Ghost Hunting and Investigations

Blog posts on ghost hunting and investigations 

In 1985, SGHA was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in between was me. The idea of this group was to utilize these different viewpoints, skeptic and believer, to investigate haunted places from a perspective that could lead to an unbiased conclusion. The believers became the "ghost hunters" while the skeptics became the "investigators." From day one we have never believed that ghost hunting and investigation were the same things, so the different terms were used to differentiate between the two kinds of methodology. This was essential as each group approached the mystery differently and had different criteria. While I have participate in both elements of SGHA, I eventually found that I enjoyed the "investigator" side.
The goal of the investigators is to attempt to identify and/or replicate any natural or manmade causes of the reported phenomena, search for alternative explanations and to challenge the findings of the ghost hunters. This was the intellectual side of ghost hunting that was more fulfilling and interesting.
In the beginning, when it was just the five of us, everything ran well. Our friendship enabled us to communicate despite having different worldviews and objectives. However, when the group began taking on new members, several issues started to cause problems. To be quite honest, the issues were often on the side of the believers who thought that their perspectives on specific investigative issues were being prematurely dismissed by armchair skepticism. This was eventually solved through the addition of new by-laws or modifications to the group's operational procedures.  However, I was the acting President of the group, which meant that I had to represent both sides equally. The result is that most people identify me more as a ghost hunter, a believer, rather than a skeptical investigator who is still uncertain if the paranormal exists. Still the ghost hunting side is there and here are my blogs about it.

Sir Oliver Lodge (1878 – 1955) : Paranormal Investigators of the Past

Oliver Lodge was born in 1851 at Penkhull in what is now Stoke-on-Trent, and educated at Adams' Grammar School, Newport, Shropshire. He was the …

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Sir William Crookes (1832 – 1919): Paranormal Investigators of the Past

From 1850 to 1854 he filled the position of assistant in the college, and soon embarked upon original work, not in organic chemistry where the …

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Dr. Walter Franklin Prince, Ph.D. (1863 – 1934): Paranormal Investigators of the Past

Prince was a friend to Harry Houdini and Hereward Carrington and they all had exposed the tricks of fraudulent mediums, however, unlike Houdini both…

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How do you investigate a haunting? (Slides from Presentation)

The Southwest Ghost Hunter's Association (SGHA) was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in …

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The Ghost seen by Lord Brougham

I have always been interested in the older ghost investigations as they provide an interesting insight, especially when compared to ghost …

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The History of Ghost Hunting (Slides from a presentation)

Today I thought that I would share the slides that I used to show when presenting the history of ghost hunting. It covers the beginning and eventual…

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Harry Price, the first ghost hunter (video interview)

Harry Price was a British psychic researcher and author, in the early 1900s who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical …

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Re-Investigating Un-Haunted Houses

Eight couples who had never experienced any ‘haunting’ activity in their houses and had no reason to expect they would experience ‘ghosts’ were …

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Why Bob and I wrote the Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium

In the spring of 2020, the authors, Bob and Cody, started having conversations about updating their 2008 book "The Complete Ghost Hunter: Basic …

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The Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium is now available!

From the back cover; Written by a believer and a skeptic with over 30 years of experience, the Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium reveals …

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The three most important things a ghost hunter needs

In this video, Cody talks about the three most important things a ghost hunter must have.    

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Biggest Ghost Hunter FAIL! Repeating the mistakes of the past, Part 2

We are back with part two discussing this very important issue!

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Biggest Ghost Hunter FAIL! Repeating the mistakes of the past

The biggest mistake ghost hunters make is repeating the same mistakes made by those who came before them. If you cannot learn from your mistakes, …

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Why do ghost hunters investigate in the dark?

So why do ghost hunters investigate in the dark? Does it really make sense?

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The various ideas about residual hauntings

When it comes to "residual hauntings" there are many ideas out there. Starting in 1890, four different concepts of this idea have been put forth in …

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Ghost Stumpers (skeptical questions)

In this video I answer several questions that are often called "ghost stumpers".

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Advice for baby Ghost Hunters (Noobs)

Here is some practical advice for people who are new to ghost hunting.  

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What are Ghosts , Part 1

The majority of what people think ghosts are is actually based on superstition and folklore. There has been some serious scientific work done and …

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Test Your Might, Analysis of voices v.s. Signal to noise ratio

Signal to noise ratio is a major consideration when analyzing audio. Are you really hearing a voice or is it actually the lower frequencies of …

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Why your EVP "Evidence" is bogus and not the voice of a ghost

Anyone can turn on a audio recorder and ask questions into thin air. Anyone can listen to that recording and think they are getting responses from …

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The truth about ghost hunting. Sorting the posers from the investigators!

Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, …

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How tragic events can create alterations in a ghost story.

Sometimes realistic events can shape and change legends. A good example of this is the story of Rebecca Potter who, according to legend, haunts the …

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The “anecdotal evidence is invalid” argument.

The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. In cases where small numbers of anecdotes are presented, there is a larger …

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The name game. Ghost Hunter v.s. Paranormal Investigator

One of the most appalling things about the "field" of modern day ghost hunting (paranormal investigation/research) is the obvious disregard of its …

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How to analyze ghost videos using critical thinking in 5 easy steps

The ever-present video camera is creating a new form of “paranormal” news. Anytime anything even slightly strange occurs on a video surveillance …

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The Self and its source

So class, today I want you all to go read the following article. It's okay, I'll wait for you to get back. G'wan now, git! Don't come back till …

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Why it is easy to FAIL with Full Spectrum cameras.

As Inigo Montoya (of The Princess Bride, for you non-movie-geeks) might say, "Full Spectrum? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what …

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Battery Drainage Phenomena.....BULLSHIT!!!!

The concept of Battery Drain phenomena comes from  a belief that is based solely in anecdotal statements by investigators in  the paranormal …

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The 10 Biggest mistakes made by ghost hunters

1. You cannot use the paranormal to prove the paranormal. Simply put this is a circular argument that violates Scientific method and gives your …

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Scientific Method, Belief Systems and World View

The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for separating the truth from lies and delusion. The simple version looks something like this: …

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