101 Ghost Hunting Questions, Answered

By Fiona Broome

WHAT ARE GHOSTS?

HOW CAN I START GHOST HUNTING?

HOW CAN I GET ON A GHOST HUNTING TV SHOW?

 

In this book, professional ghost hunter Fiona Broome provides blunt, honest answers over 101 questions about ghosts, ghost hunting, and haunted places.

 

Questions (and answers) include:

• What are ghosts?
• What is a ghost hunter?
• How do I start ghost hunting?
• How can I join a ghost hunting group?
• What's the best place to go ghost hunting?
• Why do most ghost hunters investigate at night?
• Can a person be followed from place to place by a ghost?
• Are some people more receptive to ghosts than others?
• What is the main reason why ghosts haunt houses?
• What happens to people who actually see a ghost?
• How can I get on a ghost hunting TV show?

LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT GHOST HUNTING.  Read this book to find out which ghost hunting questions can be answered... and which are still mysteries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Forest Books
• Release date: Mar 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201402907

Book preview

101 Ghost Hunting Questions, Answered

Fiona Broome

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New Forest Bookx

Copyright © 2020, 2022, by Fiona Broome

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

For additional information about this book, contact New Forest Books.

To learn more about the author, visit FionaBroome.com

Other books by this author include...

The Ghosts of Austin, Texas

Ghost Hunting in Haunted Cemeteries

Ghost Photography 101

Is Your House Haunted?

