What to ask?

The following questions are suggested for certain investigations of apparitions, poltergeists, and hauntings. Keep in mind that these questions may have to be chosen according to whether they are applicable to the experience reported and to the family (or office) situation. Remember to ask questions not only of the people directly involved but also any secondary witnesses (neighbors, police, priests, etc.) who may have learned from others what was going on.

Initial Questions

To help determine whether an investigation is warranted:

Please give a general description of the occurrences.
Please list the names and ages of all those living/working in the situation where the disturbances have taken place.
Please list the relationships of all those in the household/office to one another.
Are there any pets?
What are the occupations of those in the location who are or have been working?
Please give an educational background of all those in the location.
Where have the occurrences taken place? Address and specific locations. Describe the premises.
How long have you lived/worked there?
Any disturbances noted at previous addresses?
When did the current disturbances begin?
What sorts of things went on at the beginning?
What did you think of them?
When was the most recent incident?
Would you say the occurrences are frequent? Are they occurring with any apparent regularity?
Have the disturbances been increasing in frequency or severity?
Is there a pattern of any kind to these disturbances that you’ve noticed (when, what objects were affected, who was around, etc.)?
Have you looked for ordinary, normal explanations? What makes you sure the events are paranormal?
Have you or any of the others involved had any psychic experiences in the past?
Have you or anyone else involved been interested in psychic phenomena for a while? Has your family discussed psychic phenomena in the past? If so, in what context?
Does anyone involved have any theories as to what may be going on?
Have you contacted any “experts” (parapsychologists, psychologists, police, priests, rabbi, psychics, etc.)? What did they have to say?
What kinds of books or articles have you read about psychic phenomena or the occult/supernatural/unsolved mysteries?
What are your feelings/beliefs regarding psychic phenomena or the spiritual world?
Have you or any of the others ever been to see a psychic?
Has there been any publicity of these events?
What would you like done to help you?
Would you allow me and perhaps some colleagues to do a serious investigation of the occurrences in your home/office?

Who/What/When/Where/How

To narrow down the general patterning and ask important questions in different ways:

Have you connected the disturbances with any particular people? With any particular visitors?
If there is an apparition seen, does the apparition represent anyone identifiable?
Are there any particular activities going on when the incidents occur (eating, watching TV, arguments, etc.)?
Are there certain times during the day or night when the incidents appear to be more frequent?
Are the events seen to occur more in one spot than in others?
Are certain people seemingly more affected than others? What reactions do the people in the situation have when confronted by one of the disturbances?
Do all witnesses to the events have to be around for anything to happen?
Has any one person appeared to be very close to the starting points of moving objects? Do you think there's any chance that that person could have physically thrown or pushed the objects to simulate a paranormal event?
Is there any reason to think that someone in the home/office might fake the events?
Have you thought about the normal explanations for some or all of the events? Have you taken note of outside sounds, vibrations, etc. when the occurrences happen?

The Phenomena

To land on or rule out normal explanations:

Please describe the experiences in terms of what you actually observed. Note: this should be asked of everyone involved, both in separate interviews and later in the presence of all witnesses.
Were there any unusual feelings or emotions associated with the disturbance?
How often do they occur?
Who first noticed them? When? Under what circumstances?
Please describe the experiences/observations of the other to the best of your knowledge.
In terms of movement of objects, describe the movements and what was unusual about them. Did objects seemingly take flight or visibly move by themselves? Were there any unusual flight patterns (in other words, did they move like someone had pushed or thrown them, or did they make unusual curves in the air or on a surface, such as making right-angle turns)?
Could someone have been near enough to an object to move, push, or throw it, either purposely or by accident?
Did objects hit their final resting point with unusual force or an unusually loud noise?
Were breakable objects seen to move and strike something without breaking?
Were heavier objects seen to move or rearrange themselves? Were these objects seen in motion or were they simply discovered in rearranged fashion after they had moved?
What were the objects affected? Any particular kind of object affected more than others? Any particular single object affected more than others? Are there any relationships between the object(s) and any of the people in the household/office?
Have there been any unusual electrically related effects? Have appliances, TVs, stereos, lights, or computers been affected? To what extent and how frequently?
Have there been any occurrences of unusual noises? Have these sounds been found to have a cause connected with them, or have they occurred with no seeming cause?
When the others who have witnessed the events had their first experience, were they aware of previous encounters or observations or experiences by those who first noticed them?
Have there been instances where one or more persons saw an apparition (ghost)?
If nothing was seen, yet you are sure there is something there (a presence or "entity" or "force"), what makes you so sure?
Have voices been heard (with or without an apparition)?
Have unusual smells been noticed?
Have you or anyone else gotten unusual feelings in a particular place or at particular times?
Has the temperature of the location been affected unusually?
Describe the behavior of the apparitions. Does the apparition repeat the same activity every time it appears? Or does it seem as if it is aware of your presence as well?
Is there attempted communication on the part of the apparition? Have you or anyone else who has experienced the apparition tried to communicate with it? Any results?
Would you say the apparition seems to be one that is conscious or aware of its surroundings, that it is an intelligent "entity"?
If not, would you say that the experience may represent a past event repeating itself like a video?
What is known about the house/building? Previous owners? History of the location it stands on?
How did you feel before, during, and after the event?
Did you discuss the experiences with anyone just after it happened? Describe the discussions.

Interactions and Symbols

To look at the incidents as symbolic of underlying psychological and interpersonal dynamics:

Do you see the events as representing any emotions or tensions that you or others may have at the moment?
Have there been any recent changes in the daily routine/lives of the people involved (such as a new job, new school, divorce, marriage, death of a relative or friend, etc.)? If so, what are they? When did they happen in relation to the disturbances?
Do you see the way the disturbances are happening as being symbolic of anyone's emotional state or thought processes?
Are the events perhaps symbolic of any problems that may be going on between people in the affected group?
If you were to pretend this were all happening in a dream, what would you make of it?
Are there any visible problems between the people having the experiences and anyone else?
Is anyone particularly tense or frustrated or under some stress? What do you think this may be related to?
What would you say your overall health (both physical and mental) was before the experiences began?
What would you say your overall health (both physical and mental) has been since the experiences started?
Are you taking any medication or non-prescription drugs? What are they?
Are you drinking alcohol, drinks with caffeine, or taking in a lot of sugar, or smoking tobacco?
Was there any change in your diet or use of the above substances before the initial experiences? Any changes since then?
Are you or any of the others currently under the care of a doctor or psychological counselor/therapist?
Do you practice: yoga, meditation, self-hypnosis, biofeedback, relaxation exercises, or physical exercises?
Would you be willing to work on any social, psychological, or physical problems that may be related to the incidence of the disturbances?
Would you be willing to see a counselor, therapist, or doctor if that is the most positive way to help deal with the experiences?
Are you interested in participating in future parapsychological research, or in learning more about the field?

If you apply these questions to the experience and ask the appropriate ones of all involved, you should have an excellent idea of what may be going on, not only as far as potential paranormal events are concerned, but also as far as the underlying problems are concerned.

For corrections, questions, or further information, please contact your advisor.