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Peter Underwood, one of the early, leading ghost researchers of the 20th century, claimed that 98% of hauntings weren’t ghostly.
My own estimate is closer to 80%, but his estimate may be more correct.
The point is that many apparent anomalies have very normal – but perhaps odd – explanations.
Too often, when I decide to watch a ghost hunting TV show—which is rare—I’m immediately struck by how easily the ghostly phenomena can be explained.
Often, the cause is infrasound from a nearby or underground stream (flowing water) or a highway within a quarter mile.
Vic Tandy demonstrated that issue, years ago.
Does that suggest that all “hauntings” near sources of infrasound are bogus?
Of course not. For all we know, infrasound might make it easier for spirits to manifest in ways we perceive as apparitions, voices, and so on.
However, competent researchers double-check these kinds of explanations. They err on the side of caution.
That may not make TV producers happy, but it’s what genuine ghost research is like in real life.
On the other hand, when a researcher like me has investigated every normal explanation for an anomaly and the location still seems haunted, ghost hunting becomes exciting—even thrilling.
That’s why I’m still a ghost hunter. Like Peter Underwood, my interest is sustained—or even increases—when I investigate a site and can find no reasonable explanation for the ghostly activity there.
It’s probably why you’re intrigued by this field of research, too.
Look for normal – if extraordinary – explanations, first.
Once they’re ruled out, that’s when we’re faced with genuine anomalies.
And they just might be ghosts.
This short video explains a little more about apparitions:
(See more ghost-related videos at my YouTube channel: Ghost Hunting with Fiona Broome.)
Find ghosts tonight! Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries – a quick-start guide for beginners.
