15 Common Ghost Hunting Mistakes

When most people hear the words ‘ghost hunting’, they tend to quickly think of the t.v. shows and start asking themselves: What are equipment are they using? What time do they tend to go? How many of them are there in the group? How'd they find that place? How'd they get in there?

After watching these reality shows, you start to see the potential for fake findings. At first, there is a lot of debunking, everything is in question, no findings, etc., then, over time, they note everything as paranormal. Every spec is an orb, every noise is a tap, voice, or some sort of attempt to communicate with the living. Chill bumps are immediately a spirit nearby (is it actually possible they’re cold?), or they see a mist, which could be the difference in atmospheric temperature and body temperature causing one to see their breath.

My favorite is when they influence each other. What do I mean? Well, for example, let's say someone hears or smells something and you notice they react, however, no one else does. Then, they ask the other person(s) if they heard _______ or can they smell _______ and the other person(s) respond with, "Oh yeah! What is/was that?" To me, it is obvious they didn't and, for dramatic effect, they play along.

There are A LOT of mistakes a person or team can make when it comes to paranormal investigating. Right now, I am going to go over 15 of them. At a later time, we may do some more follow up blogs tied to this one, only because there are so many common mistakes a person or team can make.

1. Never go to a location alone.This person doesn’t have to be a part of the investigation, however, there is safety in numbers. Should an accident take place, you have someone there to assist you.

2. Let others know where you and/or your team are investigating. Make them aware of the address and estimated length of time you plan on being at the location.

3. Ensure you go on a walk through with your clients and have them describe or reenact the encounter(s) they have had in each area of the property. Video, digital record, and/or write down all occurrences the client has described and where.

4. Always have client documentation on hand when investigating. During your investigation, you may be able to debunk or determine an alternate reason for the action that took place. You can also do your own reenactments to see if you can get the same response.

10. Obtain a document from the owner stating you have permission to be on the premises and investigating. Therefore, make sure you always have your ID on you.

11. Do you research! Local libraries and historians can assist you with occurrences that may have transpired at a property, or nearby property. They may also have knowledge of previous claims.

12. Safety is always first. Do you enter a location that is deemed unsafe.

13. Investigations do not always happen at night! I know, they always do the investigations on T.V. at night, but that isn’t the norm. When did you client have their experience? If it was at 2:00 PM, that’s when you investigate. You want to recreate the scenario as your client describes.

14. Bring extra batteries for all equipment. Spirits are known to use energy from electronic equipment to interact. Also, ensure you have fresh batteries, or all batteries are charged, prior to your investigation.

15. Never wear perfume, after shave, cologne, etc. Do not smoke. These scents can mislead an investigation. Sometimes a client may recall a certain smell, such as perfume. You do not want to falsely state you smell perfume and it’s actually yours or a team member’s.