Psychic Tools

Are mediums, psychics and clairvoyants a useful tool in investigating locations where alleged paranormal activity has taken place, or should the locations be used to investigate the psychics themselves?

I think as mediums, psychics et al are all still to prove their real abilities, that inviting a psychic along to an investigation might be useful if it was the psychic being tested - maybe a previously investigated site so some useful base line was set, along with a few other individuals - some not in on the test who could be influenced by the psychic, and a few in on the test to keep an eye on the goings on and see if the psychic can be influenced too. Plus some official investigators to lead the event and set some tasks - readings in rooms etc

No doubt the medium with a few accolytes in tow will be willing to put on a show rather than come to the conclusion that - nope, the house isn't haunted - but it'd be interesting to see what effect the medium might have on the other guests - after all nothing ever happened on Britains Most haunted, but plenty of people imagine more happened than some people running around shouting in the dark for a few hours.

I think if I was psychic I'd love to test my abilities rather than become a novelty act - but it's easy to fool some of the people all of the time and make a tidy living out of it...

I certainly don't believe all psychics are fake and I am certain the true ones have for want of better wording 'strange experiences'. However what these experiences are should be investigated and not just accepted to be as per whatever belief system the psychic follows. Therefore, taking psychics on investigations is useful but I am careful as to what capacity they are taken in. I am inclined to investigate the psychic ability using the haunted location, not use the psychic to solve the haunting, though if they are good their information is good anecdotal evidence for the haunting case.

Just read a few interesting theories - based on the idea that paranormal events might need a catalyst. The 'Philip Experiment' was based on a table rapping/ouija experiment by a group of college students trying to create a fake creation. The students faked a contact, making up details of a character so that everyone focussed on the same details. The experiment was then started, and as it continued the table rappings got longer until the table took on a life of its own, jumping about like a pupy on occasion and treated as such, culminating in a live TV show appearance - the other experiment was with a parapsychologist Kenneth J Batcheldor in the 70's who invited self confessed interested parties to a table rapping/ouija event: as it started he didn't expect much to happen. But he accidentally knocked the table - the psychics all reacted as if their thoughts had been answered before Kenneth could react - but he stayed quiet to study the effects - and was amazed when very strange events DID occur that he could not explain.

So the idea is that belief and expectancy can create paranormal events -
get a few self confessed psychics together - fake a story, create an expectation and then stand back to witness the power of the group mind. Certainly it might be testable with some physical results...
I'd be fascinated by the results.

There are many ways to investigate psychics but I would take an approach agreed upon by both parties unless I suspected them to be fraud. I prefer an approach to a haunting investigation where any psychics etc aren't there in a psychic capacity but as a normal member of the investigation team. Therefore they are under no presure to perform and there are no expectations from them. Should they come up with anything then it should be recorded but not acted upon as part of that case, instead kept seperate as a study on clairvoyance/mediumship etc. I prefer finding a way where we mutually work together and accept that psychic ability is still an unknown commodity that needs researching and working in a scientific manner can only help uncover what the psychic ability is.