A Beginners Guide: Ghost Hunting. 3 Things to Know Before Ghost Hunting.
Updated: May 20
I was told by a scientist that only 1% of the Universe is known and explained. As a lifelong student and a very curious one at that, I have always explored a variety of subjects in my life from physics to astronomy to the spiritual. Naturally, the way I investigate sites reported to be haunted is going to reflect this merging of the scientific method and the spiritual. My hope in sharing my methods for ghost hunting is that it will help expand our knowledge of the universe. Maybe we can even get that statistic of the known universe to 2%!
First, Know What Ghost Hunting is Really Like
Ghost Hunting takes on the form of a variety of different tactics by investigators. No two ghost hunters are the same. Some of the ways investigators explore the paranormal you may have viewed by watching the ghost hunter-type shows on television.
So let's come to a common understanding, whereas these ghost-hunting-type shows are entertaining to watch and some are grounded in a scientific type approach, all of these shows feel pressure to glamorize or hype up their ghostly encounters. As I tell my clients when they come out to one of my Ghost Hunting Experiences, "It is not like what you see on TV."
So now that we have that common ground to start from, I just ask that you rid yourself of some of the misconceptions and explore the paranormal through the 3 things to know before ghost hunting that I provide below.
Read on to learn how to Ghost Hunt a site reported to be haunted!
What Every Ghost Hunter Should Know Before Ghost Hunting
Before the equipment is purchased. Before your site is chosen. Before you get your friends or fellow hunters involved. Below is a checklist of things to know before starting your ghost hunt.
Biased or Non-Biased Investigations
Biased Ghost Hunt or Paranormal Investigation
A biased ghost hunt, also known as a paranormal investigation, is where the research of the location has been performed ahead of your ghost hunt.
There will always be some bias because you have to have heard of the site with some reported paranormal activity occurring there or else your interest would not have been peaked. For a beginner, I would advise that this is the position you take at first until you become an expert in this field.
Here are the pros and cons
Pros:
Ghost Hunters, after researching the history of the ghost hunting site, will know who and what- a human spirit- they are looking for.
A safer approach. Some risks can have psychological and physiological repercussions. Outside of Atheism, all beliefs carry that there are 'good' and 'bad' forces in this world. I won't go into the theological position on this belief, but I will just summarize that reaching out to a loved one who has passed or a human spirit haunting a location is a different type of energy and ghost hunt than encountering a 'darker force of nature.' Researching the site ahead of time can help you avoid darker agents at work in the paranormal world.
Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) sessions are easier for that new ghost hunter looking to ask questions into the void of the paranormal world. You know the names of those you are trying to contact and questions based on the history you researched can be easily formed.
Cons:
You may read into an EVP captured and know what you are looking for so misinterpret what you hear. Not knowing the names of those you are trying to contact can help you stay honest in how you interpret paranormal evidence possibly captured.
You may be simply just looking to reach out to the wrong contact in the beyond. Yes, a person's passing may be attached to the place of the ghost hunt, but that does not guarantee that that spirit is still there. It may be someone else entirely. This means a lost opportunity for that connection. For example, if your research before the investigation leads toward a viable candidate named Lucy haunting the location, why would a spirit named John come through if you keep asking for Lucy to communicate with you?
Ghost Hunting may not be quite as exciting. If you know the type of haunting unfolding, you have a preconception of how the night will unfold. Sometimes the most exciting part of a ghost hunt is not knowing what is lurking around the corner.
Unbiased Ghost Hunt or Paranormal Investigation
An unbiased ghost hunt is where the research of the location has NOT been performed ahead of your ghost hunt.
This can help expand the possibilities of how this ghost investigation will unfold.
Here are the pros and cons
Pros:
If paranormal evidence is gathered, you will interpret that evidence based on what is presented rather than what you expect to have happened.
It can be a bit more exciting exploring the unknown and not knowing who may be on the other side of this investigation trying to communicate back to you.
Easier to stay true to the scientific method and one's intuition or sensitivity if a ghost hunter is sensitive. For example, a psychic medium will not want to know what the history of the investigated site is so that the thoughts, visions, and perceptions come through without imagination influencing this data.
Cons:
You may have to go through longer EVP sessions. Take a seasoned pro at this word. If you record 1 hour of an EVP session, your time taken to truly review that is going to be about 3 hours. Knowing who to try to reach out to may quicken these sessions.
You may not know where the hot spots ( or should I say cold spots:) are at the location. Because you don't know what is happening at the location, every spot is explored. This takes more time away from certain areas that may have more paranormal activity.
You don't know what you are getting into. Is there a 'darker' paranormal agent at work at this location? As an inexperienced ghost investigator, you may not be ready for that kind of intense experience. Seeking human spirits haunting locations may be the safer option when first starting.
