Originally posted at AuthorKarenFrazier.com

                   Chuck and Rachel Gotski

It's the way of live radio that things don't always go as planned. I've been co-hosting Paranormal Underground Radio with Rick Hale for years now, and occasionally all of our carefully laid plans go up in smoke minutes before the show is supposed to air. Heck, sometimes it happens when the show is already on the air - such as when a guest fails to answer their phone when we call them for their interview partw...
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When someone contacts SSPR about possible paranormal activity they are experiencing in their home or business, we ask a lot of questions, both over the phone and during an initial walk through of the home.

One of the questions we always ask is this: "Have you purchased antiques, items at a garage sale, or other used items?"

In many cases, the answer is yes. And in many of those cases, we believe we can trace the activity to the purchase of a specific object.

The Masonic Sword

For example, two cli...
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South Sound Paranormal Research was the first team to investigate the Lewis County Historical Museum, and it has been one of our favorite haunted places ever since. The museum was closed to investigation for a few years, but has reopened for it now. Read Karen's blog for details.
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by Karen Frazier

Every soul I encounter – whether attached to a living or dead person – has its own unique “signature.” This signature is easy to understand when you think of a living person. Take a moment to think of someone you love. Close your eyes and put yourself in that person’s presence. There is a “feel” to that experience that is unique. If you switch to a different person in your mind’s eye, then the feel of the experience most likely changes, as well.

It is my exp...
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by Karen Frazier

I have a lot of people ask me about the things they see on paranormal television. One of the common questions goes a little something like this: "Have you ever been possessed or attacked like you see on the television shows?"

I've certainly had intense contact with spirits, but I've never experienced anything that I would consider an attack or possession.

As paranormal researchers, we enter haunted locations with the intent of engaging any ghosts that might be there. We invite t...
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by Karen Frazier
Reprinted from Paranormal Underground Magazine

It used to be that the paranormal scared me. I’ve told the story before of my time in a WWII-era haunted apartment. It was my first apartment and it freaked the crap out of me. I spent the next 20 years running from my paranormal self. If I were to run into that young, skinny, scared 21-year-old today, I’d offer her some advice that would probably make things a whole lot easier.  

11. It’s okay to just know things, so you ...
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by Melinda Stum  

The religious faith traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism have significant, long-lasting roots in our human history. These traditions are remarkably similar. Yet, they differ significantly in their perspectives of the human soul (or essence), the process of reincarnation, and the experience of the disembodied spirit (e.g. ghosts). 

Hinduism  

The theological anthropology of Hinduism states that the human person is composed of three components: the physical body, the ksooshma shar...
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by Karen Frazier 
Originally printed in Paranormal Underground Magazine


Karen with her husband, Techie McScienceGeek (a.k.a. Jim)

When I wrote Dancing with the Afterlife: A paranormal memoir, I originally thought about subtitling it, “Tales of a Reluctant Psychic.” Then I started to do some research and discovered something significant. There are a lot of paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical books out there with the word “reluctant” in their titles or subtitles. It turns out many o...
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by Karen Frazier

I know a guy who has some pretty impressive abilities. He's used them for years on investigations without the need to label or categorize them. Instead, he follows his instincts, and it helps him be a thorough and careful paranormal investigator. Once the label of psychic is applied to him, however, something changes. Suddenly those instincts, which have always flowed so naturally for him, seem to disappear. 

I understand completely. I've used my own instincts on investigations...
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John, Melinda, and Megan

SSPR is proud to welcome our new members, John, Melinda, and Megan. All three have completed their six months as members in training and are now full members of SSPR! We're lucky to have them as part of our team.

