The Center for Paranormal Research & Investigation

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most often requested information from and/or about us...

Where are all of your pictures?
Are Ghosts Real?
Have you seen a ghost?
Are poltergeists real?
I want to start my own ghost hunting group - any advice?
How come I keep seeing a shadow figure or movement out of the corner of my eye, but when I look at it it’s gone?
I watch the show "GhostHunters"- are you affliated with T.A.P.S and/or the show?
Can you send me your other stories?
Can tell me if there's a ghost in my picture?
Can you help me get rid of this pesky ghost?
What are your views on...?
How much do you charge for your classes and/or events?
I want to see a ghost. Can I come on an investigation?
How much do you get paid for this?
Will CPRI tell me the history and origins, complete with proper citations, of any aspect of paranormal research and/or ghosts?
What do you do for an investigation?
How can I become a professional paranormal investigator?
How do I contact you for an interview or other media help?
I don't see any recent investigations on your site - do you still conduct investigations?
I'm vacationing in Virginia - where can I conduct an investigation?
I want to advertise on your site. How do I get involved?

Where are all your pictures?

Although everyone loves a good "anomalous" photo, we only wish to present pictures we have taken on our investigations. Since very few have come to light, very few are on the site. You can find the bulk of them in our new gallery but there are some that are dispersed through the site. Other than this, we really don't have a vast store of orbs and mists that are not online nor do we have any other type of image that we have not already displayed.

Unfortunately, we cannot oblige those who request us to send all our anomalous photos and videotapes because, in short, if it exists, it's on our site.

Are Ghosts real?

The prevailing view today is that the mysterious physical effects historically attributed to ghosts (disembodied spirits), such as movement of objects, strange sounds, enigmatic odors, and failure of electrical equipment, are actually poltergeist phenomena (see below). Apparitions that occur without accompanying physical effects are thought to be either normal psychological effects (i.e., hallucinations), or possibly genuine information mediated by psi.

Have you seen a ghost?

We get this question a lot. First of all we do not know if "ghosts" exists or not. Nothing has been proven either way in reference to much of the paranormal. Have we had "unexplained" things happen? Yes several members have experienced events that could not be immediately explained by conventional science. Whether of not that constitutes a "ghost" or not - we do not know.

Are poltergeists real?

Poltergeists (from the German, "noisy ghosts") usually manifest as strange electrical effects and unexplained movement of objects. At one time, these phenomena were thought to be due to ghosts, but after decades of investigations by researchers, notably by William G. Roll, the evidence now suggests that poltergeists are PK effects produced by one or more individuals, usually troubled adolescents. The term "RSPK," meaning "Recurrent Spontaneous PK," was coined to describe this concept.

I want to start my own ghost hunting group - any advice?

This requires a group of like-minded individuals, a good sense of safety and responsibility, and common sense. Some people start with a group of friends, some look on the internet for other groups that are already up and running. Basically a good website is the best medium for starting a new group. Please have a professional website that isn't scary with lots of blood and skulls but one that is clean, polished and easy to navigate.

How come I keep seeing a shadow figure or movement out of the corner of my eye, but when I look at it it’s gone?

Basically, light entering from the corner of the eye is distorted more than the light that enters the eye from straight on. What you see out of the corner of your eye is simply your mind's best guess at what you would see if you were to look straight at it. Therefore, you cannot be too sure of what you see through the corner of your eye.

I watch the show "GhostHunters"- are you affliated with T.A.P.S and/or the show?

We are apart of the TAPS family but are not affliated with the show (although we've done a bit of consulting for them on occassion). We have known Jason and Grant before they became stars and respect the work they do in this field (and we are fans of the show ourselves) .

Can you send me your other stories?

Again, provided we have permission from the author, all our stories and reports are online or are in our newsletters that are posted every month. Again, we don't have any hidden files and when an author or witness requests, we will not give the information out regardless of the person requesting it. You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter by visiting our home (virginiaghosts.com) and look at the bottom center of the page to subscribe by entering your email address. These newsletters include stories and the latest news from the paranormal world.

Can tell me if there's a ghost in my picture?

Please DO NOT send us your "suspicious orb/mist/dust from your aunt's wedding" photos. We're sorry but CPRI can't look at your picture and tell you if there's an anomaly in it. The only way CPRI can verify a picture is if we take it ourselves in controlled conditions - from the moment the picture is snapped to the development of the film. There are so many things that can create strange things to appear in pictures that we can't validate any photos as being paranormal.

