Flashlights turn on and off by themselves, invisible voices softly whisper through the night, and chills run up the spine.

These are not coincidences but some of the experiences Cris Dennison, director of the DeKalb Area Ghost Researchers, said are acts of ghosts and the paranormal.

Dennison comes from a family of women with ESP and psychic abilities. Since she was a little girl, she has connected with spirits that contacted her, she said.

“It wasn’t weird to hear, see and speak to something that wasn’t really there,” Dennison said. “They talk to me because they sense I’m open to it, and it’s an ability in my genes that they can pick up on.”

Dennison is an avid believer of the paranormal, so it seemed natural to put together a paranormal group. She started the DeKalb Area Ghost Researchers (DAGR) for people who are also interested in spirits to help people make sense of their paranormal experiences and put them at ease.

But not everyone is so sure of their beliefs about the existence of ghosts and the paranormal.

“I believed in ghosts and stuff when I was younger, but I don’t know if I do now,” said sophomore health major Aaron Hagler. “I thought I would see weird stuff back then, but it hasn’t happened in a while.”

Junior illustration major Dan Horan said he does not believe in the paranormal because there is no proof that ghosts and spirits actually exist.

“Like everyone, I’ve heard things that were weird, but there was always a logical answer behind those weird noises,” Horan said. “I think your mind makes you want to believe, but really, it’s just playing tricks on you.”

Tricks or not, Dennison said it is important to have an open mind when dealing with the paranormal.

“I’ve experienced it, touched it, felt it,” she said, “but the reason people don’t believe is because they’ve never had an experience themselves.”

Dennison added that some people are rooted in this dimension, and it is hard to change their reality perception if they do not even want to try to believe.

Alyssa Norgaard, junior corporate communications major, has an open mind about the existence of the paranormal.

“I believe in ghosts and that spirits live among us,” Norgaard said. “I definitely think there are spirits that carry on even when a person is dead.”

Dennison said that a spirit or energy is never destroyed and is a person we’ve loved, known and need to help.

“I’ll admit that I’m still a little skeptical about things at times, but it’s a healthy skepticism,” Dennison said. “So it doesn’t bother me when people don’t believe as long as they don’t make me

feel like an idiot because I do.”