Sincerelly, A kid from
Oregon,Coquille

This site is dedicated to helping people learn how to investigate paranormal locations, and perhaps solve the mysteries of ghosts and hauntings.

For more about safety risks and ghost hunting, read any of my articles about protection from ghosts.

Fiona Broome

How did you guys escape the hunted places if
a gost ever tried to trap you or kill you?

I’m posting this comment to make my position very clear:

My research, writing and personal appearance schedule make it impossible for me to respond in a timely manner to all comments. I wish that I could, but that’s simply not possible, particularly when — as this month — I’ve been out of the country and away from the Internet.

Those of us who work full-time in this field earn our incomes through our writing, personal appearances, and sometimes through media work (movies, TV shows and related consultation). The vast majority of professionals in this field are overworked and underpaid.

Sharing any information online, without charging “membership” fees as some websites do, is generally all we can manage. Replying to comments, emails, and so on… that’s adding extra work to a 12+ hour daily work schedule.

That said…

I do not work with anyone under age 18. I don’t know any trustworthy professional in this field who routinely works with minors.

Generally, I won’t work with anyone under age 21, though I’m unusual in that respect. A lot of people consider 18 “old enough” to take chances.

There are too many liabilities, thanks to our litigious society and the people who cause real problems in this field.

We cannot run a background check on every person who attends our events, or who may be working with us at public ghost-related events.

Often, I don’t know who I’ll be working with until I show up at the event and read my schedule.

In the past year, I’ve heard reports that at least two people leading public ghost hunts have been convicted of child molestation. Chris Moon referred to one case in the Winter 2010 issue of Haunted Times magazine.

That’s why I wrote my “Investigations and Touching” article, to hint at the risks people take, being in dark places with people who may have no scruples… and an ugly police record.

Now that Chris Moon has mentioned the problem very clearly, I will probably be more vocal about this serious issue, too.

That is one of many reasons why I recommend that minors read and learn as much as they can from books and websites. Until you’re older, and/or until you can work with a reliable team — accompanied by a parent who’ll watch for problems so you can focus on research — this field is too fraught with problems.

Being an over-eager pre-teen — and sharing personal information with strangers online (even with me) — is a terrible risk to take. There are predators of all kinds in this field.

Please remain safe. Do what I did, at your age: Visit your public library and read everything you can about ghosts and haunted places. If they don’t have the books you need, ask your Reference Librarian to order the books on inter-library loan.

By the time you’re old enough for serious research, you’ll also have a background that will make you a professional from a very early age.

Meanwhile, I cannot recommend research in the field. You’d be placing yourself in a dark, sometimes isolated location with potentially dangerous people.

That’s not fun. It’s not entertaining. And, though it might loosely fit in the “educational” category, what you might “learn” could scar you emotionally, for life.

Ghost hunting isn’t worth that kind of chance, particularly for a pre-teen.

Sincerely,
Fiona Broome

Generally, spirits do many things to let us know that they’re nearby. Usually, those signs are subtle, such as a TV turning itself on & off, or an image that you see out of the corner of your eye.

By encouraging the spirit (by talking out loud as if he’s physically right there), you can often make a stronger connection.

With patience, I’m sure that you’ll be able to feel your son’s presence, even if he’s not able to do anything more dramatic. From what I’ve seen among families who’ve lost a relative, spirits usually communicate with feelings of comfort or gentle guidance.

Trust your own intuition.

Sincerely,
Fiona

That’s great about your plans for October 31st!

Regarding equipment:

I’ll be talking about ghost hunting equipment in my podcast of February 26th (2010). I’ll start with free equipment and then talk about higher-priced tools.

Meanwhile, above the free/inexpensive level, I’d recommend a K-II meter (any version) or — if it’s in your budget — anything that sounds interesting from DigitalDowsing.com.

Cheerfully,
Fiona