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According to a poll conducted in 2005
by the Gallup Organization, the
following percentages of Americans
beleive in the following paranormal
activities.
•Extrasensory Perception (41%)
•Haunted Houses (37%)
•Ghosts (32%)
•Telepathy (31%)
•Clairvoyance (26%)
•Astrology (25%)
•Communication with the dead (21%)
•Reincarnation (20%)
•Channeling Spiritual Entities (9%)
by the Gallup Organization, the
following percentages of Americans
beleive in the following paranormal
activities.
•Extrasensory Perception (41%)
•Haunted Houses (37%)
•Ghosts (32%)
•Telepathy (31%)
•Clairvoyance (26%)
•Astrology (25%)
•Communication with the dead (21%)
•Reincarnation (20%)
•Channeling Spiritual Entities (9%)
All About Ghosts and Hauntings
Paranormal Investigations, a message from
Ghost Trapper:
At this time, our main interest is in anything
paranormal.
Our first step is screening a location, gathering
witness
statements, gathering personal experiences and
research as to what events occurred and history
of the place we are investigating, then, spending
time on location to observe, film and photograph
any occurrences, to include audio recording and
possible use of a EMF meter or and other
equipment to record or capture images at the
discretion of the team leader or
manager.
Ghost Trapper:
At this time, our main interest is in anything
paranormal.
Our first step is screening a location, gathering
witness
statements, gathering personal experiences and
research as to what events occurred and history
of the place we are investigating, then, spending
time on location to observe, film and photograph
any occurrences, to include audio recording and
possible use of a EMF meter or and other
equipment to record or capture images at the
discretion of the team leader or
manager.
A little Ghost Hunting history...
The Ghost Club, founded in London in 1862, is believed to
be the oldest paranormal research organization in
the world. Famous members of the club have included
Charles Dickens, Sir William Crookes, Sir William
Fletcher Barrett and Harry Price.
Early "ghost hunter" Harry Price in the mid 1880's, William
James, philosopher and founder of the American
Psychological Association suggested applying scientific
method to paranormal questions such as the
existence of ghosts or spirits. He found allies in England
such as Alfred Russel Wallace, Cambridge philosopher
Henry Sidgwick and his wife, Eleanor, Edmund Gurney, and
others to form the core of the Society for Psychical
Research to collect evidence concerning apparitions,
haunted houses, and similar phenomena. The
investigators gathered case studies, attended séances,
designed tests of claimants' veracity, and ran what
came to be known as the Census of Hallucinations, which
counted apparitions of persons who were said to
have made spectral appearances on the day they died.
Similar investigation into hauntings was undertaken by
Harry Price through London's National Laboratory of
Psychical Research during the 1920s, and later in the
1950s and 60s by German and American independent
researchers such as Hans Holzer and Ed and Lorraine
Warren. Other paranormal and parapsychological
investigators like Loyd Auerbach, Christopher Chacon and
William Roll were each independently conducting
field and laboratory investigations in the 1970s and 80s.
Ghost hunting among part-time hobbyists began to be
popular in the late 1970s with the founding of the
Chicago area Ghost Tracker’s Club, which became the
Ghost Research Society (GRS) in 1981.
Types of Hunters
Individuals engaged in ghost hunting and paranormal
investigation proclaim varying motives for their
activities.
Some ghost hunters consider themselves hobbyists whose
primary motivation is the excitement of the hunt
and the thrill of possibly experiencing something
supernatural. Many of these individuals enjoy spending
significant time pursuing their hobby.
Others consider themselves serious researchers who follow
what they feel are scientific protocols and share
documentation of their research with other groups in an
effort to discover proof that ghosts exist. They often
go about their pursuit in a prescribed manner in order to
seek evidence of paranormal activity at a given
location, or debunk "false positive" reports of hauntings.
Many established groups fall into this category.
Still others consider themselves to be providing a service,
and focus their investigation on offering comfort and
assistance to individuals who feel they are experiencing
unexplained or paranormal activity at a home or other
location. These investigators approach a location with the
goal of alleviating the fear and discomfort of the
occupants by listening to their experiences and providing
advice and reassurance.
