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We're all going on a - Ghost Hunt


Paradoxum

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Hey UM :)

Three of my work colleagues and me have recently discovered we all have a healthy (or unhealthy) interest in the paranormal due to personal incidents in our pasts. We thought it would be a really good idea to do some investigation to see if we can get any proof, which seems so so elusive. We are all in our 30s, not kids/teens, and are all aware of the usual ghost hunters/adventures etc techniques and equipment. We are lining up a night in a very old theatre where I live - in which many people have had personal experiences. I'm both looking forward to it but also a bit nervous about it considering experiences I have had when I was young.

I'm a fairly new member of UM, and seeing the amount of both believers and skeptics on this site, what advice would you give? What would you consider as "evidence"?

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That sounds like fun and after seeing a ghost I tried it a little. Took pictures of family cemeteries, long abandoned and what was left of the house and never got anything. There are some pictures in My Gallery if interested.

I honestly don't know how you could prove you had a picture of a real ghost. Photoshop is too easy anymore.

Good Luck.

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What part of England if you don't mind me asking?

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Sure I will certainly post anything we find. I'm in Norwich, loads of old places here to explore, the tricky part is getting access to them...

That sounds like fun and after seeing a ghost I tried it a little. Took pictures of family cemeteries, long abandoned and what was left of the house and never got anything. There are some pictures in My Gallery if interested.

I honestly don't know how you could prove you had a picture of a real ghost. Photoshop is too easy anymore.

Good Luck.

I will look :) and I agree, Photoshop is way too easy :/ I'd bet photoshop images look more genuine than the real thing..

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Sure I will certainly post anything we find. I'm in Norwich, loads of old places here to explore, the tricky part is getting access to them...

Haha no way, I'm in Norwich. :tu:

The place is amazing for old buildings.

You heard the story about the flat in tomb land?

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Research, and then some more research.... Make sure that what you are investigating really is supposed to be a haunt. I say this because a lot of purported haunts really have no basis, like an axeman bridge when no axeman died there, or a RR crossing that ghost kids help you across when there was no kid accident there.

Might be wise to choose a place that is regularly haunted instead of annually haunted. It can be frustrating to wait all year for that one night at that particular time, get nothing, then have to wait a year again.

Always learn the law of the land. Like if you are going into a cemetery, find out who owns it, if you need permission to be there, what the hours for visitation are. Abandoned buildings are almost always owned by someone. And parking laws- super sucks to go on a hunt and come back out to find your car ticketed or towed. Don't be an illegal hunter- if you are willing to commit a crime to hunt, kind of says something about your character in general, and can cast anything you get into doubt.

Be willing to hunt during the day and night. Ghost stories seem to pop up at all hours of the day, so be willing to hunt that way too. It's not guaranteed, but some folks lend a little more credence when you can say you were there multiple times at multiple times instead of just "I was in a haunt once at night and...".

NEVER HUNT ALONE!!! It's a good thing you got buddies that want to hunt with you. Mostly it's for safety, like if you trip over a gravestone or crunch through a floor and hurt yourself. Some folks will pick on a hunter alone, but be less likely to if there is more than one of you. And just on a personal story note, it's nice to have someone else along for those moments of "Did I just experience that?" and have someone else there to say "Yep, I did too."

Another safety thing- let someone at home know where you are going and how long you plan on being gone. If something goes wrong, good to have someone not on the hunt know what's going on.

Since you are just starting out, I would say skip most of the equipment action. A camera or recorder is fine, but don't worry about all the rest of it unless you really really start getting into hunting-and even then, take all that equipment with a grain of salt and test it in regular locations to get yourself a baseline. And use your equipment consistently. If you take a pic, take 2-4 in a row for comparison. If your camera has a time stamp, make sure that it is turned on and set correctly. DON"T go back and review every pic you take while you are taking it- if you are catching something, you are likely to miss out while looking back at the camera. If you are using a recorder, don't chatter away like they do on TV.

Have fun. Don't just be serious, enjoy the haunts too. Some places are incredibly lovely and rich in history even if you don't get a single shiver, take time to enjoy that.

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Digital photos are too easy to manipulate. If you are able to get your hands on 33mm film camera then your'e in better luck. Video, on the other hand isnt as easy to tamper with. Make sure you are using a camera with a "low lux" or "night feature" that will allow you to film in relative darkness. Still then, your footage will be darkish. Know your voice recorder. Use it a few times at home to make sure you know how it functions. It's hard to see in the dark.

