Investigator has ghosts on the brain 365 days a year

Halloween is creeping around the corner, and fascination with ghosts and goblins hits its peak. But what do lovers of the paranormal do during the other 364 days of the year?

Caroline Milligan, co-founder of the Indiana Society of Paranormal Research, has been investigating paranormal activity for 11 years. She shared her supernatural experiences and views on the paranormal with WEEKEND contributor Pooja Kansal.

PK: What inspired you to study paranormal activity?
CM: Living in a house that was haunted. I’ve always been fascinated by ghosts. My belief is that if you believe in God, you’re putting your faith into something you’ve never seen before, so isn’t that paranormal? It sure isn’t normal. If the big guy had a problem with what I was doing, he would’ve let me know.

PK: What equipment do you use during investigations?
CM: We have IR [infrared]cameras, and they can see in the dark, so they pick up everything. We have static night-shot cameras and Sony
HD [high definition] cameras that can film and take shots at the same time. We have wireless audio systems that we can put anywhere in the room, and they pick up every noise. Thermal imaging cameras show heat and cold signatures. A laser control handheld thermometer gets the ambient temperature.

PK: How do your peers, family and friends react to your interest in the paranormal?
CM: Most of my friends are fascinated. I do meet the occasional skeptic. Some guys have tried to use it as a really bad pick-up line.

PK: What paranormal experiences have you had?
CM: I lived in a haunted house for 13 years. One day, my baby had just gone down for a nap so I was resting my eyes for a second, and I felt someone poking my cheek. Another time I was sitting at the table talking to my friends, and one of them asked, “Who’s the cute cat?” It was a black cat that I had never seen before, but it was just a tail of a cat.

PK: Do you believe that evil spirits come out on Halloween, or it’s just another Hallmark holiday?
CM: I think there might be some credence that the veil is thin between the two worlds. The energy goes out, and it’s a collective mindset. I think the Christmas season can do the same thing because the brain is energized differently, so it’s a time of miracles. Some things feed on that, and some things feed on fear.

PK: What exactly do you think paranormal activity is caused by?
CM: There’s residual haunting, which is like a tape recorder on repeat. The best example of that is the Biograph Theater in Chicago, where John Dillinger was killed. People used to report seeing him there, but now there are just a few sounds of footsteps and gunshots. It’s like a recording that’s been played too many times – it’s getting ready to break. Then there’s intelligent haunting that thinks you’ve intruded. They’re curious about what you do; they turn on the stereo and TV. A poltergeist is a noisy ghost that slams doors and makes sounds of footsteps.

PK: How much of your daily life is affected by the study of paranormal activity?
CM: You have to compartmentalize; you can’t let it take over your life. We don’t take ourselves 100 percent seriously. The pursuit of paranormal activity is to take away fear of the afterlife. If you realize from Day One that you’re going to die at some point, then you can live a pretty good life.