Paranormal presence
Communication senior Samantha Harris and East Lansing resident Kyle Gask-Wilson hold instruments they use when investigating paranormal activity as a part of the Michigan Paranormal Research Association, which Harris started in 2006. The Ovilus that Harris is holding is used to pick up white noise and read electromagnetic fields.
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When Samantha Harris was 2 years old, she guessed what her birthday present was.
It was then that she decided she had a connection with the metaphysical.
Harris became interested in the paranormal, researching ghostly activities at a young age. The psychology senior started the Michigan Paranormal Research Association, or MPRA, her freshman year at Central Michigan University. Once she transferred to MSU, when Harris took her efforts to research the paranormal a step further, conducting house cleansings and paranormal activity investigations across the state.
MPRA is in talks with A&E TV about making a sequel to the popular paranormal series, “Paranormal State,” which chronicles a similar group at Penn State. The group has been filmed for a few different versions of a pilot, and the project still is in talks with producers of A&E TV. However, contract disagreements have caused Harris and her crew momentarily to pause on the possible television show.
Cleansing homes
Video: Ghost Talk
Cleansings involve Native American rituals that use sage, sea salt and other herbs, along with a smudge stick, to rid bad spirits from a home, Harris said.
MPRA posts listings on Craigslist or sometimes in the Lansing State Journal to let people know about house cleansings the group performs. Because of the taboo nature of the paranormal, those who contact the MRPA through their Web site, michiganpra.com, sometimes are shy about needing a house cleansing.
“Some people are hesitant, and I don’t blame them,” she said.
The need for a house cleansing can vary, with different symptoms at each house.
“Some people will have trouble sleeping or seeing weird things, or will have physical side effects that they didn’t even consider were part of the situation,” Harris said.
Last year, the MPRA went to a couple’s home in Grand Ledge who contacted the group and were concerned about having sleeping problems. The team first sat down with the couple and talked to them about what they intended to do in the home. The couple did not feel they needed a full-fledged paranormal investigation, but a house cleansing, Harris said.
“It wasn’t like there were weird scratches on the walls or anything, but there was definitely sleep disruption,” she said.
The group doesn’t just visit homes. The next step for the group is working on doing a paranormal investigation at the state Capitol building in Lansing the coming weeks, Harris said.
“We’ve heard weird stories about it,” Harris said.
A house necessarily does not have to be haunted for a house cleansing to be a good idea, Harris said.
“It can clean up energy, illness, or if there are a lot of fights in the home it brings in positive energy,” she said.
Once people have the MPRA come in to their house to do a cleansing, Harris said they have no further complaints.
The cleansings do not cost money, but Harris said she does not mind accepting donations for long trips or supplies.
“This is unlike phony psychics I’ve dealt with who charge $500 to cleanse a house,” she said.
Harris did a house cleansing at her own house in East Lansing when she moved in
this semester, she said.
Seeing the strange
In addition to house cleansing, the association takes part in extensive paranormal investigations.
Last spring, the group went to the Historic Holly Hotel in Holly, Mich., where the group brought surveillance cameras, dowsing rods and digital voice recorders to properly assess the area for activity, said Kyle Gask-Wilson, an Ingham County compliance officer and member of MPRA.
Because the hotel is notorious for creepy activity, the group was welcome to dig around for activity out of the ordinary. Hotel manager Jessica Allis said paranormal research groups often nose around the hotel with strobe lights and ghostly gadgets. It’s from these expeditions that the hotel has begun a section called “The Ghosts” on its Web site, hollyhotel.com.
“It is 100 percent for certain that (these groups) do experience haunted things at the hotel,” Allis said.
What the MPRA search turned up was an undeniable paranormal presence, said Gask-Wilson, who is a senior investigator of the group.
“There was a light anomaly that came out through a floor and shot up through the ceiling,” Gask-Wilson said. “And once we looked through the pictures, we noticed that you can actually see a figure of an older gentleman who looks like he has a tuxedo on.”
On the voice recording, Gask-Wilson said the group heard traces of a little girl’s voice, although the room the voice recorder
was in remained empty.
The MRPA Web site has personal photos Harris has submitted that depict instances
of paranormal activity, such as ghosts in the background of the photos. Harris avoids posting photos to the Web site that include orbs, or ones that have what appears to be a ball of floating light, because they are not as legitimate.
The most active times the group is contacted for house cleansings or investigations are in the fall and spring, Harris said. In the winter, during cold and stormy conditions, there is a correlation between the weather and the existence of paranormal activity, she said.
“During the fall, we have what is called a thin layer between our world and the paranormal world; it allows them to make more contact with us,” Gask-Wilson said.
Commentary
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jeez
(10/01/09 3:29am)Report
Urgh.
Jeff
(10/01/09 8:16am)Report
I… can’t…
This article pisses me off enough to leave a comment on the website, if that says anything.
To devote a half of a page to this woo without one skeptical, rational comment is disgusting. This reflects poorly on the paper itself and the university that it represents.
Nichole
(10/01/09 8:41am)Report
Really? Do we not have any skeptical minds working for the State News? How can an article like this get published without including one bit of rational, skeptical commentary! Trying to present this kind of bunk as fact is something that a REAL news agency would not do. No wonder the State News is such a poorly written and sad excuse for a newspaper.
Dave
(10/01/09 8:42am)Report
Jeff has a point, just because Ghost Hunters is a show on television that doesn’t make the paranormal real. My hope is that you at least have the integrity to follow up this piece with an in-depty and fact based article on the startling rise of infant football-shaped head deformities and talking dog syndrome.