Good luck and happy hunting. :tu:

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Research, and then some more research.... Make sure that what you are investigating really is supposed to be a haunt. I say this because a lot of purported haunts really have no basis, like an axeman bridge when no axeman died there, or a RR crossing that ghost kids help you across when there was no kid accident there.

Might be wise to choose a place that is regularly haunted instead of annually haunted. It can be frustrating to wait all year for that one night at that particular time, get nothing, then have to wait a year again.

Always learn the law of the land. Like if you are going into a cemetery, find out who owns it, if you need permission to be there, what the hours for visitation are. Abandoned buildings are almost always owned by someone. And parking laws- super sucks to go on a hunt and come back out to find your car ticketed or towed. Don't be an illegal hunter- if you are willing to commit a crime to hunt, kind of says something about your character in general, and can cast anything you get into doubt.

Be willing to hunt during the day and night. Ghost stories seem to pop up at all hours of the day, so be willing to hunt that way too. It's not guaranteed, but some folks lend a little more credence when you can say you were there multiple times at multiple times instead of just "I was in a haunt once at night and...".

NEVER HUNT ALONE!!! It's a good thing you got buddies that want to hunt with you. Mostly it's for safety, like if you trip over a gravestone or crunch through a floor and hurt yourself. Some folks will pick on a hunter alone, but be less likely to if there is more than one of you. And just on a personal story note, it's nice to have someone else along for those moments of "Did I just experience that?" and have someone else there to say "Yep, I did too."

Another safety thing- let someone at home know where you are going and how long you plan on being gone. If something goes wrong, good to have someone not on the hunt know what's going on.

Since you are just starting out, I would say skip most of the equipment action. A camera or recorder is fine, but don't worry about all the rest of it unless you really really start getting into hunting-and even then, take all that equipment with a grain of salt and test it in regular locations to get yourself a baseline. And use your equipment consistently. If you take a pic, take 2-4 in a row for comparison. If your camera has a time stamp, make sure that it is turned on and set correctly. DON"T go back and review every pic you take while you are taking it- if you are catching something, you are likely to miss out while looking back at the camera. If you are using a recorder, don't chatter away like they do on TV.

Have fun. Don't just be serious, enjoy the haunts too. Some places are incredibly lovely and rich in history even if you don't get a single shiver, take time to enjoy that.

Norwich was hit pretty hard by the plague. Loads of ghost stories here concerning that. Also the Roman Catholic cathedral here used to drop people from the highest tower onto their heads for stealing etc. :no:

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Research, and then some more research.... Make sure that what you are investigating really is supposed to be a haunt. I say this because a lot of purported haunts really have no basis, like an axeman bridge when no axeman died there, or a RR crossing that ghost kids help you across when there was no kid accident there.

Might be wise to choose a place that is regularly haunted instead of annually haunted. It can be frustrating to wait all year for that one night at that particular time, get nothing, then have to wait a year again.

Always learn the law of the land. Like if you are going into a cemetery, find out who owns it, if you need permission to be there, what the hours for visitation are. Abandoned buildings are almost always owned by someone. And parking laws- super sucks to go on a hunt and come back out to find your car ticketed or towed. Don't be an illegal hunter- if you are willing to commit a crime to hunt, kind of says something about your character in general, and can cast anything you get into doubt.

Be willing to hunt during the day and night. Ghost stories seem to pop up at all hours of the day, so be willing to hunt that way too. It's not guaranteed, but some folks lend a little more credence when you can say you were there multiple times at multiple times instead of just "I was in a haunt once at night and...".

NEVER HUNT ALONE!!! It's a good thing you got buddies that want to hunt with you. Mostly it's for safety, like if you trip over a gravestone or crunch through a floor and hurt yourself. Some folks will pick on a hunter alone, but be less likely to if there is more than one of you. And just on a personal story note, it's nice to have someone else along for those moments of "Did I just experience that?" and have someone else there to say "Yep, I did too."

Another safety thing- let someone at home know where you are going and how long you plan on being gone. If something goes wrong, good to have someone not on the hunt know what's going on.

