Back to Ghoul

It’s that time of year when folks of all ages are heading back to school. While I *did* post about my haunted alma mater briefly on social media on Friday, I thought that instead of going the obvious route and telling you stories of haunted classrooms and spectral co-eds, it’d be fun to go a different direction and talk a little bit about paranormal education.

Being a paranormal enthusiast, or even an investigator, having a degree isn’t required. But as with any field of interest, furthering your education and continuing to learn and grow is essential to your success. The good news is, there’s lots of opportunities out there to do so, and the even better news is, you don’t have to enroll at some pricey college to make it happen. (As someone with a metric crap ton of student debt, I can assure you this is GREAT news.)

Everyone learns differently, so I’ve broken this post down into sections to hopefully help you find the right fit for you, your interests, and your preferences.

SELF-PACED/ONLINE

In my humble opinion, everyone should start here. Let me tell you why.

The “paranormal” is such an incredibly broad term, kind of covering everything from ghosts and ghouls to a multitude of religions and philosophies, everything from meditation to physics to alternate dimensions. Before you spend precious time and money on diving into this world, it’s probably best to begin by doing some basic research and trying to figure out what area interests you the most.

You can do this by listening to podcasts, reading books, searching out articles and information on the internet, joining groups in your community (or online), and talking to folks who are a little further along in their paranormal journeys than you may be. Keep your mind open and give new things a try, you never know what you might discover that calls to you.

While I can’t possibly begin to list every resource that is available here, I can tell you that listening to paranormal podcasts was a great way for me to fine tune my interests and from there, I sought out information online and by reading books on topics that stuck out to me.

As you can imagine, in this day and age, there are also countless online courses available. They run the gamut in terms of reputability as well, so be sure that before you fork over your hard earned cash, you do a little digging on the platform, the course, and the instructor, not only to make sure they’re legit, but to see if they seem like a good fit for you.

Some places you can look- udemy.com, alison.com, and feverup.com offer basic paranormal investigation courses. Colleges like Harper College and the University of Arizona have offered online classes in the paranormal as part of their curriculum. And of course places like the renowned Rhine Research Center (formerly part of Duke University) have a variety of classes and research opportunities available.

Another online source is forums and social media pages. There’s a lot of folks out there who want to connect with other people and talk about this stuff, and a lot of times they aren’t sure where to go, so comments sections on fan pages and social media as well as reddit threads and the like are popular places for people to kind of put it out there and see who bites. It can also be a great place to ask questions and get a feel for the community on a certain topic. Sidenote: this is why I started Spooky Sisterhood- I wanted to provide a place for exactly this purpose. So don’t be afraid to hop in our comments, our DMs, or especially our Discord and chat with folks from all over who have the same interests as you.

One last note on this section before moving on, when in doubt, ask a librarian. Whether it’s about the paranormal or not! Our public libraries (and those at colleges and other institutions) are incredibly valuable resources, and the folks who work there are dying to help you. If they don’t know the answer, I’d wager most of them would be eager to find out for you, or find someone who knows. Truly, never underestimate a librarian.

SHORT-TERM COMMITMENT

Once you’ve narrowed down your areas of interest, you might want to try to find more hands-on or in-depth opportunities. I am a big believer that there’s no better way to learn than by doing something. Reach out to local groups and see if they would be willing to let you tag along on an investigation or attend a meeting or whatever it might be. They may also be able to point you in the direction of someone who can mentor you.

Another option without a big commitment would be attending workshops and conferences and conventions. Events like this are so much more common than I ever knew, and they are literally all over the country (and all over the world). Just as an example, I’ll be attending Michigan Paracon next week, and they offer several workshops on everything from best practices in paranormal research to how to use spirit boards in your investigations.

If you like the idea of combining learning and travel, Amy Bruni offers regular events through her Strange Escapes travel company where you can participate in small group investigations of well-known haunted locations, and spend time chatting with other paranormal experts from a variety of backgrounds. While these sorts of things can add up price-wise once you factor in the cost of admission, travel, lodging, and more, there are other opportunities like this as well if you’re willing to pay for them. For instance, I saw recently that Aaron Sagers is leading a paranormal trip to Costa Rica later this year and he has mentioned a similar trip to France on his podcast.

For more low-commitment events, you can also check Meetup.com or check local message boards and groups. In my area, the Belle Grove Plantation offers a “Paranormal Boot Camp” weekend of workshops to attend. People frequently offer psychic-development meetups and workshops, and a lot of religious groups host informational sessions and classes, too.

THE INVESTMENTS

Lastly, if you’ve decided you want to genuinely pursue the paranormal as a career, there are places where you can devote significant time and money to truly dive into the field. As I mentioned above, the Rhine Research Center offers several classes and certifications, particularly relating to parapsychology. Many colleges, including University of California Santa Barbara and University of Virginia host programs in parapsychology and other paranormal fields, and even when they aren’t offering courses, the opportunities to connect with those major (prestigious) researchers would be valuable to continuing your advanced paranormal education.

While I haven’t mentioned the more metaphysical and psychic/medium side of things in this list, there are chances to develop your skills at each of these levels, with much of the information I provided also applying to those areas as well. On the big-ticket side, I’d note there is also the College of Psychic Studies in the UK for those looking to pursue a more in-depth education in that area.

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

As a special bonus, I wanted to mention that there’s opportunities not just for adults, but also for any paranormally-inclined youth as well. The Strange Escapes events by Amy Bruni often feature programming for teens, where they can learn in small group investigations alongside some well-known paranormal pros. There’s also groups like Junior Paranormal Events in the UK which teaches young people about the paranormal in a safe and age-appropriate way.

IN CONCLUSION

Just like everything else, your mileage may vary. The only thing that is certain about the paranormal is that nothing is certain. Nothing is set in stone. It’s a field that has been around for a very long time but is still very much a mystery. There’s so much room for discovery and advancement, and no matter what path you take to further your knowledge, you can still be at the forefront of the industry.

Because you don’t need a degree or a certificate or any kind of formal education, please remember to do your homework and determine which folks are worth giving your money to before you dive in. Take your time and check out some books and podcasts and chat with some folks in your local area. Maybe go on some investigations or travel to that famously haunted spot you’ve always wanted to see. Education takes many forms and all are valuable.

On that note- whether you are going to head back to school or you’re a teacher or a parent (or in my case a proud auntie), wishing you and yours a very happy school year. I hope you thrive and enjoy every moment!