After years of discussion and planning, my team the Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations has created our own web series that revolves around some of our cases. It's really satisfying to see a project you put your heart and countless hours of work into blossom, into reality. It's titled "TSPI Presents: Into the Black" and our first episode is located in Windham, Connecticut in the United States. The place is over 200-years old mansion and our client was gracious enough to let us film our experience so we can present it to you.
Gray/Perkins House Windham, Connecticut
As always our first priority is to assist our clients. Our clientele come to us asking for our help and are looking for some sort of understanding about what is going on. So we make that our main focus. We are also in the business of research and data collection, which over time helps us perform better in the field. Lastly, our job is to educate. In order to do that efficiently and reach a plethora of people, we have had to take many different roads to get there. This includes radio shows, publications, blogging, paranormal events...and online videos of course. After all, a video is the best medium for distance learning and this led us to the birth of "Into the Black".
This is not just another paranormal show!
After a slew of bad programs plagued with unbelievable or questionable evidence it was a tough decision to even go through with making the show (not all of them of course). We were also discouraged due to our encounters with the many major production companies we have crossed paths with in the past. Still, we felt that somehow this was the avenue to travel. Then came the realization that if we produce "Into the Black" ourselves we have total control of all of the content and that is when knew that we had a good idea.
TSPI Presents: Into the Black is such a fantastic tool to educate the masses. The program gives us the chance to share our methods of investigating and teach a history lesson at the same time, which is all tied up into a nice TSPI bow. The second episode is due to come out within the next few months and the show can be found on our website at tspiparanormal.com and on YouTube.
After a full day of work and then a trip to the dentist to
get some cavities filled, you might think that staying up until 2 am to sit in a
dark auditorium would be the last thing on my to-do list. Wrong! As an Investigator-in-Training,
last Friday was my very first paranormal research expedition and I was so
excited! First, a tour of the investigation site which was a local theater said
to be occupied by at least 2 spirits. Second, the team determined where the equipment
would be set up. At this point, I primarily watched as the team members assembled
everything. I was surprised by how much of it there is! Shamus, Stephanie, and
Marilyn were very patient with me and my questions.
The experience of sitting by myself in the back of a large, vacant,
dark auditorium was unprecedented. While I had originally worried about
becoming sleepy (or worse, bored) this did not happen at all as the mental
energy it takes to actively listen to the environment keeps you very much alert
and interested. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the keen awareness of
every little creak as the building settles around us is energizing. Then the
first voice recording session began. The EVP sessions are strange at first;
honestly it initially felt a little silly asking questions into a dark, empty
room. The expectation of a response is palpable as I strained to hear
something, anything in reply. The
team was great about teaching me what to listen for and that sometimes the
answers are detectable only afterwards when reviewing the recordings.
I jumped. More than once. I am not too proud to admit it.
The basement of the theater was particularly creepy and I do not yet have the
calm composure of the team members, which I can only assume comes along with
being the experienced professionals that they are. Shamus and the others were
great about it and did not make me feel badly. I expect that with time I will
become less “jumpy”. After several hours of investigation, the evening
concludes with the careful taking down of all the equipment, and at this point
I am pretty tired out but very grateful to have had such a positive first
experience.
Being an over-zealous newbie, the first thing I did when I
woke up the next morning was to listen to the EVP recordings. To hear an
unaccounted for human-voice on the recording was exhilarating; my first piece
of real evidence, clear and unmistakable. I can’t wait to share it with
everyone.
Written by Laura Palmese
Investigator In Training with the
Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations (TSPI)
