Ghost Hunts - How long before the bubble bursts?

There have been ghost clubs, mediums and ghost investigators for donkeys years, but the advent of Most Haunted and subsequent other offerings, both British and American,have fuelled a new business in paranormal related tourism. We are spoilt for choice with literally hundreds of companies offering ghost hunts in buildings as various as old factories right through to castles, pubs and disused air bases. You can go online and book a ghost hunt in a haunted building as easy as buying a new pair of trainers. I just wonder if supply is beginning to outstrip demand. I am asking this question in all truthfulness - I really don't know. Has paranormal tourism become such a growth industry or is it a dying trade? (no pun intended - oh OK, yes there was).
If anyone is reading this please let me have your feedback. By the way, you can go to my website and look at a few of said companies to save you the trouble of trawling the net. I am not guaranteeing the quality or expertise of these organisations. It is merely a list for your perusal. http://www.ghost-investigators.co.uk/ghost_hunts.html

Prisoners call in the ghostbusters

According to The Sun newspaper, a priest was called in to Durham Jail to bless a reputedly haunted cell after prisoners complained of "feeling uncomfortable" and as if someone was watching them (someone dead, not the prison wardens).
The cell block had previously been F wing, colloquially dubbed "She Wing" because it had previously held notorious female murderers such as Myra Hindley and Rose West. It was reported to be Myra Hindley's old cell that was the haunted one
The cell block now houses male prisoners, and they are reported to now be "as happy as Larry" since the blessing. All's well that ends well then eh?

You can read the article in full here.

Have they found a cottage used by the Pendle Witches?

Well according to the BBC report there is a possibility they have!!
Whilst the Water Authority were doing some maintenance they found an old 17th century cottage under a mound of earth. No one knew it was there. The fireplace and several other features were remarkably preserved. They also found a mummified cat that had been bricked up in the wall. The suspicions are that it was bricked up whilst still alive. You can see the original report and video here.

December is here

Yes, it's almost Christmas again. I am hoping the BBC does a few re-runs of the classic M.R. James ghost stories over the Christmas period. It's become almost a tradition. I did a search on their website but I can't see anything planned. Keeping my fingers crossed though. I'll post them on here should I see any listed later in the month.

Things to consider before saying you have definitely seen a ghost

As has been scientifically proven, seeing is not always believing. The mind often fills in the blanks when it sees some shape it cannot naturally comprehend. Added to this, there are several other factors that can affect the senses.

1) Lack of sleep - This can often lead to minor hallucinations and those "out of the corner of your eye" occurences.

2) High EMF readings - These can also illicit spooky feelings with prolonged exposure to high EMF readings.

3) Infrasound - Low frequency noise that is often inaudible to the naked ear but can cause those feelings of dread similar to high EMF. Infrasound has been used by the military for this very purpose, so we know it to be scientific fact.

4) Sleep paralysis - Or Hypnagogic hallucinations. This is when the brain is not fully awake and still in a semi-dream state. The muscles are paralysed (hence the feeling of being pinned down). In this state the mind can turn common objects such as clothing and furniture etc into monsters and ghosts.

5) Charles Bonnet Syndrome - this is when the brain erroneously assembles data from the eyes and fills in the missing pieces. During this eye condition sufferers have seen a wide range of anomalous things from elephants to people who are not really there. A common feature is a criss-cross of lines making the sufferer feel they are viewing everything they see through some kind of fencing.


These are just a few of the things that can affect the body's senses. Add to that the chemical induced hallucinations from over-indulgence of alcohol or use of recreational drugs and a great deal of so-called ghost sightings can be explained away. It's the ones that can't that interest me. Or the ones verified by multiple people or recorded on equipment.

Take any spooky location at night. Add a healthy sprinkling of hysterics and screamers, and the most innocuous of noises can cause mild hysteria - but surely that's half the fun of it - isn't it?

Can dogs see ghosts when we can't?

I found thos clip on Youtube whilst browsing one day. This dog is reacting in exactly the same way my dog behaves on occasion. It is clearly directing its bark towards a specific area and not just barking in general. See what you think.

"The Sun" goes ghost hunting

Here's a video on The Sun's website of alleged poltergeist activity. I'm sure it's true if The Sun says so (cough).

The use of psychics on ghost hunts

Whilst a psychic can add to the fun and the overall atmosphere of a fee-paying ghost hunt, it does always leave the doors wide open to criticism. The psychic obviously has to know the name of the venue in advance. This means he/she will have ample time to research the history of a venue and come up with a whole list of accurate names and dates. I'm not saying this is what they do (for legal reasons) but it does leave any information they pass across as being suspect.

If I investigate a property, the last thing I want along is a psychic. I check for tangible and measurable results. I check for all the supposed anomalies such as spikes in EMF readings, temperature drops etc. Messages from the other side via a medium are anecdotal at best.

What I would like to see is a third party organise a walk around a building and just arrange to collect the psychic en route. There would have to be no communication with the psychic either before or on the way to the venue. Ideally the psychic would be blindfolded, driven to the venue and lead inside before removing the blindfold. Only then would I truly believe in their input. I can't help it - I have a scientific mind!

Here is my standpoint on ghosts and the paranormal:
Do ghosts exist? = I have no idea. I have seen too much weird stuff to know that anomalous events do happen. Whether this is just a phenomena that is as yet unexplained or they really are the spirits of departed people...well I wouldn't like to guess.


Is there an afterlife? = No idea.


Are mediums real or fake? = Again I have no idea. There do seem to be a lot of charlatans around, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are all fake. I do doubt whether any psychic can contact one of my departed loved ones on demand though.


Is a ouija board a useful tool? = I would never personally endorse the use of one. It is too open to abuse. It's easy to push a glass around and spell out a name, and you can't use on in the dark!


Can you measure the presense of a ghost? = Again, I don't know. I just go along with popular theory like everyone else. I take toys along such as EMF meters and lazer thermometers to try and "measure" any anomalies.


This may sound like I am a rampant skeptic. I am a skeptic, but I have a completely open mind. I am on a journey of discovery. I would love to prove the existence of ghosts and come up with firm evidence. As yet I haven't but I will still enjoy trying.

Psychic hears voices from other side (via a hidden earpiece)

TV's beloved psychic Sally Morgan has been accused of getting her messages from the other side via a hidden earpiece The Guardian claims. The article is attributed to Chris French. Apparently people who were attending one of her shows at the Grand Canal Theatre in Dublin heard a mans voice from a room at the back of the building passing information which was then repeated some 10 seconds later on stage by Sally. The trouble with stage psychics is that they are like any entertainer. They are expected to perform. If they turned up and said something like "nope - nobody here tonight - sorry", there would be demands for money back from the box office. Is it any wonder that TV programmes featuring psychics always begin with the phrase "For entertainment purposes only" ? I think there's a clue there if we look for it - don't you? You can read the article here