Tips

• The field of parapsychology recognizes three kinds of events which people relate to ghosts:
• Hauntings are imprints of events that have already occurred; the things you experience will not be interactive.
• Poltergeist activity is characterized by moving objects and strange sounds and images, and was long thought to be caused by angry spirits. The more recent theories center around poltergeist activity being caused subconsciously by a human "agent," generally a person under a lot of stress.
• Apparitions are the real deal, a dead person. These cases are exceedingly rare. The experiences you have will be interactive. If you keep your cool, you may be able to strike up a conversation, although keep in mind that the ghost may be as afraid of you as you are of it (i.e., "What are you doing in my house?")
• Never go in alone. It's easy to get spooked by strange sounds and feelings. In the same spirit, if you split your team up, don't send any team members solo. Without a second person to verify information, any info gathered becomes hearsay.
• Try to be an "open-minded skeptic." People see what they want to see, and if you go in thinking that you'll find a ghost, you'll twist your information around until you think you've found one. Try to rule out any other possible causes of your disturbances and record the most likely.
• When you encounter a disturbance, check all of your equipment. Multiple readings, especially on different kinds of equipment, add much more credence to your findings.
• Don't forget the human element! In this field, feelings are just as important as readings!

Warnings

• Be careful in and around older structures, for obvious reasons.
• DON'T PANIC! Ghosts cannot hurt you! Even in cases of poltergeist activity, most objects thrown through the air can be easily dodged if you keep your head about you!

• Respect the claimant or he/she will think you're there to ridicule/insult him/her --- and be treated accordingly --- especially if the claimant is armed and/or short tempered.

Things You'll Need

• BASICS:
  • Journal to record time, place, and nature of an event.
  • Tape recorder. Originally, these were used by investigators for taking notes during walk-throughs instead of notebooks, but the fairly recent discovery of "EVP" (electronic voice phenomenon)
  • Camera. If you will be taking pictures of total darkness, use an analogue camera, as most older digital cameras will leave blank pixels which may distort your image and give you false evidence. If you have a newer, or particularly high-end older digital camera, use that instead.
  • Compass. Many theories about ghosts from the parasychological community involve electromagnetic fields, and if a compass comes into contact with a magnetic field, the needle will wave. Don't expect full-on spinning; usually, the compass deviates about 30 degrees in both directions from magnetic north.
  • Infrared thermometer. Standard thermometers are too slow to pick up the sudden jump in temperature that often accompany a paranormal event.
  • First-aid kit, just in case.
  • Depending on the length of time you will be staying on-site, you may want to bring food, drinks, and sleeping bags.
• ADVANCED
  • Camcorder. This can be used to document the investigation, or as a mobile set of eyes and ears.
  • EMF (electromagnetic field) meter. These can be purchased in some hardware stores or online, and you can find turorials about their use online as well. Basically, this will replace your compass.
  • Infrared motion detectors. If you plan on leaving your camera alone in a room to record, you may want to set up some IR motion detectors in the entrances to prevent any pranks.
  • Geiger counter. Some cases have shown that Geiger counters will register during paranormal events. If you're going to buy one, get it last, as it is the most expensive (and iffy) piece of equipment you will have.