Let's say you are hanging out at your house alone and freaky things started to happen. Perhaps, your TV turns itself on or off by itself, or maybe things are moving on their own. Our imagination is known for getting the best of us.
Your mind begins to wonder if ghosts could be responsible for such things. when you seek to find out if your house is in fact haunted or not, it's not to be taken lightly. It may actually make you more uncomfortable being alone in your own house.
We believe that audio recorders and film equipment are the two main factors in collecting evidence of a haunting. On TV, you may see a wide variety of scientific equipment being used, but most of those gadgets don't collect paranormal evidence in the same sense as recorders and cameras.
In Searching For Ghosts, we will mostly focus on these tools as well as explore other paranormal investigation techniques that will assist you in your search for answers.
By the time you finish reading this, you will be able to conduct your very own mini paranormal investigation to see if perhaps any ghosts are living with you.
Keep in mind, this is meant for those who are experiencing minor and non-threatening paranormal activity, if you are scared or feel that you may need to consult with a paranormal expert, by all means, contact a paranormal investigator.
Also, you will not in any way be close to having the knowledge and skills to assist another person with their paranormal experiences. Searching For Ghosts will not make you a paranormal investigator.
This is nothing more than a starting point for those who are interested. If you wish to get involved in professional paranormal research you need to spend a lot of time reading, researching, studying, seeking out haunted places, and staying the night in them.
Here, we will simply give you enough knowledge on the subject to get a start. It may take you three or more years of studying the paranormal before you could be considered an "expert" or at least knowledgeable in the field. (There are no real paranormal experts)
Know When To Question Experiences
Not everything you see or hear can be contributed to the paranormal, but sometimes things happen that defy explanation. One thing to keep an eye on is how often do odd things occur, it's widely believed that paranormal experiences are a rarity.
Just by feeling a cold spot doesn't suggest a spirit, it could just be a cold spot. However, when a cold spot is accompanied by other activities such as noises and electrical disturbances it may suggest that something paranormal could be occurring.
People also report familiar smells, such as cigar smoke or perfume, often tied to a loved one or connected to you in another way.
Think hard about the activity and what could be causing it before setting out to see if you are dealing with the paranormal.
A paranormal investigation can sometimes be an unpleasant experience, especially for those who have never dealt with anything like this before but if you go into it with an open and fearless mindset it could be a life-changer.
It's best to forget about all of your predetermined assumptions you may have had about this subject due to what is shown on TV.
The paranormal is the most sensationalized subject out there, primarily focusing on the most terrifying cases ever to be reported. Not all hauntings are a cause for concern. Not every haunted house is as scary as the ones on TV.
You are most likely dealing with a very common type of haunting.
What Is Considered A Common Haunting?
Common hauntings are usually the ones you hear about happening at all of the known historic landmarks that are reported to be haunted.
- Unexplained sounds or smells.
- Cold spots or uneasy feelings.
- Electrical disturbances.
- Doors opening/shutting or things moving on their own.
If you or others are experiencing all of the above, you might want to investigate to see if you might be sharing your home or business with a ghost.
Paranormal encounters are always more validated when experienced by multiple people or also known as shared paranormal experiences. When setting out on your search for ghosts, be sure to include a friend or two to assist in the investigation, this will help to eliminate any fear you may have or help you back up your claims of experiencing the paranormal.
we should be ready to find out if there are ghosts nearby. First, we will need to put together a checklist of a few items that may be helpful in your search.
You won't be needing most of the equipment you may have seen on a paranormal reality show. in fact, you will most likely have the most essential pieces of equipment in your possession right now or can obtain some of them easily. To start with a basic paranormal investigation inside your home, here are the things you should have.
- 1-3 co-investigators
- Flashlights
- Cellphones for multi-use
- Voice recorder (Cellphones will work)
- Digital camera (Cellphones will work)
- Pen and paper
The above list isn't by any means limited. If you have other equipment like EMF meters or thermometers and know-how to use them and get accurate readings, and by all means feel free to use them. Here we are only focused on getting audio and photographic evidence of paranormal activity.
The time you will want to start is around 9 or 10 o'clock, and go to about 5:00 or 6:00 AM. During this time, if there's anything in your home, you should get some sort of evidence of it.
Now, you and your small group of friends are in the house with the lights out, and ready to go. The first thing is to turn on all of your available equipment.
If you are using K-2 meters and thermometers you should get a baseline readying before the investigation, so, if you later get abnormal readings you can have something to compare it to.
How to Do An EVP Session
One of the most valid forms of paranormal evidence is electric voice phenomena or better known as an EVP. This is when a disembodied voice or sound is recorded on a recording device but isn't heard during the time it was being recorded.
