Post by ۞Quaalude™۞ on Oct 29, 2007 1:54:42 GMT -5
Does your house have ghosts?
* Story Highlights
All The Rage on The Quaalude Board .
(This Old House) -- Troy Taylor is the author of more than 40 books on all things paranormal -- most notably haunted houses. He's also the founder of the American Ghost Society, a network of ghost hunters who collect stories of sightings and hauntings, then use investigative techniques and equipment to track down evidence of the supernatural.
(This Old House) -- Troy Taylor is the author of more than 40 books on all things paranormal -- most notably haunted houses. He's also the founder of the American Ghost Society, a network of ghost hunters who collect stories of sightings and hauntings, then use investigative techniques and equipment to track down evidence of the supernatural.
Here he explains how you can find the right ghost buster to rid your old house of its specters and spirits.
In my line of work, I often deal with people who have (or claim to have) ghosts in their houses. Inevitably, most of them ask me what they should do about it. Should they move out? Should they talk to the specters, or just ignore them?
But the most common question I get is whether or not they should contact a ghost hunter to come to their houses and investigate.
First let me say that over the years I have been involved in ghost research, the vast majority of the cases I've investigated have had perfectly natural explanations. That is not to say that some haven't puzzled me, or left me feeling the house in question was indeed haunted. This Old House: Haunted houses
Even if you're house is not haunted, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that it is, thinking every bump and creak you hear is something ghostly. And it's not long before your family picks up on your fears, and begins hearing the "unexplainable" sounds and seeing the resident "ghost." This Old House: Fix creaky stairs
As witness to a series of what could be considered ghostly events, you must first determine whether or not those events are natural or supernatural. In order to do this, try to relax and be a good observer. Even if you're scared by what you've seen or heard, it's important that you first give the occurrences some rational thought. Are those "phantom footsteps" you heard simply the house settling, or the floorboards creaking? Was that "cold chill" merely a draft? Was that "ghost" you saw out of the corner of your eye nothing more than a trick of the light? This Old House: Detecting drafts
Who you gonna call?
Once you've ruled out natural causes, you have a choice of what to do next. You can either learn to live with the novelty of a ghost in your house, or get in touch with a legitimate ghost researcher to help you understand what's going on. This is not as easy as it sounds, as there are hundreds of them out there, with a varying degree of credibility. To get you started, here is some information that will help you choose the right one for the job.
Check out the investigator's Web sites and use them to determine whether or not they are the kind of people you would be comfortable having in your home. Remember, that site is their method of advertising. If it's questionable, the ghost hunters are likely to be as well. After all, anyone can launch a Web site, but the quality of the material on it speaks volumes about who's behind it.
Avoid ghost hunters who dabble in magic, the occult, or offer "magical cleansings" of homes. None of these things should be part of a legitimate investigation. If there is any mention of them on the Web site, move on.
Legitimate ghost hunters will not charge for their services. If you are asked to pay for an investigation, look for something else. Only services that produce concrete, tangible results are worthy of payment, and paranormal research is too unpredictable for that. That said, if the ghost researcher is expected to travel (especially overnight) to reach your home, you should offer reimbursement for his or her expenses.
Check qualifications
Have to be able to Dance Naked in The Full Moon! QC
edition.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/homestyle/10/26/toh.got.ghosts/index.html
* Story Highlights
All The Rage on The Quaalude Board .
(This Old House) -- Troy Taylor is the author of more than 40 books on all things paranormal -- most notably haunted houses. He's also the founder of the American Ghost Society, a network of ghost hunters who collect stories of sightings and hauntings, then use investigative techniques and equipment to track down evidence of the supernatural.
(This Old House) -- Troy Taylor is the author of more than 40 books on all things paranormal -- most notably haunted houses. He's also the founder of the American Ghost Society, a network of ghost hunters who collect stories of sightings and hauntings, then use investigative techniques and equipment to track down evidence of the supernatural.
Here he explains how you can find the right ghost buster to rid your old house of its specters and spirits.
In my line of work, I often deal with people who have (or claim to have) ghosts in their houses. Inevitably, most of them ask me what they should do about it. Should they move out? Should they talk to the specters, or just ignore them?
But the most common question I get is whether or not they should contact a ghost hunter to come to their houses and investigate.
First let me say that over the years I have been involved in ghost research, the vast majority of the cases I've investigated have had perfectly natural explanations. That is not to say that some haven't puzzled me, or left me feeling the house in question was indeed haunted. This Old House: Haunted houses
Even if you're house is not haunted, it's easy to get caught up in the idea that it is, thinking every bump and creak you hear is something ghostly. And it's not long before your family picks up on your fears, and begins hearing the "unexplainable" sounds and seeing the resident "ghost." This Old House: Fix creaky stairs
As witness to a series of what could be considered ghostly events, you must first determine whether or not those events are natural or supernatural. In order to do this, try to relax and be a good observer. Even if you're scared by what you've seen or heard, it's important that you first give the occurrences some rational thought. Are those "phantom footsteps" you heard simply the house settling, or the floorboards creaking? Was that "cold chill" merely a draft? Was that "ghost" you saw out of the corner of your eye nothing more than a trick of the light? This Old House: Detecting drafts
Who you gonna call?
Once you've ruled out natural causes, you have a choice of what to do next. You can either learn to live with the novelty of a ghost in your house, or get in touch with a legitimate ghost researcher to help you understand what's going on. This is not as easy as it sounds, as there are hundreds of them out there, with a varying degree of credibility. To get you started, here is some information that will help you choose the right one for the job.
Check out the investigator's Web sites and use them to determine whether or not they are the kind of people you would be comfortable having in your home. Remember, that site is their method of advertising. If it's questionable, the ghost hunters are likely to be as well. After all, anyone can launch a Web site, but the quality of the material on it speaks volumes about who's behind it.
Avoid ghost hunters who dabble in magic, the occult, or offer "magical cleansings" of homes. None of these things should be part of a legitimate investigation. If there is any mention of them on the Web site, move on.
Legitimate ghost hunters will not charge for their services. If you are asked to pay for an investigation, look for something else. Only services that produce concrete, tangible results are worthy of payment, and paranormal research is too unpredictable for that. That said, if the ghost researcher is expected to travel (especially overnight) to reach your home, you should offer reimbursement for his or her expenses.
Check qualifications
Have to be able to Dance Naked in The Full Moon! QC
edition.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/homestyle/10/26/toh.got.ghosts/index.html