Psychics and Mediums
Many paranormal groups have psychics, clairvoyants, or sensitives on their teams and often let them set the course of the investigations of possible hauntings. In the early days even Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson routinely used clairvoyants in their investigations.
Apparently, that changed after they decided to shift the emphasis over to science and technology in their investigations. Occasionally, they will work with psychic consultants such as Chris Fleming, who is ready to validate the team's readings. But their main thrust is to bring credibility through scientific proof.
Setting the Stage
Even investigators who are very technologically oriented sometimes have intense experiences that give them a glimpse into a psychic's involvement in the world of spirits. Gloria Young is one such ghost hunter; she has been a paranormal investigator for more than 15 years and founded the paranormal research group Ghost Trackers. She has co-produced two documentaries on ghost hunting and wrote the book Faces of a Ghost Hunter.
According to some sources, the first historical mention of something resembling a Ouija board was found in China around 1200 b.c.e, a divination method called Fu Ji. But the first use of the Ouija board, named for the French and German words for “yes,” occurred during the spiritualist movement of the nineteenth century.
Young was invited to attend the videotaping of a séance for the Biography Channel. She hoped it would be a typical séance, where the medium would try to bring someone through. After settling in at the restaurant where the séance was held, she opted to sit across from the medium and cohost. She liked the man at once and felt quite at ease — until the séance began. Young attempted to join in and be interactive, but she felt an awful churning beginning in the pit of her stomach, which came and went.
Unwelcome Guest
The strange sensation slowly built until it felt as if something was trying to move up from Young's stomach to be expelled from her mouth. She wasn't nauseous but said she felt like the character played by John Hurt in the movie Alien, who had an extraterrestrial tear out of his torso. She felt as though something wanted to come out of her mouth so badly that she could barely speak.
She began to tremble, although only her hands were cold. She felt a terrible anger that welled up within her.
It seemed to be directed at the medium seated across from her and she could feel her eyes narrow into slits as she looked at him. Young didn't know why her anger was aimed at him or why she was feeling it. The urge to spit words at the medium was almost uncontrollable. After an internal struggle, she managed to get control of herself and didn't allow it to happen.
A recent theory about ghostly activity suggests that spirits have a degree of control over local magnetic fields. The shaking and levitation of objects and interference with electronic equipment could be attributed to the spirit alternating the magnetic field from positive to negative.
All through this extraordinary experience, Young could hear the medium talking to her, but his words were incomprehensible. She struggled in the grip of her anger, then heard the medium say that her face looked like it was changing.
Becoming Dispossessed
The medium began a cleansing ritual for the people at the table and ordered any malevolent entity to depart and go about its business. After what seemed like hours, Young's stomach calmed, although she felt the beginnings of a headache. Her muscles began to relax. The uncontrollable shaking stopped and she managed to speak a few words. The thick, oppressive air in the room began to dissipate. Young admits it was an amazing, mystifying experience that she probably wouldn't have believed if it hadn't happened to her.