Ghost hunting organizations say that most groups are a mix
of several differing outlooks and typically advertise their
services online but do not charge for investigations in
hopes of finding new and interesting places to explore.
Criticism
Ghost hunting is practiced by many paranormal
investigation groups whose members sometimes promote
their findings on the web as proof of hauntings. These
findings are generally challenged by skeptics as wishful
thinking, pareidolia or the product of scientifically unsound
practices and beliefs. Critics question ghost-
hunting's methodology, particularly its use of
instrumentation, as there is no scientifically-proven link
between the existence of ghosts and cold spots or
electromagnetic fields. According to skeptical investigator
Joe
Nickell, the typical ghost hunter is practicing psuedoscience.
There is also concern that members of ghost-hunting
groups may inflate their qualifications.
An offshoot of ghost hunting is the commercial ghost tour
conducted by a local guide or tour operator who is
often a member of a local ghost hunting or paranormal
investigation group. Since both tour operator and
'haunted' site owners share profits of such enterprises
(admissions typically range between $50 and $100
per person), some believe the 'haunted' claims are
exaggerated or fabricated in order to increase attendance.
The city of Savannah, GA is said to be the US city with the
most ghost tours having more than 31 as of 2003.
The Ghost Club, founded in London in 1862, is believed to
be the oldest paranormal research organization in
the world. Famous members of the club have included
Charles Dickens, Sir William Crookes, Sir William
Fletcher Barrett and Harry Price.
Early "ghost hunter" Harry Price in the mid 1880's, William
James, philosopher and founder of the American
Psychological Association suggested applying scientific
method to paranormal questions such as the
existence of ghosts or spirits. He found allies in England
such as Alfred Russel Wallace, Cambridge philosopher
Henry Sidgwick and his wife, Eleanor, Edmund Gurney, and
others to form the core of the Society for Psychical
Research to collect evidence concerning apparitions,
haunted houses, and similar phenomena. The
investigators gathered case studies, attended séances,
designed tests of claimants' veracity, and ran what
came to be known as the Census of Hallucinations, which
counted apparitions of persons who were said to
have made spectral appearances on the day they died.
Similar investigation into hauntings was undertaken by
Harry Price through London's National Laboratory of
Psychical Research during the 1920s, and later in the
1950s and 60s by German and American independent
researchers such as Hans Holzer and Ed and Lorraine
Warren. Other paranormal and parapsychological
investigators like Loyd Auerbach, Christopher Chacon and
William Roll were each independently conducting
field and laboratory investigations in the 1970s and 80s.
Ghost hunting among part-time hobbyists began to be
popular in the late 1970s with the founding of the
Chicago area Ghost Tracker’s Club, which became the
Ghost Research Society (GRS) in 1981.
Types of Hunters
Individuals engaged in ghost hunting and paranormal
investigation proclaim varying motives for their
activities.
Some ghost hunters consider themselves hobbyists whose
primary motivation is the excitement of the hunt
and the thrill of possibly experiencing something
supernatural. Many of these individuals enjoy spending
significant time pursuing their hobby.
Others consider themselves serious researchers who follow
what they feel are scientific protocols and share
documentation of their research with other groups in an
effort to discover proof that ghosts exist. They often
go about their pursuit in a prescribed manner in order to
seek evidence of paranormal activity at a given
location, or debunk "false positive" reports of hauntings.
Many established groups fall into this category.
Still others consider themselves to be providing a service,
and focus their investigation on offering comfort and
assistance to individuals who feel they are experiencing
unexplained or paranormal activity at a home or other
location. These investigators approach a location with the
goal of alleviating the fear and discomfort of the
occupants by listening to their experiences and providing
advice and reassurance.
Ghost hunting organizations say that most groups are a mix
of several differing outlooks and typically advertise their
services online but do not charge for investigations in
hopes of finding new and interesting places to explore.