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Tuning in to a spirit empathically

I recently spent a weekend at a lovely haunted B&B. It is generally known this inn is haunted, but the owner prefers the fact isn't advertised. In the past, she's had issues with thrill seekers coming uninvited to her property and running amok, disrespecting the gentle spirits who live there (she calls them permanents), as well as her living guests. One particularly busy weekend, she reports, a paranormal team came into the hotel without permission and scatt...
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One of the things that concerns me as a paranormal investigator/afterlife researcher is how our work might make the living feel. I often worry the relatives of the spirits  with whom we communicate might feel our research is disrespectful.
After all, I'm not sure how I'd feel if someone told me they believed my beloved grandmother haunted popular paranormal "hotspot," and people came through there every week to poke and prod at her in an attempt to communicate. My wish for everyone I love woul...
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One of the side effects of paranormal television is the influx of super cool new investigation gadgets. I admit it - while I don't watch a lot of paranormal television, I do occasionally. When there's a shiny, cool new gadget on a show I happen to be watching, I can hear the angels singing. I love gadgets because they are pretty darn cool.

Which is why many of our clients are surprised when I walk into their home or business with a pen and a piece of paper. 

It's not that I don't have a lot of ...
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We hear from potential clients all the time who are unsure whether they should be calling us.

Admittedly, calling in a paranormal team is a big step. For many people, making that phone call is the first time they've admitted aloud they may be dealing with a haunting. That can be scary because despite the influx in interest in the paranormal in popular media, there's still a large and very loud segment of the population telling you just how nuts you are if you believe in ghosts.

You're not nuts....
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Did you miss Karen's appearance on Paradigm Shift Radio? Listen to the podcast here.

Podcast Powered By Podbean
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SSPR attended the Oregon Ghost Conference in Oregon City, and we had a great time! Here are a few photos.


Karen, Melinda, Megan, and John with author Joe Teeples and the guys from SyFy's Ghost Mine

Jenny, in awe of her Heavenly Donuts.

 
John, Melinda, and Megan hanging out


Karen, signing books and selling her jewelry


Karen, giving a talk about afterlife research


Patty and Rocky


Patty with Patrick Doyle of Ghost Mine


Patty the Rebel, running with scissors


Patty comparing mustaches with Ghost Mine's Jay...
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People of religious faith have traditionally confessed the belief in the human soul, as well as the after-life. A significant number of religious practitioners continue to hold these beliefs in the 21 century. Meanwhile, paranormal investigation and afterlife research has been launched into the 21^st century popular culture. This intensified fascination with the paranormal may be attributed to television, including Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, and The Dead Files, among others. Yet, 21st...
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Karen on a recent SSPR investigation
 
Researching the afterlife (and the paranormal) has taken me in directions I never imagined my life would go. I tried to get it down on paper in my latest book, Dancing with the Afterlife, but it's difficult to explain just how profoundly it has all affected every aspect of my life.

After reading the book, one of SSPR's good friends, Ashley, contacted me to tell me how great it was to see how far I'd come from a woman who was afraid to identify a German shep...
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You've probably heard of pattern recognition - the ability to recognize faces, objects music, or other sensory inputs with only a few pieces of the whole. For example, if you're old like me, you'll remember a game show from the 70s called Name That Tune. In one of the show's segments, contestants would "bid" against one another, betting on their ability to name a tune in a certain number of notes (to be fair, they also typically had a clue that provided some obscure fact about the song). The ...
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This article is part of the SSPR Blog's ongoing look at physiological and psychological factors that may be misperceived as paranormal phenomena. 

Many cases of reported paranormal phenomena can be explained by common biochemical or psychological events. One such factor is the way human beings store memories in their brains. 

Brain scientists have found that the way we store and retrieve memories makes it easy for us to misperceive or misremember events. The brain doesn't store memories in enti...
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The human mind is an amazing thing, and it's surprising how little science really understands it. Brain scientists have made some headway into understanding the brain's remarkably complex physiology, but many important concepts still elude them.

Still, we do know enough about the human brain to understand that there are a number of physiological and psychological factors that can influence perception of paranormal events. Some of these are quite common and some less so, but all can lead to exp...
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The story continues. In the follow-up to Avalanche of Spirits: The Ghosts of Wellington, SSPR's Karen Frazier picks up where she left off, expanding her recent experiences at Wellington into ongoing research about afterlife. Even as a child, Karen found herself drawn to topics of the soul. Throughout her adulthood, she's sought answe...

