...love to get everybody's thoughts on this, esp. for people that are in or run your own paranormal group. Is it necessary to always go in with the thought in mind that you might have to do an "extermination"? Do you always at least make an attempt to force the spirit residing at the location- whether they're negative or not- to move on to a higher plane/cross over/or whatever term you use? Do you think that performing "exterminations" is a good practice?

I would love imput on this...mostly because my group has decided not to do this in any instance except that of extreme malitiousness on the part of the offending spirit. I personally believe in karma and life goals and stuff like that, so I don't hold with the idea that every spirit should be strongly encouraged (read: forced) to move on. What if it is in the best interest of their karma/soul/whatever to remain on the earthplane as a ghost? What if you trying to send them off to the hereafter messes up their progression on the other side?

Lots of interesting questions, and would love some insight as to your/your group's personal beliefs and why. =)

I don't belong to a paranormal group, but if I did, I don't know that I would be in favor of shooing a spirit off to another plane. Of course, there would certainly be exceptions. If it were the spirit of a child, lost for eternity -- yes, I would certainly try to get it to move on and perhaps join loved ones waiting on the other side. If it were the spirit of someone who was "searching" for a lost love, spouse, family member etc..., once again yes, I'd like to think they should be helped in their search. However, in cases where a spirit is inhabiting a place because of some sort of attachment to the area, my philosophy would probably be to let them stay. Great question!

it is and interesting question. I also say'let it remain where it is. unless there is a very good reason for it's departure. they seldom appear when you wish.but to appear at all is remarkable I was once a member of a group, of which I shall not mention.due to the fact they are on the web. I have never been more shocked or disgusted in the way the haunting was researched. yelling taunting laughing, come get me ghostie.the sad fact was they blew it! the haunting was well known and the time it took to get permission to search was lengthy. the owner asked everybody to leave. feeling as tho we had made a fool of them.I was a shamed and embarassed.never again will I be a part of such stupidity.it has it's reason's for not crossing over.let us respect that.

Amen to that, Grim! I totally agree with you! My thought about this is, how are we to know how time passes in the afterlife? So a ghost may be hanging around for hundreds of years in our time, but perhaps it's not so long on the other side. God knows I'm no physicist, so I should shut up, cause I might accidentally drag one into this post and I'm too un-technological to know what they're saying....lol. I'm not entirely sure it's always no choice for them to be here still. It might be a karma thing they have to work through.

I don't suffer from insanity'I simply injoy it! it is said.there is no time as we know it. but it is also' said. to god a day is a thousand years' which would leave me to suspect. since our enviroment change's. the life of a ghost in certain aspect's could stay a couple of hundred years or more. depending on there need.

Great question, Tabbie!

I'm of the same mind set as all of you so far. It's one thing to investigate and record paranormal activity - validation of a haunting, but I hardly think it necessary to "force" a spirit to move on, unless there is some great disruption that it is causing. The latter being the case, I'd politely hand the matter over to a real professional (in that, I feel it's more than I could handle) if the traditional 'gentle persuasion' technique didn't work.

I'll say it again... very interesting question.. also regarding the Karma and time span aspects!

Kell