There are several important things to consider before joining a ghost hunting group or team.
Don’t assume that you know the group’s policies, beliefs and practices, just because you know someone in the group or you’ve been to a few of their investigations.
These are some of the points to ask about.
- Locations
- Spiritual context of the group
- Investigation and meeting schedules
- Membership requirements
Let’s talk about a few of those.
Locations
What kinds of haunted sites interest you the most? Do you like (or hate) cemeteries? Private residences? Well-known haunted places? ‘New’ haunted locations that no one else has investigated?
Ask what the group prefers to investigate. Also ask if there are any kinds of sites that the group definitely will not visit, and why.
Spiritual context
A few groups are open about their spirituality. All of the members might belong to one church, or one religion.
However, I continue to hear stories of people who thought a group was inclusive when they joined. Then, they realized that every investigation starts with the team holding hands and saying a very church-specific prayer or following a particular ritual.
If all of the members are passionate about one belief system or view, you need to know this before you join. If your beliefs, practices and attitudes are the same (or at least compatible) with the group, that’s great.
If not, look for another group to join.
Schedule
Find out when the team usually schedules investigations and meetings, and whether that will work for your schedule and routines.
For example, do they usually do research at night or during the day? Do they meet on weeknights or weekends?
How long are meetings? How long are most investigations?
Does the group keep a strict schedule? If you value punctuality but the group is more casual — or even consistently late — it may be difficult to leave the group without sounding critical.
If you prefer to keep your own schedule, will it be a problem if you arrive early and stay late, or vice versa?
Requirements
Ask what’s expected of group or team members.
For example, are you required to attend all non-investigation meetings? How many investigations must you participate in, and how often?
Is there a training requirement? Who is teaching and what are their qualifications? Must all team members follow the training advice exactly, or are you free to use what works best for you?
Ask about money. Dues to cover the group’s website hosting (if it’s not supported by advertising or a sponsor) is reasonable. Also, if your team carries liability insurance — a good idea if you’re hosting paid events or doing private investigations — the team may need to share that expense.
However, you should get everything in writing before you join. And, if you have any questions, ask to see the bills or receipts for group expenses. (Some groups show everyone their bookkeeping records during a monthly or quarterly meeting.)
Personalities
An assertive or even boisterous ghost hunter may seem impressive first, but after a few ghost hunts their constant comments can become annoying. This is one of many reasons to go on several ghost hunts with a group before agreeing to join.
These are the most common issues, but there can be others. Some ghost hunters think it’s okay to have a beer or two before an investigation. Others smoke at the site. Some bring their small, fussy children when they can’t find a babysitter. Some ghost hunters don’t hesitate to bring along skeptical or giggling date.
So, before committing to regular membership in a ghost hunting group, it’s wise to spend time with them. See what their interests and standards are.
- [Also, be watchful for scams and con artists. They're a tiny minority, but you should know what to look for. See our supplementary report: Scams and Con Artists.]
What happens if you don’t find the kind of team that you want to join? In that case, consider starting your own group.
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This article is from the fourth lesson in my free ‘Introduction to Ghost Hunting’ course. You can read (and listen to) the entire course online, starting at the Introduction to Ghost Hunting welcome page.
On that page, you can also sign up to receive the lesson notices weekly by email. As a registered student, you’ll also receive a Certificate of Completion after the concluding lesson. And… it’s all free!
22 Responses to Before You Join a Ghost Hunting Group
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Really, I am tiered while askin the same question with different paranormal researchers. But i could not get any answer for it. – - – - -
My burning question is that – Since 5 years i am seeing always, any where at any time day or night, a particular
type of pattern multiple configuration of black and white ORBS. It appears in the shape of a face of a human with two extended hands. One bright orb within orb. – - – - –
Please note that it is visible to my eyes only. It’s photo can’t be taken nor could be shown the same to any body else.
Please communicate your valuable findings about the orbs.
The configuration of orbs may have some significance or message for you. I recommend drawing or painting what you’re seeing. Then, show it to people who are familiar with spiritual and paranormal manifestations. Someone may recognize what it is, and be able to explain its meaning to you. I would start with people who share your spiritual beliefs, as this imagery may be based there. My personal ‘gut feeling’ suggests that you’re being offered something good, and perhaps an indication of a path that you can follow to benefit all. However, that’s merely a guess and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
Sketch, paint, or otherwise create the image as best you can, and show it to people close to you who may recognize what it is. That’s the best starting point.
