Ghosthunting: When the “Thrill of the Chase” turns deadly
by Cherlyn Gardner Strong on Sep. 11, 2009, under Ghosts and Hauntings, Life
University of Toronto
From my observation, there are two types of people who are attracted to ghost hunting. On the one hand, there are those who wish to find answers through planned, methodical research. Then, there are those who simply are looking for that “high” that comes through the thrill of the chase. Unfortunately, a 29 year-old woman, who fell into the latter category is dead. Her thrill of the chase ended the other day when she literally fell three stories from the top of a university building at the University of Toronto. The woman was intoxicated, and her death was labeled “Death by misadventure” by the authorities.
Most of us have set out on some sort of adventure to get that thrill of the chase at one time or another, typically during our youth. Some have tried to contact the other side by playing with Ouija boards. Middle of the night visits to cemeteries by others. Who doesn’t love sitting around a campfire to conjure up spooky, ghostly tales? Contrary to those urban legends that claim otherwise, these ghosthunting activities are typically harmless. To die from paranormal “misadventure” is a rare occurance, but it has happened.
I write about the paranormal due to my interest in the “science” behind it. Only through scientific research will we get answers to the questions we pose about unexplained phenomena. Tucson is fortunate to have so many paranormal professionals. Dr. Gary Schwartz, Mark Boccuzzi and Professor William Everist are just a few people involved in actual academic research at institutions of higher education. Professor Everist teaches a course every Fall semester at Pima Community College, called “Investigating Paranormal Psychology.” The class, which caps at 35, is in progress and is only half full. It could be that the class is held on Wednesday evenings and that it isn’t convenient to commit to an entire semester. Professor Everist is speaking at Columbus library on September 21st, with the topic “The Paranormal is the Normal Unexplored.” There are 4 spots left on a Monday night. To RSVP, you need to join the Tucson Metaphysics group. Unfortunately, thrill seekers won’t take advantage of training and aren’t the least bit interested in the research.
With so many people interested in ghost hunting these days, I need to communicate that ghost hunting trips should never be spur of the moment acivties. If planning to visit a location at night, you absolutely must first visit in the daytime, to enlighten yourself of potential dangers, using natural daylight. Never set off on a ghost hunting adventure alone. Tell other people where you are going and what time you will be back. Most importantly, don’t go off on a ghost hunting adventure while intoxicated. That’s simply stupid.
