My Journey in the Paranormal

I started out, like most, with a keen interest in the unknown, watching paranormal shows and feeling envious that these investigators get to feel the rush of endorphins so regularly. I wanted to do that. I wanted to explore haunted locations and experience the fear that is so prevalent on these investigations. Fear was a big part of it for me; I love being afraid. I would watch Childs Play and IT when I was 7/8 years old. My threshold for fear was extremely high so I needed to chase that buzz.

I went on my first public investigation in 2012. Looking back it was a complete mess, but at the time I was so excited. One thing I noticed was that everyone seemed to be psychic, or at least sensitive, attributing every breathing issue or dizzy spell to a spiritual connection. I just stood there in the dark wondering when I would get to experience this sensation, sure, I felt dizzy occasionally but that was because I was standing in the dark on uneven floorboards. There was a lot of standing, lots and lots of standing, and calling out to the spirits to do something. Nothing was happening. Then we heard footsteps above us, heavy and menacing. Everyone in the room gasped and started to cling to each other, pointing to the ceiling and shhing the person who was most audibly excited. The event host quickly said, ‘It’s just the hotel guests in the upstairs bedroom. We only have access to the ground floor as it’s still a working hotel.’ I felt a collective sigh as the most activity we got all night was from the living, not the dead, so we all shuffled back into our original stance and continued to wait. Nothing.

 I started to wonder when I would hear the disembodied voices and when the grabbing of clothing from unseen forces would start. I felt duped. This was nothing like on TV. I knew I didn’t want to do an Ouija board, so when they asked if I wanted to sit around the dimly lit table I quickly declined. I saw enough films to know that nothing but possession and demons come from those menacing boards; I didn’t want to be involved with that……so I took a safe spot 5 feet away from the board. Demons be gone!!

The night ended abruptly when the hotel manager kicked us out because people in our group kept turning out the lights in the hallway which was considered a health and safety hazard. It was still a fun and interesting night, but I had nothing to compare it to; I needed to go on another investigation.

In 2016 I came across a Facebook post from a paranormal events company asking for new team members. I replied to the advert, expressing my passion for the paranormal and a few weeks later I was driving to Pontefract to host my first event with two other team members. The entire three-hour journey I heard, ‘I can’t believe this is going to be your first investigation with us. You are really being thrown in at the deep end….this place is terrifying.’ I’m not going to lie, the PR for 30 East Drive was/is terrific, the poltergeist Fred takes no prisoners, and the activity is so consistent that Ouija boards are banned. I was terrified.

Upon arrival, it looks like your typical 1950s council house, notably average looking from a distance. Under the protection of daylight, I had a false sense of security, so I didn’t feel too anxious when I entered the house and started preparing for the guests to arrive. I remember walking upstairs, holding on to the banister for support as I had been told stories of people being pushed, and I felt a strange heaviness that I hadn’t felt before. I walked around the three bedrooms and wondered how on earth I was going to manage sleeping here overnight, I didn’t sleep well at the best of times, let alone with the added threat of a malevolent spirit. Better crack open the red bull.

Once we had welcomed the guests and ran through the rough schedule for the night, it was time for lights out. I felt so vulnerable, I couldn’t see very well in the dark (I didn’t realise how badly I needed glasses at night), so everything kind of blurred and I couldn’t make out any distinguishable features. Again, it was lots of standing and waiting….waiting and standing. Not much really happened. Many phone apps and gadgets were being used, but I wasn’t sure whether any responses were paranormal or just glitches in the technology. Paranormal TV shows made me believe that ghosts are just ready and waiting to interact with us; looking back I now realise how narcissistic my thinking was. Spirits or ghosts don’t owe us anything; they aren’t there to perform for us and act as our own personal adrenaline shot.

