Paranormal Researchers In Southeast Michigan

[Devious Viper]

New group on the hunt for hauntings
By Christopher Nagy
DAILY PRESS & ARGUS

For Lisa Hoskins, the truth has always been out there.
"I've never been a skeptic," the Hamburg Township resident said. "I've always believed there is another side. I've always believed that when you die, that's not the end of it. I do believe in spirits, so that's never been an issue."

Skeptics may scoff, but gathering research and evidence to examine and explain those beliefs has been a newfound quest for Hoskins, who founded Paranormal Researchers In Southeast Michigan, or PRISM, in the spring. "For me, it started out on the spiritual side of things," Hoskins said. "It started when my mom had cancer, and I started to take an interest in different religions, such as the Lakota culture and spirituality. With the paranormal, it progressed into the scientific side of it. The average person would call it 'ghost-hunting,' but, to me, ghost-hunting would be going one time to a cemetery," she continued. "With paranormal investigation, you want to go back and keep a record of your research."

PRISM, which has eight members, uses cameras, electromagnetic field detectors, thermometers and audio recording to conduct its research, Hoskins said. "Spirits draw energy. That's why a radio might turn on and off, or a TV will turn on and off."

It's also why the electromagnetic field detectors are used by the group. Audio recordings, she said, have also been able to pick up sounds that are not heard by the ear, and video or still-image cameras are able to pick up things unseen by the naked eye.

The group's primary investigations so far have been in public areas that have been reported to be hotbeds of the paranormal, such as a cemetery in Belleville, but Hoskins said the group could conduct research into homes or businesses that report unusual activity. The group doesn't charge for its work, Hoskins said; yet, she noted that PRISM is dedicated to research and data collection, and isn't in the business of chasing ghosts out. "For those of us who do it, I guess you would just call it a passion — to get the evidence and to increase public awareness," she said.

The basic service of PRISM would include an initial interview with the home or business owner on unusual activity and a walk-through of the property. Then the team would set up an investigation with all its equipment. "We'd write an analysis report and give that to the homeowner," Hoskins said. Still, oftentimes the unexplained can, in fact, be easily explained away.

Although she is a believer, Hoskins said what most people chalk up to the paranormal turns out to be normal occurrences in roughly 90 percent of the cases. Only 10 percent of the investigations lead to the unexplained.

For Hoskins' stepdaughter, Pinckney Community High School junior Chelsey, a personal experience put her in the 10 percent category. Chelsey said she saw a spirit one night in her mother's home in Wixom. "I rolled over and opened my eyes, and there was a tall man with blue eyes and a goatee standing over me," she said.

Chelsey added that through an online search about the history of her mother's home, she believes the apparition was a former resident in the 100-plus-year-old structure. "I found him online," she said. "The house was built in the 1800s and they had photos of him and his family." That type of research, said Hoskins, is the key part to any investigation.

"Most of the time, these spirits don't want to hurt anybody," she said. "They just want to be acknowledged."

Still, there are the disbelievers, such as the Skeptics Society, which publishes a weekly e-mail newsletter called eSkeptic. The group engages in scientific investigation and journalistic research to address a wide range controversial subjects including religion and the paranormal. The most recent edition of eSkeptic takes aim at debunking claims made by The Atlantic Paranormal Society and the Sci Fi network television show "Ghost Hunters."

For Hoskins, a bit of skepticism is healthy because it only prompts more research, which, in turn, brings more discussion about the issue of the paranormal. "I think being skeptical to some degree is a good thing, but I think more people are coming around to this," Hoskins said. "It's probably crossed the mind of most people. Even if they don't believe, it's probably crossed their mind at some point."