I was watching a documentary and it was two people who PRECIEVED they would see ghosts, they weren't skeptical, they just sort of ACCEPTED whatever they found in their quest. Now I'm asking one thing, why doesen't many of the skeptical things find ghosts? I think if you expect to see ghosts you will see them, or your preception of ghosts. But I have another question for you, how do you keep a completely open mind, how would that effect the evidence that you would find, if you didn't belive or you didn't not belive. For me that's impossible, I am fairly confident that ghosts do exist, in other words, I believe, so I can't test my own theroy. Feel free to comment.

Keeping an open mind is a lot of work. For the most part, the concept of having an open mind is not easily understood.

Only those who must have the truth will recognize how influenced and indoctrinated every culture has become.

So as I see it, the need for an open mind far outweighs the desire for an open mind. Then the educational process and the work can begin to acquire an open mind.

John

Be careful.

Being open minded is one thing. Being too eager is another.

The former you are open to the idea of the paranormal. The latter, you are soooooo open to it that every creek, every bump, ever chill, every "what was that?!" is another ghost.

We all perceive spirits in a different sense some I think just come to accept things quicker because of experience and others because of inexperience,I think its the experienced that can differentiate quicker so they tend to follow the debunking method ,I like this one best.Some are hard core skeptics with nothing to support their beliefs except their own egos. Why skeptics do not see or feel any thing I guess either they would never admit it or they have no ability to do so in the first place.

What a great post! Some people want it so badly to be a ghost that sometimes they beleive they might have caught something. on another hand I have seen great evidence from skeptics as well, that look promising. I guess it just depends on the person.

yeah. if you go into a place with preconceived notions in your head you gonna be bias to whatever may occur. And if you are already scared or excited or whatever, any little creek or bumb in the night is gonna turn into something in your head.

And for some there seems to be a limit, which is also what could be called a transformational period, where one changes from believer to (hopefully still somewhat open-minded) skeptic.

One of the first books I checked out of the elementary school library was Gus the Friendly Ghost, and for some reason, I always was interested in the paranormal since then, having I guess some sort of a quasi-Christian pseudo-Spiritualist belief in ghosts and spirits and such. I have read and collected books and magazines on ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists and other paranormal subjects for I'd say at least twenty-five years now, and have been to a "haunted" hospital, used Ouija boards, "channeled", went on "ghost hunts", etc.

But at some point along the way, no matter how "cool" the idea seemed or how much I wanted this part of the paranormal to exist, I have never encountered anything that had any sort of solid validity; it seems everything always happened just out of my view or behind my back - my friends and acquaintances and family have all sorts of stories to relate, which if taken at face value, are astounding - but having been a believer so long, looking for some shred of evidence but never coming across anything remotely compelling, I have placed my X-Files "I Want To Believe" poster in storage, because from every angle I look at the idea of the Spirit Hypothesis as Psychical Researchers called it, the less sense it makes, which unfortunately supports the absolute lack of proof. I still think there are unusual things that happen in the world, things science still doesn't have a firm handle on - but I'm afraid I can't say I think any of it is related to "spirits".

Ok here's the deal. Ever been to church ? more than likely you have ? after everyone gets in and sit downs what do they start with? songs of praise and worship...praise...and ohh yeah gives us your money. even the bible itself says "enter into my gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise. what I'm trying to say is the first part of the church service its to relax you in body and spirit to allow you mind to be "opened" to the message the pastor is going to give. I believe the same is true with paranoraml investigation. I believe the ghost can "feel" if we are "in tune" or open minded enough to recieve hwta they want us to see or feel or hear...and if so...we see hear or feel it. you get what I'm saying?

I think if you go in expecting to see something your going to over look things most of the time. because going in trying to debunk and expect you'll be able to disprove thigns and if you cant then you have things starting to act wierd you cant disprove the facts then you'll have events your left with unable to explain thus giving it a pararnormal event. I think ghosts do exist too, i've had strange events happen before, and i've had an experience with a shadow manifesting itself and coming at me. i went there not expecting to witness anything at all, infact i was talking to someone bout dust cause he thought they were orbs i was explaining dust and how you'd seen it in the flash light it'self that same night.

