"Ghost Hunting" is not a Fade or a Game

amoonwolfe wrote: May I suggest that rather than the term "ghost hunting," something such as Paranormal Experiential Interaction is a more accurate term. The term hunting denotes an adversarial relationship and that is NOT what we are trying to promote. The posts in this thread seem to lean toward a concensus that we are striving toward a respectful interaction with spirits. When I investigate, I use the concept that everyone has a story to tell and my purpose is to facilitate the telling of that story.

I agree, the term "Ghost Hunting" sounds like an safari for ghosts lol.

Kindness is the the way to approach people and ghosts were people

May I suggest that rather than the term "ghost hunting," something such as Paranormal Experiential Interaction is a more accurate term. The term hunting denotes an adversarial relationship and that is NOT what we are trying to promote. The posts in this thread seem to lean toward a concensus that we are striving toward a respectful interaction with spirits. When I investigate, I use the concept that everyone has a story to tell and my purpose is to facilitate the telling of that story.

I think that Wes is correct when he says that some will come across as stating what they say is fact; when in fact it is only an opinion, which is all any of us have.

Knowledge comes by personal experience more than anything. The kit shown at the beginning is provided by people who want you to get excited about the hunt, then they'll provide you the means for satisfying that excitement for, you guessed it; cha ching!

The parnormal TV shows are no better. They are not the compass or the reality to follow when venturing out into this field. You're much better learning from someone, like mentioned above, who does this kind of thing for free and has no ego when wanting to tell you what they've learned. There are no paranormal experts. All of us, no matter how long we've been doing this, are students. By educating others, we help to produce other students of learning who will also help others to do the same.

Wes_Forsythe: I agree, that is why forums like this are so refreshing. People that have had personal experiences are able to express themselves without being judged. There is no tangible proof but how can so many experience what they do without some credence.

Yes, it is similar. The animals are always there. Nothing is different when the hunter goes into the woods. Ghosts and other odd paranormal entities are also always there. They are in peoples homes. They are in tourist attractions. Ignoring them does not change anything does it?

And we should also take note that lots of people have been investigating the paranormal for years and have not encountered anything nasty. Heck, I know of some guys that have been doing this much longer than I have and they still aren't convinced it isn't just a lot of misinterpretted natural phenomena.

We can't even provide conclusive proof that ghosts exist or if they do exist exactly what they are. Either the study of the field has merit or it doesn't.

What scares me is that the hunter can become the hunted.
The man who hunts animals at times has found that the animal backtracks and is now hunting the hunter.
Hunters of ghosts are visible, tangible, and hey are vulnerable. The ghost has the upper hand for it can see what we do not, it can hear what we can’t and it can perform feats we can‘t.

First, I for one am not offended by any of the terminology I guess because I am old school...A ghost hunt was a visit to a location to collect data and personal experiences to see if an actual in-depth paranormal investigation was warranted. We used film back then so we didn't want to waste it (still or video) on an empty room.

Now as to "newbies". Television has obviously made "ghost hunting" a respectable past time. While I recognize it has it's VERY serious side, it is still a hobby for most of us by definition. I don't make money for it. It is not a sport. What is left?

The biggest problem I see is that so few people that get into it know where to find reliable information to educate theirselves. Sites like this can help, but like all it is sometimes plagued by people offering beliefs and opinions as fact. That is NOT a slam to this site. It is simply a result of the medium.

While I agree that we need to talk about the seriousness and dangers involved, other sites will insist that we need to spend our time educating about proper equipment use and its flaws and limitations. Some sites pretty much look down on you if you are not "gifted" with psychic powers and think gadgets are a waste of time. Some sites will say your "gifts" are a figment of an overactive imagination and any expexperience that cannot be measured and documented is moot. Since there is no consensus on much of anything in this field, the most we can hope for is that newcomers to the field will THINK for them selves and do the necessary RESEARCH to exapnd their understanding of both the tools and methods.

Call me an optimist but I think some Ghost Adventures fan from today is going to take physics in college, pursue their interest and make advances in this field that we cannot imagine today. Of course we have the option to hurry and talk them out getting involved because they don't know what they are doing.

I don't even like to call it ghost hunting, for some reason it kinda offends me, I like to refer to it as paranormal investigating because each time we conduct an investigation we are not out to hunt ghosts, in our group we are out to uncover the truth of the situation at hand...we never know what it is exactly that we are dealing with, it could all be made up, it could be a demon, a spirit, or even an angel, we don't know. So we use science and and technology to come up with a supported conclusion on what we personally think it is that we are dealing with, we secretly hope its ghosts but we just never know

LOL, I’m in Ft. Lauderdale
The term newbie (newcomer literally) indicates an inexperienced person in a certain context that shows the intention to improve.

"Ghost Hunting" isn't my term, it is what is used often on TV and the web so I used it for it's simplicity, sorry



IMO, If someone wants to become an investigator or wants to get involved in the paranormal, they should go with a team that has years of experience and is fully aware of the dangers out there and how to conduct themselves professionally and, most of all, safely.
Before signing up for one of the thousands of tours check out who is conducting it and if they are in it for the money or professional in the field.

What you call "Ghost Hunting" in that definition, I simply term as Paranormal Tourism. But that may be because I'm from a tourist state. (Florida)

I just want to be careful of using such terms as "Newbies" or devaluating the role of those just starting out. I just don't want to get into a situation where we divide into groups of those who have done this for years, and those who are not welcome. That I want to avoid, again because we all started out sometime. Also, one reason this site is here is to unite, not to divide. So although you're correct that training and caution is so very important, the very next step is to then provide that and be available to help.

As for spirits, human nature is human nature in life as well as beyond. You'll find good as well as bad, and as you said yourself those with intentions that are not so good will not come out and tell you "Stay away from me, I'm going to hurt you", but rather they will come as whatever it takes to gain your trust.

I think a great way to think of it is just as we teach our kids. Those new to paranormal investigation should approach it with the same restraint that we teach our kids. "Stranger Danger" just jumps to mind.

There are many who are hungry to learn, and rather than simply saying "Stay away", which we all know they probably won't do (few of us do, because of the draw to knowing the unknown), the best response is to educate openly.