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In my Publisher's Letter in the August issue of Paranormal Underground, I discuss my thoughts on "if investigating the paranormal in the dark" is necessary.
To summarize, when I first started investigating, I thought doing it in the dark was the way it was done, but quickly came to find out that is not always so.
Here's the final paragraph of my letter in the magazine:
"I know sometimes it can’t be helped that I will have to investigate in the dark, but that is what Infrared is for. So, whether it be in the woods, a cemetery, or even an old, abandoned building with no electricity, if I am unable to investigate during the day, I will use my IR at night. I’m sure the spirits won’t mind."
What do you think about investigating the paranormal in the dark?
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In my Publisher's Letter in the August issue of Paranormal Underground, I discuss my thoughts on "if investigating the paranormal in the dark" is necessary.
To summarize, when I first started investigating, I thought doing it in the dark was the way it was done, but quickly came to find out that is not always so.
Here's the final paragraph of my letter in the magazine:
"I know sometimes it can’t be helped that I will have to investigate in the dark, but that is what Infrared is for. So, whether it be in the woods, a cemetery, or even an old, abandoned building with no electricity, if I am unable to investigate during the day, I will use my IR at night. I’m sure the spirits won’t mind."
What do you think about investigating the paranormal in the dark?
In my limited experience, it doesn't matter. Places are active when they are active. I'd say that no matter what time of day that is, it would be the best time to investigate them. /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
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I agree, investigate when the reported activity occurs. Albeit daytime or nighttime. Conduct investigations to mimic the original conditions as closely as possible.
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I agree, investigate when the reported activity occurs. Albeit daytime or nighttime. Conduct investigations to mimic the original conditions as closely as possible.
Pardon my vicodin-induced ramble – I will try to make what I am saying understandable. My brains are scrambled.
I agree with what you just said – even to the point that you try to mimic environmental conditions in which the original conditions occur. It would seem that would be a first step – to get repeatable phenomena under the same conditions.
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Pardon my vicodin-induced ramble – I will try to make what I am saying understandable. My brains are scrambled.
I agree with what you just said – even to the point that you try to mimic environmental conditions in which the original conditions occur. It would seem that would be a first step – to get repeatable phenomena under the same conditions.
Um, ok. Thanks for agreeing. /tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />
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The only benefit I can find for late investigations is in he event of a "busy"
location. Later hours are just more serene making concentration easier and
distractions less likely.
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The only benefit I can find for late investigations is in he event of a "busy"
location. Later hours are just more serene making concentration easier and
distractions less likely.
Yes – and also removal of some external stimulus that comes with daylight. The downside of lights out is that dark tends to put your imagination into overdrive.
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Then there is the theory about the witching hour to where ghosts are reported to be more active. I think a lot of groups fall for this one.
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Yes – and also removal of some external stimulus that comes with daylight. The downside of lights out is that dark tends to put your imagination into overdrive.
The anticipation and overly alert sensations can be controlled
with experience and training. It does take time though. Focusing
on a task and recognizing heightened awareness for what it is
will help alleviate some of the mistakes that are made in the dark.
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The anticipation and overly alert sensations can be controlled
with experience and training. It does take time though. Focusing
on a task and recognizing heightened awareness for what it is
will help alleviate some of the mistakes that are made in the dark.
I agree mistakes can be made in the dark.
Watched a show on time, on the history channel the other night.
They did tests on the human body in fearful and surprising situations.
Explanation was our mind is much clearer, when in a situation where our body is full of adrenaline.
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An interesting experiment would be to investigate a supposed haunted location for 24 hours, so that you are there during the day and night. Also, maybe it would be a good idea to keep a personal paranormal journal to see what the proportion of personal experiences are during the day as opposed to the night. See how much of a difference there actually is.
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An interesting experiment would be to investigate a supposed haunted location for 24 hours, so that you are there during the day and night. Also, maybe it would be a good idea to keep a personal paranormal journal to see what the proportion of personal experiences are during the day as opposed to the night. See how much of a difference there actually is.
I have done this to some extent – not a full 24 hours, but both day and night in the same location. Activity remains during either time.
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But it's so exciting and creepy to watch people investigate in the dark! lol
I've never investigated a location, but one of these days I will, and I think I'd try out both times at the same location and see what results I gathered and compare Night vs. Day.
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In my Publisher's Letter in the August issue of Paranormal Underground, I discuss my thoughts on "if investigating the paranormal in the dark" is necessary.
To summarize, when I first started investigating, I thought doing it in the dark was the way it was done, but quickly came to find out that is not always so.