Is Your House Haunted? Journal

Ley Lines for Ghost Hunters

The Mandela Effect - Theories and Explanations

... and many more

Contents

1. What is a ghost?

2. How can I see a ghost?

3. Is a ghost alive or dead?

4. What’s it like to live in a haunted house?

5. Do they ever film ghost stories in really haunted places?

6. How much does it cost to go into real haunted houses?

7. Why do some haunted houses require waivers?

8. Is Disney’s Haunted Mansion really haunted?

9. What’s the best haunted house attraction at a theme park?

10. How should I write a ghost story?

11. How should I write haunted house stories?

12. Was there really a Canterville ghost?

13. Why is the Lizzie Borden house haunted?

14. Who committed the Lizzie Borden house murders?

15. What are your favorite haunted houses?

16. What famous locations have been used for ghost hunting TV shows?

17. How can I get my own ghost hunting TV show?

18. How can I pitch a location to ghost hunting TV shows?

19. How do I contact Ghost Hunters’ TV show?

20. Why did Grant Wilson leave Ghost Hunters?

21. Why do some ghost hunters lock themselves inside haunted places?

22. Why do ghost hunters turn off the lights to investigate?

23. Do TV shows help give credibility to the spirit world?

24. Have TV shows ever found real evidence of ghosts?

25. What’s the worst TV show about ghosts?

26. Which ghost-themed TV show is (or was) the best?

27. What are the best TV shows and movies about real ghosts?

28. What are good books about ghost hunting?

29. What happens to ghosts when a haunted house burns down?

30. Is the ocean haunted?

31. What’s the difference between a haunted object and a haunted house?

32. Besides Ouija boards, how do people talk to ghosts?

33. Do ghost hunters ever become ghosts?

34. Has a ghost ever been reincarnated?

35. How do ghosts affect the afterlife?

36. Is there any scientific proof of ghosts?

37. What do scientists think about ghosts?

38. Could ghosts exist as energy waves?

39. If ghosts are just energy, how can they interact with people?

40. Does the Bible mention ghost hunting?

41. Is it OK for Christians to watch ghost hunting TV shows?

42. Why don’t people go ghost hunting in Jewish cemeteries?

43. What’s the connection between ghosts and demons?

44. Can an Atheist believe in ghosts?

45. What’s the difference between a ghost hunter and a parapsychologist?

46. What’s your theory about ghosts and alternate dimensions?

47. How can you catch a ghost?

48. If you’re going on a date, should you suggest ghost hunting?

49. Why do most ghost hunters investigate at night?

50. Is it good to go ghost hunting on Friday the 13th?

51. Is Halloween the best time for ghost hunting?

52. Is a banshee a ghost?

53. Are there ghost animals?

54. Are all really haunted houses scary?

55. What phobias are related to haunted houses?

56. How can I get over a fear of haunted houses?

57. How can I get over my fear of ghost hunting?

58. What happens if someone sees a ghost?

59. What happens if a ghost gets close to you?

60. Can ghosts hurt people?

61. Has a ghost ever killed anyone?

62. Are shadow people dangerous?

63. How can you find a haunted place near your home?

64. How can you tell if a place is really haunted?

65. What’s the difference between a haunted house and one that has paranormal activity?

66. What makes one house haunted while the house next door isn’t?

67. Why do ghosts usually inhabit old, creaky and drafty buildings?

68. What is the main reason why ghosts haunt houses?

69. When did people start believing in ghosts?

70. Why do some people become ghosts and others don’t?

71. Are some people more receptive to ghosts than others?

72. Can a ghost follow you from place to place?

73. What is a ghost hunter? Why would anyone want to hunt a ghost?

74. What can you do to attract ghosts?

75. How do I start ghost hunting?

76. What’s the best place to go ghost hunting?

77. Are there grants for paranormal research or ghost hunting?

78. What are the most important ghost hunting tools?

79. What did ghosts do before electrical ghost hunting tools?

80. Do ghost hunting apps work?

81. What’s the best kind of equipment for a beginning ghost hunter to buy?

82. How much should I budget for ghost hunting gear?

83. How do ghosts turn flashlights on and off?

84. How do people use pendulums in ghost hunting?

85. How do people use dowsing rods in ghost hunting?

86. What’s the connection between electromagnetic fields (EMF) and ghosts?

87. What’s the best kind of EMF detector?

88. How do cameras photograph ghosts?

89. What do ghosts look like in real ghost photos?

90. Do I need a special digital camera to take ghost photos?

91. How many cameras should you carry when you go ghost hunting?

92. What are the best camera settings for ghost hunting?

93. How do video cameras show ghosts?

94. What’s the best kind of video camera for ghost hunting?

95. How does white noise help ghost EVP?

96. Who sells the best high tech equipment?

97. How can I join a ghost hunting group?

98. How can I start a ghost hunting group?

99. Can ghost hunting groups investigate things other than ghosts?

100. Should psychics be part of a ghost hunting team?

101. What other words might mean a ghost?

Afterword

About the Author

1

What is a ghost?

When people use the word ghost, the usually mean something that seems ghostly, like an apparition, or an object that seems to move all by itself.

They may mean something as simple as a creepy feeling, or something as frightening as a ghostly voice, or a chilling touch by an invisible hand.

Dictionaries say a ghost is the spirit of a dead person.

That may be true.

Or… that might be groundless, popular opinion. No two ghost hunters are likely to agree.

When paranormal investigators use the word ghosts, we’re usually talking about ghostly phenomena. You know… things like apparitions, strange noises, orbs in photos, and weird EMF spikes.

Some ghost hunters insist that all ghostly phenomena are disembodied spirits.

Skeptics explain hauntings in very normal terms that don’t involve dead people.

Some religions insist that everything ghostly is demonic and dangerous.

Most ghost hunters are between those extremes. We say that ghostly phenomena are real but unexplained.

First, we look for normal things that explain what’s going on.

About 80% of the time, we can find a reasonable, normal explanation. The other 20% - and perhaps some of the 80%, as well - may be ghostly.

This is important: Even though some ghostly phenomena can be blamed on something normal, the site may still be haunted.

To draw a sport parallel: During a football game, most people on the field are football players. That doesn’t mean the occasional streaker is also a football player.

Maybe most ghostly phenomena at a location can be explained. That doesn’t mean it’s not caused by a ghost.

Also, few investigators agree on all paranormal issues.

For every person who insists that all orbs are ghosts, you’ll find one who says all orbs are dust or insects.

The truth may be somewhere in-between.

In fact, the ghosts label is too simplistic.

We don’t know what most ghostly phenomena are.

Let’s pool our information and compare notes. Then, we might find better answers.

2

How can I see a ghost?

If you’d like to see a ghost, you may need to do a lot of ghost hunting.

Many long-time ghost hunters have never seen a ghost. Not one that they were sure was really there.

Apparitions — any ghost that you can actually see with your eyes, in the moment it appears — are rare.

Most of the time, people think they may have seen something, but — at the time — it surprised them so much, they didn’t instantly think ghost.

It may have been an unexplained flicker of light or a shadow.

