INVESTIGATING AWARENESS AND YOUR OWN ABILITIES

Using your senses and awareness abilities while ghost hunting in any capacity, is something many point out as your most important tool.  I think this is true for the most part, but I also know that some are more in-tune with things around them than others.

For the novice investigator, using your senses isn't going to always help you when you begin in this field.  I have found that these skills are developed over time and that you can use them, but must keep in mind that documenting the experiences and things you feel and see are then harder to keep track of.  Instead of simply using a voice recorder, you must make notations verbally on what you see, hear and feel as you are investigating.  You could also write these down, but it can be cumbersome when moving around quickly and in the dark.

For those that shoot video you can always comment on the audio or dip into frame and describe what is happening around you.  The hardest would be for those that focus on spirit photography.  You can't do an audio describe (although with many cameras you could make a short video), you can only shoot photos.

I think even those that choose to focus on their own senses might want to carry a small voice recorder if only to turn on to describe what they see, hear and feel.  Maybe to obtain historical information or discoveries along the way.

I have always focused on audio recording, and take many photographs of the same areas where I record audio, simply to document the location to use in conjunction with my EVP videos and presentations.  Anything that I feel or experience I have either captured the moment on my recorder (sometimes even video, in conjunction with the audio) so I do have a record of where I was and what transpired.

If I think about what sense abilities I possess that use, I would say I do use my sight a great deal.  I tend to sit quietly in the dark (if possible, this is difficult if others around you wish to walk around and make noise, etc.) and get a sense of the sounds around me and the sights.  I will look to see what is stationary and what is moving.  I look at the placement of objects around me and if I hear something I will focus on the area where it originated from for a good deal of time.  I also listen with my ears very intently when I move around at a location, sometimes you can hear disembodied voices as you are mobile.  

Do I convene with the possible spirits at a location?  That is a question for another time I think, but I do try to relax, let the mind rest a bit and see what comes into focus.  Any thoughts, images that might seem unrelated at the time, but might make sense in a bigger picture after an investigation.  Séances do this same practice, see what images and thoughts can be collected and compare them later.  What I tend to do is have a personal séance of sorts, and try to relax and be more open to things around me.

Why do I record EVP and relay on audio equipment? When doing presentations it is a more effective tool and the art of the EVP is one that requires a lot of patience and stamina.  Many people give up on this sooner than later, due to the exhaustive hours it takes to listen intently through hours of recorded audio, with the risk of getting nothing.  It is long, hard work, but for those that keep at it and pace themselves and not let it consume your whole life; you will eventually find results.

I always hear folks say "I never get EVP's."  I would ask them, "Did you go through all of your audio from all of your investigations?" More often than not, the reply is "Well I just don't seem to find the time to listen to my recordings."  Well there is the reason you are not getting any EVPs, you get out of it what you put into it.  If you do not invest the time in any investigation practice you will never achieve any evidence or examples.

I do tend to incorporate the physical senses and my equipment, but I do tend to lean towards the audio, as that is where my skill set seemed to emerge having been at this now for over 7 years.  I also began to focus on my photography, taking photos in sets of 3 shots, so that if I do capture something it stands a chance to have another photo of the same angle/shot to compare it to.

Overall I think any investigator heightens their senses skill set, even if they don't realize it is happening.  We get used to the dark, and the sounds at night and the sounds that everyday things around us make that most people would not think of.  That window creaked, those were footsteps, when we might say that was a floor board creaking, or that was movement upstairs and not footsteps.

Never underestimate your own abilities; on the flip side, use some common sense and accountability as well to make sure that you don't get yourself in a frenzy of what might not be.

Anthony Anderson