As is what I believe to be a natural evolution when someone starts investigating and researching the paranormal, you soon start to delve into the world of parapsychology. It wasn't before long that I came across Ileata. She is a published Author and is quite literally living every investigators dream by recently purchasing a 'haunted hotel'. She has a keen interest in parapsychology and this is evident in her approach to how she investigates the paranormal. She is also an avid history lover so for me she ticks a heap of boxes! I will let her tell you more about herself. Meet Ileata
Please provide a short bio of who you are and what you do in the paranormal field:
My name is Ileata Kenley, I’m 53 years old. I have been married 29 years to my husband Kurt. My children Chad and Re’Ana are all grown up and live in Iowa. I have been a member of Synergy Paranormal from Harvard, NE for 8 years.
Where in the world are you from?
I live in Hastings, Nebraska; USA It is located in the center of the country.
How did you get started in the paranormal field?
I have always had a fascination with Ghosts, UFOs and Cryptids stories. Probably my biggest influence was books by Hans Holzer and Eric von Daniken.
What is it that draws you to the paranormal?
My mother claimed to see spirits, in solid form like you and I. I always wanted to know how, and why? I don’t doubt her experiences; we had all kinds of bizarre events that happened in the house we lived in. I also never could figure out how my mother knew the wall phone was going to ring , She would walk over, stand next to it and pick it up as it just started to ring. She claimed she could hear it ringing.
Do any members of your family research/investigate the paranormal as well? (Does it run in the family?)
My Husband and children, we have always gone “Ghost hunting” not with fancy equipment, but just us finding mainly a mundane explanations for the occurrence, although we had numerous experiences in our one house that had no explanation that we could find.
What is your area of expertise in the paranormal?
Not really an expert but in anything but I love history and the research. I joke I’m a Historical Voyeur.
I do mostly private home cases and try and help individuals with understand what is really going on.
Sometimes just knowing who the “Spirit” might be and their life story is comforting and lessens the fear of a location. I want to help make sure that these experiences people are having are not caused by environmental or man- made reasons such as high EMF exposure, gas leak or infra-sound. I’ve helped people with “Folk-Magic “and spiritual cleansings, I do this for free so these folks do not get taken advantage of. Nothing irritates me more than hearing or reading about people gets swindled out money to remove “Demons or ghosts”. In my opinion I do not believe you can remove a ghost, you can ask it to go, and you can raise the vibration of your home with good old fashion cleaning and also with burning herbs or resins. If you are seeing ghosts or having activity in multiple locations that is your gift of PSI that causes you to see them, and it has nothing to do with Spirits haunting you.
What do you believe a ‘ghost’ is? Do you believe in ghosts/spirits?
I believe that a ghost is Conscious energy but I think we all are, just we are in corporeal form and vibrate at a different frequency.
What approach do you take in researching/investigating the paranormal? Spiritual, technical, theoretical etc.
It does not scare me , I’m more fascinated that if you have doors opening, capturing voices on a recorder or objects moving in your house ,that is Telekinesis (mind over Matter) caused by a living person or if you believe, a spirit.
You have a specific interest in researching the parapsychology field. Can you explain to people what parapsychology is and why you direct your attention on this area?
Parapsychology is the study of phenomena associated with the human or animal mental abilities that does not conform to the natural laws of science such as telepathy, clairvoyance, apparitions, hauntings and psychokinesis (mind over matter) and a host of other abilities associated with PSI.
Again my mother, I wanted to know about her gifts and things I was experiencing myself and even though I’ve read books on parapsychology, in 2017 I took a few classes at the Rhine research center in North Carolina, one with Lloyd Auerbach and other with John Kruth and both courses I learned a wealth of knowledge from both, and gained a better understanding of the capabilities of the human mind .
You are also an author, what led you to writing your books? What are they about?
I wrote “My Haunted Journey of Nebraska” about investigation I did with Synergy Paranormal and some of them just me and research in the local urban legends.
“To Pay the Piper “is a book about who I feel committed the Villisca Axe murder in Iowa in June of 1912 based on an EVP that I had received and researched. I’m working on a squeal to this book since more evidence has come to light.
Do you have a favorite topic you like writing about or researching?
Nebraska, it has a rich Native American history also thousands of European immigrants and eastern Americans traveled through and some settled in Nebraska by wagon and eventually by train seeking new life. I like the extraordinary stories about the most ordinary of folks.
Do you believe research is an important part of investigating?
Yes and No... I’m not a scientist and what I’m doing in regards to the paranormal is not science. Until main stream science can determine what a “Ghost” is made of, there is no point in pretending that I’m doing science. We are not going to prove the Paranormal and even if you do happen catch “Real” phenomenon on video or audio most people will not believe you. So I collect experiences for myself and the folks I try and help.
You also have an interest in history. Do you think history plays an important part of paranormal research?
To me it does. I like to know who I might be trying to communicate when I’m recording EVP, talk about certain aspects of their lives.
How often do you investigate out in the field?
As often as I can, I work a lot of hours at my job in the summer time so “Ghost hunting” gets put on the back burner. But on my days off my husband and I will take a drive in the country and I often stop at cemeteries to say hello and see if someone would like to communicate. Recently we purchased an old rooming house in Burlington, Iowa on the Mississippi River with a long interesting history; it was built in 1890 and was reportable to be haunted. My children and my husband and I, as a family are fixing it up and already have been logging experiences. I think I’m going to try and write a book about the old place eventually.
What sort of equipment do you like to use on an investigation?
I like my EDI data logger it’s an instrument that measures EMP, Temp and has a geophone, my digital recorder and my camera.
If you retired from the field tomorrow, what legacy would you want to be remembered for? (Achievement, Tours, theory, experiments, attitude etc.)
Just that I tried to help people not to be scared of the unknown and I was a darn good researcher.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the field?
Don’t get too technical, only thing to fear is fear itself and enjoy the human experience of “Ghost hunting”
If you could educate your peers or pass on knowledge, what would it be?
There needs to be a bridge of knowledge and mutual respect between the everyday paranormal investigator and the Parapsychologist. I had a paranormal investigator once tell me he didn’t believe in parapsychology because it was a pseudoscience, as if what they do is science. On the other hand I listen to a podcast with a “well known” parapsychologist, stating they dismiss anything that paranormal investigators send him because it’s 99% fake. I’m thinking to myself you can’t do that, these folks are out in the field doing investigations and having experiences.
Plug yourself! Do you have any websites, Facebook pages - advertise them
Facebook: Parapsychology Field researcher and Author Ileata Kenley
Twitter @Ileata
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Comments
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Ann hill 5 years ago
That was great?? And have been thinking about doing a parapsychology coarse and even one on demonology... The more to learn, the more to gain.❤️????????????♀️❤️
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Ann hill 5 years ago
That was great?? And have been thinking about doing a parapsychology coarse and even one on demonology... The more to learn, the more to gain.❤️????????????♀️❤️