If you are an investigator, I’m sure you have heard many people say something along the lines of “you are so brave, I don’t think I could do that” when they learn what you do as a hobby. My typical response is “not really, it’s all what you get used to” and really, it is. We tend to fear the unknown or the unfamiliar and for paranormal investigators, hanging out in dark, abandoned buildings becomes less “unknown” the more we do it. So if we aren’t afraid of the thing that goes bump in the night, what are we afraid of? Here are a few things that make us think twice about a situation. 

• Living people that don’t belong in the location: The living are ALWAYS much more concerning then the dead. Abandoned and deteriorating buildings sometimes attract people looking for a place to hide, camp out, explore, or rob. Encountering a living person in a place they should not be can be very concerning because surprising them can cause a violent confrontation. This is increasingly frightening when the person you encounter has been abusing drugs. 
• Animals: I’m not talking about cute little kittens but things like snakes, spiders, bats, raccoons, opossums, and so on. Many investigators have a fear of a specific type of creature and some of these creatures can be very dangerous. No one wants to get rabies while they are on an investigation. 
• Getting injured during the course of the investigation: There are MANY potential hazards investigators encounter when they go into an old, abandoned, and/or deteriorating building. While small injuries happen regularly, you never want something to happen that requires a visit to the hospital. 
• Falling asleep when driving home: Many locations are not conveniently located in your hometown so you are likely driving several hours to get to your haunted adventure. Then the investigation goes late into the morning hours and if you are lucky, you will get a couple hours of sleep before you have to pack up your equipment and drive back home. Caffeine can only do so much, so many of us find a variety of ways to stay awake during those long hours on the road. I’m a big fan of a loud radio and singing at the top of my lungs. 
• Not being able to access a bathroom when you REALLY need one: Shit happens, literally. Yes, we normally have a change of clothes with us when spending the night at a location but no one really wants to have an accident. Whether someone/something scares the pee out of you or the location only has one restroom and you can’t get to it in time, you don’t want to have to change your pants. Not only is it uncomfortable but most teammates will never let you forget about the time you got so scared you peed your pants. 
• Leaving behind an expensive piece of equipment: Most investigators carry large amounts of equipment ranging in price from twenty to over a thousand dollars per item. We typically pack up our equipment when we are short on sleep and not mentally at our best so forgetting something is a real possibility. This fear is multiplied exponentially the further away the location is from your home. 

Of course, there are a few things that new investigators are concerned with that fade with time and experience. 

• Bringing something home with them: When someone is new to investigating, they don’t always know the best way to close an investigation causing them to worry about taking home a hitchhiker. Learning basic practices of thanking anyone who resides at a location for their time and saying goodbye are effective in most situations. Many also like to do a small ritual before leaving such as sageing the team or telling the residents that they can not follow them home. In most situations, the residents of a location are happy to see you leave and don’t want to go with you because the location is their home. 
• Getting attacked/possessed by a spirit: Having done this for over a decade, I can tell you that this is REALLY uncommon. As long as you investigate a location with respect, your chances of having a bad encounter with something unseen are very low. Every good team will have a plan for dealing with a situation that gets out of hand so always make sure you are working with people you trust.  (Note: empaths/sensitives/mediums take additional precautions for this so they don’t have to fear this situation.)
• Encountering a demon: If demons are real, they are VERY rare but many newbies are worried about negative entities. For the most part, anything negative you encounter in a location is likely just someone who was a jerk in life. Learning how to deal with people with a variety of different personalities can help diminish this fear. 

Likely, there are a few other things that investigators fear (like that creeper thing at Waverly) but these are some of the most common. In all situations, being prepared for something to go wrong can help reduce the fear and stress associated with any potential problems. As for seeing a ghost, I think most of us would be more excited than scared after spending so much time sitting in the dark talking to ourselves. 

Until next time, Happy Hunting!