Dr. Mark Farley's Personal Blog

I was recently asked during a tour, “Can a place become haunted without anyone dying there?” I thought about this question for a while before I answered, and my answer was “Yes.” A place can definitely become haunted without anyone dying there.

However, I do think investigators unknowingly skew their evidence. For example, only showing photographs that depict phenomena proving a site is haunted. An investigator takes a hundred photos, and only one has something remarkable, and that’s the only evidence the investigator submits in their post-investigation report.

One of the reasons why this woman was so scared is that we are programmed from birth to fear anything paranormal.

Also, this approach of tearing down and trash-talking turns the concept of paranormal unity into a farce. If we can’t unite as a community, we will never be able to establish standard practices and procedures or sanction ourselves for wrongdoing.

Like most equipment used by paranormal investigators, it wasn’t originally designed for ghost hunting. It was designed for a whole other purpose, and the paranormal community adopted it for use in investigations.

You can tell a professional paranormal team from a thrill-seeking team by the amount of preparation they do before the investigation. The actual investigation is only the tip of the spear. Researching the site and interviewing witnesses is the basic foundation of any paranormal investigation. Because without research, how does your team know what they are investigating?

In my opinion, there are many different ways an investigator could engage in provoking. A good gauge during a spirit communication is to think about how you would like to be treated. In your normal day-to-day interactions with people, you want to be treated with courtesy and respect.

I am rather strict during the investigation because the last thing I want is a team full of thrill seekers. I want professionals; I want standards; and I want quality. If our field is going to be accepted as a legitimate field of study. These are the three traits I feel every team must strive for.

So, what should you do in the beginning? First, don’t go out and buy a lot of equipment. I know veteran investigators are against using cell phones, but really, they are the best tool to have. They already have a quality camera, and you can download a voice recorder app for EVP’s.