Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Investigation

Before The Investigation

Tips To Get The Most Out Of An Investigation

We ask that you strongly consider the following in order to maximize our effectiveness as a team during your investigation.

We are honored that you have selected us to assist you and wish for our combined resources to be utilized effectively and wisely.  We realize that this is your property and your time, and we do not wish to inconvenience you in any way.

      Please have as FEW people as possible present at the investigation.  It is very difficult to gather objective data when a large number of people make it impossible to distinguish between normal human occupation and that which may not be.

      Secure all pets.  We love animals and they love us! This can make it exceedingly difficult to focus on our true objective – helping YOU. Also, many animals are not supposed to go outside and we do not wish for any to get loose during the course of the investigation as we move about. Large, energetic or curious animals can accidentally move or alter equipment which affects readings and may quite possibly invalidate our investigation.  Very protective animals may be alarmed at our presence and naturally will act accordingly.  Animals that are not used to being kept outside may react to our presence inside and outside the site.  We realize that they are part of your family and wish for them to be comfortable and secure.  Please let us know in advance how this may impact or alter our investigative procedures.

      Let us know in advance if there are relatives or children whose knowledge of our investigation should be limited or none.  Many people have religious differences or may have guardians who do not feel the paranormal or supernatural is an appropriate subject to discuss.  If there are children present, it is suggested that they remain in the presence of a parent or guardian at all times, especially in case unexpected phenomena should present itself.

      Make sure all walkways are clear – if we do a dark or dim light visual, obstacles may impede our efforts or cause a safety issue.

      If there are private or dangerous areas that we should be aware of, please inform us in the pre-investigation walk-through so these areas may be tagged and not entered into by our team.

      If you have cordless phones on the property – we may need to unplug the power and plug in a ‘corded’ phone (we can provide one), as most cordless models could interfere with our camera signals.

      Please inform us of any possible scheduling conflicts or time limitations so that we may pace our investigation accordingly.  Each investigation is tailored to the experiences you have had, and we attempt to cover every one of them that you have explained to us.  We are very punctual and will typically call to confirm within an hour of our appointed arrival time.

      We are a non-profit organization.  We do not require payment of any kind for our time or services. We will always offer our time and services for free to every client who feels they need our assistance. As a non-profit, we do accept donations from clients, supporters, members, and just about anyone who wants to help defray the cost of travel, time, equipment, research and expenses. Donations of any kind are certainly appreciated and welcomed.

What Clients Can Expect During An Investigation

SPIRIT is very sensitive to our client’s needs and well being when it comes to handling ghosts, spirits, a haunting, human interaction with spirits and any other phenomena you may be experiencing. We try to be as non-invasive as possible during our research process and we remain extremely respectful of the living and the dead.

Each team’s make-up of researchers and investigators depends on the needs of each individual case. We do nothing to increase the activity in your location. Although each case and client is different, there are some basic procedures and research guidelines that we would like to make you aware of prior to your investigation in an effort to make you comfortable with having us in your home, as well as keeping our research scientific and safe for everyone.

What you can expect:

A team of four to ten investigators in your home (and nor necessarily all at one time), depending on the size of the location and the events that have been reported by witnesses. Each case is different.

About 90% of our equipment is of the handheld variety and is carried in bags and cases. There is nothing we use that is considered dangerous to you or your property. Most of the equipment you would immediately recognize on sight, such as cameras, camcorders, etc. And by all means, if you want to know what something we use is or what it does, please ask!

Additional witness interviewing may be conducted during the initial equipment setup. The Case Manager or another team member may have some additional forms to complete with you at this time as well.

Most of our investigations last a minimum of three to four hours. Follow-up investigations may be shorter or longer, depending on the individual case requirements, which, of course, will be discussed with you in detail as needed.

During the initial walk-through, the team will record details about the area, such as the condition of the interior and exterior of the structure, any existing damage, exposed wiring, and other notable abnormalities that you may or may not be currently aware of.

We ask that just the residents of the home or owner (or representative) of the business be in attendance during the investigations and that no guests or other parties be invited to participate.

We will turn off most, if not all, of the lights and shut off as many electrical appliances as you will allow. No televisions or radios may be on, as they will interfere with the equipment and data collection. Our infrared cameras require almost total darkness to be most effective.

If you smoke, and you do so inside your home, we ask that for the duration of the investigation that there be no smoking inside as this may give faulty readings and will interfere with our sense of smell. We do have investigators that smoke, but will only do so during their designated breaks, and only outside and far away from the investigation site. We ask that you would also refrain from lighting any candles, incense, or spraying anything scented (such as perfumes, air fresheners, etc.) and unplug any automatic air fresheners to prevent them from going off during the investigation.

We ask that residents/owners remain in one central location at the site (if they choose to remain on site) during the investigation. Feel free to talk as you normally would and please do not whisper. We will record each resident's/owner's voice for reference purposes used during our evidence review. Whispering will taint our audio and video recordings, making it difficult to differentiate between a whisper and an actual vocal anomaly.

If you choose to remain on site during the investigation and would like an investigator to sit with you throughout the investigation process and explain things to you as they happen, please let us know. We want you to feel comfortable with the entire process and will do our best to accommodate you.

Depending on each individual case, client participation may be encouraged in the investigation process; in particular, EVP sessions. If you are opposed to participating in the investigation (at any level) if asked, please inform the Team Director that you do not wish to do so.

During our wrap-up of the investigation, you will be provided with a log to keep track of and record any activity that occurs after the investigation ends. We will be checking in with you periodically after the completion of the initial investigation to answer any questions you may have, provide any additional assistance if needed, and to inquire on any decrease or increase or decrease in activity.

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