by Ian ·
by Ian · Published July 31, 2008 · Last modified December 3, 2018
by Ian · Published January 9, 2009 · Last modified November 17, 2018
by Ian · Published October 28, 2007 · Last modified January 2, 2019
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Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
oooh i would love to know how too:). can’t wait for the tips:).
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
neither can i i would love to become one!!
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
http://www.ehow.com/how_2069549_become-paranormal-investigator.html try these
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Hi
How did i become a paranormal investigator?…..well it was a long hard slog!..to be honest!
your really need to know your beans this helps, there are a lot of paranormal wedsite that are doing investgations just like the one i join 3 years back.
I was a trainee for also two years before being aloud to become a full Investigator a lot of reading, foot and feild research tests ect….but not all paranormal site do this most just want that your love of the paranormal and intrest in the subject….have a look around the wed there are plenty on groups out there that are looking for investigators….if no luck…why not start up on your own you you dont need a Phd in paranormal studies to become a paranormal Investigator….just a deep and love and understanding of the paranormal,
Reading is the best way your need the right kit as well if anyone wants to know more on it please feel free to email anytime i would be happy to help email is Phil@ghostfinder.co.uk, or phil_2402@yahoo.com hope this has helped
phil
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
I’ve been doing it now fo rthe best part of 20 years. I started a long time ago by reading extensively on the subject (from the age of 16) with regards to investigating. I joined ASSAP around age 17 or 18 and then attended the neccessary training course to become an acredited investigator by age 19. Joining a national organistaion such as ASSAP is a good way to establish a framework of support you can turn to. Back when I started there was no internet, but of course it is easier to contact researchers for help now through it and keep upto date with the field.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
These are the suggestions from Jordans Link above:
1. Do your homework. Read everything you can on ghosts, poltergeists, UFO sightings and any other kind of paranormal activity. Study the investigations of these phenomena to get a sense of how paranormal investigators approach their work. Learn the lingo and the different types of paranormal activity that may be encountered in an investigation.
2. Join a local paranormal investigation group. Check out The Shadowlands website or the Ghostvillage website for information on groups in your area. If there are no groups in your area, consider attending a conference out of town or even starting your own group.
3. Take a class. Many organizations now offer courses in paranormal investigation. Flamel College and the International Ghost Hunters Society both offer courses you can complete from the comfort of your own home.
4. Invest in some equipment. At a minimum, a respectable paranormal investigator needs a camera, a notebook, a tape recording device and a flashlight. More experienced paranormal investigators invest in EMF detectors or meters which pick up disturbances in electric and magnetic fields.
5. Start investigating. Go to a site where paranormal activity has been witnessed or recorded and have some fun. Use the techniques you learned from your books or class and perform your own investigation. The best way to become a paranormal investigator is through real life experience.
Well if your going to do a course, make sure it is a good one and don’t buy an EMF meter.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Regards the link, I personally would be put off from joining groups and societies with names like ‘Shadow Lands’, ‘Ghost Village’, etc. It suggests that the investigation of a case is a foregone conclusion – ie, it’s probably all down to a ghost.
Surely the primary goal of the paranormal investigator is to look for normal causes for seemingly paranormal events.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Good point Neil. If your going to join a group, join the right one. There seem to be a lot of groups with names that seem to betray a bias toward "belief" and it makes you wonder how objective they are. Remember if your goingg to be devoting a lot of time to a subject, make sure your doing it right. I feel really sorry for people study orbs and crop circles.
On a seperate issue, Ian, are you on the ASSAP Executive Committee now?
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Yes Don, I am the Heritage Officer for ASSAP now.
It is a little unfair to judge a group based on their name, afterall, it was probably chosen to be rather catchy.
When it comes to choosing a group to become affiliated to I would have a serious think about what you want to get out of investigating and how you want to approach the subject first, then find like minded people you can work with. Look at their approach, results and conclusions.
You’lll come across people who are effectively thrill-seekers, constantly looking for another place they can go and spend a night. Looking for a scary experience rather than doing any serious investigating.
There are those who then investigate ghosts using a mix of pseudo-science (mediums, dowsing, oui ja boards, calling out, EVP etc) and try fishing for activity.
Personally I’d look for a group who investigate cases of reported activity using scientific methodology.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
HI
i would have to agree with Ian on this point thats why i join G.P.S.
