When confronted by a disembodied voice or a feeling of dread emanating from a dark room, most people would back away in the opposite direction.
Paul Cagle and his team of investigators rush ahead, cameras and recorders in hand.
Cagle, 41, is the co-founder of the South Eastern Paranormal Society, a group of five men and women who conduct research in supposedly haunted locations throughout the Chattanooga area.
Although people often confuse them for “Ghostbusters,” Cagle said a more appropriate pop-culture parallel would be “Scooby Doo,” because the group maintains a constant state of skepticism and is able to rule out the supernatural in most cases.
“I tell people that 99.9 percent of the time, it’s not paranormal,” he said. “It’s just a natural occurrence that happened at the wrong time, and they misunderstood what it was.
“Sometimes, we want a place to be haunted. You might think, ‘Wow, this would be a great place,’ but it doesn’t work that way.”
Since Cagle started the group with Lena McHone in April 2006, they have conducted about 100 investigations as far away as a haunted railroad station in Tuscumbia, Ala., and Corpsewood Manor in Trion, Ga.
Of these, only 1 percent to 3 percent have yielded activity that couldn’t be explained away as natural, Cagle said.
Over the last several years, Cagle has been compiling his experiences from these investigations into a book, “Paranormal Journies,” which was published Oct. 15.
The investigators said a single inexplicable occurrence can re-energize them during hours spent reviewing digital recordings or watching hours of mostly static images from their infrared cameras.
During one of about five investigations the group has conducted of a local cemetery, Cagle took a series of digital photos of an archway supposedly haunted by the spirit of a Civil War general. When he later reviewed the photos, he saw a pair of close-set, red lights hovering in the dark above the arch.
Cagle said he ran through all possible explanations for the phenomenon (reflected light in animals eyes, distant radio towers, planes, taillights on cars), but was able to discount all of them, for various reasons.
As of now, Cagle said the photo stands as his strongest evidence of potential paranormal activity, but he’s still hesitant to conclude anything.
TOP HAUNTSRecently, national organizations named two Chattanooga-area spooky attractions among the best in the country:* The website TripAdvisor named Chattanooga Ghost Tours the No. 9 best ghost tour in the country, based on its popularity index, which is derived from overall traveler satisfaction.* Rand McNally described Ruby Falls Haunted Cavern’s viral-themed attraction as ” ‘Deliverance’ meets ‘Twelve Monkeys’ ” and named it No. 6 on its list of Top 10 Haunted Houses for Halloween.LEARN MOREVisit the South Eastern Paranormal Society at www.sepsparanormal.org. Listen to their bimonthly podcast at http://www.sepsparanormal.org/SEPS_Podcast.htmlLOCAL HAUNTSIn his recently published book, “Paranormal Journeys,” author and paranormal investigator Paul Cagle recounts the experiences of conducting investigations in half a dozen regional locations, including:* Memorial Park Cemetery (Red Bank)* Corpsewood Manor (Trion, Ga.)* South Pittsburgh Municipal Hospital (South Pittsburgh, Tenn.)* An old country church (somewhere near Wildwood, Ga.)* The Walking Horse Hotel (Wartrace, Tenn.)* Patten Chapel (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga)
“I would like to believe it’s paranormal, and evidence is pointing in that direction, but we could get evidence later that proves that it’s not,” he said. “I want to be open-minded and accept all possibilities and then decide for myself.”
Although they have researched long-standing legends, many of the team’s investigations begin with frightened families asking for help.
Investigators said some cases involving strange voices or objects moving on their own have been attributed to pranksters. While investigating reports of continuous bad dreams, they said they have found strong electromagnetic fields near where the person sleeps. Their suggestion? Move the bed.
In these cases, explaining away a frightening occurrence and giving a family peace of mind carries its own reward, said investigator Julie Kunesh, who joined the group two years ago.
“You go out and … point out what might be fairly obvious to you, but which they aren’t in an emotional place to notice,” she said. “As an outsider coming in, we can look at it more objectively and say, ‘OK, we know you’re frightened. Here’s what else it could be.’ “
As they ramble around graveyards, abandoned hospitals and sites of grisly murders, investigators said they may get nervous but never scared. That’s partly due to traveling in pairs and having a healthy sense of humor since cracking wise can dramatically ease the tension, Cagle said.
“If it’s a very emotionally charged moment where everyone is scared, it’s good to say something funny so everyone goes, ‘Oh, we’re in the real world. Let’s calm down a bit,’ ” he said.
Kunesh said she has never experienced an actual paranormal encounter and hopes that by taking part in investigations she will have her first, even if it is unpleasant.
“If it is, at least I’ll have my proof,” she said, laughing.
Cagle spent his childhood in a Dunlap, Tenn., home surrounded by apparent paranormal events — doors slamming closed on their own, rooms that would never heat up, rocking chairs moving with no one in them.
All his life, Cagle said he has been in pursuit of an explanation of those events and why they happened to him.
“I wanted more answers,” he said. “I wanted to know why I’ve had these amazing paranormal experiences that other people … haven’t. It’s all about information for me.”
THE RULES
After four years and 100 investigations, the members of the South Eastern Paranormal Society have adopted a few rules to follow while conducting research:
1. Suspect everything. Investigators never assume something is supernatural. The burden of proof is always on the paranormal.
2. No pranking. Investigators always work in pairs for safety, and playing a joke can ruin the bond of trust.
3. Set to vibrate. During an investigation, an unexpected cell-phone ringtone can stretch already nervous investigators past the breaking point.
4. Watch your step. After a few tumbles down hills in the dark, investigators have learned to be careful to watch for gravestones and other low-lying obstacles.
5. No tricycles. As fans of the movie “The Shining,” investigators have all agreed not to use tricycles as objects to elicit a paranormal response due to that movie’s iconic scene involving two young, tricycle-riding spirits.