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Ghost Hunting 101
Conducting an Investigation
Tools of the trade:
iGHOST uses a variety of methods and equipment to investigate a location. Digital
cameras, audio recorders, digital thermometers, and video recorders are all invaluable tools to have when conducting
an investigation.
Digital or film cameras are perhaps the most invaluable tool to
have, and even weekend or "amateur" ghost hunters should have them. Solid, visual evidence of the spirit world
is often the most compelling evidence that can be obtained. However, it is also the most scrutinized. When conducting
an investigation, it is helpful to snap as many pictures as possible, not only of the target area, but of everywhere.
One never knows what will show up in any given picture. Digital cameras are especially ideal in that they can hold dozens
(or hundreds depending on the storage capacity) of pictures, the investigator can view the pictures instantly, and the need
to buy film and pay for film development is eliminated. It is best to use a digital camera with a high resolution (5+
Mega-pixels).
iGHOST uses digital audio recorders to capture electronic voice phenomena (EVP). Often, EVP's may be the only bit
of evidence obtained on an investigation. We find a quiet spot and begin asking questions, such as "Who are you?",
"Why are you here?", "What is your name". If a spirit wants to communicate, you may pick up a response
on your recorder, even though you will most likely not hear it at the time. We use digital recorders because it is easier
to upload our audio to a computer and filter out background noise. Also, digital recorders have no moving internal mechanisms
that may interfere with the recording quality. If a more traditional cassette recorder is used, it is wise to use an
external microphone to help eliminate internal noise.
Electro-Magnetic Field Detectors (EMF) are useful in finding fluctuations in energy, which may or may not detect the presence of spiritual activity.
It is believed that when ghosts manifest themselves they draw energy from their surroundings (i.e. batteries, the air, or
even people themselves), which can explain why fresh camera and flashlight batteries drain quickly at haunted locations and some
investigators report feeling lightheaded or develop headaches. EMF detectors can allow an investigator to follow the
fluctuations, and, perhaps, follow the spirit.
Digital infrared thermometers are helpful in finding temperature changes from one location to another, often only feet from eachother.
When ghosts draw energy, they often leave pockets of "cold spots" in the air, which is another way to help detect
the presence of spiritual activity. One drawback with this type of thermometer, however, is that it measures the temperature
of the object the lazer is targeting, therefore, the result is the temperature of an object, not neccessarily the "space"
where potential paranormal phenomena may be. However it is usefull to read temperature changes on doors and
walls where one feels a presence may have recently passed.
Video cameras are especially useful
in documenting an investigation, and is often the most expensive tool in an investigator's arsenal. It is best to
invest in a good recorder, one that will last a long time and meet your needs. It is wise to use one that has a "night
shot" feature for filming in low light. Many types of video cameras are on the market today, from the cassette
type to the newer "mini dvd" cameras. iGHOST likes the mini dvd recorders; they tend to have excellent features,
are easily stored and carried, and have great resolution. However, the dvds do not have a lot of storage space so it
is neccessary to carry several extra discs, as many will only hold 30 minutes of data.
Some paranormal investigators set up dedicated infrared cameras at specific low-light
locations of a site in order to attempt to capture video evidence of spiritual activity. These cameras record to a digital
video recorder (DVR), and are an excellent tool because they can be set up and left alone to record all night (depending
on the DVR storage capacity). These can be expensive, however, due to the amount of equipment needed, (cameras,
transmitters, receivers, DVR's, monitors, etc...) and are nice to have, but are not an absolute necessity to conduct
a solid investigation.
Other useful tools include infrared
motion detectors, Geiger counters, and thermal imaging cameras.
Reviewing Evidence:
When reviewing evidence obtained from an investigation, iGHOST is careful to scrutinize every
piece and not jump to conclusions. We make every attempt to find rational answers to puzzling pieces of evidence, and
when we cannot, we leave the piece of evidence as open for interpretation by the viewer.
iGHOST does not claim that everything we capture and post on this site is proof
of paranormal activity, merely that the piece of evidence is unusual and warrants a closer examination. We invite all
guests of this site to form their own opinions.
iGHOST exists to continually seek answers and discover solid evidence of paranormal activity.
Two types of questionable evidence
to consider:
There are two major
phenomena associated with paranormal evidence that we would like to discuss, and caution people about.
Matrixing
The
first is a phenomenon known as "anthropomorphizing", often in the field of paranormal investigation referred to
as "matrixing". Basically, this means that the human brain tends to shape seemingly jumbled patterns into
a coherent and familiar image; often people claim to "see" a human form or face in a complex pattern. Think
of it as finding faces in the clouds, or seeing The Virgin Mary in an oil stain on the driveway.