I would define my views as a sceptical believer. I can appreciate that there are things that happen in this world that we will never fully understand…..UnDeRsTaNd. (Zak Bagans reference, don’t come for me) However, I think we sometimes conclude that something is paranormal because we so desperately want to find meaning and order in this world. I am not a psychologist or scientist so there are areas in the paranormal field that I will never be able to explain. Still, I think it is my responsibility as an investigator to actively pursue the route of rational explanation. Once every bit of activity has been debunked and explained, there is no more room for interpretation, thus creating a more rational and forward-thinking investigator. If something inexplicable happens during an investigation, it is much more rewarding. It is like spending your life drinking skimmed milk, then suddenly trying full fat. You don’t want a watered-down investigation, you want the good stuff, and that is what I think it feels like since becoming more skeptical with my approach.

I spent about 8 months with the events team before I decided to leave for personal reasons. I learnt so much from working in the team. I am a people watcher and an observer by nature and I find human behaviour fascinating. One thing I observed is how a person’s desire to experience the paranormal can sometimes mould their experience. There are many apps and gadgets that investigators like to use to have a ‘conversation’ with spirits, such as the Alice app or the Ovilus. Both devices have a large database of words that can supposedly be manipulated by the spirits so that they can chat with us. Sometimes, words can pop up that are significant to the investigation, but more often than not investigators may be experiencing Apophenia. Apophenia is, ‘The tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated or random things.’ I have seen the journey people go through to get a word to mean something:

Gadget: HOT……..DOWN

Investigator: Hot….were you burned in a fire……the fireplace DOWN stairs…..did you burn in the fireplace downstairs?

It is fascinating to observe how we as investigators try to connect the dots. It makes me wonder how many stories are being passed down throughout the years that were constructed in the same manner. Are we passing hearsay and assumption off as fact? How have investigators altered history and how can we preserve factual information and historical accuracy?

My journey as an investigator is unique to me. No two people will investigate or experience things in the same way as we are all humans with complex emotional and psychological differences. Sceptics and believers are both valid and important in furthering the field of paranormal research. We can learn valuable things from both sides, the believer in me wants to think that there is more to life than what we can see. How boring if this was it?

My paranormal journey is just getting started, there are some exciting things happening this year and I have found my paranormal tribe. I love the people I work/investigate with, they have really helped me grow as a person and become more confident in my own voice, when my imposter syndrome is telling me I dont deserve the good things that happen to me. I don’t even know why I wrote this post, I just wanted to spend a few hours of my day doing something I love – talking about the paranormal.

The Reality Of Being A Paranormal Investigator.

If you are an avid viewer of Ghost Adventures and Most Haunted then it would be fair to assume that paranormal investigating is full of frights and jumps every night. If you also watch these shows you would also think that we get scratched and catch full body apparitions on camera on a regular basis. However, you would be wrong.  These shows are created for entertainment purposes and to give the viewer a cheap scare. Not saying I don’t, love these shows, cause I do, but I am now fully aware that a lot of hours of filming go into one 45 minute long show.

When I first started doing investigations I was pretty scared, I’m not gonna lie. I expected spirits to whisper in my ear, to be pushed, scratched and intimidated. Maybe I haven’t been to the right places yet, but so far I haven’t experienced this. What I have experienced can’t be explained. What I have experienced is so subtle that a camera crew would not be able to capture it. Spirit does not have to be aggressive and obvious to be noticed. When you walk into a building and you suddenly cannot breath as the air and atmosphere is thick, how would a TV show convey this? When your heart starts pounding because you feel yourself being stared down by someone or something you cannot see, how would a TV show convey this? The majority of interaction with spirits can not be seen, only felt.

One thing we always mention to our guests at the beginning of investigations is that sometimes we might not get any communication at all. That is OK. Spirits are not performing monkeys, hanging out in buildings waiting for our beck and call. One thing that genuine paranormal groups will never do is fake evidence. We would rather the guests go away and think the night was ‘boring’ that make accusations that a group is faking activity. Paranormal groups strive off of their reputations and a cheap thrill will never come before integrity. So if your night with a local paranormal group DIDN’T seem like an episode of Most Haunted then I would say stick with that group, as sooner or later you never know what you might encounter, at least you know it wasn’t faked.