It might have been just part of a ghostly figure, like a face that was there one moment, and gone the next.

It could have been a full apparition that they mistook for someone living, dressed in a costume. (That’s common at some living history events.)

It may have been a full or partial apparition the person saw for just a second, out of the corner of their eye. And then, it was gone.

In many cases, the ghostly image shows up as a reflection in a window, mirror, or shiny surface like a table-top.

It could be a shadowy figure, whether or not it’s a shadow person.

However, seeing a ghostly figure that looks like a ghost (either solid or translucent) and realizing it’s a ghost while you still see it… that’s so extraordinary, few describe their encounters in those terms.

In other words, if you want to see a ghost, be observant. Notice everything, especially the things that make you do a quick double-take.

Chances are, you won’t be sure it was a ghost until minutes after it’s vanished. And, even then, you may have doubts.

Keep your expectations low. Don’t insist that you have to see a ghost to believe in them.

Some people see anomalies. Some only photograph them. Others hear anomalous sounds or voices. Yet others only record them. And so on.

As you investigate haunted sites, you’ll develop a sixth sense related to your unique way of tuning-in to ghosts.

It may not be anything visual. If it is, let me know what you experience. I’m always interested in apparitions… when they happen, where, and exactly what they look like.

Few people actually see a ghost, but — if you do — it can be extraordinary.

3

Is a ghost alive or dead?

It depends upon the ghost. And, it depends on how you define alive.

I believe that the spirit of the person remains alive. (The body of that person, in this plane of existence, is lifeless.  That’s a semantic issue.)

In general, I believe that ghosts are as alive as you and I are. Despite that, we usually refer to ghosts as spirits of the dead.

One ghostly exception: Some hauntings don’t seem to be actual ghosts. They’re more like energy imprints – often called residual energy hauntings – that linger at a location after something dramatic happened.

It’s like when you walk into a room where two people have recently argued. Sometimes, you can still feel the crackle of hostile energy in the room.

Some people (and at least a few ghosts) object to the living v. dead distinction.

When that’s an issue, I stick to words like: ghost, spirit, deceased, and entity.

When possible, I always refer to the ghost by his or her assumed name. That seems to help us get a response.

For example, although we’re not sure the most famous ghost at the Myrtles Plantation is actually called Chloe, we use that name for her anyway.

When I’m ghost hunting at the Myrtles, and I want to speak with that ghost, I’ll say, Chloe, I’d like to talk with you, and then say whatever is on my mind.

Also, most ghosts seem to find very little humor related to the subject of death.

The jokes and puns at Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction may seem funny to you. (They strike me as funny, too.)

However, avoid morbid jokes during ghost investigations.  (I’m talking about things like dying to meet you and feeling dead tired, and so on.)

Offending ghosts is a very bad idea, if you’re interested in learning more about them, or want their cooperation.

4

What’s it like to live in a haunted house?

What’s it like to live in a house that’s really haunted? Do people always have to leave their haunted houses if the ghosts won’t leave?

Most haunted houses are benign. I’ve lived in a few.

Generally, it’s like living with an invisible roommate. Some ghosts can be annoying.

That’s especially true if the ghost likes to turn lights on and off, adjust the volume on the TV, or turn a faucet on and leave the water running.

I don’t mind ghosts in my house. I do mind any inconveniences they create.

You'll find many examples of annoying and inconvenient ghosts.

Downtown Houston’s Famous Ghost

One of the most persistently annoying ghosts haunts downtown Houston, Texas. She is Mrs. Pamelia Mann, one of Houston’s most famous madams.

Many evenings, Mrs. Mann strolls around the Market Square block she once owned.

She visits ladies' rooms (toilets) in modern-day clubs and restaurants on that block.

Once in each ladies' room, she locks the door, so others cannot enter. Then, she vanishes. The staff are not amused, because they have to keep unlocking the door at the request of impatient patrons.

However, the living and spirits of the dead usually find ways to stay out of each other’s way.

Other Famous Haunted Homes

At some locations, such as the Myrtles Plantation, the staff regard the ghosts as friends. Many people who live in haunted houses feel the same way about their ghosts.

I know one homeowner in Salem (MA, USA) who is extremely protective of her ghost. Although the first floor of her haunted home is a shop, she won’t allow anyone inside if she thinks they’re looking for her ghost.

That’s a little extreme.