We leave the thrill seekers and fright night stuff well alone….but being a none profit scoitiy our only income is form the few company that sponuers us my place of work being one. and the donation from our members.
As Ian said scientific means is the way you need togo we do a lot research in to a location before ever going head with any investigation even if is a well none location for being haunted debunking is the biggest part of any investigation.
With older locations your going to get far more sounds ect that can be easly mistaken for paranormal any first time investigator would now this…..well i hope anyway!
But in early Jan 2010 G.P.S did start a new company, called G.P.E. ghostfinder pararnormal expirance it as set up scientfic workshops in most of the most haunted locations in the uk allowing the public to better understand the paranormal this is in no way a fright night or thrill seeking event we are not trying in anyway to scary people we can leave that to fright night and haunted scare companys out there but this is a good way of making much needed cash for the socitiy New kit, the up keep of our wedsite, ect we still have a very full date book for the other private investigations.
phil
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
¥yes i think you are right on that one neil¥
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
I agree too. The excursions that aim to entertain and satisfy thrill seekers’ needs would be completely different to a scientific research. I think it is best to carry out a scientific research and document any findings. Try to offer and debunk any rational or logical explanations first before suggesting the possibility of paranormal activity. I also think that once the scientific investigation has been carried out it would be a super idea to invite psychics/mediums along to see whether they confirm the findings. Obviously you would not give them any indications of your findings prior to their visit. I think on this basis there would be enough proof to actually be able to say yes this place is haunted or vice versa. A lot of activity can be explained and i always look for the rational and sometimes ludicrous explanations before considering it to be paranormal. 🙂
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Hi Angel, welcome to the site. Psychic ability is unproven so I think it would be ethically and scientifically wrong to use them psychics in any aspect of an investigation. THis does not however mean that the psychics themselves cannot be investigated, by taking to a location.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Hi, thank you for the welcome and for the reply. Yes I understand what you are saying they are obviously working with completely techniques. Incidentally however, you say that psychic ability is unproven… how would you suggest it could be proven? What would satisfy you personally that it does in fact exist? And (i hope you don’t mind me asking you) but if you do believe in the paranormal and spirit activity why don’t you believe that the ability to connect with these spirits is possible? Just as a matter of interest 🙂
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
I think some psychics are just fakes, they have been proven to be. I also think truly that some are having genuine strange experiences but I don’t know what those are yet and that is coming from someone with a family with spiritualist connections. Are psychics having some kind of supernatural experience? I hope so, but I am very dubious that after over 100 years of spiritualist communication and scientific study, it still is not proven or accepted by the scientific community, therefore, there must be a problem somewhere. Now what if the voices being heard and images being seen are not spirit, but instead turn out to be some kind of mental illness and all the correct answers they provide are nothing more than chance or coincidence. Therefore I am not personally interested in information received from spirit, I am more interested in how they got the information. Was it pictures in their head, feelings, voices, a spirit guide, channeling or whatever, and what are the mechanisms behind them.
I have come across psychics that have gone into peoples homes and told them evil/angry spirits are there and they have to move house, or upset/worry the home owners enough to consider this. What if the haunting experiences they may have had could be explained away by bad plumbing, all of a sudden the psychic has made the situation much worse.
Paranormal investigations are not all grand castles, they are more often than not peoples homes and therefore ethically you have to be very sure and very careful about you do and introducing a total unknown such as pyschics into the mix is not a good idea and could cause undue distruption and create an unsettling situation. Yes I do know some can put peoples minds at ease, but telling someone there is a spirit in their house (a supernatural intelligent personality), when there is not proof that these exist yet cannot be good.