Paranormal investigators must be careful not to fall
into the trap of "matrixing", and must be sure that their evidence can stand up to scrutiny before revealing it
as solid, irrefutable evidence of spiritual activity. See an example of matrixing and how it was discovered below.
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This is a good example of matrixing. At first glance we thought
there may be an anomaly as there almost
appears to be a face in the image.
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| Click on picture to enlarge. |
We were able to debunk this photo after we located a picture taken
of the same room. You can see the
black , red, and green graffiti on the wall that appeared as an anomaly in the previous picture (the black and red "smiley face" was
not considered part of the anomaly).
5th floor, Waverly Hills, 2006
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| Click on picture to enlarge. |
Orbs
The second phenomena
we would like to examine are "orbs". Many people fall into the trap of capturing on film what appear to be
small balls of light and believing they are evidence of spiritual activity, when often (if not most of the time) they are
merely specs of dust or water vapor reflecting off of a camera's flash, or lit up by a video camera's light.
Legitimate orbs are collections
of energy, and they occur naturally (after all, energy is all around us). True orbs will be visible to the
naked eye (as opposed to only being seen when lit by a camera's flash), emit their own light, and have noticeable
flight paths. While it is possible that some orbs do indeed represent paranormal activity, it is important to note that:
ORBS, IN AND OF THEMSELVES, ARE NOT NECESSARILY EVIDENCE OF A HAUNTING
OR SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY!!!
Below are some examples of "orb" activity. Please don't
fall into the trap of believing that every little speck of light captured on film is a paranormal anomaly (as so many amateur
ghost hunters and even some established paranormal groups do). Below are images of dust and water vapor we have captured
to illustrate how easy it can be to fall into the trap. The following pictures ARE NOT PARANORMAL!
(click each picture to enlarge)
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| Don't be fooled. These "orbs" are nothing but dust! |
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| More dust! |
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| Not the moon or an orb. Its just dust. |
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| Yes....more dust! |
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| Bugs...or dust...or both. But NOT paranormal! |
Types of Hauntings
Traditionally, there are three basic
types of hauntings: Intelligent, Residual, and Poltergeist hauntings.
Intelligent Hauntings
Intelligent hauntings are perhaps the most often type of haunting
reported. In this circumstance, the entity is aware of itself, and aware of the living. The entity remains in
a location for whatever reason, and continues to dwell perhaps as it did in life. Sometimes the entity manifests itself
and even tries to communicate with the living.
Residual Hauntings
Residual haunting are often reported in locations marked by large-scale
violence and tragedy (such as battlefields or mass genocide sites). A residual haunt can be thought of as a video set
on repeat. An entity manifests at a particular location at a particular time and consistently repeats its actions.
In this style of haunt, it is believed that the entity is unaware of itself or its surroundings, it is merely a form of energy
that remains in a given location, bound by its location and circumstance of death. The energy that makes up its manifestation
is residual; there is no consciousness attached to the apparition. Many people report witnessing the replaying of battles
with ghostly manifestations. It is merely the leftover energy in the location playing itself over and over again.
Poltergeist Hauntings
Perhaps the most compelling type of haunt (especially where Hollywood
is concerned) is poltergeist activity. While rare, dozens, if not hundreds, of incidents have been reported around the
globe. Poltergeist haunts could be considered a subgroup of intelligent haunting in that the entity is certainly physically
interacting with its environment, usually quite violently, and is therefore certainly aware of itself and the living.
Objects are moved and often thrown, people are attacked, slapped, scratched, bitten, or assaulted in some other manner.
It is believed that most poltergeist activity centers not necessarily around a location, but often around a living individual.
Many reports have been made of families fleeing their homes due to such hostile activity, only to be confronted again with
the same activity in a new location. While more rare than pure intelligent or residual haunts, poltergeist haunts are
perhaps the most compelling of all haunts, as pure interaction between the spiritual world and the living is at play.
It should be noted, however, that many researchers attribute "poltergeist activity" to increased
psychic "flare-ups", often brought on by changing and increasing hormones in pre-adolescent people (women are
more common centers of activity than men).
iGHOST strives to put forth the best evidence
possible and will not make any claim as to the irrefutablity of anything we post. We are more concerned with the quality
of evidence we present rather than the quantity of evidence we present. Evidence is always subjective, and
is open to individual interpretations. All we can do is show people what we have captured, and let them form their own
opinions and draw their own conclusions. We will continue to post unusual pictures, EVP's, and video evidence as
we collect it. We will also be sure to add more examples of our own evidence that we have "debunked" (disproved)
in order to illustrate how some seemingly odd and unusual pictures can be mistaken for legitimate evidence when there
is, in fact, a rational explanation.
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