Setting out to find a ghost can be so exciting and exhilarating. It requires some planning and research, but it can be so rewarding if you finally make contact with a spirit, or catch evidence of the paranormal on tape.

Where To Find A Ghost

There is not one definitive place to find a ghost.

Finding the right location to conduct an investigation takes a large amount of research.

Look online for some suggestions and get stuck into the location’s history and speak to people who have a connection with the place.

You will be able to work out if it is worth investigating there or not.

What Equipment Do You Need

Depending on what you want to accomplish when ghost hunting, you could use very simple tech or deck yourself out with all the devices you could need.

Simply seeking out a ghost out of curiosity doesn’t need much, but searching for proof, and recording, the existence of ghosts might require a few more tech devices.

Here are some of the devices you might need when out on a ghost hunt:

Flashlight

Most ghost hunting takes place at night. The world is quiet and you have more chance of picking up on strange noises or sights.

You aren’t going to shine a flashlight into a corner and find a ghost, but you will definitely need it to help you find your way around a dark house or garden.

Avoid any injuries by illuminating your way.

Be sure to checkout my full guide on the best flashlights for ghost hunting.

A flashlight is also a really important tool to have when trying to find a ghost, because it is one of the amazing ways you can actually communicate with ghosts and spirits.

Spare batteries

If you are familiar with ghosts and their abilities, you will know that they are notorious for draining batteries.

Don’t let them get the better of your equipment, leaving you stuck without any way to record. Instead, have some extra batteries on hand to get back to recording.

Notebook

It is really important to record your experiences, feelings, and sightings as you go. All of this is vital information, that is easily forgotten if not written down.

Notebooks can also come in handy when you take part in automatic writing.

Jacket

Ghosts can often change the temperature in a room, so having a jacket on hand for when the chills hit is a good idea. Find a jacket with lots of pockets to store some of your gear in.

Camera

This is one of the easiest to use devices that will hopefully help you catch some proof of the ghost you are seeking out.

A DSLR camera would be the best option, but a film camera or polaroid camera will work fine as well.

Digital thermometer 

When you feel a change in temperature, which could be caused by a ghost, a digital thermometer will be able to back you up.

Keep a record of changing temperatures to look back on.

These are called cold spots, and can be one of the best indicators that a ghost is nearby.

If you want to know which digital thermometer is best for finding ghosts, check out this article.

EMF meter

It is believed that ghosts interfere with electromagnetic fields, and an EMF meter will be able to track any interferences, drainages or spikes around you.

An EMF meter is one of the most crucial tools for finding ghosts, and a must have for any ghost hunt.

Take a look at this article to pick out the absolute best EMF meter for ghost hunting.

Field recorder

A portable recorder doesn’t have to be expensive at all. There are some great options on the market that work really well.

You will be able to record any questioning sessions, and hopefully, you would have caught something to listen back on after the field investigation.

If you want to try and save some money, you are able to download an app onto your phone that will act as a field recorder. It might not be as sensitive as the real thing, but it is a cheap way to record.

Camcorder

Record your whole ghost hunting experience by keeping a camcorder running.

You can watch back and reference different noises or experiences using the video, seeing if it correlates to any visuals that you may have missed.

You might even notice some lurking shadows that you missed when out on the field.

If you want to record your journey, they do make some specialized cameras just for hunting ghosts.

The Best Time To Find A Ghost

While ghosts are around us all the time and don’t really have a clock to follow, the night is considered the best time to look for ghosts.

There will be fewer distractions late at night, and fewer people milling about to mistake for a ghost.

Night time is also quiet and everyone is at rest. It is believed that the hours between 9pm and 6am are psychic hours, where ghosts and spirits are at their strongest.

To read more about the best time to find paranormal activity, check out my complete guide here.

Step by Step Guide To Finding A Ghost

1. Pick Your Location

When ghost hunting, location is everything. You need to research the location you want to investigate to make sure it is worth your time, and that you will have a higher chance of success.

Some common places to ghost hunt are:

• Cemeteries
• Hospitals
• Theatres
• Hotels
• Haunted houses

Before heading off to your location, check the operating hours of the building or area you are wanting to visit.

You don’t want to be waltzing around with your ghost hunting gear when the hotel is serving breakfast.

Always remember to ask permission before entering a location. Speak to the owner, manager or supervisor to make sure it is okay to visit.

2. Research Your Location

Google is your best friend when doing basic research, but in order to get a good understanding of the location, you will need to dive into historical records and speak to locals.

They might hold a treasure trove of information that will really help you be successful during your investigation.

There are some important questions to ask.

•    Find out when the ghost sightings happen the most. Find a pattern of sightings and base your investigating times on that.

