There’s a moment that happens to me more than I expected. Someone hears my name, Cody Polston, and they assume they already know what I believe. They expect me to be one thing: the “ghost hunter” who chases apparitions, speaks with confidence about spirits, and collects “evidence” like it’s a science lab. Or they expect … Read moreGhost Hunter and, or Skeptic. How “Complicated” Became My Most Honest Story
Investigating paranormal claims can feel like walking toward a moving target. You’re trying to understand an experience that often arrives through memory, emotion, and interpretation, rarely through clean, measurable evidence. After investigating multiple accounts, I’ve found that the hardest hurdle isn’t just determining whether something “supernatural” occurred. It’s navigating the way beliefs, on both sides, … Read moreHow Belief Systems Shape “Witnessing”: Perception, Meaning, and the Paranormal Claim
I recently did an interview for Albuquerque the magazine about Bigfoot. Here is what the article said. Cody Polston has spent decades chasing New Mexico’s ghosts, so you might expect him to be a pushover for Bigfoot. The sidebar shows him as a skeptic who is still drawn to the mystery. His main objection is … Read moreMy interview for the Bigfoot issue of Albuquerque the Magazine
The allure of the paranormal has persisted throughout human history. Ghosts, spirits, and otherworldly entities have captured our imaginations for centuries, appearing in folklore, literature, and religious accounts. In modern times, this fascination has taken on a new form: ghost hunting and paranormal investigations. Armed with gadgets and an insatiable curiosity, enthusiasts seek to bridge … Read moreThe Impact of Horror Films on Paranormal Investigations and Ghost Hunting
New Mexico’s diverse, inconvenient, and often bloody history has cultivated and environment of mystery and the macabre for more than a century. Whether you’re looking for ghosts in Albuquerque’s Old Town, little green men in Roswell, or the elusive Taos hum, there’s no shortage of paranormal adventures to take in the Land of Enchantment. ”New … Read moreNew Mexico Strange
Although ghost stories have existed throughout time and across many cultures, the beginning of the serious study of ghosts started in 1840 with the creation of spiritualism. Spiritualism is a religious movement based on the belief that the spirits of the dead exist and have both the inclination and the ability to communicate with the … Read moreModern paranormal investigation, ghost hunting and Spiritualism
Another great paper that is quite interesting. Abstract: This research was exploratory, and its main objective was to analyze whether anomalous experiences related to parapsychology had statistical behavior similar to psychoticlike experiences (e.g., hallucinations). If psi phenomena have a different ontology from psychotic-like experiences, then they should have a different statistical representation and measurement. In this … Read moreScrutinizing the Relationship between Subjective Anomalous Experiences and Psychotic Symptoms
Although this paper applies to religious experiences, it can also be applied in a context to paranormal experiences. There is some very interesting stuff in here. The following is from the Abstract of the paper. We develop a new model of how human agency-detection capacities and other socio-cognitive biases are involved in forming religious beliefs. … Read moreSeeking the supernatural: the Interactive Religious Experience Model
The original painting of Fatima who was an Oriental Belly Dancer, she played the Bird Cage in 1881. According to the theater, this was a gift from her to the Bird Cage to hang in the bar. It has hung in this spot since 1882. However archival photographs show that the painting has been in at … Read moreMyths of the Birdcage Theater
Logic proves that ghosts are exceedingly unlikely to be the cause of a phenomenon. The thousands of supposed ghost cases have turned out to have very reasonable explanations. Many reports from past psychical researchers and parapsychologists indicate that 9 out of 10 ghost-related cases are solvable when someone has actually looked deeper than the surface … Read moreInvestigating Paranormal Claims using Urban myth models
The Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association (SGHA) was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in between was me. The idea of this group was to utilize these different viewpoints, skeptic and believer, to investigate haunted places from a perspective that could lead to an unbiased conclusion. The believers … Read moreHow do you investigate a haunting? (Slides from Presentation)
First of all, and most importantly, T.J. Wright did not die at the St. James Hotel as the legends have suggested. While the 1880 census does show that he was there, the 1920 census show him to be in Albuquerque, way after the date of his supposed demise in Cimarron. The first three articles are … Read moreWhy T.J. Wright (the ghost of room 18) cannot be haunting the St. James hotel.
I will admit that this is actually a rather old piece. I wrote the original back in 2005 where it was posted on the Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association website. Unfortunately, it is needed just as much today, if not even more. So here is the list of “no-no’s” if you are wanting to approach this … Read moreThe 10 Biggest mistakes made by ghost hunters
A ghost that is claimed to have been seen in the hotel is that of a man wearing 1800’s clothing running across the Plazuela Restaurant. Both guests and staff alike have reported the sight of a ghostly figure that walks to the center of the room and then seemingly jumps into the floor and disappears. … Read moreDebunking the “jumping” ghost at the La Fonda Hotel
The murder of Judge Slough is recorded in several newspaper stories. However, this event occurred in 1867 in the Exchange Hotel. The approximate area where the killing took place in the current building is where the lobby newsstand is now. Many of the ghost stories have incorrectly identified the location of his murder and by proxy, … Read moreLa Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe, NM (My opinion on the hauntings)
The ghost stories about Los Luceros appeared on a television show that was aired on the Learning Channel in 1998. The show was called “Hauntings in America”. After it aired, the show was eventually put on DVD and was released in 2007. The main house is in really bad shape and it shows in the … Read moreThe Paranormal Claims at Los Luceros (with skeptical commentary)
In this video, we give our opinions of the ghost of Old Tucson studios after a site visit with Donovan’s Ghost Patrol.
So here we have a great example of when the conclusions of the Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association and myself differ. The central argument is really focused on if the criteria for a haunting were met. The ghost hunters believe it is. I do not. Over the years I have noticed something that may be affecting … Read moreNew Mexico State Penitentiary, Santa Fe, NM (My Opinion)
Here is the answer to the question “How can you be a ghost hunter if you do not believe?”
During performances a man in a cream-colored double-breasted suit has been known to have appeared on the stage. The spirit seems to be pleasant and is known to happily watch the productions from the side of the stage. However, the stairs behind the stage that leads to the basement are thought to hold a more … Read moreThe “haunting” at the Wool Warehouse Theater
There are numerous reports of paranormal activity associated with this 400 year old building. There are numerous reports of ghosts haunting the house, the most prevalent being that of a woman who was murdered by her husband. The hanging tree out front is said to be haunted as well.
We are back with part two discussing this very important issue!