Skeptics on Certification Course

Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have. - Unknown

[Chuck Saunders]

Good job on the article Doug. Dixie and I have ran across one or two of these kind of people. They say they have been investigating the paranormal for x number of years and they do not be leave in the credibility of being certified. But these same people did not use common sense when they investigated they did not know what to look for when trying to find a answer to something that they got when they went on investagations.So just about every thing was paranormal. Dixie and I told them that your class shows people what things to look for when they are new to the paranormal feild.That way people will not pick up bad habits and mistakes and say some thing is paranormal when it is not. We told them that if the class is taken with the intent of learning from some one who knows then a person can learn a lot. I told them the class was no different then all the other on line classes that people can take and get a piece of paper saying they completed the class. If a person reads the information and remembers it and honestly takes a test and passes it then they should get that piece of paper because they passed. It does not matter if it is certified or some kind of degree. But they did not agree with us and they kept making the same mistakes. So we all agreed to disagree until Dixie and I had enough of them giving  what we though was false evidence to clients. One of the many things we learned from your course is honesty and you can not have that really if you do not know what you are talking about if a person is not educated then they will give the wrong information even when they do not mean to.
 
Your course has taught us a lot please keep it up it really does help people who want to learn about the paranormal and want to learn how to do it right so they will not look like idiots. And when they get evidence they know that it is evidence of paranormal and not some thing else.


Before we took the class we started out as your typical weekend ghost hunter. Digital camera at first then added a voice recorder.  Not really knowing all the specifics of our camera we took so many photos with weird looking things in them.  Of course we could not explain them but didn't pass them off as paranormal either.  That is when we decided to look into different courses to educate ourselves.  I had inquired about several courses on line and there were so many to choose from. But what had impressed my wife and I was when she called to inquire on the Paranexus course, Doug Kelly answered the phone.  At first took my wife by surprise that actual Doug had answered the phone himself and she didn't have to get the info seconded handed.  She was impressed that Doug took the time to answer all of her questions.  She had a long conversation with him and at that point we knew what course we wanted to take.  We have then and will always recommend the certification course from Paranexus.

Thanks Again For The Knowledge

[Doug Kelley]

Thank you very much, Chuck! You and Dixie are the best!

Doug

[Brian Parsons]

I was, and still am, skeptical about many certification classes. There are many that spend a lot of time on astrology and tarot reading along with other things that are not useful to anyone as an investigator. Many of these courses are online classes, but there are many groups that are teaching "their" way of doing things that limit what is being learned. You have to find out what you will be getting from the class and decide if that's right for you.

I've been in this field for just over 13 years and the day I stop learning something in this field is the day I finally walk away. It must be great to know enough that you don't have to look to others to polish off knowledge or skills in various aspects of what we do. I don't know why many groups or individuals get so defensive about others sharing their knowledge. There is a hunger for knowledge and you can order just about anything off the menu (I'm not looking for a drive through window I want a nice menu at a sit down!) and some people will only learn so much before they feel they know enough to start giving advice to other people. I did write a book about forming and maintaining a successful group, but it took a lot of influence by people around me for me to do it since I didn't feel like I earned that right, but I do have the practical experience and in an effect I am an "expert" in that sense. I think some people jump too quick into teaching before they have really rounded off what they know.

The certification aspect is what gets people upset. While there are no claims made about being certified it does give someone the sense of accomplishment. I think sometimes the student takes this too far by bragging on their website about their qualifications. As long as the person who holds this certification knows its limitations there should be no problem, it's not the fault of the teacher if the student feels they have more status than what the certification stands for. I have a certification from the Paul Eckman Group on reading microexpressions, quick flashes of how people's faces react subconsciously, I scored at the expert level, but I don't run around acting like I'm a human lie detector. The responsibility should be given by the instructor that there is a limit to what the certification stands for, but it is up to the student to uphold their end. I also think some people work really hard to learn things and may get upset when someone else goes out and "buys" that knowledge from someone else. I know that sounds silly, but I've heard someone say that and it makes some sense in how some people work hard for what they know. I learned to put my pride aside many years ago when I learned things from people who were new to the field. You have to get knowledge from everyone and from everywhere.

I see certification courses as a way to raise the bar in what people know to call themselves paranormal investigators. These courses will hopefully get better and better over time. I know ParaNexus will evolve and always be ahead of that curve, which is why I am here. I am proud to be a part of ParaNexus, not because I am certified, but because the education isn't about the teacher, it's about the course and ultimately about the field. I have suggested this course to many people and I've received the "look" when I talk about certification and I've had to give quite a few speeches. Those who have taken my advice have not been disappointed. This field has evolved so much in just the last few years that you are crazy to think you can continue to cultivate your own knolwedge all the time like in years past. Those who continue to learn will be the last ones standing in this field.