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In 2012, Sara Harris died from an acute lung injury. Her husband, Shane, started the Sara Harris Foundation to educate the paranormal community about respiratory safety. Sometimes we explore old buildings were a number of hazards lurk. It's an issue many in the field don't think about in our eagerness to explore the mysteries of the afterlife.

Shane seeks to educate the paranormal community so no one loses husband or wife, a parent or child. Health and safety is an important aspect of paranorm...
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Patty at SSPR's recent "Whistling Ghost" investigation

When I tell people that I work as a paranormal investigator, I am often asked why I would want to do such a thing as going out to chase ghosts. It's a common question, but for me the answer is one that is filled with wonder.

I saw my first ghosts when I was five years old. They looked like real people standing in my room, but they weren't. That sparked my interest, and it seemed as if wherever I went I was finding things about ghosts. "Casp...
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Patty taking readings during our Puyallup investigation

In mid-December, Patty, Billi, Melinda, and I (Karen) investigated a private residence in Puyallup, Washington. The homeowner had been experiencing so much activity in the house she was staying elsewhere. She invited SSPR to investigate, and we took a small team in to do so.

The homeowner's reports of activity included:

• Items being moved around the house, including a pair of scissors, which wound up being stuck in a countertop
• Garden statues...

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by Karen Frazier
 
I wind up in a lot of conversations with people about why I am involved in paranormal research. While everyone's answer to this question is different, when I talk to the guests on my radio show who are involved in paranormal research, the answer often centers on searching for an explanation for anomalous experiences in childhood or young adulthood.

Having such an experience can certainly trigger the quest for understanding about the paranormal. It did for me. While the story I...
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by Karen Frazier
 
We get lots of questions about Ouija boards. There's a great deal of fear and mythology surrounding them. Many people feel they are "evil" and should never be used. This idea arises, ironically, from the iconic 70s movie, The Exorcist. In that movie, young Reagan opens herself up to the evil that eventually possesses her when she begins conversing on her Ouija board with Captain Howdy. 

I started researching Ouija boards several years ago. Always the skeptic, I just couldn't i...
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Name: Melinda

What is your role with SSPR? I am currently a member in training or probationary member, which basically translates to SSPR test-driving me for about six months.

How long have you been with the team? How long have you researched the paranormal? I've been with the team for about three months. SSPR is my first paranormal research group, although my husband, John, and I have participated in paranormal research privately a few times in the past year.

What is your profession? Currently,...
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Name: Jenny

What is your role with SSPR? Satellite member

How long have you been with the team? How long have you participated in paranormal research? I think I've been with the team for about a year- time flies when you're having fun. I've been researching the paranormal since 2010.

What are your hobbies? Reading, knitting, crocheting, learning about the paranormal, occasionally baking cookies for the Cookie Monster

Why the paranormal? I saw my first shadow person when I was about nine and that ...
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Name: Rob

What is your role with SSPR? I am a satellite member (not a full-time member but lucky enough to be able to join when needed). 

How long have you been with the team, and how long have you participated in paranormal research? I've been with SSPR for under a year and investigating for about six years.

What is your profession? Hotel, guest peon (Editors' Note: Rob also writes a terrific monthly column for Paranormal Underground Magazine)

What are your hobbies? My kids, hockey, fishing, act...
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Name: Billi

What is your role with SSPR? Co-founder, technical lead (editor's note: Tech Goddess), treasurer

How long have you been with the team? How long have you participated in paranormal research? I joined Tacoma Ghost Hunters in 2006, and co-founded SSPR in 2007.

What is your profession? Quality Assurance Technician

What are your hobbies? Movies, hiking, ghost hunting

Why the paranormal? Is there life after death?

What is your most profound, scary, or funny paranormal experience? While filmin...
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Name: Megan

What is your role with SSPR? I am a member in training.

