7 replies to this topic

[LanceM]

I may be doing my first residential investigation at my girlfriends house soon and was hoping to get some advice. So far i have what they know of the history of the location, their experiences in the house, and as far as equipment goes i plan on bringing pen and paper, 35mm camera, and possibly an audio tape recorder. Also supposedly if they talk about the ghost then sometimes it makes small scratches on them when they are sleeping. is this anything that i should really be concerned about or is it something that is somewhat common? any advice on what other equipment i should bring or anything else would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

[CaveRat2]

You start investigations of physical marks from a skeptical point of view. Assume (at first) that the scratches are done by the people themselves. Especially if they happen while sleeping. Document the location and position of the scratches to test this possibility. Are the marks in a place where they could be self inflicted? For instance, marks on the arms could be easily done by the person; if they were in the middle of the back not so likely.

Next step would be to run low light video recordings while they slept. If the marks appeared overnight, review the tape to determine when or how they might have appeared. In other words it's a matter of ruling out mundane causes before jumping to a paranormal one. You just need to build on your investigation step by step until you arrive at the truth. Explore all evidence as you acquire it.

As for equipment, that is hard to say until you actually begin your investigation. I would concentrate on visual though since the marks appear to be the most significant form of evidence in this case. Your presence there may be the trigger which causes a response, so you will need to be ready to document whatever response may be present.

[bbabin5]

Sounds like you may think you have a poltergeist ghost. I would use video recorder in the hot spots if there are any. Are any objects being moved? If so run video. Definitely try evp work. Good luck and let me know your results

[Corey]

First of all, go into the investigation with the attitude that the place ISN'T haunted. Keep an open mind. Think of it like going to a horror movie or a haunted house on Halloween. You'll have it in your mind that your going to be scared, or your going to jump when something happens. That kind of thing is really no use when investigating the paranormal.
If anything happens, try thinking of a non-paranormal explanation first.
Document everything. And I mean everything. Keep your tape recorder handy at all times. Explain everything that you are doing. Where you are, what your doing, who's nearby, whether you are sitting or standing, etc etc.
If other people will be investigating with you, dont ask "Did you see that?" or "Did you hear that?"
Write down what happens and have them do the same, and then later on compare notes. That's some pretty good validation.
I'm a big fan of unattended equipment. Leave a tape recorder going in a room with supposed activity. Same with a video camera if you have one. By being left unattended, you eliminate the possibility of contamination.
Don't go into it thinking that you just HAVE to find something. Things don't happen all the time. Nobody will fault you if you come away with nothing. I've been fishing for over 30 years, and there's been times when Ive caught nothing, doesn't make me a bad fisherman, sometimes the fish just aren't biting.
Have fun, and try to learn at least one thing. Learn what to do next time, and learn what NOT to do.
Each investigation can help you become a better investigator. If that's the case, you will never come away with nothing.

[duncan36]

The most overlooked observation in hauntings is the action of the light in a given space IMO. If you take a photograph/video of a place and the light seems to be absorbed by the empty space and the space has an exagerrated darkness to it. Those places are usually, but not always, haunted.

[Tanner_TVP]

My first word of advice is don't do investigations for girlfriends. You might be to close to the people involved to conduct a thorough and systematic investigation. If you can find a local team to come in, it would be better. If you do decide to investigate bring a video recorder. You can't say something happened and offer it as proof if it is not recorded. Don't put too much interest into the eye witness accounts they are usually off, if not completely fabricated. I'm not saying that they are lying they might actually believe it but the power of suggestion is a powerful thing.

Also, if you do the investigation, look into what kind of soil the house is sitting on. It can cause sinking or movement depending on the soil, which might account for the "scratching" sounds. I'm not triing to make you mad, but I do think it is a bad idea to investigate of someone you are involved with.

[Haunting Research]

My advice is not to go in with any attitude toward the location. You don't want to believe it is haunted and you don't go in thinking that it isn't. You collect the evidence and allow it to speak for itself.

You are using the right equipment though, the 35mm and tape recorder are the best you can use so keep up the good work there!

Remember, it is difficult investigating for someone that you are close to like a girlfriend but not impossible. You just have to remember that even though she is your girlfriend, you have to remain neutral throughout the investigation.

Good luck.

[RodoBabbins]

How did the investigation go, did you record any evidence during it. I would have to agree since the client is your girlfriend keep your judgements seperate during the entire process on this case. When a investigation comes in usually the best thing is to keep the other people you may bring along in the dark so to speak (except for safety and other harmfull things) in preconceived notions that someone may have will only taint the evidence.