Marley Gibson - The Other Side: A Teens Guide to Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

Copyright 2009 by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, and Dave Schrader

All rights reserved. published in the United States by Graphia, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

Graphia and the Graphia logo are registered trademarks of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

www.hmhco.com

Photos are from the authors private collection unless otherwise marked.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Gibson, Marley.

The other side : a teens guide to ghost hunting and the paranormal / by Marley Gibson, Patrick Burns, Dave Schrader.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-547-25829-4 (pbk.)
1. Parapsychology. 2. Ghosts. I. Burns, Patrick. II. Schrader, Dave. III. Title.
BF1031.G45 2009
13dc22

eISBN 978-0-547-39163-2
v2.1013

Dr. Hans Holzer

19202009
To the original ghost hunter and the one who populized the phrase the other side. Now you know the answers to the mysteries you studied for many years. Your influence in the world of paranormal research cannot be underestimated. You will be dearly missed.

And to our friends
Kelly and Brett Freese,
owners of our favorite haunted hotel, The Palmer House in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. May you never know a day without happiness and success!

Most how to books will often cite sources of information the authors have used in footnotes and the bibliography. In chapters where we borrow a direct quote, we will do the same. However, the three of us agree that because we have been engrossed in the paranormal for so many years, the exact sources of much of our knowledge or inspiration have become clouded by the passage of time. Therefore, we each wish to individually acknowledge those who have inspired usin large or small partalong this journey.

MARLEY WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING: First and foremost, Patrick Burns and Dave Schrader, my partners in paranormal crime. They are my teachers, my mentors, and my friends. Couldnt have done this book without them. Our editor, Julia Richardson, whom I took ghost hunting with me, so she knows what were talking about and that were serious about our investigations and advice. And to everyone at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for letting us run with our idea to educate the next generation of ghost hunters and huntresses. Deidre Knight, my (our) agent extraordinaire and dear friend, who not only believes in what were doing but also happens to have ghosts in her house and loves to go ghost hunting herself. Mike Gibson for his love and support over the years. Hell always be in my heart. Finally, psychic investigator Maureen Wood for letting me tap into the depths of knowledge and experience in her life and sharing it with others.

PATRICK WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING: My family for nurturing my bizarre obsession with cemeteries at an early age. My sons, William and Alec, for their unconditional love and understanding. Pamela Burns for her support all these years. I truly would not be where I am today if it were not for her. My coauthor Marley Gibson for supporting me, even when I doubt myself. And for guiding me in the publishing world. My brother in the paranormal, Dave Schrader, for opening many doors of opportunity. Harry Houdini, an original debunker of fraudulent paranormal claims. James Randi, who has done an impressive job of picking up where Houdini left off. We dont always see eye to eye, but Im thankful for the work James has done to weed out the bad apples. Hans Holzer, the man who coined the term ghost hunter. I feel blessed to have met Hans in person. Dr. William Roll, another legend in the field. My brother, Billy. I miss him, and I always get excited when I get a possible sign that he is still around.

DAVE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING: My amazing family, starting with Jim and Ten, my parents, for supporting me with love and respect, and my aunt Judi for inspiring me. My kids for understanding how busy Daddy can be. I love them all: Clifford, Keila, Nathan, Linus, Paci, and Ripley. Steve Versnick for seeing the potential and bringing our radio show to KTLK. Tim Dennis for bringing me back to radio and being my friend, cohost, and producer. Marley Gibson and Patrick Burns for including me in this project and keeping the dream alive.

From our collective observations, it seems that belief in ghosts could be classified as the new black, and because of that, ghost hunting is the coolest thing since Guitar Hero, Prada backpacks, and the iPod.

Because we told you to! LOL! Okay, that doesnt really cut it, does it? The thing is, the three of us come from diverse and varying backgrounds and from different regions of the country, but one thing we share is an interest in the paranormal. Through our experiences in our own investigations, we feel that we can give you the best advice there is on how to get started in ghost hunting, safely, securely, and soundly.

First off, its important to remember that there arent any authorities in this field; no one is a paranormal expert. There are a multitude of paranormal investigators with differing philosophies on how to investigate. No one can truly say that his or her methods are better than anyone elses. Not even we can.

Each of the three of us holds a lifelong interest in the unexplained. With the explosion of interest in the paranormal within the last few years, we recognize that it is important for new investigators, such as you, to get started on the right foot. This work is a collaboration but should never be thought of as the final word.

Ghost hunting can be an exciting field to get into, although we must stress that more often than not, its tedious, routine, and boring to the average person. Moreover, with the exception of a very small number of people who write books, work in television, or operate haunted-tour companies, ghost hunting is pretty much just a hobby for most people. Paranormal investigation is a true labor of love and a personal journey for attempting to understand the unexplained. Nothing more, nothing less. Its not something that one seeks out as a vocation.

And dont even think about ghost hunting as a profitable enterprise. It is pretty much universally frowned upon within the paranormal community to charge for conducting an investigation, and doing so virtually guarantees that you will be shunned by the rest of your peers in the field. Why is it considered taboo to charge? Because there is no way to prove the existence of ghosts and hauntings. Yepyou heard that right. You cannot scientifically prove ghosts existno matter how awesome a photograph you took. Its always open to other interpretations in the eyes of the scientist. As such, you can never conclusively tell a client his or her property is or isnt haunted. The best we can do is to confirm the unexplained activity within a location. Dont let this discourage you, thoughwere not saying that these paranormal events dont happen. There is, in our opinion, strong evidence to suggest that they do. But if your goal is to find the final, irrefutable proof of the existence of ghosts and win over the rest of the world, youre bound to be disappointed.

As you start doing your own investigations, youll no doubt come up with your own techniques and methods that will work uniquely well for you. We encourage you to develop your own distinctive style. Some investigators will approach ghost hunting from a more scientific perspective, while others will prefer a more esoteric or metaphysical approach. Its up to you to figure out what works best for you and your group. Just strive to always show respect to all you encounter in your investigationsthat goes not only for the ghosts you come across but for living people too.