Since you are just starting out, I would say skip most of the equipment action. A camera or recorder is fine, but don't worry about all the rest of it unless you really really start getting into hunting-and even then, take all that equipment with a grain of salt and test it in regular locations to get yourself a baseline. And use your equipment consistently. If you take a pic, take 2-4 in a row for comparison. If your camera has a time stamp, make sure that it is turned on and set correctly. DON"T go back and review every pic you take while you are taking it- if you are catching something, you are likely to miss out while looking back at the camera. If you are using a recorder, don't chatter away like they do on TV.

Have fun. Don't just be serious, enjoy the haunts too. Some places are incredibly lovely and rich in history even if you don't get a single shiver, take time to enjoy that.

Good advice Rashore and thanks. We will be in pairs and I'm going to focus more on sounds and still images rather than walking around with a camcorder. There won't be any Ouija or table tipping etc as that has no credence for me. The place we are planning to go to has a *very* long history spanning back hundreds of years so it will be very intriguing.

And the most important thing - we will have permission to go there. I'm too old to break into places. lol. :innocent:

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Haha no way, I'm in Norwich. :tu:

The place is amazing for old buildings.

You heard the story about the flat in tomb land?

Hey - no way you are very local (or looocal in norfolk speak :) Is this the house in Magdelen Street? There are loads of ghost stories in Tombland due to the plague pits..

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Welcome to UM.....

What not to be used as evidence...

" EVP's "

" EMF's "

" Ghost Box "

" orbs or other blurry pictures "

" multi spectrum photography "

" thermal imaging "

What would be evidence?

A clear video of when someone says " hey, did you see that guy, he was clear as day "....( or pictures )

Evidence would be something strong enough that you could go to your local University and say " look at what we have "........And, if they actually started studying the place you went, because of your evidence you shared, then you really have something.

Suggestions....

Learn, learn, learn.....

Not about " ghosts ", but about how sound travels, how electro magnetic fields are EVERYWHERE, about how radio signals travel ( more at night ), about how anything you plan on working really works, and what it does.

Using tools that are made for other KNOWN things as a " ghost hunting tool " is ridiculous.

Research how the mind can be when influenced in situations you will, and are going through......Research the psychology of ghost hunting, and the " want " to believe or find something. The " want " to make people believe......The " addiction " to these things.

After you start researching those things, you may see a new light, and not " believe " in ghosts so much.

I used to, not anymore.

Enjoy, hope you take that advice.

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Hey - no way you are very local (or looocal in norfolk speak :) Is this the house in Magdelen Street? There are loads of ghost stories in Tombland due to the plague pits..

Yeah lived here for 4 going on 5 years. Read about all the ghost stories etc when i first moved here.

It's the one next to the Tombland book store, through the little lane with the house over the lane. Has this door on the house:

4673935105_f363aa277f_m.jpg

It's the one about the little girl who got locked in with her dead family, when they opened the door to get rid of the bodies etc they discovered bite marks on the mothers arm and human flesh in the little girls mouth, she was locked in alive and resorted to trying to eat her mother. Horrible story but people say it's haunted with her ghost.

it's across form that pub/hotel which is supposed to be haunted as well.

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Welcome to UM.....

What not to be used as evidence...

" EVP's "

" EMF's "

" Ghost Box "

" orbs or other blurry pictures "

" multi spectrum photography "

" thermal imaging "

What would be evidence?

A clear video of when someone says " hey, did you see that guy, he was clear as day "....( or pictures )

Evidence would be something strong enough that you could go to your local University and say " look at what we have "........And, if they actually started studying the place you went, because of your evidence you shared, then you really have something.

Suggestions....

Learn, learn, learn.....

Not about " ghosts ", but about how sound travels, how electro magnetic fields are EVERYWHERE, about how radio signals travel ( more at night ), about how anything you plan on working really works, and what it does.

Using tools that are made for other KNOWN things as a " ghost hunting tool " is ridiculous.

Research how the mind can be when influenced in situations you will, and are going through......Research the psychology of ghost hunting, and the " want " to believe or find something. The " want " to make people believe......The " addiction " to these things.

After you start researching those things, you may see a new light, and not " believe " in ghosts so much.

I used to, not anymore.

Enjoy, hope you take that advice.

