The Do's and Do not of a Paranormal Investigation

kshiel

I thought this might be an interesting place to write out people views on the do's and do not of paranormal investigations. things that could be shared or methods that could be discussed here. What do ye think?

stormkeeper

An obvious one is don't conduct an investigation under mind-altering substances, whatever form that may take... although I'd be interested to see the results of an experiment involving one person "under the influence" of something compared with someone completely clean, on the basis that when you're under the influence of certain things, you tend to be less... "restricted", although I'm fully aware that there's a degree of irresponsibility with such an experiment, although that hasn't stopped me wondering how differently things could be percieved by someone in that particular state, although admittedly, such a thing could also be a write-off...

DANNY22XX

hi gang
there are a few things
always use brand new tapes,for video and audio.hold the old ones in a libary
if you pick the right team then you should have a no problem mind altering substance.
the main point for myself is after you do a private residence its not to be talked about with anyone else outside the group,its a totally private situation and its to be kept under wraps only for the group and the tenents of the house.
and the last one no smoking on the investagation,as the smoke can be picked up on the camera,and then theres weeks of trying to figure out what the hell it is,people thinking its a mist when some fool has been smoking,.
i could go on for hours but there would be no room left for anyone else:D

ladybirdirl

Great Idea for a thread Kshiel!!

I would have thought (& I've only limited experience) that one of the key things for an investigation is to approach it with a healthy respect. Not suggesting anyone should be terrified but surely respect for ayone/anything that might exist would be key

Ladybird

stevenmu

Good point. Equally I think as open a mind as possible is very important. If you begin an investigation expecting to not find something, you probably won't, and equally if you set out expecting to find something, you almost certainly will.

On mind-altering substances, of course if you expect anyone to give any credence to claims you might make (I heard abc or I saw xyz), then you must be absolutely free from mind-altering substances. But I can see a benefit too, if ghosts/spirits and the paranormal in general are at the very edge of our perceptive abilities, then something which allows you to alter your perception could be a usefull tool. But as said, you could never really trust what someone would claim, or even trust what you experienced yourself.

kshiel

This is something that has been playing on my mind of late and thats the use of mediums etc in the investigation now dont get me wrong this is to me anyway a very useful tool to have on board and a powerful one on that but it has to be said and that is it is not essential but with the use of one in a private investigation I was wondering is it better for the medium to give his/her results or inital findings to say one member of the group to record and not reveal to the rest until the end of the investigation in order not to influence what other members may or may not pick up?

stormkeeper

kshiel wrote:

This is something that has been playing on my mind of late and thats the use of mediums etc in the investigation now dont get me wrong this is to me anyway a very useful tool to have on board and a powerful one on that but it has to be said and that is it is not essential but with the use of one in a private investigation I was wondering is it better for the medium to give his/her results or inital findings to say one member of the group to record and not reveal to the rest until the end of the investigation in order not to influence what other members may or may not pick up?

That actually sounds like a good idea. I'll definately give that a shot myself at some point, provided I can actually get a medium to intend an investigation..

iamhunted

mediums are important, and so too is the more technical end of audio and video recording. To make the best of both it would probably be best to have a medium spend an hour in the premises with the owners, write and/or record this information and then the technical crew could set up their gear and leave it running for another hour or two. this woulds mean both the medium and the technical side could have room to get as much information as needed without getting in each others way.

Stoner

a plan

It's important IMO to have a reasonable expectation of what you atre going to look for, mediums, EVP, photographs, video etc. Cant seem to fit them all in on the one night,

I'm down with the whole idea of concentrating on a few areas rather then loads.

kshiel

Stoner wrote:

a plan

It's important IMO to have a reasonable expectation of what you atre going to look for, mediums, EVP, photographs, video etc. Cant seem to fit them all in on the one night,

I'm down with the whole idea of concentrating on a few areas rather then loads.