Criticism
Ghost hunting is practiced by many paranormal
investigation groups whose members sometimes promote
their findings on the web as proof of hauntings. These
findings are generally challenged by skeptics as wishful
thinking, pareidolia or the product of scientifically unsound
practices and beliefs. Critics question ghost-
hunting's methodology, particularly its use of
instrumentation, as there is no scientifically-proven link
between the existence of ghosts and cold spots or
electromagnetic fields. According to skeptical investigator
Joe
Nickell, the typical ghost hunter is practicing psuedoscience.
There is also concern that members of ghost-hunting
groups may inflate their qualifications.
An offshoot of ghost hunting is the commercial ghost tour
conducted by a local guide or tour operator who is
often a member of a local ghost hunting or paranormal
investigation group. Since both tour operator and
'haunted' site owners share profits of such enterprises
(admissions typically range between $50 and $100
per person), some believe the 'haunted' claims are
exaggerated or fabricated in order to increase attendance.
The city of Savannah, GA is said to be the US city with the
most ghost tours having more than 31 as of 2003.
Learn more about Ghosts and Hauntings
Paranormal
Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe unusual
phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious
scientific explanation. In parapsychology, it is used to describe the
potentially psychic phenomena of telepathy,
extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis, ghosts, and hauntings. The
term is also applied to UFOs, some
creatures that fall under the scope of cryptozoology, purported
phenomena surrounding the Bermuda Triangle,
and other non-psychical subjects. Stories relating to paranormal
phenomena are widespread in popular culture
and folklore, but some organizations such as the United States
National Science Foundation have stated that
mainstream science does not support paranormal beliefs.
Ghost
A Ghost is said to be the apparition of a deceased person, frequently
similar in appearance to that person, and
usually encountered in places she or he frequented, or in
association with the person's former belongings. The
word "Ghost" may also refer to the spirit or soul of a deceased
person, or to any spirit or demon. Ghosts are
often associated with hauntings.
Haunted Locations
Haunted locations are sites of reported ghost activity. The reports of
these hauntings are often referred to as
ghostlore. Ghostlore is fueled by history and legends and is a part of
folklore. These accounts can be subjective
in nature and there is no commonly accepted objective evidence that
ghosts or similar phenomena exist.
Types of Hauntings
Traditionally, there are three basic types of hauntings: Intelligent,
Residual, and Poltergeist hauntings
Intelligent Hauntings
Aware of itself, and aware of the living. The entity remains in a
location for whatever reason, and continues to
dwell perhaps as it did in life. Sometimes the entity manifests itself
and even tries to communicate with
the living. These types of hauntings usually produce EVPs, often
resulting in EVPs that seem to be direct
responses to questions asked by the Investigators at the time of the
recording.
Residual Hauntings
Residual Hauntings are often reported in locations marked by
violence and tragedy. A Residual Haunt can
be thought of as a recording set on repeat. Manifestations can be
both visual and audible phenomena. A
Residual Haunt will often manifests at a particular location and time,
consistently repeating its actions
over and over. In this style of haunt, it is believed that the entity is
unaware of itself or its surroundings, it is
merely a form of energy that remains at the location, bound by its
circumstance of death.
Poltergeist Hauntings
Probably the most compelling type of haunt is Poltergeist activity.
Poltergeists are ghosts that make
noises or move objects through the air. Although rare, hundreds of
incidents have been reported around
the world. Poltergeists could be considered a type of intelligent
haunting, as the entity is physically
interacting with its environment, often quite violently, and is aware of
itself and the living. Objects are
moved and thrown, people are attacked, slapped, scratched, bitten,
or assaulted. It is believed that most
poltergeist activity centers not necessarily around a location, but
often around a person. Many reports have
been made of families fleeing their homes due to such hostile
activity, only to be confronted again with the
same activity in a new location. Poltergeists are more rare than the
typical intelligent or residual hauntings.
Some researchers believe Poltergeist activity tends to occur around
a single person called an agent or a
focus. Foci are often, but not limited to, pre-adolescent and teenage
children (most commonly female).
One hypothesis among parapsychologists is that the "poltergeist
effect" is a form of psychokinesis
generated by the agent themselves.
Another popular theory posits that poltergeists originate after a
person dies in a powerful rage at the time
of death. According to yet another opinion, ghosts and poltergeists
are "recordings" of powerful emotions.