Intuitive or Scientific Method Ghost Hunting Tactics
First, let's begin by explaining the difference between intuitive and scientific methodologies for ghost hunting.
Intuitive ghost hunting is where you or someone in your ghost-hunting group is sensitive to the paranormal. Humans with this type of ability are labeled many titles from shamans to witches to psychics and psychic mediums. Regardless of the title, at the core of this type of person's abilities ability to be a conduit for energy transferred from the realm of the paranormal to that person. And that person then can identify if this information was created from the beyond or within themselves.
Scientific Methodologies used when ghost hunting is going to rely on equipment used to determine if spirits can be measured interacting with the environment or the ghost hunters. This can take the form of EVPs, a paranormal phenomenon captured on video or photo, SLS Camera interactions, trigger objects moved, and Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) captured on EMF Readers. To boil this down to the simplest explanation, ghost hunters are looking for scientific equipment to capture paranormal occurrences.
Is Ghost Hunting Dangerous?
When so many generations have grown up on Scooby Doo shows and then tune into Ghost Hunting Shows on TV that sensationalize subjects like demon possession and ghost attacks on a person's body, asking is ghost hunting is dangerous becomes understandable. Here is what to know before beginning to ghost hunt.
Ghost Hunting is like a door to another room in your Victorian Mansion. (Doesn't everyone live in a haunted Victorian mansion!?) You open that door to the upstairs attic, maybe because you hear a sound coming from up there. It starts innocently enough. You just want to know if it's a squirrel or a trespasser up there. So after the door creaks open, you are staring into the dark void of the attic. You can't see anything. You can't touch anything, but you can hear still the scraping coming from the room. It sounds like a person walking across the attic floor, so you say, "Hello?" And your ghost hunting begins.
You opened that door. The door isn't a physical door in the mansion, but a door into your being. When asking others from the beyond to come forward, you are asking for them to make contact with you. This is a transfer of energy in one form or another. A two-way transfer of that energy possibly. I believe it's a type of physics we just don't know enough about. A soul, a form of energy, makes itself known to you on one plane of existence through this energy transfer on this plane of existence.
But here is the item to take note of, if you can receive this communication or energy from the beyond. Can your energy be taken or given as well? This is where the danger may lie. I may touch more on this in future posts.
Here is a quicker summary of this perceived danger. When starting, never go into an environment where you think your energy may be taken unwillingly from you. We associate "darker" paranormal phenomena that does this withdrawal of energy. This is why I choose locations carefully when conducting paranormal investigations or ghost tours for my inexperienced clients.
In Conclusion
Before you begin to choose your location, who will be ghost hunting with, or what equipment you bring to the ghost hunt, make sure the following items are addressed before your ghost hunt.
Biased or Unbiased Investigations will determine if you dig into the history and paranormal phenomenon occurring
at a potential investigation site before or after the ghost hunt occurs. You need to know which type of investigation works well for your ghost hunt.
You can choose an intuitive, scientific method, or a combination of the two types of ghost hunting tactics to unfold. This will help you plan who you invite along on your ghost hunts as well as what type of equipment works best for your ghost investigation.
Determining your level of exposure to paranormal phenomenon and understanding that ghost hunting can be an energy transfer from you to the spirit and vice versa should have you better prepared to guard yourself from these risks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an EVP?
An EVP stands for Electronic Voice Phenomenon. This is essentially the sound of a spirit captured on a recording either via video or audio recording medias.
What is an EMF and EMF Reader?
An EMF stands for Electro Magnetic Frequency/Field. These fields of energy can be detected in the natural order of the world. For example, electrical currents have a EMF Field that wraps around them. Ghost Investigators have correlated poltergeist activity with EMFs. When ghost hunting, some debunking needs to be done to make sure that EMFs are not man-made, for example powerful cellphones and electrical wiring and outlets..
What is Paranormal Phenomenon?
Paranormal phenomenon is what investigators believe to be events that unfold outside of the known universe. These events may be interactions with our natural world witnessed or by beings, creatures, sightings of ghosts, theological-based entities, cryptids, and other energy based-forms outside of the natural order of the animal kingdom.
What is a cold spot when ghost hunting?
A cold spot is a cold mass of temperature in the environment being investigated that cannot be adequately explained using the laws of thermal dynamics. In the paranormal investigation community, one theory is that a drop in temperature is the transfer of energy from one form of existence to another and may allow those in the beyond to communicate with ghost hunters.
What is the beyond?
The beyond is a simply word ghost hunters and investigators use to explain the plane of existence outside of our perceived natural order of the world. Some other words used interchangeably include: supernatural world, metaphysical realm, otherworldy, spirit world, heaven/hell, and mystical.
Want to Explore the Paranormal with Me?
Here are some tours, trips, and investigations I host:
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