•    Find out where the ghost appears most frequently. They might show up on a specific floor more often or favor a certain room. This will save you canvassing a larger area when you only need to focus on a specific location.

•    Historical facts can also help you focus your investigation. Find the person with the most interesting history in a cemetery, or a site with many deaths on a battlefield. This might seem a bit morose, but these sites will probably have higher energy levels.

3. Double Check Your Equipment

The day before going on a ghost hunt, test all your equipment and double check your bags twice.

The last thing you want is to travel to your haunted location, only to find that your recorder isn’t working or you have left your camcorder behind.

Your equipment will be your best friend during an investigation, so put a lot of effort into ensuring that everything is in order.

Left behind or faulty equipment can very quickly ruin an investigation, and you don’t want to miss finding definitive proof of ghosts!

4. Never Go Alone

As you will most probably be ghost hunting at night in an empty location, it can be dangerous to be on your own.

Even though ghosts really aren’t out to hurt you, you should take some friends or peers along with you to ensure your safety.

It is also helpful to pick a team with talents and experiences that could actually help your investigation.

Someone who claims to see ghosts often, or someone who is good with a camera, will be a real help when ghost hunting. Having extra eyes and ears really does help.

Assign different roles to your teammates, you can’t do it all. One person can carry the camcorder, one person can ask questions and another can record the electromagnetic field and temperature.

5. Set Up Cameras

While you should carry a camcorder and camera around with you, it is also a good idea to set up cameras in stationary locations. Mount them on the wall or on tripods to catch any activity in a room while you are out.

6. Take Photos

No matter if you can’t hear, feel, or see anything, take photos throughout your investigation. Take photos of any new room that you enter or any unexplored areas. 

Have your camera ready to take photos the moment you hear footsteps or hear a noise. That split second of taking a picture can be all it takes to find some proof of the paranormal. 

If your camera has infrared or ultraviolet settings, use these. They can help pick up on any images that are not apparent to the human eye. This way you might be able to see something when looking back at images that you never knew were there before.

7. Record Your Experience

Record as much of your experience as possible, even if it is just you walking from room to room.

You will be able to have a recording of any noises or sights that you didn’t notice at first, and you will be able to record any interactions you have with a spirit.

When an interaction does happen, you don’t want to be fiddling trying to get your camcorder on, you might lose the connection with the spirit.

At the same time, you don’t want to be interacting with a spirit without being able to record it all as proof, so just have your camcorder ready at all times.

What’s great about a camcorder is that you can listen back to the tapes using an enhanced version of the audio.

You will be able to pick up on any unusual noises or voices that you wouldn’t have been able to hear when you were walking around investigating.

Make sure your camcorder is fully charged and have a spare set of batteries on hand as well.

8. Be Observant

Try and tune into all your senses when out on a ghost hunt. Be aware of sight, sound, and smell. Even the smallest sensation could be the sign of a ghost lurking nearby.

Take notes of all of these sensations, no matter how small. This will help you remember your ghost hunt more clearly, and it might even force you to be more observant of your surroundings.

While the latest tech and devices are greatest to use on your hunt, they cannot beat the effectiveness of the human senses.

9. Measure Electromagnetic Frequencies

Keep recording the electromagnetic fields throughout your ghost hunt. If there is a sudden change in the electromagnetic readings in a certain spot, take photos and record what you can.

This is a good sign that there might be spiritual activity around.

Keeping a recording of the electromagnetic fluctuations will also help you tie them into the times you notice something on the voice recorders or camcorder recordings that you play back after your hunt.

This combination of experiences and fluctuations at the same time further go to prove that you had a paranormal experience at a location.

10. Record Temperatures

It is also important to keep a recording of the temperatures in different rooms.

If you feel a sudden drop in temperature, which is an indication that a ghost is nearby, you can further solidify your experience by having an actual reading on the thermometer.

As soon as you experience and record this, take pictures and record your environment. This will help you pick up on things that you might not see or hear when in the room.

11. Call Out To Spirits

Trying to communicate with ghosts and spirits can be dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.

There are precautions to be taken, but trying to contact a spirit or ghost might be the best way to cement a line of communication, or to ensure that you receive a response from a ghost in the room.

Ask questions to try and get a response from a spirit. Start with simple questions, such as asking the spirit to make its presence known.

Try and ask yes or no questions, so it doesn’t take too much energy for the spirits to answer. Yes or no answers are easier to understand and discern when listening back on the recordings.

Here are some precautions that you should take when reaching out to a spirit:

•    Protect yourself – Always go into a ghost hunt with a clear and positive mind. Spirits and ghosts feed off of negative emotions and energy. Keeping a positive mind might help fend off any negative spirits.

