European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 9, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Quot Quot a a a a by Jane Sutton United press International real live ghosts can be a problem got unwanted ghosts hanging around your House or yacht no need for Pesky incantations old fashioned exorcisms or newfangled High tech ghost busters. The modern ghost Hunter chases away ghouls with insults bad jokes or Rock a no Roll a if you really want them to leave that is. A Only about one third do. In a lot of cases once they understand people want to keep their ghosts a said or. Susan Smith a psychologist and professional ghost Hunter from Royal Palm Beach Fla. A if its a Friendly ghost most people like the company. They done to eat they done to drink they done to use the  Smith who describes herself As Quot a Nice jewish girl from Long Island a set out to become a conventional psychologist. But while conducting bereavement counselling sessions she discovered a lot of the dearly departed were still hanging around. Quot a lot of patients would say they had visitations from the deceased. That show i got off the track Quot Smith said. Quot half the practice at this Point is devoted to ghost  Smith makes House Calls All Over the world to investigate reports of haunting and to Comfort the spectrally afflicted. Real estate brokers Call her in to perform paranormal House cleanings. Other clients Are referred through her associates Denise and George Tucker who operate a psychic Clearing House in Tamarac Fla., called the Bureau of creativity. Most clients Are Well educated White Collar workers and terribly worried. Quot they re experiencing Phenomena in their Home that they done to understand. They Start to see things that just done to seem rational to them Quot Smith said. The most common question she hears from her haunted clients is Quot am i going crazy Quot Smith feels her dual doctorate degree in psychology and parapsychology uniquely qualifies her to answer that question. Quot very rarely will i find somebody who is psychotic. These people Are not crazy Quot Smith said. The initial consultation which involves questioning the complainant and ruling out natural causes takes about two hours and starts at $150, depending on the location and time involved. Often the fear is eased when the source of the apparition is explained Smith said. One client bought a Beautiful Home in Palm Beach Only to be troubled by a recurring image of a Young Man dressed As a construction worker. Quot i saw this Man walk through the Wall. It was so Clear Quot Smith said. Her research revealed that a construction worker who helped renovate the Home five years earlier had been killed in a traffic Accident nearby. The diagnosis a simple haunting. Quot when somebody Dies very suddenly and tragically the body May not be prepared for this Shock. You have this apparition waiting around the last place where they were alive Quot Smith said. Quot it May not necessarily be a real live ghost. A haunting is like a recording of the past like a movie that plays Over and  stress can make people More sensitive to apparitions and other paranormal goings on she cautioned. Quot stress seems to bring Down a psychic Barrier to make them More perceptive. They could have been living there for years with no trouble. Then All of a sudden they Start seeing things they done to  sometimes however the problem is a real live ghost. That was the diagnosis three years ago when Smith was called in by a Young woman who reported feeling a strange presence at her Home. Smith found nothing unusual until she stood by a stack of Cartons in the woman a bedroom. A i Felt these hands on my shoulders. They Felt very warm very comforting Quot Smith said. Her investigation revealed the woman had been very close to her grandmother who had died eight months before. The grandmothers belongings were stacked in the Cartons. Quot apparently the grandmother wanted to stay awhile and look after her Quot said Smith. Quot if there is in fact a real live ghost you have to determine if they want to get rid of it Quot Smith said. A in this Case Granny a still there. Quot if they re obnoxious personalities done to change when they pass Over. If Uncle Ernie was always obnoxious putting lampshades on his head at parties he a going to come Back the same  or the ghost May be a stranger often a former owner who chooses to hang around the House or boat. Quot its where they feel comfortable. Yachts especially. Rich people a a lot of them Are very eccentric. When they pass on they done to want to part with their toys Smith said. A sometimes ghosts Are victims of a simple misunderstanding. Quot a lot of ghosts done to understand that they re dead. You need to be firm with them. Tell them they re not Welcome to go on to a higher state of  if politeness fails persistent ghosts must be dealt with harshly she said. Quot a ghost will not stay in an environment that a unpleasant for them Quot Smith said. Quot in extreme cases treat the apparition like any other obnoxious House guest or salesperson and insult him her into leaving or find something the ghost dislikes like bad jokes or loud Rock a no Roll Quot she advises in a seven Page guide to ghost etiquette. Sometimes the ghost May be merely trying to deliver a message. That was the diagnosis when Smith was called in by a troubled probate lawyer who was contesting a will for the relatives of a Man who had recently died. Pens and papers were constantly vanishing from his desk and the files would get hopelessly mixed up without explanation. One night when no one was in the office a bottle of Ink spilled on the papers ruining them. Quot every time the Case was ready to be contested in court something would happen that would Force a delay. The lawyer never saw the deceased but he smelled the odor of pipe tobacco. Then he Learned the dead Man used to smoke a pipe. Quot eventually the attorney called us in. We established Contact with the apparition. The deceased was pretty upset that the will was being contested Quot Smith said. The situation was explained to the relatives who reported they had been plagued at Home by similar incidents. Quot the people were so freaked out that they decided not to contest the will. It did have a harmonious ending Quot Smith said. Smith wont advise clients whether to keep or evict their ghosts. Quot when i m called in i can t let my own beliefs interfere. I just provide possibilities Quot she said. I j q a amps Susan Harris tuesday october 9, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13