It’s Time to Divide the Paranormal Community for Good

May 26, 2025

It only took me nearly two years inside the paranormal community, and $20,000 of my own money, to realize it's a business model with a fanbase attached. What I thought was a place of curiosity and cooperation turned out to be a mixed bag of thrill-seekers, brand-builders, and, on rare occasions, people who actually want to help.

So to save everyone time and confusion going forward, let's stop pretending we're all working toward the same goal. The paranormal world is really three communities. And not all three deserve the same level of attention, respect, or credibility.

There are the Paranormal Fans, the true believers, the backbone of it all. Then there are the Paranormal Entertainers, the loudest group, who market themselves as investigators, psychics, and mediums but are really just selling fear, merch, and empty drama. And finally, there are the Paranormal Professionals, a rare, often silent group whose priority is actually helping people experiencing real, unexplained phenomena.

So here it is: the breakdown. Not all ghost hunters, psychics, or mediums are the same. Not all deserve your trust. And if the lines haven't been drawn yet, I'm drawing them now.

Group 1: Paranormal Fans

These are the heart of the community. They're the ones who keep the conversation going, who pack the haunted house tours, who fill the seats at paracons, and who stay up late watching documentaries and podcasts and swapping stories about ghosts, Bigfoot, and UFOs.

They aren't frauds. They're not the problem.

In fact, they're some of the kindest, most open-minded people I've ever met. Most of them are genuinely curious and excited to learn more about the supernatural. They don't claim to be experts. They're just looking for connection, a thrill, maybe even healing. They want to believe there's something more out there.

But that innocence, that curiosity, is exactly what makes them vulnerable. They don't always realize how often they're being taken advantage of by merch-pushing influencers, overpriced events that deliver nothing, fake evidence, and manufactured drama. Group 2, the Paranormal Entertainers, know this. And they exploit it.

Paranormal fans show up to learn, to explore, to feel something real. They deserve more than staged ghost hunts, PayPal buttons, and Patreon links disguised as investigations. They deserve the truth.

They're the reason any of this exists. And they should be treated with respect, as the backbone of what could be an honest pursuit.

Group 2: Paranormal Entertainers

The sad truth is that Group 2, the entertainers, have been taking advantage of the fans for years. They know fans are hungry for answers, for hope. Maybe fans want to speak to a deceased relative, or get advice about love or career. Entertainers have learned how to turn that hunger into clicks, cash, and a nonstop stream of staged content. They understand the old saying: "If you want to get rich in the gold rush, sell shovels." And they've modernized it.

This is where the real damage is done. And they make up 99 percent of the so-called investigators, psychics, and mediums out there. They're here to perform. To sell t-shirts. Push Patreon links. Shill haunted house tickets. Drop podcast links, TikTok skits, YouTube jump-scare videos, and livestreams where they pretend to be shocked by the sound of their own footsteps or a friend knocking on the other side of the wall.

They're the ones yelling into the dark for likes and followers. The ones turning trauma into TikTok content. The ones tagging #haunted for views while ignoring the real voices of the dead.

They'll tell you they "help spirits pass on," right after you Venmo them a donation or buy their $25 t-shirt. Their websites are full of merch, but empty of answers. And their feeds are packed with drama: who stole whose spirit box method, who's fighting with who, who faked what video. It's like high school with EMF detectors.

They're influencers with ghost props, and no one should confuse them with professionals.

Group 3: The Paranormal Professionals

This is the smallest group by far, and the quietest. These are the ones who don't chase clout or clicks. They don't need dramatic voiceovers or fake jump scares. They show up when someone is scared. When a family doesn't know who else to call. When a business owner hears footsteps after hours and needs real answers.

They may not be flashy, but they're effective. They act quickly, quietly, and with purpose. Some of them do run podcasts or have social media pages, but their mission is helping people. Helping families. Helping spirits.

And yes, some of them might sell merch or ask for support, and that's fair. Paranormal equipment isn't cheap. Travel costs add up. A few t-shirts or donation links help offset real expenses. But there's a difference between selling something to keep your work going and building your entire identity around sales funnels. Nobody here is milking the dead for money. These people are trying to serve both the living and the lost without going broke in the process.

They don't need to act. They don't need to fake evidence. They don't need to start drama to stay relevant. And that's why you rarely hear about them. They're too busy solving the story to sell it.

My Final Thought

If you're reading this and wondering where you fall, ask yourself:

Are you here to chase ghosts, or help them?

Would you still do this if no one was watching?

If you're a fan, stay curious. Just be careful who you follow.

If you're an entertainer, own it and call yourself one, because we already know. Don't pretend it's something more.

And if you're a professional, you don't need my approval. You've already earned it.

The lines are drawn. Let's stop pretending we're all in the same field.