Interview With A Paranormal Expert

Maybe not as rare as an "Interview with a Vampire" but interesting insights are given into the world of paranormal investigators and supernatural experts from a leader in the industry, Rosemary Ellen Guiley.

Valerie A Smith / Via Facebook: rosemaryellenguileyfanpage

Rosemary is one of the leading experts of the paranormal. She has consulted and starred on many hit television documentaries about the supernatural including The Haunted, Lost Tapes, and Haunted Collector, and is a consulting editor for FATE magazine. According to her website bio, she is the proud author of 60 books, on "a wide range of paranormal, spiritual, and mystical topics, including nine single-volume encyclopedias and reference works". She also serves on the board of directors for FREE (the Foundation for Research into Extraterrestrial Encounters), and on the board of directors for the National Museum of Mysteries and Research.

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Not impressed yet? Mrs. Guiley also has radio features regularly on several radio shows, is a certified hypnotist, is trained in energy healing, and has her own independent publishing company, Visionary Living Inc. Her impressive industry resume and history of paranormal research also includes a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work, awarded by the Upper Peninsula Paranormal Research Society in Michigan.

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Ever since we were introduced through my father, who is a member of a paranormal investigation group himself, The Center for Paranormal Study and Investigation (CPSI) in Pennsylvania, I was intrigued by her experiences with the paranormal. So as an aspiring writer, I took to social media to reach out and contact her recently, and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to ask her some questions about her experiences in a written interview. Here were the results:

Q: I'll start with the question most people probably ask. You've seen a lot of things in your travels and investigations-which was the most memorable paranormal investigation, and why?

A: Many investigations have unique features that do not occur in other investigations, so it is difficult to single out one. All it takes is one piece of evidence to make a case stand out in a particular way. A candidate for "strangest" was a badly haunted private home that I investigated for several years, which had ongoing activity consisting of a range of poltergeist and apparition manifestations that greatly disturbed the family. No remedies or exorcisms worked, and they eventually moved. The land itself was haunted and served as a portal area for a lot of spirit activity.

Q: Would you say you’ve lost some of your skepticism over the years because you’re such an avid believer? Are you too biased in investigations? How many hoaxes have you encountered?

A: I would not apply to term “skeptic” to myself. A skeptic is a cynic or doubter, or, by dictionary definition, “a person inclined to question or doubt all accepted opinions.” I would not be working in this field in the manner than I do if I doubted that these things existed. I leave that tail-chasing to others.

Nor would I use the term “avid believer” to describe myself. I do not automatically take things on board.

Having experienced phenomena and alternate realities throughout my life, I have always considered them to be genuine. My work has focused on the how and why of our experiences, and how we explain and integrate them into our concepts of “reality.” So, I do not seek to prove phenomena, but find explanations for the experiences we have.

Nonetheless, one must first look for natural explanations before considering paranormal ones. Many people who contact researchers and investigators have misinterpreted natural phenomena, or have jumped to supernatural assumptions (sometimes because they have been influenced by what they see on TV, which is often fabricated). Many other cases are complex, involving human dynamics that are part of a paranormal situation. The paranormal is not a black and white reality that divides neatly into pie charts and bar graphs. It is a slippery, shape-shifting reality with no definable boundaries.

When starting a case, I have no bias as to whether the reported phenomena are unexplained.

Have I encountered hoaxing? Sure. Every researcher of the paranormal does. I do not keep a count. More often, people have misinterpreted something natural, as I mentioned above.

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Q: You worked alongside John Zaffis on his televised investigations on Haunted Collector. I assume you’ve seen his infamous collection? What are your thoughts on it, and what was your favorite item?

A: I would not use the term “infamous” to describe John’s collection. “Infamous” means wicked or bad, or “well known for some bad quality or deed.” There is nothing bad about his museum of haunted objects, and John has done outstanding, quality work for decades. He is quite knowledgeable, and his collection has grown out of decades of diligent case work.

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I also have encountered many cases where the cause of a paranormal problem is a spirit attached to an object. Anything can carry an attachment and for myriads of reasons. John’s collection of thousands of items includes a wide variety of objects that come and go in the lives of people: furniture and furnishings, toys, dolls, collectibles, clothing, jewelry, games, and more.

