Thought I would share my guidelines & tips for those who are learning about Ghost Hunting...not all apply to everyone. Each group follows different protocol & rules.

Ghost Hunting 101 -

As an experienced Ghost Hunter, I have learned the Do's and Dont's of Ghost Hunting over the years. Being an avid reader & writer for Unexplained, I thought I would put together an article of what to do and what not to do if you plan on doing any Ghost Hunting. This may not apply to everyone, but I will generalize things the best I can for everyone. It will mainly pertain to group leaders & investigators as a whole. Each tip I give might not pertain to all groups because each group is different with their techniques and methods. By all means, use whatever means necessary to capture the best quality evidence possible. That's what counts. The very first thing I would like to share is that I noticed most Hunters inquire about what is the best equipment to purchase or use for Ghost Hunting. In my years of Ghost Hunting, its not about the brand or what is considered the best equipment. This field is mostly about trial and error. You'll learn that as you go along. What I find what works best in equipment is what brings you the most quality evidence. It doesn't really matter if its a Sony, or Radio Shack brand device. Long as it does its job and it gets you some great evidence, then stick to that piece of equipment. The only problem is, with technology advancing, some of the equipment becomes obsolete. I recommend investing in rechargeable batteries.

First and foremost, what you want to do is require permission from the owner of the locations you want to investigate. To cover your own butt legally, I would recommend having permission written in documentation. I have paid the price in the past not having things documented. Do not tress pass, or break into abandoned buildings. It gives the field a bad reputation and makes it harder to get into locations legally.

Okay, now you got yourself a team and your ready to investigate! I have created some guidelines for my own organization to follow before & during any investigation. It helps keep a well organized group and gives each person in your group great credibility as an investigator. Always go in with an open mind, but keep it real and be objective. Its good to be open minded, however its also good to go in with skepticism. Its always best to disprove or debunk a haunted location first. Not everything is paranormal and 99% of the time, occurrences can have a natural cause, scientific or logical explanation.

Dress professionally, wear comfortable foot wear, and try your best to also wear natural fiber clothing or material. Don't wear any jewelry, or shiny objects that may give off bright reflections. You want to steer away from giving off too much noise. It is important, especially during EVP work to remain still and silent. If you do make noise, get in the habit of tagging it. Don't wear cologne or perfume. Ghosts or spirits can give off phantom smells and odors. It's almost imminent that the less human interference during an investigation is key to gain best results and it also helps reviewing evidence to be much easier to break down. Absolutely no alcohol prior or during an investigation. No smoking during an investigation, and if you do smoke, please smoke outside. You do not want to mistaken cigarette smoke as ghostly mists. Never whisper during EVP work. I know some groups don't always follow the same rule, but our organization have picked up EVP's that sometimes sound like whispering voices. If everyone keeps the same level of voice, you'll know you got a possible EVP. No gum chewing. Recorder are very sensitive and can pick up the slightest movement and be mistaken as an EVP. Be careful with what we call audio matrixing.

Be responsible for your equipment and personal belongings. Turn cell phones off during an investigation...

Our team does not provoke. We give ghosts and spirits the utmost respect possible simply because you do not know what doorway you are opening or know what you are inviting in. It can become dangerous if an entity is malevolent. Safety is a huge priority physically and spiritually. Never wander or investigate by yourself. You could put your safety at risk, and its always good to have a partner if you have a personal experience. It helps collaborate that experience and backs it up with proof.
Always protect yourself spiritually before, during and after. Get in the mindset, and prepare your own spirit for vulnerability. Just be cautious. Its rare that it happens, but there is a small chance of possession. Everyone's religion is different, but what helps is practicing prayers using whatever you practice religiously.

When doing any location whether its a business or private home, please respect their property. If you would like to be welcomed back, remember to put everything back the way you found it.

Never discuss evidence if you think you got something during an investigation. Sometimes clients may be present. They hire research groups for an investigation because they are scared of the unknown. You definitely do not want to scare them more than they already are. Wait until a reveal process to explain any evidence you may have caught. You also do not know 100% what kind of evidence you have until a full review. You do not want to present false evidence to a client. Always try to recreate, or debunk. Remember if you cannot recreate an occurrence, it could be something paranormal. But if you can create it, there may be a natural cause or logical reason behind it.