How long have you been with the team? How long have you actively participated in paranormal research? I have been with the team for about two months. I have never actively participated in paranormal research until I joined the team but have always wanted to.

What is your profession? I am a civilian that works for the Army. I work for outdoor recreation.

What are your hobbies? Scuba diving, horseback riding, quad riding, and hunti...
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Name: Tonya

What is your role with SSPR? Logistics and wherever they want me. I roll with it and don't ask questions!

How long have you been with the team? I think I joined the group in 2007 and took a year off in 2009 to have a baby girl. Then I got right back to it again. I have always felt something, and I saw my first ghost in 1997. When I left the group to have a little one, I missed it too much. I was homesick. I love my SSPR family.

What is your profession? I'm a stay-at-home momma and a ...
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Name: Patty

What is your role with SSPR? Team Lead

How long have you been with the team? I started SSPR with Billi in 2007. 

How long have you been researching the paranormal? I have been actively investigating since the early 90's.

What is your profession? I work for the Department of Defense.

What are your hobbies? Photography, cigars, and crafting.

Why the paranormal? The paranormal found me at the age of 5.

What is your most meaningful paranormal experience? When I was 5, I saw my first ghost.

Wh...
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Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be introducing you to members of SSPR in their own words. Since I (Karen) just sent out the questionnaire to other team members about ten minutes ago and NO ONE has gotten back to me yet (the nerve!), we'll start with mine.

Name: Karen

What is your role with SSPR? I am an investigator/researcher. I also write the blog and maintain the team’s website. I've also learned things go best on an investigation if I'm not allowed to touch the equipment....

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by Karen Frazier

I've spent a majority of my life studying the afterlife. While paranormal research is probably the most obvious way to do this, it is actually the most recent subject in my ongoing pursuit.

As a child, I grew up with the traditions of the Christian church. I questioned those beliefs from an early age, however, because some things just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. 

You see, along with an insatiable curiosity about the origins of the human soul, I also absolutely adore ...
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by Karen Frazier

Photo used under Flickr creative commons license (c) Aunt Owwee

When we research the paranormal, we sometimes forget that the devices we carry may be unfamiliar to spirits. I know in my investigations of the Wellington avalanche disaster site when I've used things that appear quite modern (such as laser grids or very bright lights), the spirits have indicated via a ghost box they are a little afraid of those items. This isn't surprising, given the spirits at Wellington are like...
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by Karen Frazier


A Samson Zoom H4n high-definition audio recorder

When I first started investigating the paranormal, I tried a number of audio recording devices. What I quickly discovered was how much the sound quality varied from recorder to recorder. Audio recorders range widely in price and quality, from about $40 to over $200. 

My first audio recorder was a cheap one - I spent around $40 for it. Using that audio recorder, I noticed I captured a lot of whispery voices. So many whispers, in fa...
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by Karen Frazier
 
A simple and inexpensive Radio Shack hack ghost box (Radio Shack 12-469)

Can the dead communicate with us through a field of white noise? That's the theory behind the ghost box, a piece of equipment that seeing more common use with many paranormal researchers.

The concept behind the ghost box is quite simple: a normal transistor radio is modified so it rapidly sweeps the stations of either the AM or FM band instead of remaining on one station. This creates a field of white nois...
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Patty uses a Mel meter to take a baseline reading on an old telephone

One of the pieces of equipment paranormal investigators commonly use is an EMF detector. Contrary to popular belief, EMF meters do not detect ghosts - not even the units that are called "ghost meters."


A K2 EMF detector that uses lights to show changes in EMF fields.
 
What Do They Measure?

Electromagnetism is one of the universe's four basic forces. EMF detectors measure changes in electric and/or magnetic fields.  Depending on...
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by Karen Frazier


 
Something's happening in your home or business, and you've decided to call in the experts. You've contacted a paranormal team. What next?

Currently, there are no standardized protocols that every paranormal group uses when they investigate. However, there are many commonalities among teams. If it's SSPR you've contacted, here's what to expect.

