Haunted History: Ghost hunter shares Halloween stories

If Halloween inspires you to seek out the paranormal, Dustin Pari has some advice for you. "Be kind to everyone -- living and dead."

"In the end you may never prove anything, and that is OK," says the experienced investigator. "We are all spirits going through a human experience, and whilst we are here, we are all called upon to look out for each other and to lift one another up."

Pari is well known to anyone who grew up watching the Syfy series "Ghost Hunters" with Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes. He was one of the early members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, usually called TAPS.

"I was home watching TV one night and saw 'Ghost Hunters' for the first time," he remembers. "They were in their first season and filming locally in Rhode Island. I was very interested in what they were doing, as I had worked alone in my paranormal research for years and never had access to the locations that they did.

"I sent some emails to them and was granted an interview to join the team shortly after," Pari says. "I was never supposed to be on the television program, rather simply on their local investigating team, but I suppose other plans were in play, as it turned out."

How is ghost hunting in real life different from what fans see on TV?

"What you see on television is a highlight reel of a paranormal investigation over the course of many nights," Pari says. "Investigations are mostly very quiet and involve a lot of patience."

Pari says he saw his first apparition -- "what I would now classify as a shadow figure" -- in the doorway of his bedroom when he was about 9 years old.

"It frightened me as a child," he admits, "but it captured my curiosity, and thus it all began.

"Witnessing a full-body apparition in the St. Augustine Lighthouse will always be one of the best experiences that I have had," he adds. "I was about two-thirds of the the way up the winding stairs of the lighthouse when I witnessed a woman pacing on the platform above. She was grayish-white in color with a flowing dress; I could see the curls in her hair and the pleats in her skirt. It was truly an amazing moment."

Pari says he still investigates in New England, but with just a friend or two or in a small group.

"It is nice to see so many people interested in understanding the spirit world a bit more, but it is also discouraging to see how much nonsense gets put out there as 'proof' and as truth," he says. "Diluting proper experiences and evidence of the afterlife with well-worn stories and outdated ideas does nothing to further spiritual understanding."

With 83,000 followers on Twitter, Pari also seeks to inspire and speaks regularly to his fans about his own faith.

"As a Christian, I often get people that question what I do, and if I should be doing so," he says. "The Bible has plenty of stories of apparitions and spirit interaction, which I think those that criticize paranormal research forget. There is a big difference in researching and documenting paranormal activity, and seeking council and guidance from spirit outside that of God and the Holy Trinity."

He also gets asked regularly to speak on the paranormal conference circuit -- or did, until covid-19 shut down most events.

"It was a bit concerning to see the in-person events fall to the wayside this year," he admits, "but thanks to various online presentation platforms, I find myself with over 50 lectures to deliver between now and year's end. [With] all of this, in addition to my day job in health care, I am thankful to say that I am in the midst of my busiest year ever."

Pari will make a virtual appearance at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Fayetteville Public Library, speaking on "Halloween: A Haunted History."

"The holiday of Halloween has so many layers to it; it is compiled of bits of tradition and understandings from various parts of the globe," he says. "Some of the simplest little things that we associate with Halloween have amazingly interesting back-stories."

Ask his advice for new paranormal investigators, and Pari makes three points. Be respectful. Be honest. And don't waste your money on complex equipment. Instead, he says, "enjoy your experiences as they come, and be a person of integrity at all times so that you shall not bring shame upon yourself or anyone else."