GHOST HUNTERS: Local mom, daughter bond through ‘spirited’ hobby
Gina (left) and Amber Vlasblom are pictured with paranormal investigation tools before touring a 400-year-old cemetery.
Spending nights in haunted houses, visiting remote, centuries-old cemeteries, and touring homes and long-closed sanitariums that were the stars, so to speak, of hit horror films (The Conjuring house, for one) isn’t everybody’s cup of tea.
But the mother-daughter paranormal-investigation duo of Gina and Amber Vlasblom drink up the eerie excitement that would probably freak a lot of people out of their ghost-fearing minds.
Armed with an assortment of specially-designed recording equipment (and other everyday technology like Gopro cameras), the metro-Detroit residents travel throughout the country in search of experiences that are fascinating, to say the least.
More often than not, their excursions are flavored with some form of encounters with spirits.
Touching experience
“I’ve been touched on the cheek by a spirit; we’ve experienced some things — objects moving with no explanation, doors opening by themselves when Amber and I were the only two people in the room — that would freak most people out,” revealed Gina.
“Nobody knows why some places have spirits and others don’t. It’s our curiosity that keeps us going.”
The paranormal-centered hobby doesn’t consume their lives, the Vlasbloms emphasize.
It enhances them.
“When we travel somewhere together to check out a place, it’s not just to search for spirits,” Gina said.
“It’s the entire experience — finding a place to stay, visiting antique shops in the communities we visit, meeting like-minded people who share our hobby, learning about the history of our destinations.
“It’s the whole package, not just capturing a spirit’s voice on a recording. And I get to do it all with my daughter, which is priceless.”
In other words, it’s a heckuva lot more fun than sitting home watching Netflix.
Paranormal encounter as a kid
Gina’s interest in paranormal activity dates back to her youth in New Jersey, she explained.
“When I was a young girl, I was awakened one night by the sound of a lady screaming,” she shared. “Once the voice got to the doorway of my parents’ bedroom, it stopped.
“A few years ago — 30-some years later — my younger brother told me he saw a shadowy, skeletal-like person outside of our parents’ room when he was a kid. I said, ‘Why did you wait 30 years to tell me this’. At the time, I think my parents dismissed what I heard as a bad nightmare, but my brother’s memory kind of validated what I was thinking — that there was a spirit sharing our home.”
After learning of her brother’s experience, Gina signed up for a paranormal-themed trip with a few friends.
“My friends ended up backing out, but I decided to go by myself,” she said. “When I arrived at the place — it was an old banquet hall, I believe — I was greeted warmly by other people who shared my interest in the paranormal, and we hit it off immediately.”
Not long after Gina’s interest in the paranormal intensified, Amber got hooked.
“I saw how much fun my mom was having and all the cool places she was visiting, so I started to join her,” Amber said. “I can’t lie — there have been times when I’ve been a little scared, but the more places I’ve visited, the more I’ve grown to love the hobby.”
Not your average cough
The Vlasbloms recalled a weekend they shared in a rural home that had been renovated from an 1800s church in Sycamore, Ohio.
“It was the middle of the night and I couldn’t sleep,” Amber recounted. “I heard as clear as can be someone coughing. But when I looked over at my mom, she was sound asleep.”
When Amber slowly scanned the room, she saw a shadowy figure cover a stained-glass window.
“We were actually house-sitting for family friends, and they fostered dogs,” Amber added. “One of the dogs, Bella, was blind. Once the coughing started, Bella obviously heard it because she jumped on the bed and started growling.”
The Vlasbloms learn about haunted destinations from their community of paranormal-intrigued friends.
Learning how to investigate
They have also attended paranormal conventions — one in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — where they share their experiences, hear others’ investigative “ghost” stories from attendees, and learn about the art of paranormal investigations.
When non-believers learn of the Vlasbloms’ interesting hobby and express their doubts, the duo aren’t fazed.
“We know there are going to be cynics,” Amber said, smiling. “We’re not out to make non-believers believers because we know what we’ve experienced and we enjoy what we do.”
During one group paranormal investigation inside a haunted building, at least one non-believer’s mind was changed.
Doubters become believers
“They were talking about how there’s nothing to this, but they decided to give it a shot,” Gina said.
“Within an hour or so, something freaked them out and they left the place, running as fast as they can.”
To learn more about the Vlasbloms’ hobby, visit their Instagram platforms by clicking here and here.
Be warned, though: By doing so, you may be conjuring up a compelling new hobby.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
