paranormal investigator tips - The Spooky Stuff by Alex Matsuo

This may be the weirdest thing to say as a paranormal investigator. But, not all places need to be investigated. Some places are sacred and should just stay that way.

During my interview with Vanessa Hogle for The Spooky Stuff podcast, talking about her newest book Ghosts Abroad Ireland, she made several excellent points. A few of those points inspired this week’s blog. Vanessa and I were talking about traveling around the world and getting outside of our own box. We also discussed when it’s time to investigate, and when to step aside.

Know When to Investigate, Know When to Remember

I know this idea could be applied to every haunted location. It seems the older a place is, the more “okay” it is to investigate. Even in the United States, we have locations that paranormal investigators avoid. For example, the Freedom Tower in New York City and the location of the Twin Towers. Same deal for the location of the Oklahoma City Bombing. The list goes on. Given that these events happened in the past 30 years, it’s still fresh in the hearts and minds of most of us.

And yet, it seems time may eventually make investigating these locations okay. Or, if the event wasn’t something that affected us personally or something we didn’t experience, then it’s fair game.

Not every haunted location warrants an investigation. Vanessa made a strong statement about this with the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Ireland. This was a place that needed to be remembered, not investigated. If you don’t know the history of this place, you can check out an article here with the backstory.

Think about it, in most traditional paranormal investigations, we say something to the effect of, “Prove to us that you’re here by knocking on the wall.” This isn’t the place for that. We know these children existed. We know they lost their lives. It’s disrespectful of us to even challenge their existence. Some places should just be acknowledged and remembered for what they were. If it doesn’t feel right investigating a location, then it probably isn’t right and should be avoided. Also, consider how someone closely connected to that event may feel if you investigated that location.

Expanding Our Horizons

I think we all know by now that there are no two hauntings that are identical. So why do we approach paranormal investigations the same way no matter where we go? It seems that we tend to look at historical locations and think the same thing; they’re must be ghosts. Not only that, but it seems we put these ghosts in a box and we expect them to act and respond in a certain way.

Do these spirits respond as expected? Sure. But we can take it even further. We can expand our horizons and focus more on the individuality of each spirit. Take into account where the spirit is from culturally, and hone in on their context.

Regionally Different Hauntings

Vanessa mentioned that hauntings are different around the world. No two countries will have the exact same type of circumstances. Of course, every country has had its share of war, famine, trauma, etc. But each country’s context is going to be different. Paranormal activity is regional. The way spirits act in Ireland will be completely different than how a spirit acts in England.

This makes sense because, well, let’s just look at the living. We all act differently around the world and that’s heavily influenced by our culture. A person from Ireland will act completely different from someone who is from France. Of course, we all have awareness of these differences in the living and we’ll make adjustments from there. It’s the same for spirits.

Spirits will act differently not only based on where they’re from but also based on their time period. This is why I appreciate and highly recommend John Sabol’s Ghost Excavation method. He takes this concept and goes even further with it by completely diving into the context of spirit.

Understanding Their Circumstances

I truly believe (and recommend) that every paranormal investigator takes a class on cross-cultural anthropology. Not only will this help us better understand the people around us, but it will help with historical context. We don’t want to look at other people’s cultures only through our own eyes. Instead, we want to see their culture through their eyes. There’s a major difference between being a spectator and being a participant.

Finally, empathy comes into play here. I don’t think a paranormal investigator is truly a successful paranormal investigator unless they are empathetic. Having the ability to share and understand the feelings of someone else is an invaluable skill to have. You can still be balanced as an investigator, even if you’re more scientifically minded. Empathy could be the key to truly unlocking the mysteries of the supernatural.

As paranormal investigators and researchers, we should always be looking to improve ourselves. It’s far too easy to remain stagnant in this field and get set in our ways because we find something that works and is consistent. That’s fantastic when that happens, but sometimes it can stunt our growth. Eventually, stunted growth festers and it becomes a problem. But, fear not!

This is a wonderfully diverse community with so much to offer. Here are ten ways to improve your paranormal investigation skills.

1. Believe in Abundance

There is a lot of competition in the paranormal community, but you don’t have to play that game. There is enough room for everyone in the paranormal. There’s plenty of room for everyone to do something significant in the field and have success. Believing in abundance means that you don’t feel jealous when someone is winning. You believe in collaboration over competition. Also, you don’t waste time comparing yourself to everyone else. Not only does it waste time, but it also shifts your focus and it depletes you of precious energy. Embrace what makes you unique. There is no one else like you. You bring something different to the table because you are different. Embrace that!

