Investigation Do’s
- Be respectful of the property and its contents
Why? Because it is good business, it shows respect as well as the quality of professionalism in your group and of the paranormal investigation field
- Be courteous to the individuals, occupants and/or owners at all times
Why? Because it is good business
- Leave everything the way you found it.
Why? Because it is good business and shows respect
- Bring extra batteries.
Why? Spirit energies tend to suck the life out of new or otherwise perfectly charged batteries.
- Bring a flashlight.
Why? In case you are caught in the dark, in unfamiliar territory, or need to see in a very dimly lit area
- Bring a 1st aid kit.
Why? I shouldn’t have to explain this one, right?
- Bring a pad of paper for taking notes.
Why? It is better than trying to rely on your memory to note things like time, the
circumstances of the event and who was in the room.
- Bring an audio recorder.
Why? To attempt an EVP capture and to document your efforts throughout the investigation.
- Bring a camera.
Why? To attempt to photograph paranormal situations and to help document your efforts throughout the investigation.
- Set you camera to the highest resolution
Why? Although it will create the need to down load more frequently, it will give you the best quality images. This way, when dealing with a photo containing an anomaly, zooming in won’t cause such pixilation or a significant loss of integrity.
- Wear appropriate shoes.
Why? High heals in a grave yard might cause a twisted ankle, clogs indoors will cause clunking sounds and false positives on recordings.
- Bring and use only painters tape to secure items in place on furniture, wood, walls or carpets.
Why? This tape will not leave residue or damage the material it is attached to.
- Be respectful of the neighbors and keep noise to a minimum.
Why? It is often the case that paranormal investigators are looked at as odd or strange and represent views or reality that others are not comfortable with. So always try to represent yourself and your field the way you want outsiders to see and remember you. Also, realize that they and their children generally sleep at night.
- If damage occurs, report it immediately and make arrangements for rectifying the damage.
Why? Because it is respectful and good business practice.
- Document significant or possible paranormal activity with the time, witnesses who were present, activity or conversation just prior to the experience and where all team members where during the occurrence.
Why? This will help to rule out human err and/or false positives in your evidence.
- When something significant happens, try to recreate the experience.
Why? This will help determine how likely it is that the experience was paranormal in nature.
- Communicate with your team members what is expected from each individual, and what roll each member will play (ie. what tasks they will perform and what responsibilities they will have during the investigation).
Why? This will help prevent arguments and misunderstandings, and diminish the
questioning of the whereabouts of individuals at any given time.
- Be aware of how sound travels at the location.
Why? voices traveling through air ducts to the upper or lower floors could be mistaken for EVP.
- Have one “go to person” to report activity, personal experiences and other significant activity or experiences
Why? This allows for an impartial assessment and makes available unbiased validation which could lead to otherwise unrealized relationships regarding independent experiences as opposed to reports influenced by what others feel or see.
- When audio recording make note of things like passing cars, dog barks, yawning and burps of team members, etc…
Why? So that normal noises aren’t mistaken for EVP.
- When possible, do a preliminary interview with those who have claimed experiences.
Why? This allows your team to prepare, to know where the hot spots are, to know what to possible experience to expect when doing the investigation; giving your team a better chance to capture significant evidence
- Leave every investigation location the way you found it or better; ie. vacuum before leaving, replace moved furniture or items and straighten up.
Why? The better chance you have of making a good impression and earning a good word of mouth reference for future investigations
- When going to a location, do a little research on the location before doing the investigation. The more research the better informed and the better prepared you are to meet and discuss the situation with the owners/occupant.
Why? This will give you a better understanding of the location’s history and perhaps a clue to the possible causes of activity and how to approach the investigation supporting a better outcome
- Try to maintain as much control in the environment as possible (ie. turn off extraneous generators of noise; refrigerators, furnaces, cell phones, don’t eat a meal of beans or burritos prior to the investigation etc… If the dog barks when it is placed out of the way and in the back yard, it may be necessary to let him mingle with investigators in the house to cut down on the intrusive sounds he makes in the yard.
Why? in trying to experiment or collect data, one must approach it as scientifically as possible. Since you cannot control spirit energy or ghostly activity, you must control, as much as possible to obtain the best and most consistent level of evidence (the physical and environmental aspects as well as the human elements within your investigation are always in your control. Be assured this is not an easy task and one that takes a lot of practice.
- When taking photographs, always take at least two in a row of the same thing.
Why? if one shows an anomaly then you have another shot within a short timeframe to show change and have something to compare it to.