API seeks to unravel the mystical beliefs and confusion surrounding the Paranormal through THREE main thrusts:-
Many of the urban legends, haunting and ghost stories that abound in Singapore are usually due to misconception, misinformation or simply lack of information. In modern Singapore, the rapidly changing urban landscape means that there will always be places that once had a purpose, but the purpose had been erased by Time and mostly forgotten, only to be replaced by the urban legends that surrounded those places.
Information gathered to debunk Urban Legends are gathered primarily through the following sources:
· Historical research through National Archives, Heritage-related organisation and Newspaper archives;
· Legal search through enquires from government bodies i.e., URA, SLA and Lawnet
· Interviews with locals and people with vested or specific knowledge in that area of interest.
· Step 1 – Derive all possible causes that might contribute to the creation of that Phenomenon, that might explain why and how the Phenomenon occurred;
· Step 2 – Study into the background of the Eye-witness, in terms of cultural beliefs, educational levels, nature of day job, pastimes, religion, in order to derive a possible association of the Strange Occurrence to the Mental State of the Eye-witness;
· Step 3 – Research into the historical background of the Place under investigation, in order to raise an association of the Phenomenon and the historical significance;
· Step 4 – Interviews with locals and people with vested or specific knowledge in that area of interest
· Step 5 – Deploy environmental-sensitive equipment in order to determine if there are undue or excessive electrical or magnetic energy affecting the area where the Phenomenon occurred; and
· Step 6 – Only when the 5 Steps Options have been exercised, and if the Phenomenon remained unsolved, will the Phenomenon be classified as UNSOLVED.
· TO DATE, API HAVE NOT COME ACROSS ANY PHENOMENON THAT REMAINED UNACCOUNTED FOR.
3. To organize Club Activities, Public Seminars and Joint Events with Industry Partners, so as to inculcate an understanding that many aspects of the Paranormal, i.e., Spirit Worships, Religion and Cultural Inclinations, the Fear of Ghosts (or the Unknown) are all necessary part of the Human Physiological makeup and wellbeing. Fear, just like any other emotion, are part of Man's empathic processes, just like the process of Sorrow, Happiness and Anger. Just as Man can derive great pleasure from beautiful music, Fear can generate much emotional baggage that might translate into believing that something unexplainable have occurred, when in reality, everything existed within that great imaginary mechanism that is the Human Mind.
Many modern day beliefs, movies and television shows, religious practices and alleged paranormal sightings, are a direct result of distorted views caused by a non-understanding of the Human Fear of the Unknown. Thus the organization of any API events, must be to inculcate that understanding that Fear, just like any other human emotions, can be managed, and that most paranormal occurrences can be traced to the rich culture and religious beliefs that developed when Man believed that there are greater beings and other worlds that existed along side Him.