Thanks Sakari, I think the psychological side of it will be the most challenging part about it. We are all very level headed so I'm not anticipating us over-reacting. I have had unexplained events happen to me when I was young, most of which I can rationalise and explain, but one event I cannot. Hence the curiousity. Whatever we do discover I will put up here for scrutiny.

So if you were trying to capture physical evidence, such as anything you could present to academics, what would you suggest?

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Yeah lived here for 4 going on 5 years. Read about all the ghost stories etc when i first moved here.

It's the one next to the Tombland book store, through the little lane with the house over the lane. Has this door on the house:

4673935105_f363aa277f_m.jpg

It's the one about the little girl who got locked in with her dead family, when they opened the door to get rid of the bodies etc they discovered bite marks on the mothers arm and human flesh in the little girls mouth, she was locked in alive and resorted to trying to eat her mother. Horrible story but people say it's haunted with her ghost.

it's across form that pub/hotel which is supposed to be haunted as well.

Ah yes I know it :) Its just across from the Maids Head hotel. I go past that every day on the way to work. Its a medieval building and its still as skewed now, if there weren't buildings around it, it would have fallen over by now! I hadn't heard about that particular story though, it does sounds very similar to a house about 400 yards away which apparently regularly changes hands due to the activity there. But then there are about 6-8 ghost stories within a mile of that place, maybe more. Norwich is a very old place, if you are going to catch anything you would think it would be a prime location!

Edited by Murk
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Ah yes I know it :) Its just across from the Maids Head hotel. I go past that every day on the way to work. Its a medieval building and its still as skewed now, if there weren'y buildings around it, it would have fallen over by now! I hadn't heard about that particular story though, it does sounds very similar to a house about 400 yards away which apparently regularly changes hands due to the activity there. But then there are about 6-8 ghost stories within a mile of that place, maybe more. Norwich is a very old place, if you are going to catch anything you would think it would be a prime location!

Haha you must live pretty damn close to me, I live near Magdalen street.

Maids head hotel, yeah that's the one. I think it was on Most haunted as well, I know one of them in Norwich was.

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Thanks Sakari, I think the psychological side of it will be the most challenging part about it. We are all very level headed so I'm not anticipating us over-reacting. I have had unexplained events happen to me when I was young, most of which I can rationalise and explain, but one event I cannot. Hence the curiousity. Whatever we do discover I will put up here for scrutiny.

So if you were trying to capture physical evidence, such as anything you could present to academics, what would you suggest?

As i said. Good pictures, good video, and good recordings. Clear, not " sounds like, or looks like ".

A POV camera would be nice. One that is filming directly where you are looking. Then, when someone says " I just saw " then the camera will have the proof if it is in the mind or not.

Same for recordings..." did you hear that "......Well, if you did, a micraphone would also.

Now, something else, as evidence. There are so many places claimed to be " one of the most haunted ", and when anyone goes there to ghost hunt, they get " results ". If this were true ( and not in the mind ), there would be evidence, and enough to get Universities and such to start investigating.

Also, some have investigated, to a point. Duke University had, but shut it down after some years of nothing. ( studied the Paranormal )......UCLA had.

For the rest, it is studies in sounds, and dark, and how things effect our minds. Even how our minds can be fed just a tiny bit of information ( I heard that place is haunted ) and make us think anything is true.

I had seen a study on sound, high and low frequencies, that we can not hear, and how they effect people " looking for ghosts "......Was quite convincing actually. And sounds that occur all around us.

So, if you can find things that are convincing enough, and that are not random, then you can present them to a University.

Do not say " hey, this place is haunted, we looked ".......You would need " we have gone 5 times, and every time, these are the results we get "

Edited by Sakari
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As i said. Good pictures, good video, and good recordings. Clear, not " sounds like, or looks like ".

A POV camera would be nice. One that is filming directly where you are looking. Then, when someone says " I just saw " then the camera will have the proof if it is in the mind or not.

Same for recordings..." did you hear that "......Well, if you did, a micraphone would also.

Now, something else, as evidence. There are so many places claimed to be " one of the most haunted ", and when anyone goes there to ghost hunt, they get " results ". If this were true ( and not in the mind ), there would be evidence, and enough to get Universities and such to start investigating.

Also, some have investigated, to a point. Duke University had, but shut it down after some years of nothing. ( studied the Paranormal )......UCLA had.