Most of all, whether you think a place is haunted or not, please give your clients all the respect you can give them. Its very hard to get a location. Do right by them and they will do right by you. Communication and honesty is the key to a successful relationship with the client.

By Paranormal Investigator
& LIGHT Founder
Matt Haas

You may want to reword that just a smidgen.

What would having a paranormal team to come in and investigate be called?

I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned it...

.

Request???? I thought the word hire is appropriate. It doesn't mean organizations are getting paid. If there is a more appropriate word, by all means share it!?

transitive verb hired, hir′·ing

to get the services of (a person) or the use of (a thing) in return for payment; employ or engage
to give the use of (a thing) or the services of (oneself or another) in return for payment: often with out
to pay for (work to be done)

"Request the service of" is appropriate and hiring does mean being paid for your service

Thank ya, I was just wondering!

Good point... thanks 419. Request is a more appropriate word. Most organizations are non-profit / volunteer. If people are taking money from clients, I don't agree with that. There's a lot of competition in this field and its hard enough getting a solid location. I think its important to treat a client right. Being honest is the best thing. I would also keep all of your locations private or anonymous. If you go public with a location, everyone in your area will be knocking on their front door. They'll be harassed by other groups. If you want to prevent that, I would keep your clients anonymous. Its always good to keep your client information confidential.

True, that is why you have a consent form. If they wish for their information to be put on the website they have the right to choose. The businesses around here are all about exposure and getting their name out there. If they have claims of paranormal activity they would want the information to be put on the website as a promotional outlet. At least the last business we did.

The Mayor of a small town which is on the map for being a paranormal hotspot doesn't even want to be nameless in our efforts. He is giving us access to 4 different businesses in the town all having paranormal claims and complete access to a bridge with the road blocked off where there is an urban legend that actually puts the town on the map. This town holds a bikers rally every september for this "ghost encounter". On halloween he is giving us the use of a log cabin free of charge so the towns people can come hear ghost stories, tell ghost stories, ask questions, promote us and maybe build our case list. Same with any other event he holds every month.

It all depends on where you live and how people perceive the paranormal. Around here they love it, they accept it, they promote it. Even the local news channel is going to be on location as we investigate the urban legend which aired on their station last week.

I find it rare to come across someone who wants to remain annonymous. However when it happens their information is strictly confidential.

Thanks for the very informative post.
Just a quick question though I am looking in to doing some paranormal investigations in my local area and Im trying to make sure I go about it the right way. The only problem I have is the protection bit, I dont have any religious beliefs at all so Im not really sure what to do as I cant really say prayers as I dont belive in any form of god or higher being. Im also not really a beliver in spells and charms of sorts so Im at a loss as to what I can do before entering a property or area.
Any advise??

Don't enter a haunted property or area?, That would be my first thought, because the idea of some ghost or evil spirit following me home or maybe worse, isn't fun, in fact it's creepy.

I also thought about being a paranormal investigator, but ideas like that just put me off.

Not trying to be mean or scare you. If i did, i sincerely apologize.

I see what your saying Ares but Im not sure if I believe things can follow you home. Im not sure maybe I will just stick to analising photos for the time being till I can get more informed on things.
Ive been to lots of haunted places before like castles and stately homes although not looking for ghosts and ive been on guided tours kinda like ghost walks and Ive never experienced anything especially something following me home. And dont worry you didnt scare me but thanks for the concern

there are things out there just waiting for an opportunity to enter into someone's life...if you don't know what you are doing, get trained BEFORE you start investigating...many people look at this like a joke as i did at one time...i learned different...

randomhit10

Your welcome

Exactly, i've read multiple stories about ghost following a person, i remember a story that i read on the internet about this person that moved to a different house, probably because of a ghost, and that the same ghost/spirit moved with that person to his/her new home.

Or it was something like that...i don't remember it precisely.

But it's because of such stories that i told bishka that she maybe shouldn't visit some haunted place or graveyard, though the above scenario isn't the same as bishka's, something like that is possible. Ofcourse i'm no expert or anything.

wht happend with you then randomhit10, that changed your opinion about it?
or if you don't want to talk about it, that's cool too.

Yes thats exacty what im planning I want to learn as much as i can before i do anything. Thats why i joined this forum

Wow great post Matt. Very informative, and to the point