The Beacon Falls Paranormal Society is only one of several paranormal investigation teams in the area. With the popularity of reality shows like “Ghost Hunters,” and Connecticut native supernatural investigator and psychic Lorraine Warren, many people want to experience the supernatural themselves and get answers to the most fundamental of human questions — what happens after death?
Naugatuck resident Nicole Hall of Connecticut Soulseekers has always been interested in the paranormal. Together with her fiancé, Angel Ortiz, Hall is on a mission to cast light into the dark and explain unnatural phenomenon.
“There’s probably a lot of people out there that are frightened by what’s going on around them simply because they don’t understand it,” Hall said.
Hall grew up in Seymour, where her house experiences strange mechanical glitches like the heating system randomly turning on and off and hearing footsteps in the house at night. She also said she saw apparitions.
“I’m kind of the type of person that likes to confront things hands on, so I wouldn’t be afraid of stuff going on,” Hall said.
That’s a message she tries to spread at lectures on the paranormal.
For Hall, investigating the paranormal is about helping others.
“It’s such an amazing thing that it gives you inside when you’re able to do things for other people,” Hall said.
CT Soulseekers has investigated around 50 cases since they were formed in 2009, Hall said.
“There is something out there besides just ourselves. The answer might be right in front of our eyes and we’re just not seeing it,” Hall said.
First and foremost, Hall said, she wants to prove that whatever is happening can’t be explained away by natural occurrences.
When she starts an investigation, Hall said she first talks to her client on the phone, and then does an onsite interview asking in-depth questions about what’s going on in house. She researches the house, its past owners, deaths and births.
After the investigation, it usually takes about two weeks to go through all the data, including voice recordings and video footage Hall said.
Once she reviews the data, Hall goes over the results with her client.
“One thing we never do is close a case completely,” Hall said.
Hall not only investigates homes to find out if they’re haunted, she cleanses the home with sage and puts Reiki protection on the house. Reiki is a spiritually guided healing energy attuned to certain symbols.
“It’s basically just putting positive energy onto the home,” Hall said.
Many times, spirits may have unfinished business or want to let people know they’re there.
“A lot of times it’s just helping the clients understand what’s going on,” Hall said.
She said home-owners have to set down ground rules so they don’t feel like they’re being intruded upon.
Hall said she likes to experiment with new ways to contact the spirit world.
“It’s kind of a learn-as-you-go process,” Hall said. “This is what we love to do.”
Hall believes that paranormal activity is real, but she wants the burden of proof.
Hall said her most visceral experience happened in her own house. She was watching television in the living room when she glanced over at the dining room and saw a black figure straight ahead.
“I could almost feel it looking back at me. … The next thing I knew, it just kind of turned, and almost kind of disappeared,” Hall said. “To actually experience something like that yourself is just amazing.”
Hall said she can pick up on spirits’ emotions.
“They’re very real experiences,” Hall said.
Once, she said she was making contact with the spirit of an older woman who had owned a home when she could feel the spirit’s fear rising as another spirit was coming closer.
“I felt a fear in me that I don’t think I felt in my entire life,” Hall said.
Some of Hall’s best friends are also investigators.
“We’re like a family,” she said.
Hall said there is a lot of rivalry in the paranormal community, but she likes to collaborate with other groups including the Beacon Falls Paranormal Society and the Connecticut Paranormal Encounters and Research.
“I think we should be working together if we ever want to find concrete solid answers,” Hall said.
She might not find those answers in her lifetime, but she hopes that her 12-year-old daughter may one day find them.
“One day, we’re all going to find out,” Hall said.
Starting Nov. 5, those interested in the paranormal can follow Hall on an internet radio show on Paranormal EH Radio.
Aside from investigating the paranormal, CT Soulseekers is also looking to give back to the community. Hall asked that any organization that wants help organizing a food drive for upcoming holidays to contact her at (203) 632-5214 or go to the Soulseeker’s website www.ctsoulseekers.com.
