The Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association (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 … Read moreHow do you investigate a haunting? (Slides from 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 pitfalls that were formed as the field (parapsychology) was overtaken by the hobby.
A investigative standard for ghost investigations developed from the historical contributions of the early psychical researchers. This video explains the relevant history and how the standard is used.
In this video, Cody talks about the three most important things a ghost hunter must have.
We are back with part two discussing this very important issue!
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, you are doomed to repeat them. Such is the way of the paranormal community.
So why do ghost hunters investigate in the dark? Does it really make sense?
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 an attempt to explain ghosts.
In this video I answer several questions that are often called “ghost stumpers”.
Here is some practical advice for people who are new to ghost hunting.
The majority of what people think ghosts are is actually based on superstition and folklore. There has been some serious scientific work done and what was discovered is the topic of this video. The studies are; 1894 The SPR’s Census of Hallucinations 1948 D.J West’s Mass Observation Survey 1974 McCreeley & Green 1990’s D.J. West’s … Read moreWhat are Ghosts , Part 1
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 another sound that resembles a voice? One simple way to see how SNR affects audio is to play around with it in the software you are using for analysis and … Read moreTest Your Might, Analysis of voices v.s. Signal to noise ratio
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 ghosts and spirits. Driven by their belief in ghostly phenomenon, they are quite capable of making something mysterious out of completely explainable audio samples. The main problem here is … Read moreWhy your EVP “Evidence” is bogus and not the voice of a ghost
Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, knowledge, and experience. However, personal fulfillment is the aim. Almost no one can make a living at stamp collecting, but many people find it enjoyable; so it is commonly regarded as a hobby. While … Read moreThe truth about ghost hunting. Sorting the posers from the investigators!
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 Lodge at Cloudcroft. As one researches the various ghost stories about Rebecca, you stumble across sudden changes in the myth as the story is told through the decades. The earliest … Read moreHow tragic events can create alterations in a ghost story.
The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. In cases where small numbers of anecdotes are presented, there is a larger chance that they may be unreliable due to cherry-picked or otherwise non-representative samples of typical cases. Anecdotal evidence is considered dubious support of a generalized claim; it is, however, within the scope of scientific method for claims regarding particular instances. Anecdotal evidence is … Read moreThe “anecdotal evidence is invalid” argument.
The founders of the Southwest Ghost Hunter’s Association answer the question “What were the most challenging things you had to deal with to keep a team together for 30 years?”
This tutorial covers techniques for image analysis that are helpful in determining whether or not a photo has been edited / tampered in any way. Analysis of EXIF files and image quantization tables are covered. Both techniques will also work for images manipulated with “ghost photo” apps.
One of the most appalling things about the “field” of modern day ghost hunting (paranormal investigation/research) is the obvious disregard of its history and the obtained knowledge, pro and con, that was learned. This becomes painfully evident with the simple definition of the word “ghost hunter”. Here are a few quotes concerning the definition of … Read moreThe name game. Ghost Hunter v.s. Paranormal Investigator
The ever-present video camera is creating a new form of “paranormal” news. Anytime anything even slightly strange occurs on a video surveillance camera someone is likely to cry “ghost.” The local news media will swarm all over it and before you can say “WTF” they have chosen the most sensational nonsense to air. The video … Read moreHow to analyze ghost videos using critical thinking in 5 easy steps