In a very old hotel, a former “Convento” in Spain quite a few years ago I saw a pair of disembodied womens hands appear for a couple of seconds in broad daylight in the hotel room. They moved around a metre or so with no obvious purpose and then moved extremely quickly out of the open second story window disappearing in the process. That night , little flashes of light like tiny lightning flashes kept appearing one after the other on different parts of the ceiling and the top of the walls. The curtains were drawn and the lights were not coming from any obvious source. It was disconcerting but not frightening. I kept note of the hotel and the room number and a couple of years later I wrote to the hotel to say what I had seen. I received a return letter written in quite poor English stating that the hotel had quite often had visitors complain of flashing lights in the room and they had looked into it and had the lights changed a few times which hadn’t made any difference. They had had no other reports of seeing disembodied hands in the room. I suspect this was a ghost. Do you think it’s likely I’m correct?
Hello Daisy,
The lights could be ghosts, they could be faeries, or they could be something normal-but-odd. It’d certainly be an interesting hotel to visit for an investigation.
The disembodied hands sound very strange. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered ghostly body parts like that. Oh, we often see apparitions that are just a head & upper body, and the rest of the body seems to fade out gradually. However, just hands… that’s sounds very creepy and unusual.
The part of the story that sounds particularly odd is that the hands left through a window. Usually apparitions fade in and out, or they go through a wall. They hardly ever use windows. In fact, windows seem to be barriers; we have many stories of a ghost looking through a window, but never going through it.
The open window makes me wonder… is there any way someone could have been playing a prank?
Sincerely,
Fiona
This is my second query. In the past I have seen 2 things which seem to fit with your description of residual hauntings. One was at a lake where I saw the image of a woman appearing to drown in the lake in about 4 or 6 looped freeze frames. The second one I think is more interesting. As I was riding my bike home at about 10pm one night when I was living in a small town in the Australian desert, I saw a dog I had never seen before which seemed to be coming toward me. As I’m a bit scared of strange dogs I got off my bike to put the bike between me and the dog in case it wanted to bite me. As I walked up to it I saw that it was 4 or 5 slightly transparent looped freeze frames so that the dog was moving backward and forward in a stilted way and moving it’s head up and down. There was no sign of the dog being emotionally aroused in anyway. How does this fit with residual hauntings being related to highly emotional events?
Hello again, Daisy,
You’re describing what sound like residual energy hauntings.
We don’t know much about animal ghosts. Oh, there are plenty of documented stories, and I’ve seen a “ghost fish,” as well as the ghostly cat at Lizzie Borden’s house. Neither of them looked especially traumatized or even interested in the surroundings.
However, we don’t know what to look for that indicates why an animal would haunt, and if it follows the same general guidelines as what we look for with other ghosts.
Those are some great encounters, and it sounds like you are very adept at seeing ghostly phenomena.
Cheerfully,
Fiona
Thank you very much Fiona for your prompt response. Sorry to harrass you with questions but it’s nice to talk with someone who knows something about these things. I have never intentionally looked for paranormal things but seem to have come across them anyway. I have a theory that we may all see these sorts of things occasionally but most people either dismiss it or forget about it immediately because it doesn’t make logical sense and can’t be incorporated into way we currently understand the world. Regarding the hands in Spain, I’ve thought about what you wrote to me. It’s possible the hands did not go out the window. I saw the hands move around for a couple of seconds under the vanity mirror and then I saw extremely fast movement heading in the direction of the open window which was in front of where I stood hanging clothes in the wardrobe. The movement was too fast for me to be able to see the shape of what was moving – just a sort of blurred stripe of sudden movement. I had assumed the fast motion would have to have continued it’s trajectory which would have taken it straight out the window. But maybe if it could move that unnaturally fast, it could stop that unnaturally fast? My mother was with me in the hotel room or Parador. Unfortunately she didn’t see the hands. We were both troubled by the little tennis ball sized lightening moving around the ceiling and walls during the night. Possibly not because there was any creepy feeling, but because we couldn’t establish any logical source.
Hello Daisy,
Regarding the hands: This is very unusual, and it’s something that can only be analyzed by a person who sees the phenomenon. It sounds very, very odd.
Though some spirits can move quickly and then stop quickly, it’s usually just that they move quickly. When it’s time to stop… it’s like the spirit didn’t think that far ahead. The good news is, they can usually go through walls, windows, and other solid objects.
