I have been writing about the paranormal for a good 5 years now. I have been interested in the paranormal all of my life, yet it remained just that — an interest. As a kid I liked watching TV shows like ‘The Extraordinary’ which is an Australian television program with a creepy sounding narrator telling recounted paranormal experiences which were acted out on camera. It was enough to scare my 7 year old self into sleeping with the light on! Then came the X Files which was a big game changer for its time!
Fast forward a few years and paranormal reality tv happened. Shows like Ghost Hunters and Most Haunted hit our screens and showed us normal people that the paranormal seemed to really be out there and you too could go out and find ghosts using gadgets that light up. It was addictive and something I wanted to dive into but never got around to. It wasn’t until some major health scares changed my perspective on life and I adapted the ‘life is too short’ attitude. I went on my first paranormal investigation and I became hooked! Not long after I decided to start my blog Living Life In Full Spectrum. It was me channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw offering my thoughts on the paranormal community using my sarcastic humour while recounting how different investigating is to what you see on TV. It had a very very very very very small but loyal following.
It soon evolved. As I educated myself on paranormal topics, I wrote about them. I had a very rational approach to investigating and this was also shown in my writing. While I was told I can be blunt or straight to point and it can be confronting, it certainly got my point across whether people liked it or not. I decided to name this series Stuff Paranormal Investigators Need To Know. I was particularly drawn to psychology and all the different ways in which our brain can make us think we see, feel, hear, taste or even smell something that isn’t really there.
I loved this area so much that I decided to write a book called Stuff Paranormal Investigators Need To Know Volume 1: What the eyes see and the ears hear the mind believes. The quote ‘what the eyes see and the ears hear the mind believes’ is one from one of my favourite historical figures Harry Houdini. While known as a famous magician, you may or may not know that he also was a pivotal figure in psychical research. Using his knowledge of sleight of hand and deception, he defrauded hundreds of psychics. While he was quite frank about the fact that he was never wrong and was able to explain everything he was presented with, I also believe he did want to believe the paranormal was true. His was initially drawn to the paranormal because he desperately wanted contacted with his deceased Mother whom he was extremely close to.
I draw a lot of comparisons with myself and Houdini which I why I used his quote as a part of the title to my book. I too very much want to believe in the paranormal, but I also believe that not everything we are presented with is paranormal. It doesn’t mean I don’t think it is out there, but there is a lot we need to eliminate first. My book Volume 1 is focused on the psychology behind the paranormal and all the ways our brain can trick us. I use my experiences as reference guides and provide examples and pictures to put it all into perspective. I even give the claimed spiritual reference to an experience as well so it can be seen as somewhat of a reference guide that people can continue to go back to. When I write, I like to write as I talk so when you read, it is like we are having a conversation. I also like to break things down very simply. I mean have you read psychology papers? Technical words go over my head sometimes and I lose interest so I wanted to make things as easy to understand as possible. It took a good 4 years of research to put this book together so it most certainly is not something I just decided to do one day!
Some of the chapters cover things like pareidolia both audio and visual, the way our body reacts to static electricity and barometric pressure, sleep paralysis and one of the most important topics — subconscious bias. Just by believing in the paranormal we could be at a disadvantage. Being a skeptic too can have its disadvantages because instead of looking what is in front you, you are looking for everything that it is not. Finding a good level headed balance is the key here and not as easy as it seems.
If you like reading about a more rational approach to the paranormal, this is a great book to start with. Many people write ‘how to be a ghost hunter’ type books which cover things like ‘how do I record an EVP’? This definitely is NOT this kind of book. It is very different to the other paranormal books out there and really tries to give you all of the information so YOU can make up your own mind. No one here is trying to tell you what you did or did not experience. That is up to YOU to decide!
Stuff Paranormal Investigators Need To Know Volume 1: What the eyes see and the ears hear is available Worldwide through Amazon on both Paperback and Kindle. It is also available from Book Depository and other 3rd party sellers all over the world. I also sell copies myself which I can sign to Australian addresses.
Stuff Paranormal Investigators Need To Know links can be found over at my website
Here are a couple of sneak peaks of chapters:
https://llifs.com.au/blog/pareidolia-matrixing-is-really-just-our-brains-trying-to-be-smart/
https://llifs.com.au/blog/suggestive-memory/
This is a self published book so I literally rely on word of mouth so if it is something you have read, if you can please leave me a review on Amazon or Goodreads I would be most appreciative! It is tough going out there so if you can help spread the word, you could be helping someone get the information they need to be a great investigator!
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1079584145
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51569186-stuff-paranormal-investigators-need-to-know-volume-1
As a self published author, I rely on social media and word of mouth to get it out there! Thankyou so much and to answer your question, YES there is a volume 2 that I am working (and volume 3). My hope is to get volume 2 out by the end of 2020, however these things take time and I have learnt not to rush this process. The blog is and always has been my first love, and even though I am delving into the world of books, I will always be blogging and providing everyone with some some ad free content with no paywall for your enjoyment and hopefully you might even learn something along the way. Stay spooky my friends!
If you enjoy LLIFS, consider buying me a book (otherwise known as buy me a coffee but I don't drink coffee and I LOVE books). Your donation helps to fund the LLIFS website so everyone can continue to access great paranormal content and resources for FREE!
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