Investigator: ‘something’s out there’
Man seeks volunteers to example paranormal, unexplained phenomena in Bedford-Sackville area
By: Yvette D’Entremont – The Weekly News
Published: September 10, 2003
On the case: Elliott Van Dusen has never had a paranormal experience himself. – Yvette D’Entremont
Ever wanted to be a Ghostbuster? If you harbour a fascination for the unexplained, Sackville residence Elliott Van Dusen is hoping you’ll consider volunteering as a paranormal investigator.
Van Dusen is director of Paranormal Phenomena Research & Investigation. He and a friend founded PPRI in 1997 to bring up-to-date, well-researched information about the paranormal to the general public.
“We wanted to acquire legitimate information on the paranormal, because there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” Van Dusen said.
Some of the misinformation includes the “orb phenomena.” Ordinary photos that feature small balls or streaks of light are popping up everywhere, and although many people describe the orbs as ghostly lights, Van Dusen said there’s a perfectly logical explanation.
“The flash is too close to the lens, and if there’s any moisture, dust, pollen or even cigarette smoke in the air, it will be picked up on the camera,” he said.
“All these people reporting and showing their ghost photos have photos of nothing more than dust.”
Van Dusen said it’s also difficult to find quality information about the UFO phenomena, as most of it revolves around conspiracy theories.
His interest in the paranormal and unexplained phenomena stretches back to his childhood. Although Van Dusen has never personally experienced paranormal phenomena, he’s convinced “something’s out there.”
He does, however, become more skeptical the longer he searches without finding or seeing something.
“It’s exciting to go on a ghost hunt,” he said. “It would be really nice if you could prove these kinds of things exist.”
Useful ghost-hunting equipment includes flash lights, two way radios, night-vision scopes, cameras, electro-magnetic field devices and thermal scanners.
Thermal scanners detect rapid changes in temperature, while electro-magnetic devices detect environmental changes.
“If you put it near a fuse box, you’ll get a really high reading,” Van Dusen said.
“But if you’re in a graveyard with no power lines in the area and you’re getting a high reading, it’s an indicator of a presence.”
Paranormal investigators are needed in the Bedford-Sackville area to conduct research and investigate possible paranormal activity in their communities.
Van Dusen has several Canadian and American investigators, along with a few in Australia and Panama.
“It would be nice to have more investigators available to me everywhere,” he said.
“There are quite a few ghost stories in Nova Scotia and in the Sackville-Beaverbank area itself, and I’d love to have more local people involved.”
For more information, contact Van Dusen via e-mail at [email protected] or call 782-414-4666. Check out the group’s site at www.ppri.net.