Responsible “Ghost Hunting”

Organizations and individuals in the field of paranormal research run the gamut from weekend hobbyist “ghost hunters” armed only with a camera and a desire to experience something “spooky”, to the true dedicated researcher. There is one thing they should all have in common…. responsibility.

One of the most common examples of responsibility in paranormal research is not trespassing on private property. All too often we receive emails or read websites that have encouraged this by their own actions (ex: stating how they found holes in a fence, or ignored no trespassing signs or warnings in order to “ghost hunt”.) Worse, we have seen people post directions to clearly private property with no prior permission to do so, and openly encourage large groups of people to visit these places.

While this kind of behavior certainly makes the perpetrator look immature, it is also a poor reflection on those that pursue this field of research in a more professional manner. It is difficult for a more reputable organization to pursue a location that has already been the victim of would be ghost hunters who break the rules in a self-centered manner, and often these locations have already been the victim of vandalism.

If a location is clearly marked private or not accessible in some way, you DO NOT BELONG THERE without prior permission! Trespassing on private property can potentially lead to both civil and criminal legal troubles. Some people will return to a clearly non-welcoming location even when they’ve been told to leave before. Perhaps this comes from a misplaced sense of entitlement, or simply a disregard for the rule of law, but make no mistake… every location, whether it seems “abandoned” or not, is owned by SOMEBODY, and you do not have the right to be there without their permission.

Since we cannot stop these actions when conducted by others, what can we as reputable organizations or individuals do? Our best bet is to be very careful that we take full responsibility for our actions. Permission should be obtained from the owner (in the case of private property) or the site manager (in the case of public property.) Respect requests to leave. When on site, do not take things that do not belong to you, do no damage, and leave no trash, (better yet, leave the location a little better than you found it.) Take the time to meet and talk with people in charge. Explain what you do and why you are doing it. Respect the requests to have information withheld if you are asked. If you are serious about contributing to this field, then you are serious about your research work… and that means it should be about the WORK not about your personal desires.

You also should be responsible about maintaining confidence when asked. The volume of information in our files that is absolutely NOT available to anyone else is high. It is because we can and do maintain this confidence that we are still able to continue this work. Many times someone contacting you is unsure of what is going on, how or if it can be resolved, and who can best help them. They may NOT want anyone to know for any number of reasons (What will people think? Am I crazy? Will it affect the price of my house if I sell or affect my business if public?). Not everyone wants their private information plastered all over the internet, and today that’s where most of it goes. Again… if it’s about the work then these requests should not be a problem. If they are, perhaps it is better to confine yourself to places that do not put any restrictions on what you publish.

Another factor is responsibility in your methods. There are standard protocols for every activity you can perform on an investigation, from photography and A/V recording to keeping detailed logs. Learn them by heart and live by them. These protocols exist for a very important reason. Since we don’t operate out of laboratories, these protocols are our only means of “sanitizing” the observed environment (any evidence collected, no matter how good, is considered “contaminated” if the protocols were not followed) .Often they are the ONLY things that defend this field of research against its numerous attackers. One of the most frequent arguments used by our critics is that what we do is not “true” scientific research. Haunted North Carolina firmly stands behind and practices the scientific method. Lets not prove our critics right by being sloppy with our methods or being too quick to proclaim proof of our findings.

While we’re on the topic of methodology, we should address one very important distinction. Paranormal research does involve the study of psychic phenomena, and in that regard intuition and “feelings” can be useful tools on an investigation. Often when deciding where to set up recording equipment, if no better indicators exist, we will go on “hunches” or “gut feelings” as to whether to set up in room A as opposed to room B. HOWEVER, these “feelings” are not scientifically valid and do not in ANY WAY constitute evidence! Think of your intuition as the headlights on a car, they can help you see where you are going, but they won’t get you there by themselves.