Why Are People Fearful of the Paranormal?

We are programmed from birth to be afraid of the paranormal.

I received a phone call from a very worried lady about the paranormal phenomina happening in her house.  So when I got a turn to speak in the conversation, I started asking some boilerplate questions about her situation.  I asked her, ”Who do you think is haunting your house?”  She replied, “My grandmother.”   Then I asked her, “Was your grandmother a bad or evil person?”  She replied, “I loved my grandmother; she was a very good person.”  To which I responded, “Then why are you so scared?”

One of the reasons why this woman was so scared is that we are programmed from birth to fear anything paranormal.  Hollywood makes billions of dollars a year making horror/slasher genre films.  Television shows and social media influencers also contribute to this fear.  Every time you watch a show or a reel, the ghost hunters almost always seem to be dealing with a malevolent spirit.  Nobody wants to tune in to watch a Casper; they want the thrill of someone being in mortal danger.  Also, the ghost stories our parents and grandparents told us growing up.  They always had a creepy twist.  These are just a few examples of why our default stance when it comes to anything paranormal is that it's evil.

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to paranormal investigations is the tendency of investigators, especially less experienced ones, to default to the malevolent and demonic.  When you are dealing with a client, you have to do everything you can to keep the situation calm.  It amazes me when investigators complain about site and evidence contamination when, in the initial interview, they only want to bring up the possibility of the malevolent and demonic.   The client is your first and best source of information about the haunting.  If you exaggerate the situation by only discussing the very remote possibility of a malevolent or demonic presence.  You contaminated your best source of information because everything from this point on will be clouded and exaggerated by fear.   The client is going to want answers, and I don’t blame them.  You never bring up the malevolent or the demonic until you are sure that is what you are dealing with.

The best piece of advice I can give any investigator is to try to keep the situation calm.  The client’s mind is already running rampant with fear; your job at the outset is to help them overcome it.   This advice is intended not only to protect the integrity of your investigation but also to ensure safety.  A person who is fearful and panicking could potentially harm themselves and others.  Paranormal investigators always claim they are trying to help.  How is it helping to elevate the situation to the point where harm is being caused?