Object displacement at the Stanley Hotel

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Object displacement at the Stanley Hotel
July 30, 2009
Matthew Keane
Examiner.com

APS’ investigation of the legendary Stanley Hotel during the second season of Ghost Hunters made for one of the most intriguing episodes to date. The evidence of paranormal activity documented by the team was overwhelming, or at least substantial enough for lead-investigators, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, to declare the location “haunted.” Regular viewers and fans of the SyFy series were excited by the findings since it is not often that the co-founders of TAPS make such an assertion.

There was no definitive determination, possibly because of the extent and nature of phenomena that occurred during the investigation, as to whether the findings indicated an intelligent or residual-style haunt. Team members had considerable personal experiences but, more significantly, they captured video footage and accompanying audio that furnished evidence of object displacement, which may be one of the most no-nonsense types of paranormal activity.

The most convincing instances of object displacement, or at least the ones that were captured most clearly, took place in room 401 where Jason Hawes was sleeping after the first night of investigation. Cameras were in place near the foot and head of the bed while he slept. The room’s closet door was filmed opening and closing throughout the night. Also, at one point he awoke to the sound of breaking glass and found his cup broken in a very peculiar way as if it had been squeezed to the point of breaking and was left with a shard of glass sitting at the bottom of the cup. It was fairly clear that audio was consistent with imagery and that the video had not been tampered with or misrepresented. The footage is eerily similar to that documented in Grant Wilson’s room during an overnight investigation of the Cashtown Inn.

Object displacement may be one of the most fascinating types of paranormal activity. Generally, there is no shortage of theory regarding the explanation of such phenomena. Some of it, although fascinating and plausible, is largely anecdotal and too abstract for any practical research-based application. As a result, groups like TAPS look to apply more functional theories involving energy to their research. It’s generally accepted that in order to move an object, some form of energy is required. It may be reasonable to assume, therefore, that theories regarding object displacement should essentially involve energy. A theory that correlates with the phenomena captured at the Stanley Hotel involves minerals such as quartz that hold and release energy which, in turn, causes or somehow fuels paranormal activity. The hotel is built upon granite and sizable deposits of quartz.

TAPS is recognized for a generally pragmatic approach to paranormal investigation. Within that approach, the team acknowledges and accounts for workable theories that help identify patterns and create research models to further their own study while advancing inquiry inside their field.