Matt
(10/01/09 9:07am)Report
GAH!
Sam
(10/01/09 9:29am)Report
Lol you guys nothing in the article is saying its “fact based”; that you’re assuming. Its Halloween season, you get skeptics all year round so don’t get so worked up about it, lighten up! It supposed to be fun. State News is a great paper, if you’ve ever worked on a newspaper staff you’d know. Its hard work! I have and it was great working with them. Would love to talk with any of you that are skeptical and have legitimate questions rather than a religious rant or poor outlook. Go read Corinthians if you have a problem with it :)
Sam
(10/01/09 9:34am)Report
P.S. I hate “E-thugs” so sincerely contact us if you want to debate or discuss things. Don’t rip on the State News because they are a NEWSPAPER lol. They document and report things. Hence why we use them as a news source…Hmm. Everyone has the ability to see and do things that are considered “paranormal” however, as you guys have perfectly demonstrated, Western society causes us to block these things out when we are children and are very shallow about the matter. However over 70% of the US believes so if you want to take them all on be my guest :) Why have so many other cultures carried these beliefs and rituals across the globe if your surface opinion was correct? Just some things to consider lol. Thank you
Kyle
(10/01/09 10:26am)Report
Bang, Pow, ping, splat. Thought i was just adding to all the sound effects that other people are saying.
Bill Buckner
(10/01/09 10:44am)Report
When Samantha Harris was 2 years old, she guessed what her birthday present was.
It was then that she decided she had a connection with the metaphysical.
That is the funniest opening line I have ever read.
Sam
(10/01/09 11:14am)Report
Ya she should’ve included that I’ve predicted nearly all the deaths in my family. Would’ve sounded better right? lol
Wheezy
(10/01/09 1:41pm)Report
The writer may not have conveyed the exact nature of what MPRA is all about, the founder Samantha is a credible investigator, as is her entire team. I would definitely engage them if there was a need. The on going research and dedication they employ is something to behold. I have seen her group in action, and this isn’t all a bunch of ‘mumbo-jumbo’, it can be quite serious when your the one experiencing disturbing activity that cannot be explained. This being the Halloween season, people have the tendency to jump on the ‘Boo Scary’ bandwagon, when in fact these occurences with the paranormal are in full swing 24/7, 365. and because of the negative take on the paranormal as it being a bunch of ‘hooey’, there are folks out there that desperately need the type of services that MPRA provides. Engaging MPRA may be the last line of defense that someone seeks when all else has failed in giving a explanation for drastic changes within a household that was typicaly normal at one time. How MPRA was represented here in this article, is not the say all and end all on the subject! Check them out for yourselves and make an informed decision for yourself! It is a very exciting undertaking that not all folks would be comfortable with, doing house cleansings and doing a paranormal investigation for someone. Yes, there will always be differing opinions on whether the phenomena exists, but for me, I am glad to know that the services that MPRA offers is out there, if needed!
I too, was once a major skeptic, but now that I have experienced things first hand, I’m the last person to say it’s all a bunch of malarky, and I am eternally grateful for being able to find someone who believed what I was telling them was happening, and then helped me with the situaion. Just a thought…….if you were to ask most people if they had ever experienced something ‘ghostly’, 9 times out of 10, I can guarantee that they would be able to tell you of an experience they encountered, something they may had even forgotten that had happened. Others never told, for fear they would be called crazy or a liar.
As for presenting this as an unbiased article, that is how writers learn their craft…….trial and error, so for crying out loud, give this writer a break and don’t get all holier than thou!!
Research, research research!!
Dolemite
(10/01/09 9:50pm)Report
Sam, I too have predicted the deaths of not only my entire family, but also of everyone I’ve ever met, known, or heard of. I’ll even tell you my secret. People have this nasty habit of dying and if you just point it out you’re well on your way to your own cold-reading-riffic crossing over style show!
Step 3: Profit!
Melissa
(10/02/09 2:32pm)Report
Hi Sam.
I’ve been interested in doing paranormal research for awhile, but don’t really know how to get started. I’d be interested in talking with you.
Wheezy
(10/02/09 3:09pm)Report
It’s a shame that this article hasn’t generated a more serious dialog about the subject at hand. How witty you are, Dolemite! Seriously, could you imagine for just one moment how disturbing it would be, knowing that when someone close to you was going to die? I am glad that I don’t have this ability/gift, as I don’t know if I could emotionally handle knowing this information ahead of time. Samantha and the MPRA Team are a very level headed, fact based sort group of investigators, they don’t have to rely on coming off as a dog and pony show to get attention. I am grateful for those out there that have these abilites and are able to use it for positive purposes. So much of the paranormal is so unknown, and it takes a lot of guts and effort and research to find answers for people’s problems, problems that most people are afraid to talk about for fear of ridicule. All I can say is that if you haven’t personally experienced it, then you have no room to talk. Come back after you or a loved one has had an encounter, and are scared and confused as to what may be causing it. Good folks like Samantha and her team are waiting for your call, and they will do the best to their ability to help you out. The paranormal community at large is still a small percentage of the general population, but it is good to know there are people out there who are willing to ‘cross that line’ and help others with the ‘unknown’.
Wheezy
(10/02/09 3:14pm)Report
Oh, and Melissa~~
check out the MPRA website, you will get some good information from there to help you get started.