stories about ghosts, strange events, spooky experiences and even haunted objects. If you do a quick Google search, it’s not hard to find a plethora of haunted items for sale and for auction. The fascination with these items is very popular and many of the haunted objects are selling for top dollar at auction sites. What’s the big deal with haunted items? Why would a person want to purchase them and who are these people that seem to have all the luck with finding these oddities? I have been reading a lot about these items and I have been paying attention to the writing styles that are behind them. Haunted Dolls are big sellers these days. I know grown men that hate dolls, because they are often creepy. The older dolls have the look of peeling paint and blackened eyes, fit for any horror movie. It seems to be the new thing to buy haunted. Perhaps people these days are lonely, bored or just crazy? Perhaps if they are like me, they would purchase these items just because the odds of them being haunted, well, it’s a fun gamble and well worth the risk. Who knows, it could be haunted!? What a great conversation piece to place on your mantle! It’s always fun to talk to people and hear their stories of how big of a sucker they were in purchasing online auction items. Some people are just collectors of strange objects, if funds were available, I would probably be one of those people.

Haunted objects, it’s a forgotten and slightly ignored subject in the paranormal field. It’s forgotten because the subject is slightly boring and there is nothing that “ghost hunters” can do! I too will admit that I would prefer to go into an old and creepy hospital compared to sitting for hours to monitor an old clock that’s believed to be haunted. One thing that a lot of researchers and even the skeptics are ignoring is the fact that there are a lot of reports of objects being cursed, haunted or have some kind of spirit attached. No, I’m not talking about the ones for sale on the Internet. I’m talking about the people that don’t call the ghost hunters; they just get rid of the object entirely. I have spoken with many people that have purchased or inherited an object, usually an antique of some sort and had a string of strangeness take place after the item arrived. Items such as books, clocks, old quilts, pieces of furniture, toys, photos, watches and even paintings area all deemed haunted. When the people obtained the items they were not afraid of them, not one bit. The experiences just evolved, that is what makes the stories more intriguing than a regular ghost story. Those that I have talked with over the years are more upscale and not the typical person that believes in such things as “ghosts.” They are not the types to call some t-shirt sporting ghost hunting team to visit their home either. The people are working citizens, educated and were not the least bit prepared to the string of mishaps that took place in their homes and lives. I have heard reports from sudden insect or rodent infestations after a small trinket was inherited. People have reported, strange noises, knocks on the wall, falling photos and even small fires. It is entirely possible that “bad luck” was blamed on these objects, so don’t peg me as a believer just yet. I’m not willing to accept the blame or the possibility of an innocent coincidence to justify someone’s strange events.

One of the most popular collections of haunted items is the traveling exhibit, featuring the RMS Titanic artifacts and replications. Many years ago, the Titanic exhibit passed through Oklahoma. I was able to walk through and see all the found treasures that were aboard the historical ship. The items that made me become totally conscious of the tragedy was items such as hair brushes, some with hairs still in them and personal jewelry, not to mention children’s clothing, it was indeed haunting. The Titanic exhibit was even showcased on SciFi’s Ghost Hunters/TAPS not too long ago. The “team” entered the exhibit in search of traveling exhibit ghosts because curators have been reporting eerie sensations, being watched and even cold spots. Well, anyone with a soul would have been affected by this exhibit, even ghost hunters. Being around personal items might create more than just an uneasy feeling; it’s a feeling of empathy, on a non-psychic level and of course the blatant and very harsh pragmatism that is involved with the exhibit, over 1500 people did parish. Ghosts or were heartstrings just being tugged at? These emotions can be mistaken for fear of course, how and why? I will leave that up to the person that is seeking ghosts, not thinking rationally about the environment surrounding them. The TV spirit hunters reported sudden cold spots in the exhibit while at particular locations; I looked on the website to make sure that they still had the ginormious Iceberg as a part of the display. Sure enough, Iceberg ahead! Ice is cold folks, especially in big chunks! Way to exploit a tragedy and turn it into folk lore for future generations!