For the rest, it is studies in sounds, and dark, and how things effect our minds. Even how our minds can be fed just a tiny bit of information ( I heard that place is haunted ) and make us think anything is true.

I had seen a study on sound, high and low frequencies, that we can not hear, and how they effect people " looking for ghosts "......Was quite convincing actually. And sounds that occur all around us.

So, if you can find things that are convincing enough, and that are not random, then you can present them to a University.

Do not say " hey, this place is haunted, we looked ".......You would need " we have gone 5 times, and every time, these are the results we get "

Good advice, although I'm not going to lay out a huge expense to begin with, but I'm prepared to should we experience/encounter anything on our first few "hunts". A voice recorder and decent camera to begin with, then take it from there.

I completely get where you are coming from - evidence needs to be repeatable. But I will say, from the past experiences I've had, that may not be possible but will be fascinating to try,

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Haha you must live pretty damn close to me, I live near Magdalen street.

Maids head hotel, yeah that's the one. I think it was on Most haunted as well, I know one of them in Norwich was.

Yeah you are very close! We should go for beers in the Wild Man or the Adam and Eve, both are supposed to be haunted :tu:

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Good advice, although I'm not going to lay out a huge expense to begin with, but I'm prepared to should we experience/encounter anything on our first few "hunts". A voice recorder and decent camera to begin with, then take it from there.

I completely get where you are coming from - evidence needs to be repeatable. But I will say, from the past experiences I've had, that may not be possible but will be fascinating to try,

I have experienced some strange things ( posted on this site ) I still can not easily explain......But....

You are all ready going into this with some " blind faith ", and with that " seed " planted.

The best way to go into a " investigation " of any kind, is to just be going in to investigate. I wish I could go. As I am saying, you need to go in with a :

" what makes people think this or that ( sounds, movement ) is a ghost? "

" what is it that is making those things, the mind, something natural? "

When you go in " believing ", you will find something to back up that belief, anything will be used as " evidence " to back up that belief, and prove to others your belief is fact.

That is where everyone goes wrong.

When one of your friends says " did you hear that, or did you see that ", they are planting that seed in your head. If you did not, do not try to convince yourself you did.

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Yeah you are very close! We should go for beers in the Wild Man or the Adam and Eve, both are supposed to be haunted :tu:

Yeah mate definitely. I'll give you a shout sometime, might not be soon though got loads going on at the minute and I'm off the drink for a while. Got kidney problems so I detox a lot. lol

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Good advice, although I'm not going to lay out a huge expense to begin with, but I'm prepared to should we experience/encounter anything on our first few "hunts". A voice recorder and decent camera to begin with, then take it from there.

I completely get where you are coming from - evidence needs to be repeatable. But I will say, from the past experiences I've had, that may not be possible but will be fascinating to try,

I saw a ghost but only once here in my house. So even if I had gotten a video of her it doesn't look like its ever going to happen again. So repeats aren't always possible.
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if anybody lives in cumbria moresby hall is a good location we investigated it bk in 2005 and are looking to go bk this summer

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I have experienced some strange things ( posted on this site ) I still can not easily explain......But....

You are all ready going into this with some " blind faith ", and with that " seed " planted.

The best way to go into a " investigation " of any kind, is to just be going in to investigate. I wish I could go. As I am saying, you need to go in with a :

" what makes people think this or that ( sounds, movement ) is a ghost? "

" what is it that is making those things, the mind, something natural? "

When you go in " believing ", you will find something to back up that belief, anything will be used as " evidence " to back up that belief, and prove to others your belief is fact.

That is where everyone goes wrong.

When one of your friends says " did you hear that, or did you see that ", they are planting that seed in your head. If you did not, do not try to convince yourself you did.

Completely agree with this approach, I'm already starting to get into that kind of mindset in preparation. We have a meeting with the venue manager next week to go through her concerns - one of which is us not being hurt by one of the "nasties" that are there (her words) so that should be an interesting interview. I shall keep you posted with developments, hopefully will be in there in 2-3 weeks time.

Yeah mate definitely. I'll give you a shout sometime, might not be soon though got loads going on at the minute and I'm off the drink for a while. Got kidney problems so I detox a lot. lol

Yeah PM me when you are up for a bevvy :) Im not free lots due to work/family/gf commitments but can always make time!

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