Are you thinking about getting into paranormal and don’t know where to start? Don’t know how to do it? Don’t know to whom you should talk?

When newbies come to me about the paranormal, they generally fit into one of a few categories:

· They had or think they had an experience and aren’t sure what to think;

· They are curious about it; and/or

· They like watching paranormal TV shows and movies and now want to check it out for themselves.

Some people call it ghost hunting but I prefer “paranormal investigating” since we aren’t hunting anything in the true sense of the word. The term “investigation” is more applicable because investigators are looking for and confirming the existence of paranormal entities.

Investigations aren’t like what you see on TV, and it isn’t as fun as you might imagine. What you see on TV is hours of investigating condensed into 45 minutes of showtime not counting the commercials. But before you charge forward into paranormal research, there are things you should consider.

1. Vulnerability

Spirits, entities, ghosts, whatever you want to call them……they can have an effect on you -- especially if you are vulnerable. I am not talking about physical vulnerability although that might be possible as well. My years of experience have taught me that, if you are emotionally or spiritually vulnerable, you can be negatively affected or even have a spirit attachment. Personally, I have never had anything like that happen and I do not believe it happens often. My teammates and I have been doing this for forever and I cannot recall a single incident in which anyone had an attachment or a suffered a negative effect from a spirit or entity.

If you suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD, or some other kind of emotional turmoil, you may want to reconsider participating in a paranormal investigation. It is not advised that children participate or individuals with special needs. It is believed that children and individuals with development challenges are more “open” to the spirit world and will not know how to handle their experiences.

2. Finding a Group

The best way to get started in paranormal research is to find a group with whom you can investigate. There are a few reasons that you want to do it this way instead of going solo.

The fastest way to learn the ropes is to learn from veteran investigators. You can learn methodologies, check out a bunch of different equipment, and get a little experience with it before you start shelling out cash for it.

There is safety in numbers. Some places are not in great shape and can be potentially dangerous. My teammates and I practice investigating in pairs or small groups to make sure we can get help if something happens. Accidents happen (i.e. falls) and you don’t want to get stuck someplace on your own.

Pooling of equipment is very cost effective if you are able to join a group on a permanent basis. Because it can be expensive, sharing helps to ensure your team has as many investigation options available to get comprehensive results.

Lastly but certainly not least is the opportunity to share the costs for access to locations. Some places are very expensive and cost prohibitive for just one or two people. My teammates and I have paid over $2000 for one place (a large and infamous asylum) which could only be done if we shared the expense as a group of 10.

3. Equipment

You don’t have to get too tech crazy to get started so don’t rush out and buy a bunch of stuff. Basics include a flashlight, a camera with night vision (preferably), an EMF meter, and an audio recorder. It may seem minimalistic but that really is all you need to get started. You can spend big bucks on a bunch of stuff later if you want (and trust me there are plenty of gadgets to buy!) but I recommend you wait until you get some experience and see what equipment interests you.

4. Methodology

Observation: There are plenty of strategies you can employ to investigate the paranormal. I like to start out by just observing quietly. I want to see what happens naturally without any intervention using audio, photo, and video. I believe that a great deal of experiences are not true intelligent haunts but rather they are residual. By residual, I mean that it is energy left behind by whoever was there before. You might catch a shadow of someone walking down the hallway doing something they did as a routine.

The belief behind residual haunts is that memories are held within that location and they replay at various times. It doesn’t have to be a negative event like a death, murder, or suicide (although it could be). It might have been a highly emotionally charged event that left an imprint on the environment. Examples are the birth of a child, a holiday, or some other kind of special event.

Provocation: Some people like to take a more aggressive approach and will incite a response by taunting the spirits. I don’t recommend that because, in most cases, we don’t truly know what we are dealing with. Yes, we have an idea of the history of the property but it often times hard to find documentation. A lot of what we know going in is folklore.

Because we don’t know if the entities are benign or malicious, provocation could result in an unwanted response. While I have not witnessed actual injuries resulting from an investigation, some investigators have reported being scratched, pushed, or having items thrown at them. Is it possible? Anything is possible. I just tend to be more skeptical of those types of events.

EVP sessions: many investigators will try to get voice responses by asking questions relevant to the location’s history and the people that are known to have been there at one time. You may hear responses real time with your own ears but a lot of the time you won’t hear anything at all…..until later when you review your recordings.

My personal experience has been that evidence review is where it all happens. There have been many times when we didn’t seem to have any activity during the night but we found an abundance of things during evidence review. EVPs occurred even when we were relaxed and just chatting amongst ourselves rather than asking direct questions.

Scientific observations: using various types of meters and noting fluctuations and conditions during those fluctuations are noteworthy. These types of readings will help you determine if paranormal phenomena are from external influences, something that can be reproduced by the noted conditions, or something that is inexplicable.

In reality, you will want to employ multiple strategies and methodologies during a paranormal investigation. You won’t know what will be most effective until you try a variety of things. Remember, the spirits and entities were once live people and do not usually respond on command.

5. They Types of Places You Want to Investigate

When i’m scouting out new places, I do a lot of research because there are a few situations i prefer to avoid. I’m not fearful of spirits but i have no interest in finding anything to do with the occult. With that I mean black magic, witchcraft, satanic practices, brujería, etc. As I mentioned before, we don't always know whay we’re going to find so there's always an inherent level of risk. I’m not going to risk exposing myself or my teammates to something that could be harmful on any level. If you are interested in that kind of thing…..more power to you. Just do what you can to protect yourself.

Investigating the paranormal can be fun and exciting! You will spend nights in some interesting places that are not necessarily available to the general public. You will create some great memories with friends and you will come to appreciate the history. just remember to always get permission to access a property, and always respect the spirits. You will have a great time and a better chance of getting good evidence.

Make this beautiful day count!