The paranormal industry is becoming saturated with people trying to get their five minutes of fame by releasing a video full of cheap jumps and obvious scare tactics that genuine videos of subtle paranormal evidence are getting overlooked. I have realised that something doesn’t have to jump out at you to show you it is there, if a spirit can communicate through a flickering light or by changing the atmosphere in the room then I am satisfied with the investigation.

The Hands Resist Him

If you feel sick, full of dread, or uneasy looking at this picture then you are not alone.

This  painting was created by artist Bill Stoneham in 1972. It depicts a young boy stood next to a sinister doll against a glass door, if you look closely you can seen small hands behind the door reaching towards the boy. According to the artist, the boy in the painting is based on a photograph of the artist when he was 5 years old.

The painting was originally purchased by actor John Marley, and sometime after Marley’s death, the painting was found on the site of an old brewery by an elderly Californian couple. Shortly after, the painting then appeared on the auction website eBay in February 2000.

According to the seller the painting carried some form of curse. The eBay description made a series of claims that the painting was haunted. Included in those claims were that the characters in the painting moved during the night, and that they would sometimes leave the painting and enter the room in which it was being displayed. Also included with the listing were a series of photographs that were said to be evidence of an incident in which the female doll character threatened the male character with a gun that she was holding, causing him to attempt to leave the painting.

A disclaimer was included with the listing absolving the seller from all liability if the painting was purchased.

News quickly spread about this haunted painting and the eBay page received over 30,000 views and the painting eventually sold for $1,025.00. The buyer, Perception Gallery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, eventually contacted Bill Stoneham and related the unusual story of its auction on eBay and their acquisition of it. He reported being quite surprised by all the stories and strange interpretations of the images in the painting. Stoneham recalls that both the owner of the gallery in which the painting was first displayed, and the art critic who reviewed it, died within one year of coming into contact with the painting. 

Now, when i was doing some research about this painting i entered ‘The Hands Resist Him’ into google and my computer froze. Then the internet wouldn’t work for me and disconnected, even though my partner was on his computer next to me and his internet was working fine. 

Quite a bizarre painting to look at, not something that i would particularly want in my house for decorative purposes. Think i will just stick to some flowers or  some candles.  

Blue shimmery orb from Haunted doll!

Today I went to a car boot sale to see what treats I could find and I ended up buying 5 gorgeous porcelain dolls.

I am quite interested in purchasing spirited dolls and am trying to enhance my ability to feel energies! These five were really drawing me to them so I had to have them!

I ended up getting a few EMF spikes with the doll on the left with pig tails. I then decided to film the dolls and this is what I caught!!

The orb flickers in a blue colour, and is really amazing! I am very excited to see what these dolls have in store for me.

New Haunted Doll.

 

Today i was lucky enough to be announced as the winner of this beautiful spirited doll called Bobbie. I entered a competition with www.haunted-dolls.com this week and the terms were – You donate £1 to the Animal Defenders International and everyone’s name gets entered into a draw.

Well i am the lucky winner and i should be expecting her within the next few days. I am really excited, i have a very positive vibe from this doll and i cant wait to welcome her in.

This is my first ever spirited doll and i don’t know what to expect, but i will keep everyone informed through my blog, maybe make some videos too.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Leanne

Scary Game – Cat Scratch

Now that Game of Thrones is over and we still have a few months until The Walking Dead starts up again, i have a fun new game for you and your friends to try out. By fun i mean ridiculous and weird.

But bear with me, this game sometimes has spooky and scary consequences. So if you are brave enough, and don’t burst into a fit of laughter, give it a go.

Preparation:

The game needs at least two players. One person sits on the floor with their legs crossed and another person lies down straight, with their head on your lap with their eyes closed. If there are more players they must sit in a circle around the first two people.

The person who is crossed legs should gently rub the temples of the person lying down and tell either, or both, of the following stories.

Cat Story 1: 

There once was an old lady who owned a Cat.

The cat was very nice.

