How to Hunt Ghosts: A Practical Guide

by Joshua P. Warren

In How to Hunt Ghosts, paranormal researcher Joshua P. Warren teaches the novice ghost hunter the basics, which above all include treating the paranormal as any other scientific field: one requiring well-documented research and hard evidence. This unique guide breaks down the theories, explains the tools of the trade, and even offers forms to facilitate your investigation. Peppered with anecdotes from Warren's personal experience, How to Hunt Ghosts offers answers to such questions as:

• What is a ghost?

• How does a ghost interact with the world?

• Where can you find a haunted house?

• Why do people usually see ghosts at night?

• How do you record a ghostly encounter?

If you suspect you live in a haunted house and want to exorcise a ghost or attempt spectral communication, or if you are interested in pursuing a career as a ghost hunter or are simply curious about the paranormal, this intriguing and informative guide is for you.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghosts, Reference

238 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2003

About the author

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, Joshua P. Warren has lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains his entire life, but traveled widely. At the age of 13, he wrote his first published book. Since then, he has had ten more books published, including the regional best-seller, Haunted Asheville, and How to Hunt Ghosts, and is the president of his multimedia productions company, Shadowbox Enterprises, LLC. His articles have been published internationally, and he has been covered by such mainstream media as CNN, Fox News, Southern Living, Delta Sky, FATE, New Woman, The New York Times, FHM and Something About the Author; and made the cover of the science journal, Electric Space Craft. A winner of the University of North Carolina Thomas Wolfe Award for Fiction, he wrote columns for the Asheville Citizen-Times from 1992 to 1995. His first novel, The Evil in Asheville, was released in 2000.

An internationally-recognized expert on paranormal research, Warren was hired by the famous Grove Park Inn Resort to be the first person to officially investigate the Pink Lady apparition in 1995 (the same year he founded L.E.M.U.R. paranormal investigations, of which he is president). Warren also led the expedition that captured the first known footage of the elusive Brown Mountain Lights, eventually resulting in scientific breakthroughs, via experiments Warren led in the lab, that help explain most of the lights and many mysterious, natural plasmas (such as ball lightning) that occur around the world. His work has been praised by the Rhine Research Center, The North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (or NCCAT, for which he gives annual presentations) and numerous scholars such as New York Times best-selling author Dr. William R. Forstchen, Dr. William Roll, Dr. Andrew Nichols, and legendary researchers such as NASA engineer Charles A. Yost, Oak Ridge National Laboratory engineer David Hackett, and authors/researchers Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe.

Warren has appeared on the National Geographic Channel, History Channel, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Sci-Fi, Animal Planet, and numerous networks affiliates of NPR, ABC, NBC, and CBS. He is frequently asked to be a guest on radio shows around the world, especially Coast to Coast AM with George Noory/Art Bell. Warren is also an international award-winning filmmaker (including Hollywood.com's Top Underground Filmmaker of 1998), having worked on many sets, such as Warner Brother's My Fellow Americans, Universal's Patch Adams, Paradise Falls, Inbred Rednecks, Songcatcher, and Sinkhole.

Warren works as a radio host for Clear Channel, the largest radio corporation in the world, hosting a weekly paranormal program, Speaking of Strange, airing Saturday nights on News Radio 570 WWNC. It's rated no. 1 in the region Saturday nights, reaching up to four states and streaming live worldwide on the internet.

Reviews

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say this, the book is thorough and it does assume you know nothing about the topic. It is a very good walk through for a beginner and I liked the appendices that had interview notes and how to do a log because it had some ideas I haven't thought of in decades of ghost hunting. On the other hand, there are things it's obvious the author doesn't like (psychics which yes, there are plenty of frauds) and there is a bit of ego in this.

That said, if you want to get a good idea of how to hunt ghosts, how the equipment works and how to stay safe (especially legally) .

Keep in mind this was published in 2003 so there have a) been advances in the equipment (though some seems a bit silly or scientifically unsound) and b) a lot of the web pages are probably long defunct. So Google the newer equipment and sites and use this as a starting point.

[Melvin Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid ghost hunting book.

Was recommended to me by a paranormal investigator who is going to take me on an investigation for a psychology class I am taking.