2. Never Stop Learning

I firmly believe that paranormal investigators should never stop learning. In the age of online learning, if there is anything you want to know, there’s likely an online class for it. I firmly believe that all paranormal investigators should take a basic photography and videography class so that they can understand how the camera catches light. I also believe in taking classes that can improve your investigation and research skills like genealogy, basic psychology, and more.

If you can’t afford a class or taking classes aren’t your best learning method, then look for other resources like panels, discussion groups, listening to podcasts, library books, watching documentaries, the list goes on. There are a multitude of ways to learn from each other in this field that won’t cost a dime. Take advantage of free resources when you can.

3. Think Critically

Critical thinking is a crucial skill if you want to improve as a paranormal investigator. Rarely should you look at a piece of data, a theory, and immediately think, “Okay, that’s legit.” It means you become an active learner rather than a passive sponge of information. You should look at information and figure out possible explanations, question sources, ask questions and see if the sources you have framed the entire picture. If you want to give this a go, click here for an amazing resource on critical thinking.

4. Be Coachable & Open to Feedback

Technically, paranormal people are already doing this, but they’re not liking the results. Really, anytime someone posts a photo or video of evidence, they are putting it out there for peer review. People can analyze and criticize it. They can also give feedback. If someone is a photographer and they debunk your photo, you should take into consideration what they say. If someone asks about conditions surrounding the evidence (setting, temperature, etc.), be ready to provide that information. Most importantly, if you don’t understand, ask questions. I’ve seen many people who, after not understanding peer review feedback, reject any and all ideas and just conclude, “It’s paranormal.”

5. Learn How the Tech Works

Any tech that you use, you should know how it works. What makes it go off? How was it made? What exactly is your tech detecting? This is beyond cameras. You should know what makes your REM-Pod go off. Definitely try to understand how your audio recorder captures sound. It’s possible to understand tech at a high level without diving too deep into the technical aspect of it.

6. Talk to Skeptics & Believers

As a self-proclaimed skeptical believer, talking to the opposite ends of the spectrum has been monumental to my growth as a paranormal investigator. I find that skeptics keep me on my towns and help me make sure that my evidence collection is clean and ethical. Talking to believers helps me understand why people believe what they believe, and how their experiences shape them. All of this better equips me in the field not only in practice but also helping me in how I communicate my ideas on a public forum.

7. Try New Approaches

There are more than a few ways to investigate the paranormal. Research different methods of ghost hunting, like John Sabol’s Ghost Excavation Method. If you don’t like sitting in the dark asking questions, you don’t have to keep doing that. There are hundreds of ways to investigate the paranormal. I lean more towards John Sabol’s method because it gives me an opportunity to dive deeper into the context of the ghosts, and I get to dress up a bit and really take on a character!

8. Try Something Different

As folks get settled into their role as a paranormal investigator, we tend to gravitate more towards what’s comfortable for us. If you want to improve your paranormal investigation skills, try something you’ve been hesitant to dive into. Perhaps you’re normally setting up tech, try historical research. Or, if you’re doing historical research, try setting up tech, or location scouting. There are so many roles within the paranormal, and becoming a well-rounded investigator will make you much more valuable in the field. Plus, you’ll become more self-sufficient.

9. Study Different Personalities

I’m the last person to put labels on people, because I despise them. This isn’t labeling people. I highly recommend studying the personalities of different people in the paranormal community. What are their likes? Dislikes? What upsets them? What brings them joy? I think this is a critical thing to do in the paranormal community so that we can better understand and interact with each other. In turn, this translates into paranormal investigating. Why? Well, ghosts and spirits are people too, and they may have a similar personality to someone you know in real life.

10. Show Your Data to Experts

While there may be not “experts” in the paranormal, there are experts in photography, sound, and videography. If you know me well, you may already know where I’m going with this. If you’re looking for feedback on your photo of orbs, don’t show it to other paranormal people if they don’t have a background in photography. They know the ins and outs of how that technology works. Show your data to them. I guarantee they will be able to tell you what’s going on in your evidence using logical explanations that are backed up by the science of these devices.

Tag: paranormal investigator tips

Why We Don’t Need to Investigate EVERY Haunted Location