An EVP session is conducted by attempting to interact with a presumed spirit by asking questions while you record the responses if there are any. These responses won't be known until you review the recording and hear voices or other sounds that weren't heard during the session.
When conducting an EVP session, it's important to not make much noise. You should designate only one person to ask questions, and remain as quiet as possible in the background.
You should have every device caple of recording audio recording during your EVP sessions, EVP's can be picked up on video as well as a recorder.
Ask questions that are friendly and non-threatening. Always give about 6-12 seconds in between questions. If there's something there with you, it will need a few seconds to a few minutes to answer.
Sometimes, during EVP sessions paranormal activity can be increased and the participants can begin to experience paranormal activity during the session. Avoid whispering during the investigation, whispers can be picked up by your recording equipment and could be falsely mistaken for an EVP during the evidence review process.
Recording Video
You should be recording during the whole investigation. If possible set up stationary cameras in the hot spots, if you are limited in the number of cameras you have, feel free to switch between handheld and stationary as the investigation progress.
The same techniques and methods used for EVP sessions can be applied to recording video as you will also be listening for any EVPs that may have been inadvertently captured while you were recording. It happens all the time.
We are only focusing on the audio and video recording aspects of the investigation, and not the countless other things it could take for a full-scale paranormal investigation.
Videos provide two functions during a paranormal investigation, 1) To capture evidence of paranormal activity, and 2) to document the investigation in general.
To learn everything takes a few years. These basic paranormal investigation steps are designed for your own personal use. Those who are seriously interested in paranormal studies should further their knowledge by diving into the world of books. Lots of books. reading books not your thing? That's alright. you will find an unlimited amount of paranormal streaming content on most major platforms.
Photography
You may be aware that photography is responsible for several pieces of claimed evidence of paranormal activity. apparently, ghosts like to take pictures. You should take as many photos as possible during the investigation. Unlike how paranormal photography used to be in the '80s or 90s where you would have to wait for your photos to get developed, we now can check for signs of spirits in the photos immediately after taking them.
Document All Experiences
Along with documenting the investigation through cameras and recorders, be sure to write down any and all paranormal encounters that you or any of your co-investigators may have had during the investigation.
After investigating for ghosts, it's now time to see if you have caught any evidence to go with your paranormal experiences.
Since we were only focused on using audio and video equipment, your evidence review should be easy.
Before Reviewing Your Recordings
The review should take place the next day, not right after the investigation. After many hours of investigating, you won't be able to provide the necessary attention this part of the investigation requires. You should get a full night's worth of sleep before checking your recordings. The best time to begin your review process is in the morning while you are still fresh and focused.
Video Recordings
While reviewing your video recordings, you will be looking for anything that seems out of place or strange. Things like transparent movement such as foggy or smoky-looking figures.
Lights or orbs may be present as well, but we don't usually pay too much attention to orbs caught on video footage, especially if you are using a night vision camera. Dust or small moths can reflect on IR cameras giving the illusion of orbs. It's best to stick with transparent figures.
Personal Experiences
Now, You and those who were present during the investigation should meet and discuss any and all of the paranormal encounters experienced. This is where your paranormal investigation notes will come into play. If you had any experiences worth writing down.
While discussing the investigation with your co-investigators, also discuss any evidence you think you may have caught. If you think you caught an EVP, don't inform your co-investigators what you think it may say, let them tell you what they hear, to see if it's the same thing you hear. If you tell them what you hear before they hear it themselves, it can input a pre-conceived notion of what to listen for in the recording.
Conclusion
So, we made it to the end of our paranormal investigation journey. If you follow the steps in Searching For Ghosts, you will no doubt be able to find out if your house is haunted. You can live in a haunted house for a very long time before you start to notice odd occurrences.
Dangerous hauntings like the ones we see in the movies are a rarity, but there are some people affected by malevolent paranormal activity. If you believe that these basic paranormal investigation steps aren't efficient enough for your situation then you should call in a paranormal investigation team, one that has at least 4 or more years of experience.
Notes:
- Only seek to do your own paranormal investigation if experiencing minor or common types of paranormal activity.
- Request assistance from a paranormal investigator if you feel threatened or uncomfortable.
- Ask others if they have experienced the same paranormal activity as you.
- Carefully think about and question every encounter before you start to investigate.
- Avoid whispering during the investigation (It could later be mistaken for an EVP)
- You can also set up cameras to capture paranormal activity when you go to bed
- Phones can be used for all four investigation techniques (video, audio, pictures, and writing notes)
- Always have 1-3 co-investigators
- Stick to basic recording equipment
- Document all personal paranormal experiences
- Get plenty of rest before evidence review
- Discuss the investigation
- Get professional assistance if needed
- Research your experiences
