So... you want to get into ghost research?

A lot of people, especially during the warmer months, get the urge to track down and check out haunts. A lot of them, too, want to get into the real "cool" stuff or have "cool" experiences and you know what? That's *cool*...

We get a few e-mails each spring and summer asking for advice and, more often than not, addresses for the reports we have online. We also get a lot of e-mails from people that write and complain that they set up a website and don't get any submissions and people are not breaking down their door to ask them to come out and look at their haunt.

This article is a simple one... If you read it carefully, it will help you establish an excellent research group and it could be considered, more or less, the "secret of our success"!

First thing's first though... Simply putting a website up and stating "We're now looking for hauntings to investigate" will probably get you nowhere in a big hurry. People, like yourselves, surf websites for content. They want to see or read something. Information is key! So, start off by not just "announcing" your breaking into ghost hunting or, as we prefer, ghost research. (I avoid the term "hunting" because the Ontario Ministry of Game, Wildlife and Ghosts have limited the number of ghosts you can bag to four per season. Also, being caught without a license is a damnedably expensive fine!) but start off by thinking, and more importantly, writing (typing) down what you yourself want to do. Do you want to try and look for proof? Do you simply want to 'chronicle' (write about) experiences? Are you interested in speaking to witnesses? Figure all this out. It'll help.

About the above comments about "Ghost Licenses"... There is *NO* such thing and there are no certificates or other 'documents' necessary to do this! Heck, there isn't even an accredited, recognized course from any school, university, college or other educational resource that can make someone an "official" parapsychologist, psychic researcher or whatever in Canada. Also, needless to say, there is no government "ghost" office... of any sort. For "legitimate" courses offered worldwide for Parapsychology check this list:

Parapsychology Courses

The Rhine Research Center, the successor of J. B. Rhine's parapsychology lab at Duke University, NC. (USA) does offer an '8 Week Training Course'

Franklin Pierce College, NH. (USA) offers undergrad studies in Parapsychology

Goldsmith's College (part of the University of London) in England (UK) Parapsychology Doctorate Available

University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, England (more appropriately, The Parrott-Warrick Research Unit of that institution) (UK) Parapsychology Doctorate Available

University of Edinburgh in Scotland has The Koestler Parapsychology Unit - Parapsychology Doctorate Available

Of course, there's the SPR and ASPR (Society for Psychical Research in England and the American Society for Psychical Research in the US) which are long running and, for the most part, accepted "expert" groups in the realm of parapsychology.
Next, give up a couple of notions. Ghost research is *not* like living out 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' or 'The X-Files' in real life. Sorry, it's just not that exciting, but it can be very interesting. To this end, some ghost hunters/investigators/whatever like to issues themselves I.D. or "badges" to say that *they* are wonderfully qualified ghost people. Now, this is a personal thing but c'mon! As I said above, there's no government certificates or licenses and no courses or classes that are absolutely essential and most normal people out there can see through a phoney badge or I.D. card in a second... It also tells those of us in the field that you have a lot of time to design cards and badges and therefore have little time for actual study or work. Business cards, plain and simple, are far more effective. My suggestion is put your name on the card, your e-mail address and website (if you have one) address. Phone numbers and "snail mail" addresses can come back to haunt you (forgive the pun) if distributed... People who find them sometimes feel a 3am phone call or visit to your home is *not* a silly idea!

Sort of related to all of the above is "phony credentials". Some people think that in order to impress folks, you need a fancy title so, they go to those wonderful internet sites like The Universal Life Church which, online and for free, will grant you the title of "Reverend" in their church. Hey, they'll even sell you "doctorates" for about $50 USD! So, for about ten minutes of your time, no knowledge required and $50 American, you too can be a "Reverend Doctor" with ZERO effort and ZERO legitimate work! Problem with this is, if you get caught calling yourself a "Doctor" or even saying you've "studied" with the ULC, many people see right through this and as opposed to gaining credibility, you'll lose it instantly. *If* (and that's a big "if") you feel the need for titles, especially academic ones, EARN THEM the old fashioned way... Go to school (a REAL one... an accredited, non-profit, post-secondary institution) either that or just be honest! People, if they see your serious and working hard, won't care too much about the superfluous letters after your name. Most people are more impressed with knowledge and work ethic than with bogus credentials or, as stated, silly badges and certificates.

