If you fancy yourself a budding Fox Mulder or Dana Scully and want to investigate the paranormal more closely there are some tips and tricks of the trade that will demystify the hunt for ghosts and ghouls and make the whole process easier to do. Many of those who investigate the paranormal are dedicated professionals who spend hours each day unraveling complex and intriguing paranormal mysteries with very few clues and sometimes no success, but is it possible for me and you to do it too?

Novice investigators of the paranormal should take their cues from the experts and learn some basic skills and strategies that will help uncover the secrets of other worlds using top-notch investigative techniques and equipment suited for the task of seeing the (often) invisible.

If you are hearing things that go bump in the night or have been told of wandering spirits, strange apparitions or missing objects you may wonder if there are any patterns to this sort of behavior that will help you in your task. The answer is usually no. This type of phenomena may even try to fool you into taking time-wasting detours so it is a good idea to have a good workable plan in place.

There is no way of telling when the next strange occurrence will take place so it’s best to be prepared.

Rules for Investigating Paranormal Occurrences

1) No matter what the phenomena are always keep notes on everything that happens. When you investigate the paranormal, write everything down or use a tape recorder even if the data seems superfluous at the time.

2) If you are told something by anybody make a note of their names and contact details. If they wish to remain anonymous respect this too.

3) Stay ready! Always be prepared for any event at any time of the day or night.

4) Keep an eye on any seeming coincidences when investigating claims of the paranormal. There may be a synchronicity to the events.

5) At all times, remain objective and scientific during your investigations of the paranormal.

6) Unless you have been able to prove otherwise, consider a perfectly rational and ordinary cause for the event when you investigate the paranormal.

7) Never believe your eyes and ears – appearances can be deceiving. The event could be far more complex than initially meets the eye.

If you do decide to make your observations public try not to cause hysteria and choose to underplay the event rather than hype it.

9) Don’t believe media claims in the absence of your own evaluated proof when you investigate the paranormal activity in your area- this kind of coverage tends towards exaggeration.

10) Never reach your conclusions using intuition alone when you seek to investigate the paranormal. Combine your intuition with practical skills and techniques when you investigate the paranormal.

11) Don’t perpetuate your own individual beliefs when investigating a strange event. Your involvement in the paranormal sub-culture may tend to sway your perceptions unbeknownst to you. People are sometimes very desperate to have other-worldly events but you must never buy into their fears or feelings.

12) Use the Internet as a means of research and education as it is wonderful educational tool.

13) As a beginner you need to bear in mind that you need to be fairly dispassionate when you investigate the paranormal. If you have any pre-conceived notions they will affect your objectivity and distort your results.

14) Talk to your community so that they know who you are and what you are doing out there in the dark! Label yourself a ‘local investigator’ and develop a work ethic as a trustworthy witness not the local crazy person!

15) Start a local network of other people who seek to investigate the paranormal.

16) Communicate efficiently with others by making appointments to conduct surveys or collect data.

17) Choose to investigate any and all reports even if these are unlikely to yield any results. Work on the premise that anything may be relevant to your investigation.

Different Kinds of Potentially Paranormal Anomalies

It is useful to know how to classify the different kinds of phenomena that you may come across as you seek to investigate the paranormal in your local community:

* ANOMALY 1: are anomalies that do not have lasting physical effects

- like amorphous lights or unexplained explosions

* ANOMALY 2: are anomalies with lasting physical effects, such as some poltergeist phenomena, materialized objects, and areas of flattened grass

* ANOMALY 3: are anomalies with associated entities. INCLUDING ghosts, big- foot, other cypto-creatures such as elves and spirits

* ANOMALY 4: are those reports in which the witness experiences personal interaction with entities in the reality of the entities themselves. This may include NDE’s, religious miracles and visions and OBE

* MANEUVER 1: gathers those UFO observations that involve an object with a discontinuous trajectory (loop, drop, maneuver etc).

* MANEUVER 2: Events that give rise to physical effects in addition to a discontinuous trajectory such as a UFO causing dimming lights or engine failures etc.

* MANEUVER 3: contains the cases of objects with discontinuous trajectories when beings are observed on board a UFO.

* MANEUVER 4: instances of maneuvers accompanied by a sense of transformation of reality for the participant.

* MANEUVER 5: a maneuver as a result of which the witness suffers permanent injury or death.

There are many books, movies and other resources available on the World Wide Web that can help you to develop skills and techniques on how to investigate the paranormal in a credible way as well as to make your findings known in respected journals and other records.

Keep your head clear and your thoughts responsible and constructive and who knows – you may come up with an explanation for those flashing lights at the bottom of the hill!

Good luck as you learn ways to investigate the paranormal, detective!