It sounds like a fascinating experience. However, since I wasn’t there and haven’t witnessed anything like it, I have no idea what it was.
Sincerely,
Fiona Broome
About the dog, could it be possible it is a memory which is not the dogs? The dog appeared to be approaching something or someone which was not visible, lowering it’s head as it moved forward then raising it as the freeze frames moved in reverse. Could it be a memory belonging to the person the dog looked like it might have been approaching? If that were the case, when I stopped and looked at the dog I would have been standing just inches away from where the person would have been which might explain why I didn’t see the person? Though it didn’t look like a cared for pet dog. More like one of the semi-wild dingo x “camp dogs” that co-habitate with people on the Aboriginal communities in the area. One day I’ll go back to the spot and see if I can see it again – and take someone with me.
When I saw the image replay of the woman in trouble in the water it was late at night and I had a friend with me sitting on a park bench overlooking the lake. We both saw the silvery stilted freeze frames on the water….. the woman’s head appears, a raised arm appears next to the head, the arm is now at another angle, the arm disappears, the head disappears, the head reappears………over and over. My friend said “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” and I just said “Yep”. We watched for a while and then left. We never spoke about it again which I think fits with my theory. Thanks for your thoughts Fiona.
Hello again, Daisy,
The dog could be a memory from someone else, or a memory imprinted on the environment. There’s plenty of evidence of this kind of thing occurring.
We’re never sure why some things seem to manifest and not others. If you see the dog again — especially with someone else — take some photos, check for EMF if you can, and so on. This is a very interesting phenomenon.
That must have been really startling, to see the woman drowning over & over again. I’m glad you had someone with you to witness it. It’s always much better when you see something astonishing, and can confirm it with another person who’s seeing it.
Cheerfully,
Fiona
Hi this is more of a question than a comment, ive been intrestead in ghost since i was young and i have had my own experiance.I live in the Daly City Californa area about 20min from San Francisco and i just wanted to know how do i go about joining a ghost hunting group or club. Ive been looking on line and no luck,well thanks for your time and hope to here from you. thx .
Hi Victor,
Searching online is probably the best way to find local ghost hunting groups. Try looking under the name of your city/town, county, or state. Check popular websites such as the TAPS site, and see if any of their affiliates are in your area.
Offline, ask at your public library; they may know about local groups. In addition, the police probably know if anyone in the area is doing ghost research. (They may not know exactly who runs the club, but at least you’ll know if anyone’s actively ghost hunting.) Historical societies often know about good paranormal teams; they often use them for fund raisers at Halloween.
Good luck!
Fiona
well i’m young and lately i’ve had these weird encounters.
it all started a few weeks ago when my came from a physic person and he said one of my moms friend was following her and me around. thats when i guess she knew i understood that i knew she was there.
that night i turned all my electronic off to go to sleep and i felt someone touch me i looked up and no one was there.
i was talking sawing like if you here kiss my forehead and i felt a jolt of energy rush on my forehead. the next day i told my mom it was pretty cool but the next night it turned scary.
i tried getting her to come back but the hand that touched me was a larger and man-like hand. to this day which is only like a week since it happened i’ve been on my toes she still follows me but same as the man i dont know who he is and he just keeps sending me bad energies. i get afraid alot and i dont like to be alone.
i feel as if im being watched ever second of my life and i just hate it. know that i know theres another person following me and i was ok when she was because i knew it was her and she wouldnt harm me. but know this man i’ve told him over and over to leave and never come back and quit touching me and leave me alone. know one seems to understand he scares me. and that he affects how i spend my days know. i tell my mom about him and know every time i here something im constantly asking “did you here that”. i dont mind having sprits around its just im afraid i’ve opened my self up to much and there just attacking me and i dont know how to get them away i’ve tried telling them out loud and in my mind but they wont
My name is [deleted for privacy] and im [age] and i have sprits good and bad following me
Sydney,
You definitely need to talk with someone about this. If you go to church or to the temple, talk with someone there… someone who’s a priest, minister, rabbi, or whatever.
If you don’t belong to any religion, start by talking with someone in your guidance office at school.
If you’re not comfortable with that, go to any nearby church as talk with a minister. I recommend an Episcopal or Catholic church, if you have a choice. Both of them tend to understand this kind of spiritual issue… and ghosts are “spirits,” so this may be a spiritual issue.
Mostly, talk with someone who can help you. You’re describing issues and phenomena that concern me, and you need someone right there who can evaluate what’s going on and help you find solutions to it.