According to this theory, sometimes during traumatic events such as
death, or other 'powerful emotions'
in general, a recording is believed to be "embedded" in a place or,
somehow, in the "fabric of time" itself.
One possible explanation is that during traumatic events, so much
energy is expelled that they take a
mind of their own.
However some poltergeists have had the ability to articulate
themselves and to have distinct
personalities, which suggests some sort of self-awareness and intent.
Paranormal
Paranormal is an umbrella term used to describe unusual
phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious
scientific explanation. In parapsychology, it is used to describe the
potentially psychic phenomena of telepathy,
extra-sensory perception, psychokinesis, ghosts, and hauntings. The
term is also applied to UFOs, some
creatures that fall under the scope of cryptozoology, purported
phenomena surrounding the Bermuda Triangle,
and other non-psychical subjects. Stories relating to paranormal
phenomena are widespread in popular culture
and folklore, but some organizations such as the United States
National Science Foundation have stated that
mainstream science does not support paranormal beliefs.
Ghost
A Ghost is said to be the apparition of a deceased person, frequently
similar in appearance to that person, and
usually encountered in places she or he frequented, or in
association with the person's former belongings. The
word "Ghost" may also refer to the spirit or soul of a deceased
person, or to any spirit or demon. Ghosts are
often associated with hauntings.
Haunted Locations
Haunted locations are sites of reported ghost activity. The reports of
these hauntings are often referred to as
ghostlore. Ghostlore is fueled by history and legends and is a part of
folklore. These accounts can be subjective
in nature and there is no commonly accepted objective evidence that
ghosts or similar phenomena exist.
Types of Hauntings
Traditionally, there are three basic types of hauntings: Intelligent,
Residual, and Poltergeist hauntings
Intelligent Hauntings
Aware of itself, and aware of the living. The entity remains in a
location for whatever reason, and continues to
dwell perhaps as it did in life. Sometimes the entity manifests itself
and even tries to communicate with
the living. These types of hauntings usually produce EVPs, often
resulting in EVPs that seem to be direct
responses to questions asked by the Investigators at the time of the
recording.
Residual Hauntings
Residual Hauntings are often reported in locations marked by
violence and tragedy. A Residual Haunt can
be thought of as a recording set on repeat. Manifestations can be
both visual and audible phenomena. A
Residual Haunt will often manifests at a particular location and time,
consistently repeating its actions
over and over. In this style of haunt, it is believed that the entity is
unaware of itself or its surroundings, it is
merely a form of energy that remains at the location, bound by its
circumstance of death.
Poltergeist Hauntings
Probably the most compelling type of haunt is Poltergeist activity.
Poltergeists are ghosts that make
noises or move objects through the air. Although rare, hundreds of
incidents have been reported around
the world. Poltergeists could be considered a type of intelligent
haunting, as the entity is physically
interacting with its environment, often quite violently, and is aware of
itself and the living. Objects are
moved and thrown, people are attacked, slapped, scratched, bitten,
or assaulted. It is believed that most
poltergeist activity centers not necessarily around a location, but
often around a person. Many reports have
been made of families fleeing their homes due to such hostile
activity, only to be confronted again with the
same activity in a new location. Poltergeists are more rare than the
typical intelligent or residual hauntings.
Some researchers believe Poltergeist activity tends to occur around
a single person called an agent or a
focus. Foci are often, but not limited to, pre-adolescent and teenage
children (most commonly female).
One hypothesis among parapsychologists is that the "poltergeist
effect" is a form of psychokinesis
generated by the agent themselves.
Another popular theory posits that poltergeists originate after a
person dies in a powerful rage at the time
of death. According to yet another opinion, ghosts and poltergeists
are "recordings" of powerful emotions.
According to this theory, sometimes during traumatic events such as
death, or other 'powerful emotions'
in general, a recording is believed to be "embedded" in a place or,
somehow, in the "fabric of time" itself.
One possible explanation is that during traumatic events, so much
energy is expelled that they take a
mind of their own.
However some poltergeists have had the ability to articulate
themselves and to have distinct
personalities, which suggests some sort of self-awareness and intent.
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