We enter each investigation with a bit of skepticism as most claims can be attributed to a non-paranormal cause. Please do not be offended that we look for alternative answers first, any reputable paranormal should do just that. We do this because if one enters a location believing it is haunted, other logical answers can be overlooked. We will try to debunk each claim first, and when they can not be debunked, we will seek to gather evidence of the paranormal. 

What do we mean when we say debunk?  If your lights flicker, it could be an electrical problem. If you hear banging in the walls, floor, or the attic it could be plumbing or other guests such as mice, squirrels, bats, etc. If you see shadows in your peripheral vision, it could be shadows off of objects from passing cars. If you hear footsteps or voices, it could be noise bleeding in from air ducts or from outside.

After searching for normal explanations, we turn our attention towards gathering evidence of the paranormal and educating you on how to live with these other-worldly guests or give you advice on how to try to remove them. Remember, spirits are not always cooperative, no one can guarantee the removal of an entity. If someone does, be weary – as either they do not know the paranormal too well or they are promising something they may not deliver. We are also happy to train you how to investigate your property if you wish. 

What happens when you contact us? To take all the mysteries out of the process, we included a detailed explanation of what the investigation process involves. We can split the investigation process into three main parts – the interview period, the investigation period, and the post-investigation. 

The Interview Period 

When you first contact us, we will begin an interview process to record your claims. Any and all information you provide is key to a successful investigation. Manchester Paranormal Investigations is very sensitive to your privacy needs, please read our section on Privacy to see how we operate in regards to your privacy.  

In order to prepare for a successful investigation, the more information you provide – the better. If you are thinking of contacting us, we highly recommend keeping a log of possible paranormal events (times, dates, locations, witnesses, what happened, etc.)  We have included a sample paranormal log for your reference. 

Since everyone’s comfort level is different, we provide several options to request an investigation. You can provide your information via our online form, a downloadable form, or by telephone. All contact methods can be reached if you click here. The information you provide us will be strictly confidential and we will never exploit any personal detail. We will never sell or provide your name to anyone else, and you will not be put onto any spam lists or mailings. 

Please complete any information you are comfortable in providing. We ask some personal questions in order to better prepare for an investigation.  For example, we ask for ages because most poltergeists fall within a certain age and gender. We also use this information to prioritize our cases. If a child is experiencing the paranormal, we try to resolve the situation quickly. As parents, we know how important it is for a child to have a comfortable home. 

We also ask for honesty in the use of Ouija boards or other divination attempts. If you have children or teenagers, please talk to them about any possible use of these items. It is important for us to know this information as the use of such items may require the need for demonologists or blessing specialists. Why do we believe Ouija boards are dangerous? We have a section detailing the dangers of Ouija boards.

After you provide your data, we will review the information provided and immediately look for patterns and think about alternative theories before calling out the paranormal investigators. We will then contact you with any other questions we may have and discuss a possible investigation. 

Before we agree to investigate your home or business, both parties must agree with a set of conditions. Unfortunately, nowadays, everyone needs to protect themselves. We need assurances and we understand that you do as well. Again, please do not be offended – as we don’t know you and you don’t know us. What we can guarantee is that we will provide you with a very professional group with a very strict Code of Conduct. 

If you wish to meet us in a public setting to become more comfortable with us, we understand that and will be happy to oblige if it can be worked out. Conversely, there are many hoaxes in this field, so we may be a little suspicious as well. 

The Investigation Period

After the interview period, we will schedule an investigation at your convenience – or to coincide with patterns of logged events. Most investigations occur in the evening and night because most hauntings are more noticeable at night – and – because we have full-time jobs to keep us occupied during the day. We may investigate during the day if the pattern of activity occurs during the day or when a night investigation is not convenient for you. Availability of daytime investigations is limited to the weekends. 

When we arrive for an investigation, we require a tour of the buildings and grounds. This is done to get a feel for the layout of the investigation and to pinpoint the areas we need to investigate and to become aware of any hazards. During the tour, we will confirm the claims and look for alternative explanations. During the tour, we require that you notify us of any known hazards on the property. We will always operate with the utmost in caution, but it helps us beforehand to know what limitations there are. 

After the tour, we will begin the investigation process. We consciously chose to simplify our equipment setup. You do not need to worry about miles of cables running through your property. We use hand-held equipment for several reasons – most importantly, it is safer as there is less of a tripping hazard for the property owner and the investigators.  Second, it is easier and quicker to set-up and clean-up, allowing us to focus on the investigation itself and not playing with gadgets. The most important part of the investigation is the investigators and not the equipment. With easier clean-up, we’ll also be out of your place earlier, allowing you to go to bed earlier. 

