A few thoughts on the "Ghost Hunter"

Exploratory scientific investigator could perhaps be a more accurate title for how we view a true paranormal investigator.  We see using the equipment listed on GetGhostGear.com going something like this: Take readings in your investigation location, establish a normal baseline over an extended period of time, watch data for anomalies over another extended period of time, create testable theories around average and anomalous data that could support reported experiences, test those theories.  That's it folks.  There are specific theories already in existence that do require specialized equipment to test.  One such theory discussed in great detail on GetGhostGear.com is the MADS project.

 Preface

 Well folks we know you're probably searching for answers.  The best response we have for most inquiries for answers, are do the research yourself and thoroughly, then investigate extensively.  Draw your own conclusions based on the FACTS that you have found, then maybe base a theory off of that, which is most probable and logical being able to be backed up by your documented facts (as making claims and creating theories goes right along with having people look at your research and data, this is normal and good for us all usually).  We will hold off the pictures side by side comparison for now.  Unfortunately the majority of evidence that we find labeled as 'vortex's', 'portals' or 'ectoplasmic string' for example is in reality quite re-creatable using the common camera strap, blade of your local grassy weed or article of clothing. 

We receive a fair amount of questions from visitors looking for possible recommendations for further research on many subject matters.  Again our general guide line recommendations are to not take any ONE person or organizations recommendations.  That is a good way to end up short sighted on your endeavors in most anything in life.  Read and research often and alot. 

'Ghost' History

Learning about ghostly history encompassing an area as large as the world may be a complicated endeavor.  It is constantly opinionated, almost always vague and ever evolving.  The interpretation of ghosts typically changes along with the sociology of the region in question.  Similar analogies have been used in the UFO field as to what people might theorize are being seen in the skies, in some ancient times it was gods, later some saw it as angelic, in the late 1800s most Americans thought them to be flying machines the result of mans ingenuity for invention or for warfare.  In more recent times most UFOs are thought by the general public to be misidentifications of secret government craft, or alien life forms in advance technology.  So what does this have to do with ghosts?  In our experience it is grossly overlooked that ghosts have not been widely agreed upon in definition let alone a scientific piece of equipment that can detect them.  Just as it was a known "fact" for entire generations that those unidentified things in the sky were gods, as it is now continually mistaken that ghosts are real.  This is an assumption not founded in science. 

Typically this assumed reality is based upon subjective experiences that are not quantified, and most times not even qualified statements of belief.  Now we don't mean to be singling out any one belief system, but if you are here looking to objectively investigate claims of paranormal phenomena then we need to establish a similar starting point.  This starting point for us is in the reality that the existence of ghosts is only one out of many potential possibilities.  Even that attempt to establish a starting point brings into sharp focus the widely varying understandings of what a "ghost" is.  We started to discuss what a UFO has been to societies past, and "ghosts" are no different.  The belief is as varied as the people who form a thought about the idea.  Some have a concept that a "ghost" is now what a person used to be prior to dying.  Other still might consider a "ghost" to be an evil entity, more like a demon.  While a debunker could consider a "ghost" to be a arcane belief constructed to incorrectly explain observations made of our environment.  These are just a few of the many interpretations that the word "ghost" has. 

The most haunted place in America, such as New Orleans Louisiana, St. Augustine Florida, Salem Massachusetts, or any area through the original 13 colony region of the United States.  There are many "most" claims getting tossed about.  The reasoning may be obvious; an area such as that full of history would be perhaps a likely place for ghostly phenomena.  Perhaps, depending on what theories you subscribe to as to what a ghost may or may not be.  Moving away from the East we could mention the old ghost towns of the Western United States including the Winchester Mansion in California, Alcatraz ex-Prison in the bay of San Francisco or perhaps the battle fields of Gettysburg. 

Not looking at the history of the ghost's themselves necessarily here rather the history of ghost or paranormal investigators.  When speaking of this area of historic ghost investigators the first name for many is Harry Price.  Check out http://www.prairieghosts.com/harryprice.html for a great surmised timeline of Mr. Price and some of his more popular investigations documented on Troy Tailors web site. Mr. Taylor also puts on an interesting conference every year in great surroundings that most of the folks here at GetGhostGear.com Enterprises try to attend.  Watch for us and say hi if we're there! 

We aren't going to get into an opinionated battle here of who's who in the field today.  We'll keep it short and sweet, with the full knowledge that we can't mention everyone here.  With that in mind to date Mr. Loyd Auerbach who's web site can be found at http://www.mindreader.com has been in the field for some time and is one of the few around still practicing, in the 'lime light' and with actual collegic credentials as a parapsychologist before it was done away with [The only accredited Master’s degree program in parapsychology in the country (in fact, in the whole Western hemisphere) was at John F. Kennedy University until the late 1980s when it closed *right from Mr. Auerbach's site].  He is also an excellent speaker and if you get the opportunity we would recommend you take seeing him present.  Along the same lines of Harry Price and Mr. Loyd Auerbach is the 'American Society for Psychical Research, Inc.  There website can be found at http://www.aspr.com.  Check it out and learn more about the United States (international ties also) longest known running 'psychical' (paranormal) focused organization. 

So far MADS has had two published investigations using the technology in its new application.  For further reading we all would highly recommend Maurice Townsend's "Magnetic Hallucinations"   and Jason J. Braithwaite and Maurice Townsend published investigation of an English castle using the MADS system in the "European Journal of Parapsychology" Volume 20.1, pages 65-78 ISSN: 0168-7263, titled "Research Note: Sleeping With the Entity – A Quantitative Magnetic Investigation of an English Castle’s Reputedly ‘Haunted’ Bedroom."