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So what comes to mind when you hear the term 'ghost hunter'? A guy in a gray jumpsuit with a proton accelerator strapped to his back? A medium in a dracula outfit carrying a crystal ball? Some doofus on the Scifi Channel taking pictures of bugs and dust that get caught in the camera flash and claiming they're ghosts? I thought I'd post here and dispell some of these misconceptions.
In a nutshell, the majority of ghost hunters are hardened scientifically-minded skeptics. The best example of a ghost hunter would be the famous illusionist Harry Houdini, who believed in the supernatural, but was a hardcore skeptic at the same time. Magic tricks and escape acts aside, he was also famous for debunking many hauntings and fraudulent mediums. Granted, he didn't have the high tech equipment we do nowadays, but the nature of his investigations remain the same.
While open to the idea that an intellegence can live on after the body dies, they, first and foremost, try to disprove a 'haunting' by trying to find natural reasons for any anomolies. This is usually done by examining the site of the haunting and ruling out any possible mundane causes, as well as trying to re-create the activity. For instance, any sort of 'bumps in the night' or moaning noises alot of the time is simply old or badly-installed plumbing. We also use A/C-calibrated EMF (electromagnetic field) detectors to rule out any sort of false readings caused by electrical devices or wiring.
Once that is done, and there's no conclusive evidence that the 'haunting' is actually caused by mundane occurances, the actual investigation occurs. Usually this involves, but is not limited to, sweeping the area with D/C calibrated EMF detectors, temperature readings, regular and/or infrared photography, and audio recording. After everything is recorded, we go back and sift through literally tons of photos, footage, audio tapes in search for any sort of unexplainable anomolies. Alot of times, photographs are sent to labs to make sure any anomoly is not caused by something as simple as a camera flash illuminating something, or reflections. Audio is usually screened for what is called EVP (electronic voice phenomena) by running it through various filters.
As for the definition of what a ghost is, a quote from the Southwest Ghost Hunters Association website puts it best:
| The honest answer here is that no one really knows. There has never been any absolute proof in the existence of survival beyond death or ghosts for that matter. This is the result of decades of ghost hunters that have refused to use scientific method. Instead they have often relied upon the use of psychics, medium and other questionable methods. You cannot use the paranormal to prove the paranormal. |
And that's quite true. There's many scientifically sound theories, but due to the questionable methods of what's known in ghost hunting circles as 'fluff bunnies' (AKA the psychics, the mediums, the people who think a photographic error is some sort of proof), the scientific community at large pretty much writes us off as superstitious weirdos. And it has been that way since the Victorian era.
So anyways, I hope this sheds a little more light on what it means to be a ghost hunter.
-Mutt
Creator of Perki Goth/Candi Raver
And My Private Little Hell | |
Posted by Mutt12
So what comes to mind when you hear the term 'ghost hunter'? A guy in a gray jumpsuit with a proton accelerator strapped to his back? |
Ok... Who is with me in saying that if this were possible, I'd totally leave my job and start ghostbusting? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?
"If the door's open, you might as well stick your head in."
-- Lil-trouble | |
Posted by Oherian
Ok... Who is with me in saying that if this were possible, I'd totally leave my job and start ghostbusting? Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?
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That was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. ^_^
-Mutt
Creator of Perki Goth/Candi Raver
And My Private Little Hell | |
lol I know ... so was my post, kind of. I would take up ghostbusting if such a thing existed.
"If the door's open, you might as well stick your head in."
-- Lil-trouble | |
Posted by Oherian
lol I know ... so was my post, kind of. I would take up ghostbusting if such a thing existed.
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Just don't cross the streams. ^_^
-Mutt
Creator of Perki Goth/Candi Raver
And My Private Little Hell |
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