I'd be interested if the people in the documentary who were not skeptical captured any evidence, or if they just perceived what they thought they heard or saw as evidence?

When you go into an investigation, you basically just have to do so with the mindset of simply trying to find out what is going on. Sure, you've heard stories and claims of activity, so you're going to the location because of the reports. However, you have to separate yourself from that. You have to know that a lot of the reports are just that, and that you can probably find rational explanations for them. If you go in expecting to debunk everything, though, you're doomed. And likewise if you go in intending to believe everything. You have to stay in the middle.

Precisely what I was gonna say bias works both ways, too open minded, as well as too skeptical. Any investigation should only focus on finding data, then analyzing it. When you are gathering data, thats all you do, you don't begin the deconstruction of it until the analyzing phase. This is where it gets tricky however, because the analyzing phase can be rife with speculation, and indeed, some speculation is often necessary. We still don't know enough about the paranormal yet, but I think we are making good progress.

In my experience, you'll find what you want to find... whether it's there or not.

I agree!!!!

mindset will absolutely determine the outcome of an investigation, i agree with so many points in this post. its like a self fulfilling prophecy, if you go in “knowing” you are going to capture something, I guarantee you will at the very least have a personal experience.

I try to go into every one of our investigations completely blank. And if I get the case, I don’t tell anyone else what the claims are before we start the investigation, some people go through the whole place and tell everyone the claim’s , I think this ruins the experience for many, and makes people to eager to experience things. Only I and the other Founder know all of the claims, when the investigation is completed, we then tell everyone what was going on.

We always do a preliminary investigation, where just myself and the other founder do a walk through, map out the location and plan where all of our gear needs to be set up. Then set up is seamless and there are no preconceived notions from our other group members.

I agree with a lot of this thread but if i had to choose evidence, out of a sceptic and believer i would choose the sceptic. the fact that you are trying to disprove everything and you might not have an explination for something it makes it all the more worth wile to view in my opinion. If you are a believer in spirits then you accept more things as paranormal,when it is still based on peoples interpretation of the event. Thats the problem is that everybody interprets things diferently, and everybody has diferent beliefs and values. The most important thing is having that turning point for yourself and not for anyone else, because they prob. wont believe until they have there own revelation or have had one already. To me even when you have that so called turning point it is still a self interpretation of events. There is no way to base it on a standard or have actual proof to hold up to something. There really are not a whole lot of answers for me yet. Just a bunch of mixed opinions and interpretation of evidence and experiences. I wonder when we will have that irefutable proof. without question if ever.

If a person believes, the worst thing, I think, is to go into a place expecting something- If a person doesn't, the worse thing is not expecting anything. So, maybe it's better not to expect anything at all, regardless, what your perspectives are. Open to the possibilities, but never eager.

I go into an investigation 50/50. 50% skeptical ( ready to debunk ) and 50% open minded. ( Ready for the unexpected )

But I absolutely agree 100% that your mindset is a BIG FACTOR in an investigation. Always be careful with "Power of Suggestion". I notice when on an investigation if you are unfocused you will not experience as much as someone else who might be more focused. I also think it depends on your attitude. If you are in a negative mind frame, you will throw off your game plan.

When you arrive into any Investigation, u must enter at some objective ‘world view’. It may help you to function in a manner that may help you to turn away from the Subjective-what the World has provided for you. Don’t enter with any lunacy like, for thousand of years, the Believers(all sorts) has not offered any shred of proof of Paranormal. If they had, there will be only one kind of person…or one world-view.
I always enter with an sceptic mind with the aspiration of something that will change my world. I would love to know what it’s going to be like in the next 2000 years. The possibilities are there…

I think that if you go into anything with your mind already made up about what you are going to find that's what you will think you've seen or found, regardless of if you have or not. You're going to be totally psyched out. At the same time, if you go into it thinking nothing will happen because that stuff doesn't exist, you might miss something paranormal because you're so convinced nothing is going to happen. I really don't think anyone is going to have a truly open mind. You're most likely going to fall in one camp or the other, eithier conciously or subconciously.