How to Become a Ghost Hunter: Putting Together a Team

Paranormal Investigation vs. Ghost Hunting

Thanks to the recent explosion of ghost hunting "reality" shows on TV and the Internet, the paranormal world has been opened to many new truth seekers. These shows have provided countless hours of enjoyment and drama, along with the occasional thought-provoking moment, to millions who would have never had the opportunity to enjoy a proper "ghost hunt".

Unfortunately, what these shows make up in entertainment, most lack for providing real, scientific evidence of the paranormal. While exploring dark, eerie locales with a night vision camera and some neat looking gadgetry certainly excites the paranormal senses and provides for a suspenseful few moments of television, it does little to actually prove the existence of ghosts or other paranormal activity - even after several seasons. The problem lies not in a willingness or desire to prove the paranormal. Rather, it lies in the method.

This lens is dedicated to giving you a stronger foundation for your hunts by presenting a more scientific approach to paranormal investigations.

The Paranormal Investigations Team

The Paranormal Investigations Team should consist of a minimum of 6 investigators. This is a bare minimum (you'll see why here shortly), with 9 - 12 investigators being able to better handle larger investigations. Each member of the team should have a wide variety of talents and experience when it comes to ghost hunting, and should be able to work independently of the team when necessary.

Characteristics of a Paranormal Investigator

The following are a few characteristics of a Paranormal Investigator. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list, and does not cover technical experience or talents. These are simply the core basic characteristics every investigator should possess.

An Open Mind
Ability to Think Logically
Heightened Sense of Awareness
A Calm, Cool Head
A Spiritual Mindset
Natural Curiosity

Paranormal Investigations Team Structure

Earlier, I mentioned that a proper investigations team should have a minimum of 6 members, with 9 - 12 being the preferred number. The reason for this so, while conducting any given investigation, the team can be split to work various angles of the case, lowering the risk of tainting potential evidence. In full investigations mode, the team makeup should be something like this:

1. Historical Research Group (2 - 4 members)
2. Technical Research Group (2 - 4 members)
3. Spiritual Research Group (2 - 4 members)

Of course, the 2 - 4 member suggestion may also depend on the availability of investigators at the time of the investigation, as well as the size of the investigation. While it may be possible to cover a large investigation site with 6 or fewer people, the larger the investigation, the better it is to have more investigators. Likewise, the investigation site may lend itself to smaller teams, or the Director of the investigation feels a stronger need for additional members in a specific group.

In the end, it's usually best to allow the site to dictate group sizes. For example, you may want to include 4 people on the technical group, while keeping the spiritual and historical groups at one for smaller locales. This will improve your odds of obtaining hard physical evidence, while also maintaining the other fronts of the investigation.

In any event, lets explore the roles of each group.

The Historical Research Group

The Historical Research Group is tasked with researching exactly what the title says: history, and with presenting findings. Historical research includes obtaining historical data on locations, places, dates, people and events. By the time the investigation is concluded, the Historical Research Group should have compiled an extensive dossier on everything that has occurred in and around the haunted location, as well as the people that live or have lived in or around the immediate area, going back as far as historical records will allow.

During an investigation, the Historical Research Group will work independently of the other groups, and will not share results until all groups have conducted their research and come together to present findings.

Historical Research Checklist

Newspapers/archiving services
State archives
Municipal Archives
Google
Genealogy Databases
Criminal Databases
Deeds/Liens
Death records/obituaries
Maps
Surveys
Previously published historical accounts
Witness Statements

Role of the Historical Research Group

Much of the work done by the Historical Research Team will be done offsite of the target location, using a combination of real and cyber world databases, telephone research and good old shoe leather. They will be tasked with conducting phone and in person interviews, tracking down hard to find documents and information as well as regularly dealing with state and municipal public servants and information.

As such, it is important that the individuals chosen for the Historical Research Group have some experience in these areas, along with dogged determination when it comes to finding all possible documentation available on a given location or incident. The members should have the ability to analyze the data they find and locate potential new sources of information from that data. A sense of history in general, along with a passion for learning about new people, places and events are also helpful for Historical Research Group members.

