Ghost-hunting groups - a good thing?
In the way of disclosure, I am a member of a ghost-hunting group in my area (formed before such groups really became popular). And as much as I enjoy the ghost hunts, I sometimes wonder if we're really contributing to the understanding of ghost phenomena. It's fun, and I enjoy the friendships I've made with other members. But is it just a diversion? It's true that our group, like many out there, has captured many interesting EVP and even some provocative photos that could a show genuine ghost. So is this evidence that we've gathered and added to the accumulating body of evidence enough to justify groups like ours? Or do the answers to these questions depend on the particular ghost group and its methods and intentions?
What's your opinion? Click the Comments link below.
More info: Lots of links about ghost hunting
Comments
Isn’t it kind of like a group of amateur astronomers getting together to look through their telescopes and talk space stuff? No, they’re not true ‘professionals’ in their field. Their contribution compared to large, well funded organisations may be minimal, but that doesn’t mean they may not get lucky and make a big, once in a lifetime discovery.
But it does annoy me when you get Ghost hunting shows with morons running around in the dark with crappy flashlights and screaming every time someone coughs.
I wouldn’t mind joining a ghost hunting group also. I wouldn’t mind joining a group that looks into anything unusual-even earth lights. However I’d like to belong to a group that brings along a few six-packs of cold beer.
It’s interesting in that it seems that many groups may go about it exactly opposite from mine. We’re a TAPS Family group in Arizona. We approach all investigation by not trying to PROVE paranormal phenomena but to disprove paranormal sources for the experiences. By taking this tack we eliminate all possible natural causes, give people some sense of relief or explanation, and if anything is left then it’s passed on for review to other groups, TAPS, and even the scientific community. We use very strict protocols and controls. We also provide detail written and bound reports for the client and for review by peers and others.
BTW: there really is no “real” investigation of the paranormal. There are only a handful of parapsychology departments left at universities (Univ. of Ariz. being one). However, many of these prefer to focus on psychic or PSI phenomena rather than hauntings. Even so, most are underfunded and disappear with amazing regularity before their work is even well established.
As someone put it one time, all great advances were begun by dedicated “amateurs” seeking out the answers to questions for which science was not prepared to ask or consider. GOOD paranormal teams may be just those dedicated and talented amateurs at this time.
any sort of independent quest for knowledge is something that should be celebrated! you aren’t getting in anyone’s way. if all things were left to “professionals”, then what fun would life be? indulge your curiosity, do some amateur research, expand your mind!!
I feel that the recent increase in the number of paranormal groups can be a good or bad thing. It could be in good in the fact that it might eventually bring about more serious research into the paranormal at the academic level and beyond.
It seems to me many groups into the paranormal field are in it for the thrill aspect of the actual investigations. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that, but I’d like to see more experimenting with new theories, equipment and procedures that could lead to new discoveries in the paranormal.
I think groups need to try and avoid trespassing or conducting investigations that break any laws. This could lead a bad rap for ghost hunters. It’s also important that ghost hunters know of and can rule out many of the natural causes of alleged paranormal phenomenon as to not cause harm those seeking their help an advice.
I think Paranormal Investigation groups can do a great deal of good for the public, if conducted in a professional manner. It comforts people experiencing paranormal activity to know that someone takes them seriously. Sometimes just knowing that not everyone thinks your crazy and there are others out there going through the same things helps. I believe by bringing the possibility to light it has broadened peoples horizons and peaked their curiousity. Twenty years ago you wouldn’t have heard people talking openly about their houses being haunted. As you can see “ghost hunting” has already done a tremendous deal of good. I just hope the “fly by night” groups don’t give the serious ones a bad rap.
I think it is great that investigation is going on concerning not just ghosts but all kinds of unexplained phenomena. Maybe some of what we now just consider to be “ghosts” could be inter-dimensional phenomena that we have yet to understand, identify or classify properly.
Thomas Edison said that one day we would be able to “talk” to ghosts and due to his invention of the first voice recording machine he has become the father of the E. V.P.
Multiple comments posted here that I agree with, especially the part about investigations including a six-pack! More to the point, however. . .ghosts, spirits, and hauntings continue to be a universal fascination. There will always be goofballs and fakes in any field, but there are intelligent minds capable of great contributions outside of “professional” paranormal investigative organizations. Who is to say who is and is not capable of contribution? Flakes abound in any scientific field, as do sceptics. I have faith that intelligence, reason, and logic will prevail, without losing the notion that the “common” man has something to offer the world.
