Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of different investigators with different reasons for pursuing the paranormal. Most of them fall under the category of “ghost hunter” primarily because they are more interested in what happens in the moment and less interested in deeper research. I really have nothing against this as I need these people to be able to afford to visit a lot of locations. Some of these people also have an attitude of “been there, done that” and don’t always like to visit the same location multiple times. This is really where you will see the difference between a paranormal investigator and a ghost hunter. 

So why do paranormal investigators like to return to the same location multiple times? For me, it’s about long term data collection and familiarity with a location. Repeated visits to a location allow you to really understand how the building reacts to different weather patterns, sounds that occur naturally within the space, the regular environmental shifts, and even the sounds of the neighborhood surrounding the building. More time devoted to a specific location also means more time to learn the history and discover things you didn’t know during your first visit. New information will present itself every time you visit a location, so your case file builds over time. This can be essential to fully understanding the phenomena occurring within that location. 

Another perk to repeat investigations is the large collection of audio and video data you will have available. I can honestly say that I learn more from watching 48 hours of video than I often do during the actual investigation. Throughout the review process, I am making notes and thinking about future experiments. I think about patterns that I didn’t notice on site and how these patterns may play into anomalous events. These observations require follow-up and further scrutiny. 

Many investigators will say that repeat visits are also useful for the “spirits” to get to know you. If we are indeed dealing with conscious entities that reside within a location, then this could be possible. As in most situations, it’s easier to communicate with someone you know than a stranger. You are more likely to tell a friend something personal than a random person who just broke into your house and set up camp in your kitchen. The repeat investigator will be more familiar with the people who once resided within the location, have more knowledge about how to interact within the space, and will likely be able to improve communication attempts over time. Think of it as relationship building and needing to get comfortable with a new person. 

While I understand that this process isn’t exciting for everyone, I actually find evidence review and longer term research far more satisfying then adventure ghost hunting. I have a desire to understand what is going on in a “paranormal” situation and learn how best to elicit anomalous phenomena. I want to understand how this phenomena occurs and how this impacts our understanding of our place in the world. There are so many large questions that still need answers and my curiosity drives me to dig deeper and learn as much as possible. 

For anyone who truly wants to  devote themselves to a greater understanding of the unknown, you must be willing to commit the time and effort to one location. Yes, you can have 100 experiences from a variety of places and that is fun, but I believe it is better to have a smaller number of deeply researched experiences than many that are fleeting. Of course, that is just my opinion and your mileage may vary. 

Until next time, Happy Researching!