Who qualifies to call himself or herself a ghost hunter?
What does a person have to do to become a ghost hunter?

Technically anyone's qualified to be called a ghost hunter. The
spectrum ranges from the scientific professionals to the weekend
hobbyist. Anyone curious enough to explore the paranormal is a ghost
hunter. For the most part, it's a technical craft where most of the
knowledge will be self taught and learned as you go along.

If you're going to be successful as a ghost hunter you'll need to
study and understand the theories and methods of ghost hunting, the
sciences behind those theories and learn how to apply them in the
field. You will need to practice using the tools of the trade, and
most importantly, you will have to learn to develop a keen guiding
instinct.

Most ghost hunters already believe in ghosts. However the theories
regarding what ghosts are can vary greatly from one ghost hunter to
another. The toughest part of becoming a good ghost hunter is
learning how to go into ghost hunts thinking and acting like a
skeptic. That's right a skeptic. It's the ghost hunter's duty to be
open-minded and examine all of the facts for any logical
explanations. The word open-minded does not mean solely believing in
the existence of ghosts and not excepting any other hypotheses.
Instead it refers to analyzing every option that could account for
the phenomena. It is important to stress the use of scientific
method, because without it, you will prove nothing.

Ghost hunters must be fair, rational and always searching for the
logical explanation. The ghost hunter's job is to uncover the
absolute truth, no matter what that truth may be. There are thousands
of ghost hunters, but only a handful of good ghost hunters.
Understanding this simple fact will make you a better, more
knowledgeable ghost hunter.

What are ghosts?
The honest answer here is that no one really knows. There has never
been any absolute proof in the existence of survival beyond death or
ghosts for that matter. This is the result of decades of ghost
hunters that have refused to use scientific method. Instead they have
often relied upon the use of psychics, medium and other questionable
methods. You cannot use the paranormal to prove the paranormal.

Do reasonable people believe in ghosts?
Over 80% of people polled believe in the existence of ghosts and
there is no shortage of people with ghost stories to tell. Some
people may have never told their story before out of fear that their
friends and peers would ridicule them. It's important for those
people who have seen ghosts or had a supernatural experience to know
that they are not alone. When people begin to share stories they will
find out very quickly that others have had the same types of
experiences and they are curious to know if they have actually had a
paranormal experience or have mistaken a mundane occurrence for a
ghost.

What makes up a "good" ghost hunter?
First and foremost, the use of scientific method. A good ghost hunter
has hypotheses that he has either developed or adopted. These
hypotheses determine exactly what he is looking for and how he
expects to find it. Ghost hunters should also enter ghost hunts as a
detective would, taking notes, doing interviews, researching
locations and the location's background. The detective side of a
ghost hunter has to be aware of all logical and natural explanations
and do their best to find a reasonable conclusion. The forensics side
is the part that most ghost hunters fail to develop. A ghost hunter
should treat each alleged haunted location like a crime scene. They
must meticulously go over the area and carefully gather any physical
evidence while not disturbing the scene's environment. Drawing maps
and diagrams of the layout, staging reenactments. Analyzing even the
smallest of clues that may have been left behind.

The final element of a good ghost hunter is the researcher. You must
have a vast working knowledge of the science behind your hypotheses.
What it comes down to is a ghost hunter really has to know their
stuff to make it past this point.

Are there rules that apply to all ghosts?
When hunting for ghosts don't look for any rules or absolutes. There
are no guarantees on predicting when and where a ghost will appear
and it's appearance doesn't seem to follow any special pattern.
Sometimes a ghost is nothing more than a sharp chill or the odd
feeling of being watched. In other cases, the ghosts cannot be
distinguished from a living person. Ghosts have been known to
interact with the living or just make acknowledgment with a quick
glance or eye contact. In other accounts the ghosts seem unaware of
the presence of living people and appear to be acting out some part
of their own past life. When it comes to ghost hunting the only rule
is, be ready for anything!

Other considerations about Ghost hunting:

High tech gadgets can be very helpful in aiding a good ghost hunter
who knows the proper use of each piece of equipment. Knowing exactly
what the equipment does and how to work the equipment is very
important. Always test and practice each piece of equipment for
several days or weeks before attempting to use them in the field.
Give yourself time to learn all of the different, and sometimes
complicated, functions.

There are many ghost hunting groups out there. Huge differences can
exist between group "A" and group "B". Ask questions and thoroughly
look through shier website before making a determination to join or
not. This will save you allot of wasted time and expense in the long
run. Be sure that the group is right for you.
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