How would you like to be hunted?
I think this is the major theme that all groups need to keep in mind. For the most part, they are trying to document the presence of people like themselves who have dropped off the body.
It bothers me when television investigators say, “We want to help you,” when in fact, they have no way to help and help is no part of their agenda.
A wonderful program on the WE Network with all-too-few episodes is Rescue Mediums. http://www.RescueMediums.com Two English mediums delve into the identity of the person and establish communication in order to help and encourage them to cross over.
THIS is helping someone. It’s no different than helping a stranded motorist or cooking dinner for a sick friend. But its impact is lasting.
I would also ask, when you have already proven at least to yourself the fact that physical death is only an illusion and life certainly does not stop, what more is needed?
If you have mediumship abilities, and can do rescue work, that would be fantastic. For the rest of us, is ghost hunting really improving ourselves in any appreciable way? What if we worked to develop our sensitivity so that we too could communicate and learn why these people are still here? THAT would be quite intereting and we’d be improving our abilities at the same time.
I don’t mind the “hunting” if it’s done with respect and a little humility.
I think creditability is lost when I see groups running around looking like they just jumped out of a boxcar. And look like an advertisment for a tatto parlor.
I have been a paranormal investigator for about 50 years and alwasy presented myself as a professional. I also have some tatto’s from the Marine Corp days, but I wear long sleeved shirts. (Korean War).
I often wonder how many of these neo=ghosthunters have any knowledge of Life After Death subjects, which to me is a must if you want to understand what you are hunting. The study of paranormal subjects only enhance one’s ability to be among the professional ranks.
And, this screaming when an unexplained noise occurs drives me up the wall.
I find that small groups the one I call “IRABS” ( I read a book ) hurts the true investigative groups. Our group forms NO opinion, we do not go to debunk nor do we go to prove, we let evidence bear out the weight After we have eliminated natural causes if possible. We do not assign evey noise or bump toa phoney “this is what it is”, like I have seen on TV shows. They throw the baby out with the bath water!
Ghost Hunters are an embarrassment to the scientific community, all of them. You can’t go play in the dark for 4 to 6 hours and determine anything. You need to repeatedly go back and check your data.
You can’t say, “We go in to prove it’s not haunted”, say it is or isn’t and walk away. The core of the investigation has always been “Do ghosts exist”, you can’t prove they exist using the same equipment that was used 20 years and proved nothing.
They then rip you off on “Seminars” and “Ghost tours”, when they have no clue what there talking about. Just because they don’t charge for an “Investigation” doesn’t mean there not fleecing someone.
How on earth can we make evaluations of something that we cannot understand. We have no proof that “paranormal disturbances” are the spirits of departed humans. We constantly hear of residual energy, demonic possession,etc…
But like UFo’s or God there are no cold hard truths only speculation and supposition. Many of the ghost hunting TV shows are designed to give the impression that these characters are communicating with the dead or demons or whatever and shouting and gesticulating gives added effect. Why would the dead want to hang around and why do we see them supposedly fully clothed. I would like to see a full scientific investigation into all forms of the paranormal. Perhaps some serious scientists and researchers may at some point give these matters their attention. There are just too many charlatans for my liking.
I agree with Tom Denney. I come from a culture where the spirits of the dead are treated with respect, and for one to be trapped on this plane is considered tragic. When I watch shows like “Most Haunted” where half the time the “ghost hunters” are either trying to provoke the ghosts with taunts and demands that they make themselves heard, or are screaming at the slightest bang or claim that they were touched by a spirit, I feel these people are simply tormenting the dead. As they like to say on “Ghost Hunters,” ghosts are human too—they were at one time people whose lives may have been brief and miserable, or who have unfinished business on this plane. To walk into what once may have been their physical homes, yelling at them to make a noise, appear, speak, etc. just strikes me as disrespectful. Ditto walking around cemeteries with digital recorders shouting out questions. I have nothing against paranormal research, but be professional and be respectful.