It meowed and purred.

One day, the cat got hit by a car and died.

Catscratch, catscratch, catscratch.

poep peop peop

 

The old lady got a new cat.

The cat was very mean.

It hissed and clawed.

Catscratch, catscratch, catscratch.

 

One day, the cat got hit by a car and died.

The old lady decided not to get anymore cats.

Catscratch, catscratch, catscratch.

 

Cat Story 2:

You are walking through a dark alley late at night.

You are the only one there.

The ground is slick with rain.

The alley is filled with garbage cans and litter.

But then you hear something.

A movement in the garbage cans.

You pick up your pace.

You want to get out of the alley fast.

But then you see something.

Red eyes. Glowing red cat eyes.

They are the eyes of an enormous cat.

You run, but the cat chases you and jumps on you.

It scratches you, one, two, three.

Cat scratch, cat scratch, cat scratch!

 

Immediately after you have finished the story/stories, get the person who is lying down to quickly stand up and lift up their shirt. There should be scratches on the person’s back. Scratched from the cat……

The Mysterious death of Elisa Lam.

In February of 2013, after residents of Cecil Hotel complained to managers about low water pressure, the body of Elisa Lam was found inside the rooftop water tanks. Elisa was a 21 year old Canadian tourist who traveled to LA on January the 26th, she was last seen 5 days later on the 31st of January.

Officials ruled out any foul play as autopsy reports concluded she died from drowning and there were no drugs on toxins in her body. It has also been reported that Elisa suffered from no previous mental health issues, so this leads us to the question ‘What happened?’

Footage has been released of Elisa acting very strangely in the hotel lift, pressing all the buttons and standing sheepishly in the corner, as if trying to get away from someone.

The video is very creepy considering, just a few minutes after, Elisa met her untimely death.

What is even more suspicious is how 5ft 1″ Elisa managed to access the 8 ft tall metal water containers on an alarmed rooftop, climb inside and close the lid….Do these look easy to climb in to you?

 

 

Another weird connection to the Elisa Lam death is the uncanny similarity to the 2005 film Dark Water. It tells the story of a young woman found drowned in a hotel water tank. A scene in the movie depicts an elevator malfunctioning, and a character is named Cecilia. Elisa Lam was staying in the Cecil Hotel.

What is even MORE strange is just days after Elisa Lam’s body was found, national health experts were called into Skid Row near the hotel to investigate a deadly persistent tuberculosis outbreak that local health officials called the largest in a decade. More than 4,500 people may have been exposed to TB and scientists linked the outbreak to a TB strain unique to L.A. A test used to diagnose tuberculosis, particularly in patients with advanced immunosuppression, was used on residents. The name of the test – LAM-ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

Many question whether the Hotel (which is now closed down) is actually cursed with evil. The Cecil Hotel has a long history of violence and death, including suicide and murder. Notable serial killers – Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, who lived on the hotel’s 14th floor for several months and used the hotel’s dumpster to dispose of his victim’s clothes, and Jack Unterweger, a crime journalist who unceremoniously killed three prostitutes in Los Angeles both commited these crimes while living at the Cecil Hotel

There are so many possibilities to this mysterious death and i sincerely hope for the family of Elisa Lam that more comes to light about that fateful night. I think the paranormal fanatic in me is questioning all these spooky connections, i would be interested to know what you all think is going on.

 

Live Haunted Cams

Most people obsessed with horror and the paranormal have a dream of being able to investigate haunted locations for a living. Unfortunately, we aren’t all as dashingly good looking as Zac, Nick and Aaron, so will never be offered our own show on the Travel Channel.

Now you can ghost hunt from the comfort of your lazee boy chair by checking out Live Ghost Web Cams . Here you can watch haunted locations such as The Knickerbocker Hotel, Willard Hall, Gettysberg and USS Lexington.

So have a little click if you think you’re brave enough….

Island of the Dolls.