•    Don’t provoke aggressive spirits – Having done research into the location you are entering, you might know what type of ghost you are searching for. If it turns out that you are reaching out to a violent or aggressive spirit, you need to proceed with caution. Don’t taunt or make fun of a violent spirit, or underestimate its ability. It could anger the spirit or ghost and cause some serious problems for you.

•    Respect all entities – No matter if you don’t encounter any paranormal beings, always treat the space with respect. An entity will feed off of any negative emotions given off, and respect goes both ways. Pay the spirits the respect they deserve, and you should come out unscathed. 

•    Don’t ghost hunt under the influence – You need your wits about you when out searching for ghosts. Being under the influence of alcohol might render you unable to properly conduct yourself. Taking drugs while seeking out spirits is also to be avoided. These open you up to being taken advantage of by negative spirits. You also won’t be alert to any happenings around you as your senses will be distracted by the use of alcohol or drugs. Most ghost hunting happens at night, so you need to make sure you can look after yourself.

12. Go Through Evidence

Once your investigation is done, you need to spend a lot of time going through any data or recordings you have collected.

This might take much longer than your actual investigation did, but spending enough time properly analyzing the material will help you pick up even the smallest of incidents.

Make notes along the way, and go through the notes you made while investigating. Try and tie up any of these notes with noises or images captured on tape.

Missing any of the evidence you may have recorded by not analyzing your tapes properly really makes your experience null and void if that is what you were hoping to achieve.

13. Return To The Site

Once you have done your investigation and have some good material evidence, it is worthwhile returning to the location to try and gather more evidence.

You might be able to replicate the same results and contact the spirit again, or you might be able to rule out some evidence with further investigation.

There are many factors that could cause us to think we have captured proof of the paranormal, so it is important to look out for these.

• EMF spikes might result from exposed circuits or an electrical box.
• Orbs or ghosts caught on film might actually just be floating dust or a lens flare.
• A recorded voice or noise might be an animal outside or old pipes.

How To Tell If You Have Found A Ghost

There are many different signs that show you have found a ghost during your investigation.

One sign is proof enough for some people, but others need multiple signs to prove to themselves that they are in the presence of a ghost.

Here are some signs that there may be a ghost around you (remember though that many of these can be caused by outside influences that are not paranormal in nature)

Moving objects – If an object suddenly moves on its own, such as a book falling off of a shelf or a door closing on its own, it might be a sign that a ghost is trying to get your attention.

Make sure to check that there is no wind that could have caused the object to move. Ghosts love moving objects around to catch our attention, even if it is really scary when it happens. 

Sightings – In the dark, it is quite normal to see things that aren’t really there, shadows moving in your peripheral that you can’t pin down.

However, if you see something that is inexplicable, it might be a ghost. A dark silhouette is something that is difficult to just imagine into existence, so this is quite a good catch.

Feeling that your being watched – It can be really intimidating at times, but spirits and ghosts can make you feel like you are being watched.

It is the feeling of a sudden change of energy in the room, a presence that you can’t see. Trust your instincts and follow through with more investigating.

Electrical problems – Ghosts and spirits really are notorious for messing with electricity and electrical devices.

Flickering lights are common in horror movies, and this can be true for real life as well. If your tech devices start malfunctioning, especially a few of them at the same time, or become drained of battery, this is a good sign that a spirit is nearby.

They find it easy to manipulate energy, making it a good way to communicate with us.

Feeling of being touched – Many people report feeling like something has poked their back or stroked their hair.

Sometimes spirits and ghosts can muster enough energy to physically touch us. It can be startling, but also such an amazing experience.

Hearing noises – Most often, when spirits communicate we cannot hear actual words, outside of replaying recordings.

They usually make a noise by banging an object or manipulating objects around us. This could be a radio turning on suddenly or a knock on a window.

Cold spots – Many ghost hunters swear that feeling a cold spot, or the temperature of the room change, is a good sign that a ghost is present.

They tend to suck the energy or heat out of the air, which can cause the feeling of a cold spot.

Evidence – One of the best ways to know you have found a ghost or spirit is through evidence you collected during your ghost hunt.

A photo of an apparition or a voice recording of contact with a spirit is the best evidence you could have, and the evidence speaks for itself.

You don’t have to try and convince people about the experience you have had when it is black and white.

Finding A Ghost

While ghost hunting can actually be a profession, it is important to just have fun while doing it. Keep a light heart and be respectful.

The experience can be so enlightening and humbling, so treat it with the respect it deserves.

Get all your gear together, find your location and get investigating!