This I can agree with, and a meeting before hand can sort all that mess up.

stevenmu

kshiel wrote:

This is something that has been playing on my mind of late and thats the use of mediums etc in the investigation now dont get me wrong this is to me anyway a very useful tool to have on board and a powerful one on that but it has to be said and that is it is not essential but with the use of one in a private investigation I was wondering is it better for the medium to give his/her results or inital findings to say one member of the group to record and not reveal to the rest until the end of the investigation in order not to influence what other members may or may not pick up?

I've always thought that would be a good idea. What I would love to see happen is for there to be two seperate groups. One would investigate a room/area purely with equiptment, taking readings and making notes. A second group would then investigate the group using just their senses. Both groups would be separated, document their findings, and then notes could be compared.

Unfortunatly this falls down, partly because we're investigating something which may move or appear/dissapear between groups, and mainly because there isn't really any equiptment yet known to be reliable. Just because EMF meters, thermometers, cameras, infrasound detectors etc show nothing, doesn't mean nothing is there, and similarly just because they show something doesn't mean something is there. This is why it's so hard to form scientific proof, we don't have a good enough understanding of what it is we're trying to measure to actually measure it.

mesa1

digital cameras are good for picking stuff up but they can also pick up dust particules that look like orbs.
if theres anyone in the dublin/swords area thats looking for any xtra help on investigations id be happy to help

JohnnyStones

I have some advice which i think could be very useful-when conducting an investagation; When you make contact with a ghost/spirit/ghoul DO NOT and i mean this DO NOT -have sexual relations/intercourse with this ghost/spirit/ghoul no matter how good looking it/she/he is,

They will never phone you back or ask you how your feeling in the morning;
and i should know its happened to me on more that one ocassion.

:cool: :cool:

stevenmu

Johhnystones banned

heirenach

Its a good idea to bring a medium or ghost-buster of somekind. But before u go check out the history of the house, castle or place. Most entities are there because an event in the past. But if you encounter a negative entity I hope your medium is qualified to deal with it as it can have an effect on the physic of some of your group. generally it's safe enough in private houses, but in castles and places it could be negative. I would advise to check the history of the place before you go.

iamhunted

state your name and the time anytime you enter a room with a recording device. when leaving state the time, who is there and where you are going next. it makes analysing so much less of a hassle.

kshiel

If you are using walkie talkies and are going in groups of two or threes make sure you place them on different channels than the other group as it can be a big annoyance if you dont.....

iamhunted

:eek::D

Poltergoose

Don't do what Donny Don't does

Riamfada

dont post on forums of what you have experienced, you may taint the opinion of somone else before they go,

kshiel

Grimes wrote: »

dont post on forums of what you have experienced, you may taint the opinion of somone else before they go,

Grimes that is a really good one or to add dont research the building before but after maybe from a sensitive point of view. I would say a lot of people who go to Ross castle from reading this site would want or hope or even imagine they will/have met Scraggy.......

Oryx

Grimes wrote: »

dont post on forums of what you have experienced, you may taint the opinion of somone else before they go,

Good point. I have been posting on the charleville thread about things Ive experienced, which maybe should be taken to PM.

That said, if Im going somewhere I deliberately dont read about it, I avoid all information that might taint what I get. Even to the point of skimming and skipping posts here.

faceman

Grimes wrote: »

dont post on forums of what you have experienced, you may taint the opinion of somone else before they go,

i wouldnt necessarily agree. many of us who may not have the opportunities to go ghost hunts etc enjoy reading the experiences of others.

smirkingmaurice

A vital rule of paranormal investigation has to be the respect for other peoples property, don't frighten the crap out of people by waltzing through their property at night with candles trying to summon up spirits and by no means break into peoples houses to conduct seances or the like, all of which has been done. A friend of a friend who supposedly lives in a haunted house says he was photographed through his kitchen window wearing pajamas one night and was later alerted to the fact that his picture was posted on a paranormal website, referring to him as the ghost of a 17th century watchman, a total invasion of privacy