I do think psychics should take part in investigations, as they are no doubt very interested in the field, but I would like them to play the role of an investigator and anything they pick up should not be reported back to the client but perhaps kept to one side as part of a study of their ability.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
hi again, I think you make some very valid points here. However, when talking about scientific proof etc How can something that cannot be seen be measured!? Science is based on collating evidence that can be documented, analysed and compared ie physical useable evidence. Spirituality is just that, spiritual! you also say that after 100 years there still isn’t enough evidence to support it. I always go by the rule that if something answers more questions than it raises then it can’t really be wrong, just because it can’t be measured doesn’t not mean it is not real. I completely agree that there are many many fakes out there as there is in any profession. There are good doctors and bad doctors etc etc! A real psychic/clairvoyant would not tell someone to move out of their house because there is an evil spirit…if they come across a negative earthbound spirit a good one would help the spirit to move on and not create alarm to the families. I am not the kind of person that is easily convinced of anything even after my own experiences! However, on a very random visit to a clairvoyant i was utterly convinced because the information i was given could not have applied to just anybody! It was far too specific to me! and without any remote possibility of information being found etc it is not possible for her to have known these things without some kind of insight. I like the scientific investigative side because i also like to see solid proof of things but i do think that both, science and spiritual could compliment each other’s works. Separate investigations and compare notes afterwards!!
On the flip side of one of your other point… over the centuries when people have been committed for hearing voices, having visions and talking to people nobody else coud see, how do we know that they were not in fact insane but experiencing psychic episodes without realising it. If they are showing no other signs of ‘madness’ but voices and visions it is a very arguable and plausible possiblity (albeit hard to measure because some people are dangerous, this is very different). If they were suffering mental illness would they not improve with the medications and therapies they were receiving? It does beg the question. Don’t think for one minute that i am saying all institutionalised mentally ill patients are psychic because that is very far from what i am saying.
As you can probably tell, i am doing a lot of reading on both scientific and spiritual sides to the paranormal at the minute and completely believe in both of them. 🙂
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Hi Angel, there are some very questionable people out there claiming psychic ability and some very very nice genuine people who fully believe in what they are doing and have high moral standards and would not do any harm intentionally. But we must always be aware of the other type and nothing attracts strange people like the paranormal.
I think the healthiest way to approach psychic ability is to accept that we don’t know what it is and that it is a valid field to study. I have had experiences with psychics and I am happy that they are not all fakes, but I am not convinced of the whole package yet and that they are using some supernatural ability. But I do think studying it with a scientific methodolgy rather than a spiritual approach is the right way forward. If for no other reason, it will never be proven or accepted otherwise. Whatever it turns out to be.
By the way, I am not saying all psychics are mentally ill 🙂 But it does strike me a bit strange that if someone said "I am hearing voices in my head" we would think maybe there is a mental problem. If they said "I can hear spirit talking to me", we give them a TV show.
Whilst there are questions regarding their ability we cannot really use them as tools to investigate hauntings. We cannot explain an unknown by using a unknown. Ghosts and haunting like experiences may actually have absolutely nothing to do with spirits. The spiritualists may turn out to be right and they do talk to spirits, but that does not mean ghosts might not be something seperate and more mundane, such as hallucinations for instance. There seems be this notion that they are all interconnected and therefore seem to shore each other up, but maybe the best way forward is just totally seperating them and treating them as totally differant subjects.
I am glad your doing a lot of reading, it is the best advice I can give anyone, but always question what your reading. Also note that some of the spiritual books may contain a lot of pseudosciance.
What would I want as proof of survival of death and spirit communication? What about if the law was to accept the testimony of murder victims at the trial of their murders via a medium. If it ever gets that far then there should be enough evidence to support spirit communication.
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Hi,
You offer a very balanced argument here which is always a good thing. I am always open to discussion and can consider what is said and what you say makes complete sense. I agree that there is not enough evidence to fully ‘prove’ anything paranormal no matter which side you are looking at it from and i find this rather fascinating! With today’s technology and the vast amounts of mediums its extraordinary in itself that nothing can be seen as proof. There are photographs, voice recorders, readings etc etc etc and also very accurate accounts of events from mediums yet still it is not enough. I think its because there are still too many people that don’t understand it and people won’t accept what they don’t understand. I think its all a matter of taste and satisfaction, if it’s what interests you then its fine.
How weird would it be if medium’s testimonies at murder trials were valid eh! Wow that would be strange! Not sure i would go for that one myself, as you say there are many many frauds out there and this kind of thing could never be conclusive could it!!?
Thanks for your replies, its made interesting reading 🙂
Re: How Do I Become A Paranormal Investigator?
Likewise, it has been nice chatting Angel 🙂
I think if you can get excited about the research and enjoy what you are doing, you’ll probably find just as much enjoyment in finding a natural explanation as you would coming across something that is just too strange to explain…..yet.