Here's the final paragraph of my letter in the magazine:
"I know sometimes it can’t be helped that I will have to investigate in the dark, but that is what Infrared is for. So, whether it be in the woods, a cemetery, or even an old, abandoned building with no electricity, if I am unable to investigate during the day, I will use my IR at night. I’m sure the spirits won’t mind."
What do you think about investigating the paranormal in the dark?
Interesting post and a very astute observation. People should understand however, that the average Ghost Hunter gets their information from TV and reading ghost stories or books on ghost hunting. Very few get anything from actually educating themselves on the subject. They rely on the basics which is fine for ghost hunting but not if they are going to present themselves as a Paranormal Investigator. An investigator looks for facts to build a case. In the case of a PI if they get information that something has happened at 3pm they don’t wait for the sun to go down and turn off the lights to investigate. PI’s investigate and record information of reported incidents. Ghost Hunters go around looking for ghosts. It’s that simple.
Something should also be added and I hope people won’t take offense but here is the basic truth.
Most all people or groups you hear of are Ghost Hunters and not Paranormal Investigators no matter what they claim. Yes, there is a big difference but both are needed in the field. The problem doesn’t lie with what one does. It lies with those who call themselves something they are not. Many call themselves Paranormal Investigators thinking the title brings them some credibility. I can assure you that if they call themselves something they are not, all it does is damage any credibility they had. Ghost Hunters are doing just what their title suggests. They are hunting. Investigators do interviews, take notes, case files, hard copies of everything, don’t investigate for just a few hours or one night and they NEVER Debunk besides too much more to mention here. They can also always review and compare to the other cases they or anyone else has. Both are an integral part of the field but there needs to be a distinction. Simply speaking, the basic definitions will tell what people are actually doing. Investigating or Hunting.
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Interesting post and a very astute observation. People should understand however, that the average Ghost Hunter gets their information from TV and reading ghost stories or books on ghost hunting. Very few get anything from actually educating themselves on the subject. They rely on the basics which is fine for ghost hunting but not if they are going to present themselves as a Paranormal Investigator. An investigator looks for facts to build a case. In the case of a PI if they get information that something has happened at 3pm they don’t wait for the sun to go down and turn off the lights to investigate. PI’s investigate and record information of reported incidents. Ghost Hunters go around looking for ghosts. It’s that simple.
Something should also be added and I hope people won’t take offense but here is the basic truth.
Most all people or groups you hear of are Ghost Hunters and not Paranormal Investigators no matter what they claim. Yes, there is a big difference but both are needed in the field. The problem doesn’t lie with what one does. It lies with those who call themselves something they are not. Many call themselves Paranormal Investigators thinking the title brings them some credibility. I can assure you that if they call themselves something they are not, all it does is damage any credibility they had. Ghost Hunters are doing just what their title suggests. They are hunting. Investigators do interviews, take notes, case files, hard copies of everything, don’t investigate for just a few hours or one night and they NEVER Debunk besides too much more to mention here. They can also always review and compare to the other cases they or anyone else has. Both are an integral part of the field but there needs to be a distinction. Simply speaking, the basic definitions will tell what people are actually doing. Investigating or Hunting.
Welcome GhostBreakers. Glad to have you with us.
I'd say that some groups do both – investigate and hunt – depending on the location.
Here's something that Loyd Auerbach pointed out to us in our podcast with him that I think bears mentioning. The word debunk actually means "expose while ridiculing; especially of pretentious or false claims and ideas."
Many investigators – legitimate investigators – that I know never attempt to debunk as it is defined above. They do, however, look for alternative explanations for phenomena. I'd say that groups that run around at grave yards are ghost hunters. Those who do their due diligence and then seek to explain and/or quantify the phenomena are paranormal investigators.
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Welcome Ghost Breaker! As Whammie said above Ghost Hunters like myself
do "debunk" our findings for lack of a better term. Ghost hunters do investigate
the paranormal just by the fact that they are searching out hauntings. I don't understand
the need to distance Paranormal investigators from Ghost hunters except to show
that Paranormal investigators are interested in a broader spectrum of the Paranormal.
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Interesting post and a very astute observation. People should understand however, that the average Ghost Hunter gets their information from TV and reading ghost stories or books on ghost hunting. Very few get anything from actually educating themselves on the subject. They rely on the basics which is fine for ghost hunting but not if they are going to present themselves as a Paranormal Investigator. An investigator looks for facts to build a case. In the case of a PI if they get information that something has happened at 3pm they don’t wait for the sun to go down and turn off the lights to investigate. PI’s investigate and record information of reported incidents. Ghost Hunters go around looking for ghosts. It’s that simple.