1. After the initial contact, the investigation lead will call you to set up a time when you can meet with the team. This meeting typically...

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by Karen Frazier


When I first began paranormal investigation, I believed my role and responsibility was somewhat like Star Trek's Prime Directive: I was there to observe and document, but never to interfere. I felt it wasn't my place to presume a spirit needed to move on, even if they were somehow trapped in the earthly plane. 

I've always believed if human beings had souls, we were each on our own path and it wasn't my place to judge or interfere with the path of another. It took me quite a wh...
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by Karen Frazier

 

A popular hypothesis about paranormal activity is that ghosts can be attached to objects. While no empirical evidence exists proving this to be the case, many paranormal researchers will tell you that this appears to be true in some cases.

I can relay a recent SSPR case. We were asked to investigate a house in the Olympia area. When we interviewed the homeowners before going to their house, a persistent thought kept popping into my head about antique weaponry. I asked if they ...
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by Patty Valdez

So you think you have a ghost in your house, and your friend tells you, you need to smudge your home. What do you do next?

Most people would find their local metapsychical shop, buy a sage smudge stick, and head off to cleanse their home. Wait!

• Do you know what you're doing?
• Do you know why sage is used for smudging?
• Are you doing it right?
• Will it work?    

If you answered "no" to any of the questions above, then read on.

Native Americans have long used sage smudging. Sage is bu...

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by Karen Frazier

 

So you have things that go bump in the night in your house, and you're starting to get a little concerned. Maybe you've learned some investigation techniques from watching paranormal television shows, or even from reading this blog. So what should you do? Should you investigate your house?

Our fearless leader, Patty Valdez, strongly cautions against making this move, and I agree with her. 

Shortly after we moved into our house, I had a group of friends over for dinner including...
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by Karen Frazier



Imagine this: You are sitting in your home enjoying a little peace and quiet when a noisy band of people burst through your front door. They are carrying all sorts of stuff you don't really recognize - it looks like something out of science fiction. Some of it is so unfamiliar, it frightens you a bit. You try to ask who they are and what they want, but you can't seem to make them hear, see, or understand you. Instead, they start roaming all around your house without permission...
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by Karen Frazier

 
Rob at the Walker Ames House in Port Gamble, WA
 
Sometimes paranormal investigation can break your heart. Ultimately, our job as paranormal investigators is get to the truth - regardless of what that truth is. Often, we come up with an exciting bit of evidence, only to realize it has a decidedly un-paranormal explanation.

Case in point - SSPR recently investigated the Walker Ames house in Port Gamble, WA with Black Wolf Paranormal. One of the stories about the house involves a ...
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by Karen Frazier
 

A moving bug glowing from IR
 
Earlier, we discussed orbs and why I don't feel I can ever call an orb in a photo paranormal evidence. Now, I'd like to go over some other very common causes of photographic artifacts that are often mistaken for paranormal phenomena. It's important to take all of these into account in order to critically evaluate photographs you think might be paranormal.

Mist

People often misidentify a mist in a photograph as paranormal. Actually, mists are quite c...
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by Karen Frazier

If you pay much attention to popular subjects in the paranormal, then you may notice there’s quite a conversation going on about orbs. The subject of these little round balls of light is quite controversial in the paranormal field. I believe, however, this controversy comes from a simple misunderstanding about what the term “orbs” actually means.

A friend of SSPR, Darren Thompson of WSPIR (Washington State Paranormal Investigation and Research) is a frequent speaker a...

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Team member Lori received this photo from a friend. It is taken in Twickenham, Oregon. Ignore the orbs - those are probably dust and other objects in the air. Instead, look at the woman in the picture. Do you see someone asking her to dance?

What do you think? Is this matrixing or could it be an apparition? Leave your comments below.


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by Karen Frazier

 

If you watch much paranormal television, you’ve probably noticed a trend. On television, many of the “serious” paranormal teams refuse to consider psychic information in their investigation because it isn’t scientific. Ironically, this trend away from engaging psychics in paranormal investigation flies in the face of research conducted by the true pioneers of scientific paranormal investigation – parapsychologists and psychical researchers.