Energy- It is totally possible that items can be some kind of “collector” of energies from the past. If someone prayed to a rosary several times in a day over the course of twenty years, it is possible that those persons “energy” could be somehow, be collected within the object. Anything is possible right? I recently read a story about a haunted bedroom set. She purchased a full sized bed, dresser and armoire. Once the woman settled into her not so new antique bedroom set, strange things started to occur. Nightmares, waking up in terror, voices and even the feeling of being cold, while under the blankets. She dealt with them for a while and finally realized her problems started once the furniture arrived. She sold it (not on Ebay) and the terror stopped. On a psychological level, even small changes can generate anxiety within a totally stable person. She was convinced that the bedroom suit had some kind of bad Mojo to it, but it could have been because it was different, different enough to cause interrupted sleep. Kind of like when you go stay at a friend’s house, or a hotel, maybe a B&B and you just have a lot of trouble sleeping. You brain is aware of what is going on, your senses are peaked but you are in that state of “cat nap”. It’s just uncomfortable. Throw in the belief of ghosts and you have a whole new batch of nightmares heading your way. More and more I have watched places and items, just because they are old earn a haunting status, because of its age and outer appearance. I have learned because some items or places are old, does not make it haunted, creepy maybe, but not haunted. I will be so bold to state this as a fact.

Thinking- When we obtain something new, we subconsciously remember the day, if it was a fantastic gift, you will remember it more, it’s that simple. People have things that are strange and odd take place all the time, throw in a rusty old tea set and watch the imagination can run wild. Awareness is what is taking place, later putting two and two together, and then even as more time passes by, making a full fledged mystery out of it, mystery means “ghosts” in today’s society. Today, it’s easier for people to admit they have a ghost or haunted object, before they would ever admit that they are forgetful, having sleep problems and should probably see a doctor. It is possible these have allowed their imaginations to run wild because they have a new creepy doll sitting in their living room. That’s what you get for buying creepy dolls! The best part of a haunted item is that the majority of reports are that when the people “get rid” of the item, the haunting, bad luck and curse seems to stop instantly. Sure, it can be in their minds, but then again, there is always a possibility!

I am a proud owner of a vintage ventriloquist dummy that was sold not as “haunted” but just as “it’s creepy, and it scares my kids, I need to get rid of it”; it was given to me as a birthday gift. Of course in the right hands, the dummy would be a full fledged demonically tuned haunted doll ready for sale on the Internet, with a hefty price tag of course and totally worthy of contacting those as seen on TV ghost hunting teams! The doll sets proudly in my living room. I have yet to have any disturbances, but its faded little eyes do follow you wherever you are in the room!

On this blog, I would like to open it up for you to post your theories, stories and ideas about haunted items. Is it a paranormal-psychosomatic or is there something else? Please share your story & thoughts.

Here is a listing of items that are for sale on the internet if you are willing to become a collector of haunted items.

Oh, if you need “removal” of your haunted items, contact me I will come and pick them up for you!

• http://www.squidoo.com/dollrobert
• http://reviews.ebay.com/HAUNTED-DOLLS-AND-THE-SHAKEN-BABY-SYNDROME_W0QQugidZ10000000001040944
• http://www.warrens.net/annabell.html
• http://www.melodief.com/ghosts/contributions/clock.htm
• http://www.squidoo.com/tales-of-haunted-grandfather-clocks
• http://antiques.about.com/cs/holiday/a/aa102203.htm
• http://interiordecorating.suite101.com/article.cfm/haunted_furniture
• http://www.johnzaffisparanormalmuseum.com

Oh, want to buy more than just a haunted item? Try buying a haunted house?

http://www.sdparanormal.com/Haunted_House_Listings.html

PS- before you attempt to exploit your house to sell in this type of fashion, remember that stigmatized property takes 50% longer to sell and will depreciate the value tremendously! Think twice before you attempt to rake in the “big bucks” with a bogus haunted property.

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