Sneaking Paranormal Investigations

I have been a paranormal investigator, or "ghost hunter", for several years now and I have encountered all types of excuses for why a client does not want so-and-so to know that they are planning on having an investigation done in their home. Though the reasons vary, the potential ethical conflicts are most definitely the hardest ones to talk about. As a researcher of the paranormal where do you draw the line and say, "I'm sorry but we can't help you unless so-and-so is notified and agrees."? This may sound like and easy question but I assure you that it is not.

One example of an ethical problem that we have faced would be when either a male or a female that would like us to investigate but not let their live-in spouse know about it contacts us. A friend of mine and their group was almost shot when this happened to them. Granted, the female client lied to them and told them that her husband would be fine with them coming over, but it is the same problem. I often tell new groups to "go with their gut". If it "feels" like someone could be lying then back out of the investigation. You can always reschedule at a later date or find another place to investigate. It simply is not worth the strife to try and sneak around someone in order to "look for ghosts". Not only will that person feel lied to when/if they find out, but word of mouth is a key factor in this field. If the client you agreed to sneak around with tells others that you did it for them then whoever contacts you next could very likely expect the same thing.

Another problem that we haven't dealt with, but I know other groups have, is when an older child in the house (let's say 18-21) contacts us wanting an investigation sometime when their parent(s) isn't home. There are several reasons why this would not be a good idea, the main one being that each and every investigation group should make sure they get the owner/renter/leaser's permission prior to any investigation. If you do not have their written permission and something should happen while you are on the premises you and your group could be in some serious trouble. Another issue with this scenario is that the parent(s) have a right to know who is in their home and why. One group that I talk to frequently ended up having one the their best investigations they have ever had when an elder child in the home contacted them and they worked with them to talk to the parents. Both parents readily agreed to let the group come in and everything worked out great.

This next one ended up getting rather sticky before it was resolved. A potential client called and asked if an investigation could be done. The potential client neglected to say that it wasn't in their home or even a relative's home. They were a home health aid and one of their elderly clients's had some very odd happenings at her home when the caregiver was there. This particular elderly woman was mostly bedridden and more often than not could be found sound asleep. Deception is something that every group has to be on the lookout for, but this potential client was very good at their lies. The long of the short of this story is that the group ended up arriving a little early, before the caregiver was there, and got to have a good talk with the caregiver who was just leaving.

As any group with experience can tell you, just saying no doesn't always end the matter. Some potential clients are persistent and are very good at trying to talk their way around your ethics and protocols. Keep an eye out for deception and take very little at face value until you know more about the person/people and their situation. This field is tricky enough without allowing those who want to undermine your practices to interfere with how you run things. Stay true to your rules and to your own ethics and you will more than likely find that your clients will respect you for doing so.