Top 5 Myths About Ghost Hunting

Ghost hunting can be a fun and intriguing experience that blends spirituality with science to create an interesting investigation. Seasoned ghost hunters quickly learn all the tricks of the trade, including knowing how to stay safe and what to do and not to do to in order to ensure good quality results. However, with all the conflicting messages the media gives you, an impending investigation could seem a little daunting to the novice ghost hunter, perhaps even scary. Here are the top five myths presently circulating about ghost hunting at this time--debunked.

5.) You must already possess a pinch of psychic prowess if you hope to capture anything worthwhile. Although I'm quite sure that people who have some degree of psychic ability may have a better chance of actually communicating with a spirit, there is no evidence to suggest that psychics capture more EVPs (electronic voice phenomenon) on tape or apparitions on film than anyone else.

4.) You can only go ghost hunting after dark. I'm terrified of the dark, and I don't like things jumping out at me. I absolutely refuse to stay in a cemetery after sunset, and I've never been on a lights-out lockdown a la "Ghost Adventures". It is thought that 3:00am is the witching hour, because it mocks the Holy Trinity, and therefore is the best time to go on a hunt, yet I have never done so and I've still gotten terrific footage.

3.) You need expensive, top-of-the-line equipment if you expect to catch anything good. This is completely untrue. As I discussed in Ghost Hunting for Beginners, my mother and I have been using a $40 Olympus digital recorder and a $200 Sony digital camera for well over five years. As long as the equipment isn't faulty or prone to malfunctioning, you should be able to pick up any anomalies in the area just as good as if you had a $1600 Nikon.

2.) Ghost hunting is dangerous -- the ghosts might follow you home! 99.9% of ghosts are completely harmless. Typically speaking, ghosts are haunting a location, not a person, and certainly not YOU specifically. They are also usually quite territorial, either bound to a certain location because they choose to remain at a place that had special significance to them when they were alive or because their energy is trapped in the place where the tragedy that caused their passing occurred. If an object is haunted, however, then yes, the spirit attached to the item will go wherever it goes. But entering a cemetery, snapping a few pictures and then leaving is harmless. You are merely observing, and the ghosts know that. However, it doesn't hurt to say a prayer of safety as you are getting ready to leave, or even ask the spirits directly that they remain where they are and do not follow you home.

1.) If you can't see it, it isn't there. A lot of ghost hunting relies on feeling and instinct. You will rarely (if ever) see a full body apparition or hear a spirit voice with your ears in real time. It isn't until after you get home and carefully review your footage that you may realize you've captured something paranormal or unexplainable. Don't leave a location just because you aren't getting high EMF readings or orbs right away. You may be walking away from something amazing that is just around the corner!