Dolls can be creepy for a number of reasons, the lifeless eyes, the knowing smile, or the outstretched limbs that seem to be calling out to you. But nothing is creepier than the Island of the Dolls in Isla de las Munecas – 17 miles south of Mexico City, Mexico.

A little girl died in the canals nearby, so to honour her memory, people started to leave dolls for the spirit of the girl. Over time hundreds of dolls, some severed and tied from that neck, have been placed around the island.

The island is in fact a floating garden, known as a chinampa, which belonged to a man named Julian Santana Barrera, a hermit who lived isolated on the canal. 

The creepy creation was discovered in the 1990s when the local council started clearing up the canal, since then the garden has been a popular tourist spot for people seeking the strange and unusual.

Mr Santana Barrera created the terrifying island in dedication of a little girl whose dead body he found floating in the canal near his home.

A few days later he discovered a small doll found in the same spot where the girl’s body was found, the believed her spirit was inside the doll. He hung the doll to the tree in her honour.

Over time he would collect dolls from rubbish tips and severed limbs from scrap piles to add to the shrine of the little girl. When locals found out about this island, Mr Santana Barrera became a bit of a celebrity and people would bring him dolls to add to the collection.

Bizarrely, in 2001 he was found dead in the canal, from drowning, in the exact spot where the little girl’s body had been found.

It would be interesting to see if such a small island, with such unusual objects and circumstances, would be haunted. I would personally love to visit Mexico and visit the Island. Maybe one day i could add a doll to the collection.

If anyone knows of any paranormal activity or investigations that have taken place here, please let me know!!

Sharon Tate Murder.*Warning – Graphic Images*

 

Sharon Tate (born January 24th 1943) was an American Actress during the 60s and was well know for her beauty and was often considered a sex symbol. She was hailed as a promising newcomer in Hollywood. She met her husband Roman Polanski while working on The Fearless Vampire Killers, and married him aged 25 in 1968. A few months later, she was pregnant with their first child, or so she should have been.

Tate was eight-and-a-half months pregnant when she was murdered in her home, along with four others, by a group known as the Manson Family on August 9, 1969. The bodies of Steven Parent, Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski were discovered by the Polanski housekeeper, Winifred Chapman, when she arrived for work the next morning.

Manson ordered his followers to enter the property on Cielo Drive and kill everyone in the house in the most brutal way possible. Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Charles “Tex” Watson entered the home determined. After coercing the four occupants of the house into the living room, they ordered them to lie face down on the floor. Sebring protested and asked the intruders to consider Tate’s advanced pregnancy. He was then shot by Watson, who kicked him several times in the face as he lay dying, breaking his nose and eye socket. He was then stabbed seven times and killed. The group then murdered Frykowski, Folger, and Tate.

Since the murders no one could stay in that house very long. The last resident to live in the house before it was demolished was Trent Reznor from the band, “Nine Inch Nails.” He moved out of the house in 1993 stating, “there was too much history in that house for me to handle.”

The home was located at 10050 Cielo Dr. just outside of Hollywood. It has since been torn down and the address has been changed to 10066 Cielo Drive and is now called “Villa Bella”. The location has a home next to the property owned by Hollywood producer, David Oman. He explains that he feels it is haunted and reports that strange things have been happening there.

But the hauntings and bad feelings in the home had been there long before the Manson murders. The house was originally built in 1941 and owned by actress Michele Morgan, who has reported to feel uneasy and frightened in her own home. Michele subsequently asked a female friend to move in to keep her company, but then she started to hear noises in the night so the vacated soon after.

A rumoured reason for this is that  the Benedict Canyon area (where the house is located) is one of the most haunted in LA, and that scores of people living in this area continually report hauntings, and several tragedies took place in this area. Apparently the Canyons are a Native American burial ground, which could be a reason for the negative energy in the hills. George Reeves, who was the original Superman, committed suicide in his home in the are. His property is also believed to be haunted.

If you have time i would definitely recommend watching the Ghost Adventures Season 9 show where they investigate the Oman House which is a house just 200 feet from the Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski home. It is believed that some of the spirits are attracted to this house.