The Helpful Haunt: What is your background in paranormal investigation?
Jerri Irby: I’ve had a few personal experiences, and I was kind of at a point in my life where I didn’t believe, but I didn’t disbelieve. I just wanted to kind of reassure myself that I wasn’t going crazy. I started reading a lot, and at that time I didn’t really know that there were paranormal investigators. Some of the books that I was reading were talking about paranormal investigators and then I started watching the paranormal investigation shows, and one night I thought, “Hmm, I wonder if there are any local groups.” So I looked it up and found Southwest Ghost Finders, and that’s where I started, and I’ve been ghost hunting for three years now, and I’m on my third team. My friend Shanda and I started a team, and we really focus on the private residences as a priority. I’ve had some really great experiences and learning opportunities with my teams.
THH: Could you tell me a little about the team that you and Shanda started?
JI: The team that Shanda and I started is Heartland Paranormal Research Organization, and we started it because we do put priority on private residences. We newly formed in late December, early January, and we have been on one public investigation and one private investigation. We have some investigations scheduled, and we’re looking at a historic hospital coming up in June. There are four members on our team, and hopefully we’re getting a fifth member who will be our tech specialist, but there is Shanda, Ryan, Drew, and myself. We also did Paracon at the Shrine Mosque, which was fun and a really great way to network with some other teams, and that really opened up some opportunities for our team as well, like working in conjunction with other teams.
THH: How do you prepare for an investigation?
JI: First of all, make sure all the equipment is in working order. Personally and spiritually, I always like to make sure that I take time to quiet my mind and really make sure that I have awareness so that I am able to pay attention to what is going on, and just so my mind is clear and I am totally aware of what is going on.
THH: How does a residential claim of activity vary from those in more public locations?
JI: The private locations hit closer to home, and they’re more emotional. When you’re going into a public location, yeah, there are people who work there that may have had experiences, but they’re not living with this entity or activity, they’re not being woken up in the middle of the night. To investigate the public locations, you generally have to be eighteen, but when you investigate private locations, children are being affected, pets are being affected, the family unit as a whole is being affected. Going into those locations and finding answers for that family is such a rewarding experience. To be able to give someone peace of mind so that they’re comfortable in their own home is great, because of all the places in the world you should feel safe and comfortable, it should be your own home. If you’re experiencing paranormal activity, that may not be the case. It’s so much closer to home and so emotional.
The Helpful Haunt 