Something should also be added and I hope people won’t take offense but here is the basic truth.
Most all people or groups you hear of are Ghost Hunters and not Paranormal Investigators no matter what they claim. Yes, there is a big difference but both are needed in the field. The problem doesn’t lie with what one does. It lies with those who call themselves something they are not. Many call themselves Paranormal Investigators thinking the title brings them some credibility. I can assure you that if they call themselves something they are not, all it does is damage any credibility they had. Ghost Hunters are doing just what their title suggests. They are hunting. Investigators do interviews, take notes, case files, hard copies of everything, don’t investigate for just a few hours or one night and they NEVER Debunk besides too much more to mention here. They can also always review and compare to the other cases they or anyone else has. Both are an integral part of the field but there needs to be a distinction. Simply speaking, the basic definitions will tell what people are actually doing. Investigating or Hunting.
Welcome to PUG GhostBreakers!
I think you have a good point here. And while I'm sure there is some crossover, some groups fit the Ghost Hunter category while others fit more into the Paranormal Investigator label. I imagine that the methods of different groups or individuals are mostly based on preference, but I definitely feel that the research, interviews, etc., is very important to investigations.
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An interesting experiment would be to investigate a supposed haunted location for 24 hours, so that you are there during the day and night. Also, maybe it would be a good idea to keep a personal paranormal journal to see what the proportion of personal experiences are during the day as opposed to the night. See how much of a difference there actually is.
Once again, I am in a unique position with my job at the hotel on the Gettysburg battlefield. I am there day and night.
I work one 8-hour shift during the day, one day a week. My other two days consist of two 16-hour shifts (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.). So, I am qualified as having been at a haunted location day and night, every week for almost three years now.
If you look back at the "Diary of A Haunted Hotel," which I started about 1 and 1/2 years ago, you will see that the majority of the activity at the hotel takes place in the evenings or between midnight and 5:30 a.m. Of course, there are instances where I have documented activity in the late afternoon (after 4:00 p.m.) and in the early mornings. But, the majority of the really interesting things happen after 8:00 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. That is just my location, but it is a very active location.
FYI.
Carolyn
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Once again, I am in a unique position with my job at the hotel on the Gettysburg battlefield. I am there day and night.
I work one 8-hour shift during the day, one day a week. My other two days consist of two 16-hour shifts (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.). So, I am qualified as having been at a haunted location day and night, every week for almost three years now.
If you look back at the "Diary of A Haunted Hotel," which I started about 1 and 1/2 years ago, you will see that the majority of the activity at the hotel takes place in the evenings or between midnight and 5:30 a.m. Of course, there are instances where I have documented activity in the late afternoon (after 4:00 p.m.) and in the early mornings. But, the majority of the really interesting things happen after 8:00 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. That is just my location, but it is a very active location.
FYI.
Carolyn
Noted. Something to think about. So, I guess investigate when you investigate, the ghosts are still there regardless.
@ Ghost breakers: And as for the distinction between ghost hunters and paranormal investigators. I refer to myself as a paranormal investigator, as opposed to a ghost hunter, due to the fact that I am not looking for a thrill (at least not in totality), but answers. Also, in a paranormal investigation group you have different jobs: Lead Investigator, Historian, Case Manager, Tech Person, etc. Each of which is integral to the operation of the group as a whole. That being said, to me if you are there seeking answers, regardless of your methods, you are a paranormal investigator. If you are there for thrills, then maybe not so much.
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I agree Sithy.
A ghost hunter is a person with friends looking for ghost for no particular reason other than to find them. They don't care about the evidence they collect. While paranormal investigators or PIs are people from all walks of life that are there to try and help people when they can. They collect evidence for the client and try to present it as professional as possible. They may or may not be out there to prove the paranormal to the world.
Equipment between the two can and will most of the time be the same. The PI group may spend more money on the more fancy stuff though.
Methods will be different as well. For ghost hunters just walking through a cemetery at night asking questions and taking the occasional picture might suffice. But for PIs there is many more considerations to document. What was the moon phase? How was the weather? What was environmental conditions like? Who was present? What equipment was used? Did anyone have a personal experience? And so on and so on. Debunking or finding reasonable non-paranormal explanations is required.
Now I can't say if a group calling themselves one thing is mislabeled. That's for a group to decide. My group are paranormal investigators. We research as much as possible before stepping foot on a property. We actually have private investigators on our team while most of us are EMTs or Paramedics. Investigation is our goal and our purpose. We are there to help clients and to prove/disprove the paranormal to the client only.
At times I have considered moving our group to a ghost hunter definition so we didn't have to worry about helping people but thus far it hasn't been necessary.
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