Become a Ghost Hunter with these 7 Tips

An early promo shot of Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson in Ghost Hunters.

“How do I become a ghost hunter?” I didn’t wake up one morning and declare that I would be the next Zak Bagans. For that matter, I’m probably the opposite of Zak in nearly every way, when it comes to investigative style and personality. I didn’t know ghost hunting was a thing until one day as a teenager, I saw an ad for a new show Ghost Hunters. I remember waiting excitedly for weeks as I saw the ads on SciFi, long before it became SyFy. After that first episode, I was hooked. I bought every book on ghost hunting, watched every show, and consumed all content related to the Paranormal much to my parent’s chagrin. However, once I was an adult it wasn’t easy. I lived in an area at the time where creating a team was a challenge. Today, I’m part of a professional team that investigates homes and businesses in the Mid-Atlantic. Here are some tips and tricks I picked up along the way.

Don't do anything illegal.

1. Don’t Break the Law: This seems like common sense, but as someone condensing a Voltaire quote once said, “Common sense ain’t common.” While Urban Explorers flirt with the law, trespassing can carry serious penalties, depending on state and locality. Worse yet, you could make international news like these guys.
   

2. Get a Recorder: I highly recommend all beginner ghost hunters to buy a recorder. However if strapped for cash, using your phone can work as well. The recorder behind the flashlight is the second most essential tool for a ghost hunter. Most of our evidence tends to be Electronic Voice Phenomena or (EVP) for short. The fancy cameras and gadgets can wait. 
   

Public Historic Sites are a great opportunity to practice EVP sessions.

3. Visit Historic Sites in the Daytime: You need to build your experience with the paranormal, but how do you do that without breaking the law (See #1)? Go visit your local historic sites, break out your recorder, and start asking questions. My first actual ghost hunting experiences were going out to local battlefields and asking spirits questions. Battlefields were great for me because I could go to a secluded location where I did not look like a crazy woman talking to myself. Just a crazy woman talking to spirits. 

4. Do your Research: While ghost hunting shows are exciting to watch, they don’t show the tedious nature of sitting in a room for hours asking questions trying to get an entity to respond. Then comes the hours of listening to yourself questioning spirits for hours! Check out ghost hunting books, blogs, and social media. You’ll find quickly that there are many interpretations on how to hunt for ghosts, and many opinions on the spirit realm as well!

A public ghost hunt is a great opportunity to learn skills.

5. Join a Public Ghost Hunt: By this time, you have had experience doing EVP sessions, and you’ve done your research. So now what? Go on a Public Ghost Hunt. It’s one thing to do EVP sessions at night, but many find they are not cut out for paranormal investigations when they are in a pitch-black, cold room. Famous haunted places often host Public Ghost Hunts. On a “Public” as we say for short, you can expect to be grouped with other people (unless you bring a group of friends with you), and there tends to be a group leader. You are usually assigned a zone of the building or location, and you spend a couple of hours at each zone. They range in time from 3 to 4 hours, or in some cases a 6 pm to 6 am investigation. Make sure you bring plenty of caffeine for your first time! Haunted Rooms is a great site to find an investigation near you. 

6. Find a Team: This is easier said than done. During the time I lived in South Carolina, there were not many paranormal teams, and the ones that did exist were not taking extra members. It was not until I moved to Northern Virginia, and realized that there happened to be a group near me. They were open to members, and the rest is history! Ghosthunterteams.com is a great site to check for teams in your state. Meetup and Facebook groups are also great resources. 

If you can't find a team, consider creating a team.

7. Create your own Team: There are no rules against creating your own team, and if you live in a remote area, that may be your only option. The positive of creating and recruiting your own team is that you can pick and cultivate individuals you mesh well with. You can also set the goals of what you hope your team will accomplish. 

These are just a few tips on breaking into ghost hunting. There are many paths to becoming one, but these tips should help mainstream the process! Happy Hunting!