When you’re talking about something touching you, and you don’t want it to… finding help right away is very important.
What’s truly dangerous is putting your full name and age online, and letting others know how vulnerable you are. Particularly with an unusual name, absolutely anyone could find you… including people who aren’t very nice, and stalk websites like mine to find people to prey on.
Fiona
Hi,
Im a young teen i live in Australia in Geelong
and well i LOVE GHOSTS i have been interested in them for a while now.
a few years ago i opend a ghost hunting team up most of them where around about 11-14
they may have been kids but we where all serious about ghost hunting
any way the time came when we broke up we where investagating a place that had lots of
wird things hapening we finaly found where the ghosts where (in the toilets) i had my team covering the entrences and on my signal they would rade the toilets ………… i dont know what happend in there that day but my team did suffer one by one they quit…
so my question is can you recomend a ghost hunting team i could join…
And to the people who have seen ghosts just becose they seem nice dosent mean there not dangerous my team where really injered so be cearfull
and sorry about my spelling its terable
From Sam
Hi,
I was wondering if you could help me? Since I can remember I have had paranormal experience’s. I am at a stage where I want to start investigating and being involved in helping other’s understand what this is all about? I want to meet other people like myself where I will not be “made fun of” because I what I see. I have searched around and have emailed other websites but as yet they have not returned my emails. Then I see other site’s that claim to have millions of orbs in their photo’s, which they are not as they’re clearly dust particles. Orbs are self-illuminating and are very rarely caught on film. If you could please point me in the right direction that would be fantastic, or if you know of anyone that is willing to give me a go that would be awesome.
Thankyou for your time.
Corrine
I would also like to add I am from Australia, so any contacts in Australia would be a start for me!
well im from puerto rico and im realy intrestid investigating with a teem that cand gied me …the place is very old and big meny ppl have seen a lot of crazy thing…and sounds…wen the spanish were in puerto rico there were meny death..and storys of weird things goin on in the semantary of san juan….in P.R dont know if u guys bin ther? well i just wood like to go in a vestigashin with u guys…! ^^
man i want to join a ghost hunting group and also i would like to study the paranormal but its hard to find anything like that
ok i need some one i can talk to im 16 and im not messing around i see ghost and there a little girl in my house name emily and some other dude name nate and i can see ghost since i was little and i like need some one like now my bf knows i can see them and also my best friend but i need some one that can really help me on this cause i have no idea what the hell going on all i want to be a nombel teen that peopel dont think im insane or something(i think my grandmother on my dad side see them but im noy sure cause i never met my dad or his family)
Tara,
Because you’re a minor, I’m not able to work with you. That’s a legal issue.
However, as soon as my Paragenealogy book is out, it’s going to give you a direction to go in and it will answer some of your questions. Be sure your local public library either purchases a copy of the book or gets it for you on inter-library loan, or you at least browse it at a bookstore. (Browsing may be enough to give you the information you need.)
However, you don’t even need that. Go to the library and take out some books on genealogy, particularly if you find any books by Emily Croom.
You’re looking for two things:
1. The history of your house and who lived (and visited) there before. When you find Emily and Nate in the records, you have support for your story. That’s the kind of thing that makes people take sensitive/perceptive/psychic teens seriously.
2. Your own family history. In many cases, I find a connection between the ancestral history of the (living) people who encounter spirits, and those spirits themselves. I believe that’s one reason why I seem to sense more ghosts in Salem (MA) than many people do: My ancestors were in Salem in 1692, at the time of the Witch Trials, so I have an historical connection with those ghosts.
So, trace your own family tree. Find out about your ancestors.
In terms of being a “normal” teen… well, be careful what you wish for. You can turn off your sensitivity so you stop noticing the spirits. It won’t happen overnight, but it can be done. (I did that myself for several years.)
That may be the simplest solution to what’s going on. I recommend talking with a spiritual counsellor — a minister, for example — to see if that’s the right path for you.
But, if turning the whole thing off doesn’t feel right to you, you may need to work with the gifts you’ve been given. (At your library, if you can find a copy of “Steering by Starlight” by Martha Beck, read the section where she talks about determining the difference between “shackles on” and “shackles off” decisions. That’s a direct way to see if you’re better served by turning off the impressions, or by researching to find documented proof of your gifts.)
I hope that helps.
Sincerely,
Fiona
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my one question can i join ghost hunting group? and where i join?