In our book Haunted by the Things You Love, John and I give examples of different objects that acquire attachments, and why. We explain the dynamics of attachments, the warning signs, and some of the remedies.

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One of my favorites is “The Idol,” which we feature in the book. It is a large, grotesque resin head that a teenager picked up in a yard sale and used in magical rituals. The entity that was attached to it was able to attach to the teenager and control his thoughts and create havoc. The remedy required the intervention of a religious deliverance.

Q: I see you have an impressive list of film credits, from acting to writing, and even just starring as yourself- what was your favorite on-screen experience?

A: I do more documentary work than anything else. A couple of favorites are one on angels for The History Channel, which is rerun frequently, and a DVD "extras" for Season 4 of Supernatural. I also include in my favorites some guest appearances on John's Haunted Collector show.

Q: What's it like being on the set of horror films and shows?

A: Documentary filming is usually done in front of a green screen or in a hotel room, and sometimes on location. I also have been on location for guest appearances on reality shows. In documentary filming, you're interviewed. The reality shows involve conversations and activities that are a normal part of investigations. However, I'm not going to act out, run, scream, or do anything ridiculous like you see on a lot of the "reality" shows.

The worst experience I ever had was a pseudo-documentary TV show where they fabricated a reenactment of an experience I had with a Shadow Person. The circumstances were falsified, and they had me running away in terror. Completely false. If they were going to make up something so egregious, why did they bother to interview me in the first place?

Q: What do you think about horror movies today and how they portray ghosts and other paranormal activity? Are they helping or hurting; portraying the supernatural in the right light?

A: Horror films are entertainment, and so they have to exaggerate. It’s not the job of the entertainment industry to stick only to facts, otherwise they would be producing documentaries. If entertainment films portrayed the reality of paranormal work, the audiences would be bored stiff. People who are unfamiliar with the paranormal often assume that movies accurately portray phenomena, so researchers and investigators find they have to do a lot of education in some cases.

Q: What's your favorite horror movie of all time and why?

A: Nosferatu (the original silent version). It comes the closer to portraying a real vampire than any other vampire film.

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Q: Would you say that your experiences have made you fearless? What have you seen that has truly scared you?

A: It would be folly for any researcher/investigator to claim to be “fearless” as in brazen or without caution. Every investigator has a threshold of what they can handle. I have taken on many tough cases, and I have always had a great deal of respect for whatever I am dealing with. There are times when one must back off and times when one can push forward. Every case is different.

Some of the Djinn in their Shadow Person forms can be quite formidable, and they do try to overwhelm people by throwing off tremendous hostile energy. They can be quite scary, but you can’t lose your balance.

It is important to get past fear in general in paranormal work. Hostile entities can instill tremendous fear in some people, and use it to gain the upper hand. People who go to pieces easily are not well suited for any work in the paranormal, even routine “ghost hunting.” It is not a badge of honor to constantly do the “floppy tuna act” in an investigation. If you are constantly overcome, you need to find another occupation or get your act together. Nonetheless, it is not unusual to feel a physical impact from something that is present. There is a big difference, however, between registering phenomena with the senses and going out of control.

Working in the paranormal requires being well grounded and well educated, and in control.

Q: You have had a lot of screen time, yet you've somehow accomplished even more in the paranormal media market through writing. I see you're the proud author of a whopping 60 books! How do you make the time, and find inspiration? If you had to choose, which book are you proudest of?

A: My work spans a considerable spectrum of topics from the paranormal (including cryptids) to ufology to the spiritual and metaphysical. These fields are all interrelated in many ways. So, I cannot single out a favorite book.

My primary occupation is writing, followed by lecturing, followed by media. Time is malleable, not fixed, and so when you are "in the flow" you can have all the time you need to accomplish whatever is your goal. I keep a heavy schedule, and there are periods when I write more and periods when I write less, depending on what else is going on. I have no set routine.

As to the how and why of my inspiration and the reasons why I am prolific, I leave that to the Muse.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these interview questions, and I'm sure people will be very interested to read about your opinions!

For more information about Rosemary, her services, and her experiences, check out her website: Visionaryliving.com. You can also find a fan page on Facebook here.

Thanks for reading!