Okay, on to content... Like I said, people look for information online. They want to see something other than "Boy Are We Gonna Be Cool Ghost Hunters One Day" pages. How do you get good content without submissions?

It's easier than you think...

First of all, don't be afraid to look through websites (like our own) and get some ideas of places to visit and write about yourself. There's no harm in that. A great quote is "To steal work from one source is plagiarism. From many, it's research." This does not mean you copy verbatim someone else's work, but you find "x" place, read what that researcher/investigator/ghost hunter/whatever had to say about it. See if anyone else has done work on it. A websearch will help that. Next, *read*! Get some books on the site... ghost books are fine but histories of the place may help you get information that may be missing from the other website's pages. A library card is a "good" thing as is, occasionally, spending a few bucks at the good old bookstores.

Next, visit the place and if you can, take photos.

It is important to realise is that any place is *not* probably going to invite you in to visit "after dark when it's all cool and stuff" until you've established a working relationship with the site. That means, go in when it's okay. Talk to people and don't force your ghostly things at them. If the person you're speaking to downplays the "ghost stories", ask them why? What makes them think there's nothing to these stories? Don't be nasty, just ask! Tell them, if you're building a website, that you want to know their non-believer side of the story as well as the "ghostly" stuff. You want to set the record straight and allow everyone from believer to non-believer to have their thoughts conveyed.

Of course, as a good researcher, you have to be open to the fact that, occasionally, there ain't much to certain "ghostly" reports and it goes to your credibility to occasionally say "Nope, nuthin' there as far as I can tell and believe", but remember, back that statement up! To simply say "That place *is* or *isn't* haunted because I say so!" is not really a good argument and makes you seem like you're flogging (pushing) your own agenda in which case you might as well bill yourself as "My Own Ideas and Concepts - Screw Yours - About YOUR Ghost(s) And YOUR Experiences". Ooo, baby! Can't wait to read that site! It'll tell me a lot... about you. Too bad it ignores me or, worse yet, the witness that might be looking for help or information.

Next, remember the old adage... "The Living Must Come First". This means, be respectful of witness testimony and, if someone says "I don't want to talk about this.", remind them you will not report their name or personal information if they don't want and, if you're presenting their findings, you will not give out information that they are not comfortable with you using. You might read this last part and go "Oh man! Then what can I use?" Well, how about "We spoke to one person at 'x' place and they really do/don't believe in the stories." Good enough for most people! Next, remember if this is a private place, if you give out the address or name, you could be inviting bad researchers/hunters/investigators or whatever to "visit" the place. This is not you trying to suppress their right to investigate but there are those who, for the cheap thrill, will break and enter, vandalize or worse if they think it would be "fun". You must assume some responsibility for these folks and do your best to prevent, if it's a private residence or business, people being idiots based on your findings.

Also, if the witness you're interviewing really doesn't want to discuss things, keep in mind, they may have excellent reasons to not talk to you and you should respect their wishes and move on.

This is why, in all our editorials and "how to" documents, we strongly recommend starting in daytime with public places... museums, historic sites... that people may already know about, but maybe you can get an interview or talk to the staff for either new information or even, a new experience on the site. It's really the best place(s) to start your work.

One hopes we don't need to cover the concept of trespassing, but since people get confused between the differences of "paranormal investigation" and "urban exploration" which are, as proven chapter and verse, mutually exclusive pursuits, I'd like to touch on this here.

I ask anyone who thinks you need (to be looking for ghosts) to be a horses @ss and trespass or break into a site for a cheap thrill to examine their motives. (Let's face it... think of all the "ghost hunters" that go to cemeteries late at night to "find" ghosts even though they have no reports from there... They "justify" their acts as being "paranormal investigators" which is frankly incompetent and ridiculous. How about those that assume every abandoned home is "haunted" and smash through a window or even go through an unguarded door to get some pics? Are they really there for ghosts or for their own cheap thrill? Honestly, most of us realise that it's the latter.)