This probably gives you more than you need to know to start off and some of the parts (telekinesis for example), is more indirectly related to ghostly phenomena and that can be a little distracting. I would have liked more information on the history of the field, but it'll do.

Easy read.

[Dewin Anguas Barnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. Full of in depth information presented in a respectful, honest way. I’ve studied thr paranormal almost my whole life, and I learned several nee things from this book.

[Gwnhwyfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my third time attempting to start this book...maybe that's a hint? ;)

I had some slight "technical" issues with the book... like the author's (as another reviewer pointed out) self-importance. It's not everywhere, but it's evident in certain spots (the last paragraph on page 12 struck me as particularly so). There also tends to be repeats (enough to be noticeable) of "Later, we'll explore this...." or "Let me explain..." or similar sentences. And there's no contractions where there should be! If you don't want to jar your reader out of the book (even a non-fiction one), there are better ways to use the English language.

As for the content, the theory sections were interesting and though I can't say I subscribe to everything he's talking about, some of it is food for thought. The second half was better, especially to someone that has some introduction to the subject. (I'm a frequent watcher of G.H., G.H.I., and Destination Truth ;)

In the end, it was very much like reading a school textbook - part theory (the first section on various types of hauntings and the theories behind them) and part practical (the second section about equipment, with a miniature section on the actual process). My biggest complaint? It read very much like a dry school textbook.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the exact book I'd been looking for, discussing subjects like why ghosts will show up on film but not to the naked eye, how ghosts can move objects but people can't, and also how to go about an investigation. I love the fact that once you realize ghosts require electrostatic charges to interact with the environment, it follows that using as simple a device as a humidifier can often neutralize them, and the author confirms that this has worked on many occasions. I would have liked to see the author volunteer a few more examples from his own investigations, perhaps giving an example of where using a van der graaf generator successfully led to them catching something on tape.

[Robert Kiehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on ghosthunting or rather paranormal investigation. Author Joshua P. Warren covers various techniques on doing a paranormal investigation including types of ghosts and paranormal events, scientific theory's on why ghosts exist, life after death, some religious and philosophical issues as well and the types of equipment to conduct a ghost hunt, what to bring with, precautions to take as well as how to safely conduct one.

All in all a great book on ghosts, ghosthunting, paranormal research, events and investigation.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far one of the better guides for paranormal research. Joshua takes a very scientific approach, which is something that I believe gets left out of investigations all too often. It is clear that his goal is to bring our community to a place where we're all doing work that the scientific field can one day appreciate and use to help substantiate the existence of ghosts. I would recommend this book to beginners as well as those, like myself, who have already been an active explorer. I think this book could be helpful to all those trying to find the answers- whatever they may be.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a VERY indepth guide giving scientific aspects and amn exceptional how-to. Nothing fluff here. Covering Auras, Telekinesis, telepathy, collective ESP & synchronicity, death, wht ghosts may stick around, how they may interact, types of entities, imprints, warps, poltergeists, naturals, equipment to use & how, how to protect yourself, how to communicate .. Just a great resource book for anyone interested in the life after. Great start-off book (and referral as you go.)

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read...it didn't make me want to go out and hunt ghosts or anything. But a lot of the information was good. It got a little technical at times, like when they discussed how the equipment works. I actually don't even remember where I found this book.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. Most of the info was stuff that I've heard before on the many and varied ghost hunter adventure asylum shows. Makes a good starting point if you were going to hunt the phenomena. Cadi and i have discussed doing this at some point. This makes a good guide for the uninitiated.

[Amy Ravenel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read purely for research purposes (because I had to know what the equipment does). The author is a little too self-important for my taste, but it'll definitely help with my book.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a great picture of an apparition in it -- the Brown Lady of Raynham Hall. But I still haven't been able to catch our ghosts on film ...

[Ashleigh Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the whole book and loved it! I even let a friend borrow this book and they also loved it, we learned a lot when we first started doing ghost hunting.

[Robin Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The scientific aspect of the whole book was superb!

[Jessica Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read for fans of ghost-hunting shows - gives a deeper understanding of the gadgets they use.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting ideas reside herein...