For me, the ideal ghost hunting team is comprised of at least three specialists:

  • a technological expert adept at using investigative equipment and knowledgeable enough to detect false positives;
  • an intuitive/psychic/sensitive who can detect energies and pick up spirit communication; and
  • a historian, one who’s researched the site and can guide an investigation.

Reasons historians provide value to an investigation

  • They know what’s relevant to ask during electronic voice phenomena sessions in a way to engage the spirits.
  •  A historian validates information other group members receive, whether it’s gleaned from equipment results or a psychic message. Their role fleshes out incomplete information or provides insight when details don’t jibe with the historical record. Depending on your team, the historian may not want to share their research with the psychic member beforehand as it can cloud the sensitive’s ability to detect information without compromising the message’s integrity.

Let me share an example of how history can transform an investigation from interesting to wow! During the Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series Ghost Hunt Field Trip at Buckland Station (see my post, Frontier Outpost Buckland Station brims with spirits), a team member loaded the Ghost Radar app on her cell. In an upstairs room, the phone displayed the following words: “burn,” “child” and “frightened.”

What could that mean? It could encompass everything from a kid burning their finger to witnessing a range-land fire. Personally, I didn’t have much confidence in the $1 app and was skeptical it meant anything. Despite this, I asked the ranger if a child had been burned upstairs. He revealed that Mr. Buckland’s son had severely burned himself in an upstairs bedroom and later died from his injuries.

History validated the equipment results, adding dimension and context to the situation.

Next week read what six questions should be answered before investigating a site.  Live near Northern Nevada? The Nevada Ghost and Paranormal Series, which starts Saturday, offers an array of history and ghost hunting courses.