FLIP the INK on April 16th, 2010.

Interview of Jimmy Morris, founder of Texas Paranornmal Research Team "TPRT"

and host of Ghost Chatter Radio.

This month I FLIP the INK on Jimmy Morris, host of Ghost Chatter Radio and founder of the Texas Paranormal Research. I’ve been a guest on Jimmy’s Ghost Chatter Radio show and because of my chats with Jimmy, I really wanted to highlight his 16 years of experience in Paranormal Investigation and pick his brain for answers to some probing questions regarding ghost hunting.

A: Jimmy Morris: I started investigating in 1995 after a childhood of seeing things a bit different than others my age and always having a sensitivity to paranormal activity

A: Jimmy Morris: Paranormal as a definition to me is an alternative to that which is considered "normal". I say considered because to me it is all normal and is where and what it should be. Supernatural to me is more about abilities outside the normal scope of itself. A man who can lift 1000 pounds where normally that would not be possible to be is supernatural or a psychic who can see the future and read your past would have supernatural powers. I don’t think paranormal and supernatural are in the same class at all.

A: Jimmy Morris: An obstacle? No. Being in Texas is an advantage in the paranormal field just because there is so much history that lends itself to the paranormal and the area in rich in great locations in which to investigate. That being said, you don’t have to have a history of war, strife, and disasters to have great activity. Theaters, churches, wedding halls, and many other locations make great investigation spots as well. Anywhere that a spirit would bond in life, they may haunt in death.

A: Jimmy Morris: The first contact they receive will be from myself to get a basic feel for the situation and put them at ease that we will help them. Next, my case manager(s) will contact them and go over a long questionnaire that covers everything from name and ages of household occupants, pets, medical history, mental illness history, drug abuse, and so on in order to get a full and complete picture of the daily lives of the client and their household.

A: Jimmy Morris: TPR chapters are not individual groups that operate free of the core team. When personnel and experience is present in a geographical area, I will set up a chapter there so that if and when a case comes in for that area I can have those members do a prelim investigation to ascertain the amount of activity going on and then it is reviewed by the core team to determine the next step. If the core management feels the current chapter team is capable of continuing on then we allow them to do so. All cases and instructions come from TPR core management down. We all attend the same meetings and follow the same codes and guidelines. My core team consists of the founder, co founder, case manager(s), research manager, tech manager, and chapter lead investigators.

A: Jimmy Morris: I started a youth investigator group because I became aware of a growing number of inexperienced people in the field starting paranormal groups. One reason for this is the "inaccurate" assumption by many that the paranormal field is too "dangerous" for youths to be in. Now understand that when I talk about youths, I’m referring to 12-16 year olds and do not sanction running around with 5 year olds on an investigation. Children are much more aware of spirits that most adults are and have been for ever. Children are probably more capable of naturally handling activity than an inexperienced adult is. How many children do you know of who have been hurt by a paranormal entity while investigating? Your child is 1000 times more likely to hurt themselves riding their bike or climbing a tree. Also, children’s minds are in learning mode and they will take in their surroundings during investigations and process things more clearly which in turn, when they are adults make them a far greater asset to the paranormal field, not a burden or someone who doesn’t know what they are doing because no one would train them when they were younger. For those youths who have a fascination with the paranormal who cannot find a group who will accept them are forced to get their experience from watching TV programs on the subject which is exactly why you have the new groups you have out there who have no idea how the paranormal "really" is like.

A: Jimmy Morris: The best tool is a calm and experienced investigator. You have to take notes and be aware of what’s going on around you. During investigations we will use analog and digital recorders, analog and digital camcorders and night vision DVR systems, K2 and various other EMF devices, motion sensors, RTSC (Real Time Spirit Communication) devices, thermal cameras, infrared temperature recording devices, full spectrum ghost lights, super sensitive anabolic recording devices, our own spirit board RTSC device, and many others.

A: Jimmy Morris: An affiliate group is one who wishes to be associated with TPR and share links and case information and research. We agree to share cases with each other if one comes up in their area that we are unable to handle ourselves. A family group is one who agrees to abide by our code of conduct. They must agree provide information on cases they work to include contacts as we may follow up to make sure they did the investigation according to our standards. Family groups get priority on working access cases for us and participation in hostile haunt cases.

A: Jimmy Morris: No, in my opinion, audio is some of the best pieces of hard evidence we have. Its nice when you get what appears to be an image or apparition on your photo or video, however, in the real world, these can be doctored easily. You can even buy 35 mm disposable cameras called ghost cameras that will give you a ghost image in every picture you take. A photo is worth a 1000 words, but a paranormal photo is only worth a 1000 criticisms. Our best evidence will always be the one that can stand up the best under scrutiny and to us that is audio or EVP.

A: Jimmy Morris: I was investigating at the Queen Mary in Long Beach California, There were 3 of us in the 2^nd class pool area trying to communicate with the child spirit that has been dubbed "Jackie". While walking across the catwalk, I actually felt a small hand take mine and walk with me across the landing. It was incredible.

A: Jimmy Morris: I would love to investigate some of the castles in England or Ireland and would also like to travel to some of the overseas holocaust sites. I would like to perhaps visit tsunami sites in Indonesia or maybe even the WTC site in New York when a reasonable amount of time has passed. I’m not sure what amount of time that is, but I still do not feel enough respectful time has passed before we start investigating these locations.

A: Jimmy Morris: They are of demonic possessions and demons. While they definitely do exist, they are far rarer than modern day ghost programs and ghost hunters would like you to believe. Just because you feel a push doesn’t mean there is a demon in your home, or just because you feel a cold uneasy feeling and saw a dark figure doesn’t mean you are going to be possessed when you fall asleep. You do not find a demon on every case. You will be lucky if you come across one in your lifetime of hunting. If you do, I promise it will not be like you see on TV and in most cases will take a lot of help and time to deal with.

A: Jimmy Morris: Absolutely.

A: Jimmy Morris: Yes they do. Most often I come across dog and cat spirits in my investigations. If I had to say which was more I would personally say cats as I have come across more of them in my travels and investigations but dogs are out there too and could very well be just as active if not more than cats. We don’t know what animals are saying when they are alive and in death we just see them occasionally or get sounds like barks or meows to show their presence and we see them more in homes where they lived and the pet owners are still in the home. It’s all about attachment.