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Do strange sounds in your musty old Georgetown townhouse keep you up at night? Ever wonder who that bloody, transparent little girl is at the foot of your bed? Is George Washington, himself, sharing your bathroom? Who are you gonna call? Why, you'll call the CPRI (Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation), of course. With Halloween right around the corner, we thought it might be helpful to prepare for the horrors that await by speaking with Bobbie Atristain, the founder and director of the Richmond-based CPRI, which, if its web site is to be believed, is more about hard science than Ghostbusting:
Our main focus on researching the paranormal is science. Our scientific research staff is composed of physicists,environmental scientists, geologists, chemists, radio-nuclear chemists and Aerospace engineers. These scientists are from the National Academy of Science, NASA and Lockheed Martin to name a few.Atristain founded CPRI in May of 2000, and has served as a "paranormal consultant" on a number of ghost-focused TV shows, things like the Travel Channel's The World's Most Cursed Places and PBS's Things that Go Bump in the Night 2. She took some time out of investigating ghosts to speak with DCist.
How did you first get started in this line of work? Was there a specific paranormal encounter that sparked your interest?
I’ve always been interested in the paranormal. As a young child, I remember hearing my mother recount tales of seeing dead relatives at the foot of her bed. This began a lifelong interest in the paranormal. In the spring of 2000, I founded the Virginia Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society (which became the Center for Paranormal Research and Investigation in 2005).
What signs do you look for in an investigation request that make you take it more seriously? Do you get a lot of prank calls?
We also conduct a psychological assessment of people during our initial investigation phase, and use such tools as the Magical Ideation Scale to determine if people are prone to paranormal belief. When we do our preliminary onsite investigation, we also look for too many Stephen King books and horror movies, etc.
What type of equipment do you typically use on one of your investigations?
We use ElectroMagnetic Meters (EM Meters such as a Trifield Natural Meter), infrared cameras, camcorders with night shot, audio recorders, thermometers, and film cameras. We also have some specialized equipment that we have engineered that are used for specific readings such as temperature, humidity and barometric pressure readings. These environmental factors seem to play a role in paranormal phenomena.
What was your most frightening experience with the paranormal?
I haven’t really had a frightening experience – probably the most memorable was when I was living in Lynchburg, VA in an old house – I was upstairs getting ready to wash my face and I looked up and there was a shadow person peeking into the doorway…all of the lights were on and this shadow person appeared to be 2 dimensional and appeared male. He was surprised to see me and sort of snuck away from the door tip toeing backwards.
What is one thing you could say or have experienced that would turn a skeptic into a believer?
I don’t know what that would be – I’m still skeptical of this phenomena myself.
As Halloween is fast approaching, what are a few of your favorite haunted spots in the DC/VA area that you would suggest to ghost lovers out there for a weekend excursion?
I would suggest visiting Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria and Woodlawn Plantation. Gadsby’s Tavern has the spirit of a young woman that is often reported. Woodlawn Plantation has ghosts, including George Washington’s ghost, that are reported to roam the home.
I see that you are currently working on your first book. Could you tell us a little about this project?
I am in the process of publishing my first book entitled Haunted People, Haunted Minds, which details my 6 and a half years of research into the paranormal. I focus on my theories of “haunted people,” or people that seem to always experience paranormal phenomena. I go into detail about some possible explanations for this. The last half of the book details some of our more memorable cases.
What advice do you have for someone who thinks their home might be haunted? Once you confirm a spirit’s presence, is there a process for removal or exorcism?
The first thing we tell people to do is to keep a journal or log of the events. You should include weather conditions, your mood before the event occurred and your reaction to the event. We don’t perform exorcisms or removals, also known as “clearings,” but we can recommend people who do that sort of thing if the homeowner wishes to have to the spirit removed.
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