How long have you been interested in the paranormal?

I've been interested in the paranormal since I was a kid growing up in what seemed to be a haunted old house in Queens, NY. My family moved from that house when I was 10, but the interest has stayed with me.

What started this interest?

When you hear footsteps in your house and no one is there, or have doors slammed in your face for no reason, it kind of peaks your curiosity about why these things are happening! The most frustrating part of those encounters was that neither of my parents believed anything paranormal existed in the house, or at all for that matter. So I learned pretty early on to seek out any information I could on paranormal phenomena through books, TV, and ultimately the Internet.

How did you become involved with New England Paranormal?

I started watching "Ghost Hunters" on Sci Fi when it first aired and immediately got hooked. The show made me realize there are legitimate paranormal research groups out there that don't seek to profit from their research, and that use real scientific methods to investigate and debunk hauntings. This in turn made me think joining a reputable group and going on investigations would be the best way to get better educated about paranormal phenomena. I checked out the TAPS web site to find recommended groups in my area, and thought New England Paranormal would be a good fit for me, both in terms of what I knew about the team and their location. I wrote Steve Gonsalves and gave him some background on why I wanted to join New England Paranormal; he said he'd love to have me as part of the team, and to get some training. A couple weeks later I went to a Ghost Science class in Boston conducted by Mike Dion, and followed up with him about getting involved with NEP. Mike was kind enough to make arrangements for me to be an official member of the NEP team as a Member-in-Training.

When you go on an investigation what do you expect? What don't you expect?

I haven't actually been on an investigation yet, but my expectation is to work with a smart, curious team and use scientific methods and tools to prove or disprove an alleged haunting. I also expect to take more of a debunking-type approach, although I do admit that I hope to find some legitimate evidence of a haunting at some point. I don't expect to rely on how a place makes me feel as evidence, even though I'm sure some places will be pretty darn creepy, and I don't expect to find true evidence of a haunting on every investigation, but when we do - wow, that's going to be great.

If someone wants to get involved with Paranormal Research/Investigations, what would you suggest to them?

Watch "Ghost Hunters" to learn how legitimate paranormal investigators work, and then watch "Most Haunted" to learn what NOT to do! Also, learn what you can about the paranormal online - the Internet is a great source of information, especially sites like NEP's, TAPS, and TAPS' partner sites. These sites will also help you determine if joining a research group is right for you, and which groups make the most sense for you to join. Lastly, a great book to read on the paranormal is "ESP, Hauntings and Poltergeists: A Parapsychologist's Handbook", by Loyd Auerbach. Steve Gonsalves actually mentioned this book on an episode of "Ghost Hunters" - it is a very informative overview of different paranormal phenomena and paranormal investigations, and still reads well today even though it was written in the 80s. Note you may have to go through a used book store to find it.

Any other comments?

If you've ever had a paranormal experience and felt scared by it or felt like you couldn't talk about it for whatever reasons, just remember that there are groups like New England Paranormal and TAPS that can help you, by possibly arranging an investigation if the situation warrants, and/or by providing avenues for information on the paranormal, and/or even by providing a network of people that understand what you're experiencing and won't judge you because of it. The more you know, the more empowered you will feel about handling your encounter(s). And don't be afraid to reach out to a group if you feel you want to get more involved in research!