If you really want to look into ghosts, then go to haunted places! Not places that you think are cool and LOOK haunted.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough, BE SAFE and ASK PERMISSION to be there. The worst anyone can say to you is "no".

You see, you might say "Well, if I get caught, big deal! It's just ME that's getting busted!", but no it isn't. You see, to those that catch you, they say "Wow! Look! One of those ghost weirdos breaking in to this place!" because you CANNOT expect average folk to know the difference between you and some other group or person.

"Ghost Weirdos" are "Ghost Hunters" are "Ghost Researchers" to most people that are not in The Field. Therefore, if YOU get caught, that person will be much less likely to allow ANYONE else near the site who is interested in ghosts... and for those that read this and went "So what? We've got our stuff!"... did you? What if I was the one who screwed it up for you by getting into trouble? What if it's that kid you saw on the message board? What if that kid trespassed on the "cool spot", got caught and that blew it for you? Also consider, what if the management of that site also managed a few other sites thus closing them off too???

And for those that claim "Personal Responsibility"... okay fine...

St Clair, Taylor, Gill and Oester, Auerbach, Holzer, Didier, Price, Lechniak and Cumerlato, Fodor, The Warrens and finally The Owens.

Do you recognize these names? What did you say first when you read through them? Did YOU (who we hope, is someone interested in The Field) say "Hey! That's a list of people involved within the field of paranormal research who are all separate and diverse and do their own things and although a couple of them are related to each other, for the most part, they are separate and divergent people who are responsible for their own activities"?

.....or did you say "That's a list of names of people involved with the paranormal"?

...and some of you expect other people, who are NOT in the field to know that all these people are totally unique individuals too?

Like it or not, the "ghost research" and/or "paranormal research" fields are communities... a little dysfunctional at times but none the less, communities. When one neighbor makes too much trouble, it reflects on us all... and maybe, food for thought, someone's ignorant behavior is reflecting on you...

To also put to rest one of the stupidest arguments I've heard... "Well, there were no signs saying No Trespassing so it must have been okay to go there!"... this is POPPYCOCK! Does your home have a "No Trespassing" sign in the front window or lawn? Does your office or workplace? Do most suburban homes? Does your doctor's office? Are there signs that say "No Murdering" and if those signs are not around, is killing okay then? In the eyes of the law, ignorance is no excuse. All property is OWNED by someone (public land is "owned" by the crown in Canada). Chances are, those owners do not want you wandering about their space or, even with public spaces that can be visited, they want you to adhere to scheduled hours and rules. To not do that and/or to not get permission is against the law and is a criminal act.

Now, with all this in mind, I won't decry "urban explorers" (mostly because I don't want that battle on my hands and to be honest, I personally think it's kind of cool, but SHHHHH!!! I didn't really just say that!), but if you're going to do ghostly investigations or research, DO NOT trespass or break-and-enter. In doing this, you're committing a crime and you're messing up EVERYONE else's chances of working at some sites... and they could be messing up your chances if someone follows suit.

You wanna be an urban explorer, fine, but PLEASE, don't say you're a paranormal researcher or investigator because, honestly, if you're breaking the law, you're not... in our's and MANY other's humble opinions.

Richard (Dick) Hall, a very respected UFOlogist and had this to say about sceptics (or "Sceptdebunkers" as I call them)... I've edited a little… The square brackets… fill in the word UFO (or variations thereof)… It's just that the quote is still viable and works in ghostly terms too! "...the trouble with CSICOP-type "skeptics" is that they give a bad name to a long and honorable tradition. True skepticism about [paranormal] claims is entirely justified; knee-jerk rejection of [the paranormal] as a potentially very important scientific mystery is not. True skeptics, unfortunately, are a rarity. What we get instead is highly opinionated, ill-informed, data-deniers." - Richard Hall From UFO Updates and note, Mr. Hall is American hence sKeptic with a "K" and not the Canadian/British sCeptic with a "C".