It’s the season of fright, and if the campus party scene is not your vibe, you can celebrate Halloween with a paranormal experience.
Ghost hunting is your calling if you love mystery, adventure and aren’t afraid to do some research. It’s for believers and skeptics, and no experience is required to start.
I have been on many investigations with my ghost-hunting team back home β from a ghostly country club to my house and more. While I’m no professional, I’ve tested many methods to make the most of my ghost-hunting experiences.
Beware if you are faint of heart, because this is a guide on how to make the most of an encounter with the paranormal.
- Find A Partner
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Never investigate alone. You always want somebody to help verify evidence and keep you safe, so bring a friend or start your own team.
It’s a good idea to peer review in your college courses, and ghost hunting is no different. A second set of eyes and ears can help you determine if that blur you saw was a ghost or a stray cat.
If you do not believe spirits can cause you harm, you must still be cautious. Many investigations take place at night in abandoned locations or outdoors. If you get hurt after a fall in the woods or step on an old nail, you’ll want to have somebody with you.
The real monsters are often other people, and you never know who you may run into in unfamiliar locations. Have a partner no matter what.
- Do Your Research
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The best hunts are backed by research, so do your homework. It will help your investigation if you know what you’re looking for.
Research the facts about any location and find its history. Local myths are always a great place to start.
If the legend says a girl died in a fire, you should research whether the fire happened and any records of the girl. You can look online, but local libraries offer great resources for researching historical events.
If you cannot find any evidence that supports a location’s history, you can still investigate. Sometimes local legends can have truth to them, and it’s up to you to investigate and find out.
If you find a location on private property, always find the contact information of the owner and get permission.
- Bring Equipment
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You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to have a good investigation. All I had was paper and a rock tied to a string for my first hunts.
However, if you want to take things to the next level (and have money saved up), then you can upgrade to more high-tech equipment.
I recommend a spirit box as the first part of your investigative toolbox. This tool rapidly sweeps radio frequencies to generate static, which ghost hunters believe spirits can communicate through.
Ghost hunters investigate to communicate with spirits, and the spirit box works wonders. It’s not only an amazing communication tool but also a great, unbiased method of research.
The Estes Method requires two people: one to listen and one to speak. The listener uses the box with headphones and repeats any words they hear, and the speaker talks to the spirits.
This method eliminates confirmation bias. You cannot hear the questions asked, so you cannot hear the answers you want. You can use the spirit box without this method, but it’s my favorite.
There are many other tools, and which one to get started with depends on how you want to conduct your research β and how full your wallet is.
Another piece of equipment that you need is proper attire. With research, you’ll know where you’ll be, so you should dress accordingly.
Will you be outside and need a raincoat, or inside an old building and need a face mask? Being prepared for the elements will ensure you have a smooth ghost-hunting experience.
- Be Respectful
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If you have permission to investigate private property, then you must adhere to the owner’s boundaries. However, the living are not the only ones you must respect.
You will rarely see ghost hunters on shows do this, but you should always ask the spirits for permission to record.
Before every investigation, my team asks if we can record. You want to receive confirmation from your communication device and, if you have none, base the answer on vibes.
It will be tempting to want to record video or audio as evidence, but you must have empathy as a ghost hunter. Most spirits you will encounter are lonely, lost and wandering for eternity.
Treat them like the person they once were, and that includes respecting them if they are camera-shy. No means no β even with regard to the dead.
Remember that one day you may be in their shoes too. Plus, if you go against their wishes, you could land yourself in big trouble.
- Trust Your Gut
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Do you have a terrible gut feeling all of a sudden? Abandon ship!
Never downplay a bad vibe when ghost hunting. Your senses and intuition are your greatest tools in the presence of spirits.
Not all bad vibes warrant an end to the investigation. You can feel uneasy and scared, of course, but if something feels very off, take it as a sign to leave.
Never stay when you do not feel welcome. Have empathy and remember you are a guest, and if spirits want you to leave, then leave.
- Accept Rejection
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Ghost hunting is an experiment, and not every experiment offers the intended results.
Coming back with no evidence is perfectly fine. Not every hunt will have jaw-dropping findings, and some will have none at all.
Don’t put yourself down if you come back empty-handed. The paranormal is a field of research where rejection is expected because so much of it is unknown. Remember that you can always return to a location for further investigation or conduct more research.
You can take something out of every investigation β even if that something is that you found no evidence. If you investigate with friends, the fun you have will make a lack of findings worth it.
With the right people, preparation and mindset, anybody can ghost hunt.
Find a haunted location near you to investigate this Halloween. Although this guide guarantees a rewarding experience, it doesn’t prevent you from getting a good scare.