In the 1900s people experiencing paranormal dilemma were committed to places like Waverly Hills. Late in that century people were diagnosed with schizophrenia and other phycological afflictions.
As a researcher I always read up on phycological diagnosis, being when called upon to investigate, you have no idea what you are stepping into. A paranormal investigator is part detective and part psychologist, with the latter today being more relevant.
Over the past decade social psychology introduced the Haunted People Syndrome (HP-S). In a nutshell HP-S describes individuals who report various “supernatural” encounters in everyday settings. In many instances they are heightened by paranormal beliefs and by perceptual contagion effects.
Perceptual behavioral “contagion” refers to certain behaviors demonstrated by one person or event to be imitated by observers. This doesn't have to happen in person — it can happen through watching television. With the dominance of paranormal based TV shows today it is more prevalent.
The paranormal investigator’s purpose is to help those afflicted with paranormal activity. Give them clarification or a direction to follow. This is not an opportunity to “ghost hunt” as you can cause more harm than good.
The majority of our cases involve phone consultations and it is rare we do an actual investigation. We NEVER post investigation footage on Facebook or any other platform for public viewing. All our cases are of the strictest confidentiality and subject to strict codes of conduct, ethical and moral obligations of our profession.