On an investigation, one of the most important things a person can do is track information. Track information? Sounds like work, and a kill joy. The reason I bring this up, is that if the thousands upon thousands of paranormal groups out there tracked their data from each investigation and had a common place to upload it to, then someone out there would be able to make use of that data, thus possibly leading to new equipment that is better tuned for ghost hunting.

You don’t need to track everything; just some key vital bits of information. When a noticeable temperature drop takes place, record how much the temperature dropped from the norm, and record where it stopped. (Its always a good idea to try and rule out as much environmental factors as possible when it comes to temperature, ie: leaky windows, vents etc etc) Big temperature fluctuations are a very key point of data that needs to be tracked, many common theories suggest a cold spot is a spirit trying to manifest. And then there is a few who say a hot spot is a spirit manifesting, burning off its energy to do so.

Another item that should be tracked is weather. Popular theories suggest that threatening weather, stormy weather, or very dry conditions can cause ionization in the atmosphere, wich leads to more environmental energy that spirits can use to manifest with.

Another is the Moon. What time did it rise? What phase was it in? A few theories point to full moons being a night when spirits are more active.

Time. Date and time of anything you do should be tracked. When you start an EVP session, record the time, date and investigators present when conducting one. Also make sure you note on the recorder anytime someone that’s present makes a noise during the evp session (any type of noise, from a slight movement, to a sniffle, to outright talking by an investigator, as these can easily be mistaken for spirits on a recorder) if you have the gear, it may not be a bad idea to have a camcorder record the evp session as well, just make sure your investigators are in view of the camera.

Any type of unexplained phenomena should be recorded as well, from knocks to unexplained sounds. Record the date and time these items happen and possibly the temperature.

If you are a large enough group and you send in two or more groups into the haunt your investigating on the same night, make sure each group has a person designated to collect the data. It helps tremendously when trying to piece together events of the night.

EMF/ELF information should be tracked as well, when you have a session of high EMF activity that cant be explained keep track of it, and the time. You can simply do this with a digital recorder, and audibly track the emf info by voicing it aloud.

When listening back to your evps, and using software (such as Audacity), you can have it show you the spectral form of the recording. In spectral format, it gives you a ruler where you can make note of its Hz frequency range. This is important as spirits are often thought to only speak in certain Hz ranges. Audacity also allows you to view it in Waveform (dB) dB is the decibel range of the recording, and this may also be a key factor.

Also, at the start of the investigation it helps to keep a log of what gear is being used. This is mainly more for the group, as it helps keep track of items, so you don’t leave any behind.

If we keep to a common protocol for tracking and recording data, and sharing it with other groups, we can decipher this information and use it to our gain. It can help lead to better equipment, and better our chances of catching a place when its most active.

It also isn’t a bad idea, that If you have some timeframe between making an appointment with a haunted spot, and actually investigating that spot, to have the people keep an event diary. Any notepad would do. They could use it to make note of any unexplained event, the time and date, and temp when it happened. This is something they can do long after the investigation as well, as it should give them more insight around the happenings they are experiencing.

Written by Jennifer

When people hear the term ghost they often think of what they see in movies. That is either a giant green glob of slime, some wispy, billowing human-like figure, or even someone covered with a plain white sheet. What many people don’t realize is that paranormal investigators like to classify (or try to at least) each and every ghost that is reported or encountered. Not only do they classify them, but most paranormal investigators believe that each different type of spectre has a specific reason for looking and acting the way it does.

So how many different classifications are there you ask? Well at a minimum we believe that there are 5 main types of apparitions, with some variations among those types. These types are: Ghosts (Intelligent & Residual), Shadow People, Demons, Poltergeists and Non-Human Entities.

Ghosts both intelligent and residual, are probably the most common type of apparition we run across. Ghosts are usually the disembodied spirits of those who have passed on before us. Sometimes these ghosts are considered intelligent in that they can interact with the living and often respond to things that the living has done. An example is asking questions during an EVP session and on playback you get a direct response. Residual ghosts are more difficult to explain and understand. We look at residual ghosts as a playback of a past event, often times that of an emotionally charged event be it happy or traumatic. An example of a residual ghost is when you see the ghost at the same time of day, or when you see the ghost it doesn’t deviate from it’s path, or acknowledge your presence. While an intelligent ghost is the actual spirit of a once living person, a residual ghost is not.

Shadow people are more complex, and not as well understood as ghosts and other types of apparitions. Shadow people are usually described as being in the vague shape of a human, completely black or dark in color, with no discernable facial features. There are two main trains of thought among the paranormal community regarding shadow people. One is that they are simply ghosts that do not have enough energy to take a more detailed form, and the other is that shadow people are not ghosts at all but their own type of apparition, such as an egregore . The notion of an egregore has been around since biblical times and is best described as “group thought” which eventually takes on a mind of its own. Another hallmark of shadow people is that they are usually seen out of the corner of the eye for very brief periods.

Demons are probably the easiest to describe and cause the most misunderstandings. A lot of people mistakenly assume that all types of paranormal activity is evil in nature and caused by demons. This could not be further from the truth. Demonic hauntings make up a very, very small percentage of all reported paranormal activity. NUPS has only had one possibly demonic haunting case out of all of the investigations we have performed.

Poltergeists are interesting in that their effects are seen without actually seeing the poltergeist itself. I’ve listed the poltergeist as a type of ghost, even though poltergeists are invisible and are believed by some to be caused by subconscious psychokinesis, often times by adolescents, especially females.

Finally we have the non-human entity. When NUPS refers to a non-human entity we are referring to the ghosts of animals. There are many instances where people have experienced seeing the ghost of their dead cat, or dog.

While all of these different manifestations can be referred to as “ghosts” it makes it easier to understand what you’re up against if you can get a good idea of what type of “ghost” you’re experiencing.