May we recommend GhostStudy - tHey do review photos sent in by readers and even post some of them to their site.

You can click here to see our example of faked ghosts photos and you can click here to read about the Orb controversy.

Can you help me get rid of this pesky ghost?

The Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation are not "ghostbusters" and even shy away from the term "ghosthunters". We are more or less simply documentarians of Virginia's (and other places,) ghostly legends, stories, reports and myths. Although we are researchers and do try to have a good grasp of most things "ghostly", we do not "clear ghosts".

What are your views on...?

Since CPRI has a diverse membership, simply saying "We believe..." would be arrogant and totally wrong. There are members that are complete believers in almost everything and members that are total skeptics. We do have an "Editorial" area on the site for anybody to express their views but other than this, we do not "preach" nor limit ourselves by believing or not believing in one answer to anything.

How much do you charge for your classes and/or events?

We will not charge ANY amount of money for ANY of our events UNLESS it is to cover expenses and even then, we will let you know EXACTLY how much was spent and why we are asking for some help.

We will always try to limit our sponsorships and when we do ask for assistance or donations, it will be to simply cover our costs.

The information on this site will always remain free.

I want to see a ghost. Can I come on an investigation?

NO - people are very private about paranormal experiences be they unexplained or simply perceived. Usually, only two or three people can come to an investigation. Only CPRI members are allowed on investigations due to legal concerns.

How much do you get paid for this?

NOTHING! All of us are volunteers and the society itself is completely not-for-profit and any money that MIGHT come in will simply go for paying for our website, servers and registrations. Any extra on top of that will go to equipment to help us on investigations. We will not turn down any donations of photographic or recording equipment.

Please see this link from UVA about careers in parapsychology.

Will CPRI tell me the history and origins, complete with proper citations, of any aspect of paranormal research and/or ghosts? My term paper is due tomorrow

We are CPRI, not the Reference Desk. A trip to The Library and/or GOOGLE will undoubtedly answer Your Queries. Furthermore, if you've been assigned a Research Paper, the whole point is for you to do the research yourself. Sorry, but we won't finish your Calculus Problem Set, list the expressions that take the Subjunctive in French, or Dissect Your Frog, either. Please remember also to THROUGHLY read through the site before asking questions - the answers to your questions are more than likely already posted on our vast site somewhere.

What do you do for an investigation?

You can check out this example of an intial investigation. A lot of hard work goes into each and every investigation and no two cases are alike.

How can I become a professional paranormal investigator?

Since we're all volunteers and completely non-profit, we may be the wrong people to ask if you think you can make this a profession.

Sadly, we have been unable to find one accredited university or non-profit educational institute in Canada or the U.S. offering parapsychology or even pseudo science as a major or even as a full time course. That is why we still refer to ourselves as amateurs.

An education in science (preferably physics,) is recommended and a course in history and folklore would also be a good start.

Other than this, READ, READ, READ! Books such as "Missing Pieces : How to Investigate Ghosts, UFO's, Psychics and other Mysteries" by Joe Nickell and Robert Baker and "The Parapsychologists Handbook" by Lloyd Auerbach are excellent starting points.

In our opinion, in order to be a GREAT investigator of claims of the paranormal, it's best to be able to be both a skeptic and a true believer. Accept everything and at the same time, question everything.

Please see this link from UVA about careers in parapsychology.

How do I contact you for an interview or other media help?

Please contact our Media Relations Department at media@virginiaghosts.com and they will arrange anything you need. Please include who you represent and when you would like to speak to someone and where you are located.

I don't see any recent investigations on your site - do you still conduct investigations?

We are constantly conducting investigations - as a matter of fact we have to turn down cases due to the sheer volume. However we do not post all investigations due to privacy concerns. There are many people who do not want their cases on the internet and we honor that request.

I'm vacationing in Virginia - where can I conduct an investigation?

Although we can't promise you that you'll have a chance to do a "formal" investigation there are plenty of haunted places to stay - you can find a complete list under the Haunted Travels section - click here to access it.

I want to advertise on your site. How do I get involved?

We have tried to remove all the banner ads on our pages but some of our pages (our party page and message board for example,) still have the odd one. We try not to allow any banner ads nor any other type of advertisement on our site BUT we are willing to discuss "sponsorship" of areas on the site to assist is in covering our expenses...

If you are interested in helping, please contact our administration folks at director@virginiaghosts.com and we will discuss the terms. We do reserve the right to choose exactly who will be represented on the site.