You Always Expect the Spanish Inquisition

 If you go to a haunted location you expect to see the paranormal.

What drives us to seek evidence of the paranormal?

Is it to find proof that after we leave this mortal coil a part of us still remains? Is it to debunk its existence? Or is it to find solace that our loved ones have passed through the veil and are reunited with family and friends who have already passed on?

Whether you are Team Believer of Team Sceptic the seeking of evidence or explanation to the unexplained is required to assert your view.

The difficulty surrounding investigations into the paranormal is that it is not tangible. There are only theories that spirits can interact with Rem-Pods, can move a planchette on a Ouija board or having a full spectrum camera can capture the disembodied spirt on film. These theories are then ‘debunked’ by the sceptic as errant UHF signals providing misreadings, micromotor reactions in the sitter’s fingers passing messages or pareidolia – your brain making order out of a fuzzy shadow.

What makes this fragile evidence so much more difficult to frame as substantive is the amount of fraud utilised in claims of contact with the paranormal. This is occasionally deliberate fraud to boost TV ratings or financial reward, but often we defraud ourselves through our expectations.

For example you pay money to attend a professionally organised ghost hunt, at a location that has a reputation for being haunted. If you are from the Team Believer camp, your expectation is that during one of the many experiments you will find concrete proof that you have somehow made contact with a paranormal entity. On the other side of the coin, the member of Team Sceptic will expect to be able to wholly disprove, debunk and make claims of a natural, logical explanation as to what has caused the occurrence.

Our expectation in these situations is often an unconscious bias based on our beliefs, experience and known information that can transform and manifest itself into a desire of validation – and render any evidence obtained inadmissible.

So how do we avoid the impact of expectation during investigations? It is easy to say we journey into the unknown with an open mind and a Vulcan-like appreciation of emotions. But this is never the case. The evidence gained is always subjective, based on emotions and influenced by what we want to see or experience and is presented in a way so as to demonstrate our expectations to others.

Guides on paranormal investigations appear to always suggest never to investigate alone, never to investigate when you are feeling unwell or depressed and never to investigate whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The rationale for this is often presented as a cautionary tale for the investigator who may unwittingly stumble into a demonic possession. However if you break down the advice practically:

-              Never investigate alone – always have someone to bounce ideas off of or corroborate the phenomena. An increase in the number of people witnessing the same event adds credibility and removes the subjectivity of the account. This could go further as always take a sceptic with you (or at least someone with a polarising expectation) as this would minimise the contamination of the evidence by your expectation.

-              Never investigate when unwell/depressed – your senses are affected, your expectations become a desire or a cure. You are less likely to take steps to provide a rational explanation and will settle that your expectations have been met.

-              Never investigate whilst intoxicated – investigating whilst drunk or high throws any evidence gained straight in the bin. It is unreliable, your perceptions are skewed and you are more likely to follow the path of your expectations than not.

Clinton Baptiste is getting a word...

 A clear example of how a person’s expectations can influence their experience is that of a public Clairvoyant Event. The stereotypical view of a middle aged, softly spoken psychic asking leading questions of a large group of people before zeroing down on one member of the audience is only part of this story. These events are often ridiculed by the sceptic community and feature in many Parapsychology course with titles such as Psychic Fraud. The reason for this is the expectations of the audience. Generally you will attend one of these events because you expect that one of your departed loved ones will cross over the vail to give you a message of support or that they are ok in the afterlife. Because you expect this to happen you are more likely to respond to the claims made by the psychic:

“I am getting a woman” – My mother was a woman

“She has a name that begins with a C or an S” – my mother was called Connie

“But that was not her real name” – no she was actually called Coniferous

“She had problems with her abdomen” – yes and then some indication to her chest

“She had breathing problems.” -  Yes she stopped breathing when she died.

“She wants you to know that she is with her family and is looking out for you” – That’s good I was worried she would be burning in the fiery pits of hell.

This is not to say that all Clairvoyants are frauds but the sceptics view that you take a group of people, all suffering loss and having the same expectations of contacting their dead relatives it is more likely than not if this is your expectation you will be sucked into the performance and your expectations will be met if there is time as when you buy a ticket you want to get your monies worth.

So Golden Ticket in hand – or at least an email confirmation of my booking - I found myself driving towards the unknown, following my Sat Nav to my first investigation and to Tonbridge Castle in Kent.