Ghost hunters are often seen visiting one location during an investigation and then packing up and leaving everything behind after the one night investigation is concluded. But many of the most successful ghost hunting expeditions have yielded results after several nights or even several weeks of study. How can you decide whether it’s time to move on or stay behind for another day?
Ghost hunting blurs the line between science and superstition very much on purpose. It takes the oldest mystery mankind has ever faced – that of death – and tries to put a face on it that can be observed, studied, and to a certain extent understood. But while few ghost hunters set out to absolutely prove the presence of the paranormal once and for all, there are a few ghost hunters who will not be satisfied with a simple one night trek into a haunted house. These hardened ghost hunters may want to extend their visit several nights or even spread them out over the course of several weeks or even months. Locations of particular importance may generate more interest than others and these locations have to be thoroughly documented.
Collecting electromagnetic voice phenomena (EVP) in a house carries with it one of the eeriest feelings many ghost hunters ever report experiencing. But even though the EVP may appear fairly quickly during the course of your investigation, particularly if you know which questions to ask, experienced ghost hunters have found that an extended investigation yields more time to gather evidence. And the spirits that be are not always eager to approach new faces. It may take a few visits before they consider an investigator someone worth talking to.
Pictures are the same way. Investigators engaging in long term investigations have long told stories of one day when they get nothing on film, but later are able to gather visual evidence of even full apparitions in the room. It’s possible you could gather all the evidence there is to gather in one night, but it’s far more likely you will need more than one visit to get the full effect out of your environment.
So when is it time to move on? The answer to this is a simple question of what precisely you want to get out of an investigation. Set out goals for your team that are both realistic and representative of what you’re looking for out of ghost hunting in general. If you’re a casual ghost hunter then a one night investigation is likely more than enough to get the eerie evidence out in the open as much as you want. If you’re a more serious investigator who wishes to thoroughly rule out the paranormal or prove it to yourself then you may want to stay a little longer. And there’s the matter of fun as well. If a location is no longer exciting and you are hunting with a group of thrill seekers, it might be time to move on.