You are certainly welcomed and encouraged to stay during the investigation. There are benefits of watching an investigation, some spirits gravitate towards certain family members and have a comfort level with familiar people. They are sometimes more cooperative with a familiar face. Spirits do not always cooperate – they may be uneasy about our presence and be elusive. We’ll do our best to track them down – but they have a huge advantage over the living in evasive tactics. You will also have the opportunity to learn the investigation process by partaking in them, if you choose. 

In general, plan about ½ to 1 hour per room for the investigation, plus time for the walkthrough prior. More or less time may be needed – each investigation is unique. We will use various hand-held instruments to gather data and evidence. We have detailed the types of evidence we gather in a paranormal investigation.  We ask for full access for an investigation since paranormal entities can take refuge in locations such as the attic if they are uneasy. At the very least, we require access to locations that are hot-spots for activity. 

We do not use Ouija boards or other divination techniques during our investigations. We strongly recommend against any of these methods as there can be serious consequences as a result. Other groups may promote the use of Ouija boards, but we don’t have to answer for them. We know how dangerous that is and we believe that the use of these items may open a portal and allow dangerous entities in. 

At the end of the investigation, we will not give you a determination of findings. If we feel a situation is dangerous, we will let you know immediately, however. We need to review hours of voice recordings and video, analyze hundreds of photographs, and pour through notes taken during the investigation before we can come to a conclusion. 

We will, however, try a few things in an attempt to abate a situation before we leave. 

Post Investigation

After the investigation, we need to analyze all evidence and data offsite. In the meantime, it is encouraged to keep a log of any additional activity that has been experienced. After all of the evidence and data has been analyzed, you will receive a detailed report of our findings – including a copy of all evidence gathered. We will also attempt to ease any concerns through education of paranormal activity and through evidence gathered. We can also provide advice on how to coexist with the paranormal or try several methods to attempt to remove the paranormal entity. Remember, no one can (or should) guarantee complete removal. 

You may be asking yourself “Why in the world would anybody wish to keep their ghosts?”  Well, sometimes the entity is actually a family member who wishes to look out for you. Some people are at peace knowing that they are sharing their home (just think, unlike some children and spouses, they don’t leave the toilet seat up or drink out of the milk carton). There are documented cases of spirits that actually protect certain family members from harm. Some people may enjoy the “living history” that comes from hauntings. The first step is to remove all the misconceptions we were taught about ghosts and spirits. 

However, we also feel spirits should be able to cross to the other side and in the cases where a spirit is confused about their own death or has an unfinished task or message to pass on – we will do our best to help that spirit let go and move on. Everyone deserves a chance of a peaceful eternity. 

We will also be available as a resource to you in the future. We will not disappear after an investigation. If we found an evidence of a haunting and you would like more evidence, we will be happy to return. Sometimes a return trip can produce surprising results as a spirit may become comfortable enough to really open up. If you have any further questions or concerns, or activity picks up again, we will be happy to take your call.

What if no evidence is found?  If we find no evidence of paranormal activity, we can not state that your place is not haunted. We might not find conclusive evidence because a spirit is uncooperative or uneasy or just could not muster up the energy at that time to make its presence known. Or it could have been a residual which only occurs at certain times or without logical patterns.  

We may have not had the chance to record anything because a spirit was uneasy about our presence. A spirit who lived in the 1700’s might be uncomfortable with strangers with modern equipment. After all, spirits keep the personality they had while alive. We do our best to provide a sense of comfort and safety to the spirits, but they have free will and can choose whether or not to cooperate. If no evidence is found, and we feel that there is a possibility for paranormal activity, we will be happy to return to investigate.  We ask that you keep a log in the meantime to see a pattern of activity. 

If it appears the entity will only be comfortable around familiar faces, we can teach you how to investigate using items you currently own or are easy and affordable to obtain.  One of our missions is education and we are happy to train you. 

If you were happy with our services and would like to recommend us, we would be eternally grateful. However, we will never use you for a recommendation unless you specifically want to and request to do so in writing. Your privacy is a top concern for us – both during the investigation and long after the investigation. Also, if you are happy with the service provided, please remember us when you hear someone you know with a similar problem. All you have to do is point them towards our website and let them decide whether or not they want to contact us. We never contact anyone unsolicited; people need to be ready to come for help first. 

If you would like Manchester Paranormal Investigations to conduct a paranormal investigation on your property, simply contact us.  You’ll be glad you did!