I belong to a paranormal investigation group.We are called The Pennsylvania Paranormal Investigations”And we are a non-profit org.We take our work very serious.If you would like to ckeck out our wwb-site.here it is “www.paparanormal.org.Some of these remark’s are made by people who would be afraid to go on a “Investigation”
The many ghost groups are certainly drawing attention and I hope it will encourage more scientific research. I think science will have to progress and fight many prejudices before anything is ever proved. Lots of evidence being collected – just not any proof. I remember there was a time when people didn’t really talk about ghosts and you were considered something of a crackpot if you did. It’s nice to see the interest so many have in the paranormal now. Most groups are ok – you do hear about the ones that trespass and even B & E haunted locals. They are the ones I consider harmful. Thrill seekers under the guise of ‘paranormal investigators”
I think that the ghost hunter groups that have been formed in the last few years are quite interesting. However, it does cause one’s self to think about what might go on in the after life in a little different way than we usually do as we lose loved ones of our own. I am 63 and have had a lot of physic experiences over the years where people, one at a time, mind you, will appear in my home. Sometimes there is a definite cold that comes with their appearance, and other times it’s more like they are just strolling through and happened to bump into our dimension. I have always seen them in period clothing, except for the animals with their natural fur. I don’t ever consider that my house is haunted. I think our dimensions are so interconnected that we just happen to mix together once in awhile. I have to admit that having watched a number of shows, especially Ghost Hunter’s and Most Haunted from England, has caused me to do a lot of reading just trying to understand how a spirit could get trapped here after the process of physical death. I have lost many over the years, and have enjoyed many a visit, but if I ever thought that even one of my loved ones would have been stuck behind somewhere, it would cause me great pain. I think there is no harm in looking into these places that people say are haunted, but I’m not sure that gives us a real view of what has happened to that soul. I hope someone, someday, will come up with an answer that makes some sense. After all, it won’t be many more years before I will make my own journey home, and I would surely hope not to be so unfortunate as to be stuck here on earth. Keep looking for answers.
Lois
I feel new groups can both help and hurt. From some of these groups we may gain new knowledge and tools. At http://www.Parachasers.com they provide useful tips and ideas for tools that would help groups that are starting out as well as other interesting things related to paranormal activity. A group like Parachasers is aimed at the advancement of the paranormal field and they are fairly new to it. On the other hand there may be some groups that will get involved in acts of crime just to get into a haunted location (which is never recommended). To say that paranormal investigators are a joke really hurts. As investigators we take many steps to assure that outside factors influence our evidence and opinions. In many instances we are more skeptical than the average public. On the other hand there are groups that so badly want something to happen that they post photos of orbs (which is light reflected off of dust in the air back into the camera) and claim them to be spirits.
And if we were to find proof of life after death, then what? What difference will it make in the long run? Other than to ease our fears of death it will not change the world to a great degree. My point here is that I don’t need other people to prove to me or for me that there is life after death. I know it. I’ve seen and heard ghosts. For me they are real. In that vein, too many people have seen ghosts for them not to be real. They can’t all be making it up/having wishful thinking, lying, or just plain delusional. The statistics alone on this phenomena should point that out.
Kathy
Very interesting comments. Our organization has been doing “research” for almost twenty years. Long before the tv shows. I don’t believe that the many groups poping up all over the country are contributing anything.I have witnessed many groups imulating Taps. a joke. They also take thier kids out for a fun night ghost hunting. This IS NOT serious scientific study. I’ll be glad when it is all of TV.
Think about it this way. How is it that science moves forward everyday, discovering what was once unknown, presenting proof, and justifing it? The paranormal topic has been around hundreds of years, only wiothout the scientific tools to help justify what is becoming a VERY interesting subject to many! We have far more answers than we did a hundred years ago, and people are still moving forward to find answers, just the same as science. I’m glad we have a decent program like Ghost Hunters. I belong to a Ghost Hunting Group, and we go into cases with respect for the unliving, and are cautious about anything unsafe. Sure, we’re going to have some “Out there groups” that unfortunatly make it on television, but the goal here is to finding answers, not just having fun chasing a ghost! Science will keep moving forward with many other topics, as well as this one! Like many other topics in past years, they’ve been swept under the rug for fear of what people might think….
Rememberdepression, OCD, Teen pregnancies? Now science is talking, and many of us are eager to listen!
I believe that there are too many ghost hunting groups out there stumbling over one another. So many individuals leading these groups proclaim to be experts in the paranormal when this is a field that has no experts. It is not a defined science. We are all on the same playing field delving into the unknown. So what is it with these group members with titles such as lead investigator, investigator in training, etc? We are all in training. Why all of the regimented structure? After being interested in the scientific end of the paranormal for over 30 years, I do not want to be told what to do and how to do it by some yahoo that has only been educated by TV shows. Places turn a cold shoulder on you as well now because they have been inundated with investigation requests by so many myriads of groups. I wish we could return to the time of preTAPS, when history and respect for the deceased were appreciated as much as getting the thermal hit or EMF response.