The Technical Research Group

Unlike the Historical Research Group, the Technical Research Group conducts its entire investigation at the scene of the investigation, whether that be a home, a hotel, former prison, etc. It is their duty to collect the actual physical evidence - photos, video, EMF, EVP and more.

Role of the Technical Research Group

In order to accomplish their mission, the Technical Research Group should take a logical, methodical approach to gathering data. Focusing efforts on areas of highly reported activity does little to increase chances of capturing physical evidence, and could serve to heighten the emotions of the group members. Instead, an approach that covers the widest scope possible should be taken. This will provide more balanced evidence that can later be combined with historical research. Often, the results are quite surprising.

Pre-Investigation Research

Prior to the evidence gathering portion of technical research, the team should gather detailed physical information about the site. This includes a list of potential high EMF areas due to electrical boxes/shorts, a detailed map of the location, and any physical anomalies (holes in structure, damage, traffic, etc.) that may interfere with otherwise clean evidence.

Once a strong familiarity with the location is obtained, members of the Technical Research Group should meet to decide on a strategy for obtaining the evidence. A map of the location can be used to pre-plan effective camera angles, as well as to determine investigation routes through the location. The technical aspect of the investigation should be highly detailed and laid out in advance, and include specific objectives for each member (# and location of EMF measurements to take, hours & times of video/voice/EMF recording, etc.).

Strict adherence to the plan is crucial, as it will be used to support the validity of the investigation in the end.

The Spiritual Research Group

The Spiritual Research Group technically serves two distinct and important roles within the investigative team. While their primary objective is to obtain intangible evidence via the use of psychics/mediums and other highly specialized techniques, the group is also given the responsibility of providing spiritual guidance and support to the other groups.

This group works independently of the others at some points in the investigation, and works directly with them at other points. The Technical Research Group will call on the Spiritual Research Group to participate in pre-planned activities in the event the team chooses to use seances or "spirit boards" during an investigation, and at other scheduled segments of the technical investigation. Likewise, the Historical Research Group may call upon the group to "fill in the blanks" when it comes to spiritual or religious records, documents or philosophies/theories.

A Few Words of Caution

The spiritual realm is not to be taken lightly. It is to be respected and revered by ALL members of the team. Despite any natural and deep seated differences in religious opinion, almost all of us have had or will have some type of experience that will, if only for a fleeting moment, connect us to the spiritual realm. Each of those experiences is deeply personal to the individual they happened to, and are not for any of us to judge. The fact still remains, however, that there are certain things about the spiritual world that should not, under any circumstance, be ignored:

1. As a Paranormal Investigator, you WILL come into contact with the spiritual realm.It can be argued that there is a very fine line between investigating potential paranormal activity, and getting involved with something more sinister. Like a gun should always be treated as if its loaded, so should paranormal investigations be treated as though every one was the result of negative influence from the spiritual realm.

2. Use "spirit boards" and seances carefully and sparingly, if at all. There has been much debate about the use of so-called "spirit boards" and seances to contact spirits. While some may find them useful, the "evidence" they obtain is intangible, like hearsay evidence in a court of law. What little information may be obtained is not worth the risk of opening doors to a world we can't explain or comprehend. There are forces in the spirit realm which aim to do harm. There have been many hauntings attributed to the use of these devices, and worse yet, reports of demonic possession from their use.

3. Spiritual Research Group members must be strong willed & maintain core convictions. Negative forces exist in the spiritual realm, and they are strong. It takes a strong person, with an ability to stand on core convictions and faith, to stand up to them when called upon to do so. Team members tasked with spiritual research and support must themselves be pure of heart and secure in their convictions in order to be truly effective.

4. It is best to avoid becoming involved with demonic hauntings or possessions. Put quite simply, it's above most of our pay grades. There are spiritual warriors among us, but they are few and far between. Any interaction between the spirit world and ours should be left to the experts.

Bringing the Team Together

Once the groups have conducted their individual research, it will be time to bring it all together. Each group will present their findings, and correlating data that point to significant activity across all groups should be recorded for closer inspection. Small or seemingly coincidental experiences should not be tossed aside, but priority should be given to the events with the most hits across the historical, technical and spiritual aspects explored within each group.

While this method does not guarantee success in the world of paranormal investigations, it does provide a stronger foundation for investigative success. I hope you've enjoyed it.

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