Phantom Paranormal Investigators
Here is a guideline of how an
Investigation on paranormal
activity should be conducted.
Obviously every haunting is
different, and therefore these
methods can and should be adjusted
to better fit the particular
situation.
Disclaimer: I am aware that anyone who has read the Archives page knows that our team has not always followed this protocol. Please keep in mind that we began completely independent and inexperienced, and that we have learned from our mistakes. This page contains good information of what a serious investigation should contain.
Research
To begin an Investigation, you must first do your research. This is the part of paranormal investigation that can make some people lose their zeal for it. Research of a particular site is extremely important. You should know what phenomenon occurs where, what the legends of why the haunting occurs are, who the ghosts are thought to be, the demeanor of the ghosts, and everything else you can find out before you even set foot on the grounds of the haunting. If there are people who have witnessed any activity in the area, or who have heard stories about it, you should take a written statement from them. The sample survey I have provided is a good place to begin, but is by no means all you should ask. Pay attentions to the description of activity pertaining to all the senses. Sight is not always the most important sense. After interviews, the property should be researched if possible. The records for a certain house can be found in the recorder of deeds office for your county. With this information, you should be able to find the names of previous owners of the property. All owners should be researched. If they are still alive, they should be contacted and an attempt to question them should be made. Even though many people may be less than kind or up front with you about the haunting you should not be pushy in any way when asking the previous owners for an interview. If the previous owners are deceased, then you should attempt to research them. Find out where your local birth, marriage, and death records are kept. Many places that could be helpful would be the town hall, or local libraries. If any of these people have died in the house, try to ascertain how and where. This may not be easy because old public records are not always well documented. When you know what supposed paranormal activity takes place, try to find any natural explanations for this. It is important that the team leader not tell the rest of the team specific information right away. When you have completed all the research you can on the site and previous owners, you can prepare to do your initial walk through.
Walk Through
On your first walk through at the site you will just be getting a feel of the area. This should be conducted during the day. If the area is outdoors, be sure to look for any obstacles that could be a problem at nighttime, such as ditches, fallen trees, etc. You should bring a few cameras, an EMF, or thermal scanner if you have them, a few notebooks, and even an animal or two if you can. If you decide to bring an animal, I would suggest a dog that is not of an excitable breed. Take a few pictures and readings of each room or section of the area. All readings should be recorded in a notebook. Walk through the site and just soak up the feelings you get from the space around you. Each team member should record in their notebook the areas they feel anything out of the ordinary. Any area of a strong feeling should be photographed a few times and a reading should be made with any scanners. If the dog seems attracted to one particular spot, you should also record that place. This is why it was important that the team leader not give out specifics about the haunting. If the entire team knew about the specifics about the haunting on the initial walk through, they would be more inclined to feel something in the areas they know are high activity because it has been suggested to them. After going through the entire area, the team should regroup, and compare what they felt and recorded. After all of this information is compared, the team leader should then fill in the team to the specifics of the haunting as he or she knows. After comparing the research information to the walkthrough information, a plan of what places to document the most should be made. After you have furnished your plan of attack, you can plan when you will conduct your first ghost hunt.
The Ghost Hunt
Now its time for the actual ghost hunt. Each haunting is different, and it would be hard to come up with a full proof plan for every one. Enter the area quietly, and for about a half hour or so, just sit quietly. Soak up the demeanor of the area, and let any spirits get used to your presence before you go trying to record data. When you have observed this silence, Then you should begin. Take lots of pictures, following the guidelines given on the photography page. Use your other equipment to get readings. Stay alert and try to pay attention to cold spots, shadows, smells, and sounds. If you are going to attempt EVP recordings, everyone must be alerted about this so that there are no sounds caused by the team. Whatever other detection methods you use should be implemented now. If at the end of this investigation you have not witnessed any paranormal activity, do not be discouraged. If you have the consent of the property owners, conduct at least two total ghost hunts. When you are finished, get ready to review the data.
Reviewing the Data
Take a look at all the data you have collected. Compare all the research to your pictures, EVP, EMF or other readings, and witness surveys. This final part of the investigation process if one of the most important. The data collected must be carfully reviewed. Double check your pictures for orbs and the like. Listen to your EVP a few times. Are there any suspicious readings. Have each team member write a short report on their experiences on the investigation. Try to come up with an educated guess as to what you believe is going on.
The information on this page is just a suggestion for a legitimate ghost hunt. You can obviously adjust it to the situation as needed. Good luck!