Parapsychologists ha...

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By Karen Frazier

Paranormal research falls under the broader category of parapsychological research, which is a subset of the social sciences (psychology, anthropology, sociology and others). Also called psychical research, parapsychology examines paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, hauntings, psi (psychic energy), reincarnation, and near-death experiences. 
 
Cultures throughout history have maintained a rich mythology surrounding death, spirits, unexplained phenomena, and the afterlife. It ...
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by Karen Frazier



There's a common belief about ghosts and hauntings I feel is a total misconception. Many people believe any spirit haunting a location must be a trapped soul. I disagree. 

If ghosts are merely a continuation of the soul energy that inhabits our body during physical life, then surely the same principles we experienced in life carry on after our death. Specifically, I'm talking about free will. As humans, we have free will throughout our lives, and our experiences as living entit...
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by Karen Frazier


Every single one of these people has had a paranormal experience
(Jenny from SSPR, Elaine from WOOPI, Ellen from PAST is Present, Patty from SSPR)
 
One of the things that has always fascinated me about being a paranormal investigator is this: when people find out what I do, many get a furtive look in their eye, lower their voices, and looking around nervously confide a paranormal experience to me. It's amazing to me just how many people have had paranormal experiences and how se...
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While the members of SSPR have a great deal of experience investigating the paranormal, we occasionally seek consultation from outside advisors. We do this in order to give our clients the best possible service we can. Depending on the situation in the home or business, we may consult with:

• Clergy from various faiths
• Scientists 
• Metaphysicians
• Parapsychologists
• Other paranormal teams
• Psychics and sensitives
• Home building and maintenance experts such as plumbers, electricians, engineers, or others
• His...

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SSPR invited two other teams - WOOPI (Western Oregon Organization of Paranormal Investigators) and P.A.S.T. is Present for a joint paranormal investigation aboard the haunted USS Turner Joy in Bremerton, Washington. 

The USS Turner Joy is a Vietnam-era Forest Sherman-class destroyer that fought in the Vietnam war. The ship is now decommissioned and serves as a museum on the Bremerton waterfront. The ship, which was commissioned in 1959, spent its entire time in the Pacific Ocean, and it played...
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by Karen Frazier

As anyone at SSPR will tell you (particularly our fabulous technical lead, Billi), I'm not great with the equipment. Some might even suggest I am somewhat of a disaster with it. When I speak at conferences, I often joke about not being allowed to touch the team's equipment because I inevitably drop it, break it, or flat out can't use it. So far, no one has corrected me.


Billi, wisely keeping me away from the technical equipment
 
I'm the same way around the house. I can use our b...
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by Karen Frazier

 
The team with the haunted Dibbuk Box
 
Recently, I spent several weeks in possession of what may be considered to be one of the most mysterious haunted objects in the world. More specifically, I spent time with its replica. The Dibbuk Box is at the center of the true story behind the movie, The Possession. 

I've interviewed the Dibbuk Box's current caretaker several times on my radio show, Paranormal Underground Radio. You can listen here, here, here and here.

Karen, Patty and th...
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by Karen Frazier

Several months ago, I allowed another paranormal team (not SSPR) to come investigate my home. I did it as a favor to a friend, because the team was newly formed and needed a few practice investigations under their belt. It was my first experience as a paranormal client, and it was a very eye opening one, to say the least. 

The team didn't do so well, and as a client I was left feeling bewildered and slightly violated. Without going into the whole story, here are a few things I ...
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by Karen Frazier

I’ve always felt faith (or lack thereof) is one of the defining struggles of my life. Since I was a kid, I’ve looked upon those who fervently believe and wondered what it is they have that I don’t.

My struggles started early and continued into adulthood. I knew what I wanted to believe – human beings have souls and we are all connected to something greater than just this container of a human body we carry about during our lives. At the same time, my min...

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