Question: Do you all really believe in ghosts?
Short answer – yes.
The experiences, beliefs, backgrounds, and degrees of skepticism vary widely among our members. All of us are drawn to ghost hunting for a variety of reasons and are interested in the possibility of detecting ghosts. Many members have had profound personal experiences with the paranormal.
Question: Why do you ghost hunt?
Short Answer – because we can.
It’s the same reason people climb Everest. Actually, the desire to know what’s really out there combined with personal experiences started Key2RIP. Some members are more interested in the historical aspects of ghost hunting, while others are curious about the spiritual aspects, while the thrill if the hunt drives others. Although we do not consider it paranormal evidence, many members in the group can sense unseen forces, and that also is a driving force. In the last ten years, technology has increased in power while decreasing in price, and better technology means more evidence. We’re hoping that we can share our passion with others as more camera-armed curiosity seekers start hunting as well.
Question: How does your group hunt ghosts?
Short answer – scientifically.
Many groups employ psychics or other “sensitives” to detect ghosts. We do not. We use technology to gather evidence. Cameras, both still and video, and sound equipment are our primary means of ghost hunting. We reserve judgment on whether a place is haunted until evidence has been reviewed.
Question: Do you do this for a living?
Short answer - no.
All of us have jobs outside of the paranormal realm. Most of us are also taking classes or going to college full time. We would love to hunt ghosts full time, but ghost hunting takes many resources and like everyoe else, we must work to support ourselves.
Question: Do you capture ghosts?
Short answer - we wish!
Can you imagine the marketing possibilities of Ghost in a Can? But seriously, that is only possible in movies or books. As we have concluded that ghosts are energy, it should be possible to contain them, but such a means has not been developed.
Question: How are you different from other groups?
Short answer – it depends on the group.
We share some techniques with many groups, such as gathering physical evidence. Key2RIP specializes in ghosts and does not pursue other paranormal phenomena (although we can easily refer you to great groups who do). While we do not discount clairvoyance and psychic abilities, we do not use such in our investigations. There are two things our group does that other groups do not do to the same degree. This first is historic research. We are not merely content in finding the ghosts, but learning the hard-core history of the area. Second, our group considers itself an educational group. We actively seek to teach people about ghost hunting whenever possible. Many other groups we have encountered are more closed to the public.
Question: Do you charge money to hunt ghosts?
Answer – no.
We worry about any ghost group that does charge, as they may not be objective. We also do not pay to go on hunts.
Question: Is ghost hunting science?
Short answer - no.
For something to be considered science, it must be provable, measurable and repeatable, or at least if experiments are performed independently, they would return the same results. However, when we hunt ghosts, we use scientific means rather than psychic or paranormal means to investigate locations. Nothing we do would convince a hard-core skeptic, nor dissuade an adamant believer. Ghosts haven’t been scientifically proven and therefore any study of ghosts is not scientific, though hundreds of thousands of personal experiences drive hunters onward.
Question: Is ghost hunting scary?
Short answer – no.
The more we hunt ghosts, the less frightening it actually is. We often joke that we’re more afraid of the living than the dead. There have been no proven cases of ghosts having killed anyone*, and few cases of ghosts harming people. The more that fears are confronted, the smaller they become. We’re all quite content to sit in a creepy location in the dark with no feelings of dread. Once in a while, we’ll get a little bit nervous or excited, but we look forward to those events. It’s important to stay together and stay safe, but as for ghosts, we aren’t afraid.
Question: Isn’t ghost hunting tampering with evil powers?
Short answer – no.
One member of the group had an entomology class (insect studies). In this class, she often had to go out with flashlights in the dark to try and find bugs. She describes ghost hunting as very similar, although less successful. As for evil forces, you’re as likely to encounter them in your own home as you are while ghost hunting. All that ghost hunting might do is make an individual more aware of what’s around anyway. As part of our investigations, we don’t try to summon ghosts, nor do we encourage anyone taking the advice of ghosts. We do not use mediums.
Question: Can you make ghosts leave?
Short answer - well, it depends.
Ghosts are people. Can you make people come and go? That would also depend on the individual. For those people who have ghosts in their home and don't want them there, they have a right to treat them like anyone in the house that has outstayed their welcome; tell them to leave. Our group does not do "exorcisms" and we don't send ghosts away, although we can counsel those who wish to. We usually defer to the beliefs of the individuals and help them seek assistance.
Question: What's the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
Short Answer - Scary how?
We have had things move, doors opening and closing, and even an encounter where one member had marks that resembled welts. Honestly, we're so focused on the investigation that we aren't scared at the time, but are more curious.
Question: What's the scariest place you've been on your investigations?
Short Answer - What do you mean by scary?
Some places that make us the most nervous produce the least evidence. Some places where we haven't been scared resulted in many EVPs, photos, and even seeing shadowy beings. Usually when we're scared, it's from nerves and not from the location.
Question: Are orbs paranormal?
Short Answer - Probably not.
Many things identified as orbs are reflections, dust, or particles in the air. Those bright balls of light that cannot be dismissed so easily may be energy, but they may be as natural as lightning. Orbs are often seen in conjunction with paranormal phenomena though, so when orbs are seen, keep the shutter open.
Question: I’m interested I ghost hunting. How do I begin?
Short answer – just do it.
Most ghost hunters begin with nothing more than a digital camera. Go to a place that is interesting to you (we recommend one that’s slightly creepy, just for good measure) and start shooting. Most of your pictures won’t show anything interesting, but some might. Feel free to share them with us, or with some good friends. Eventually, get a good digital recorder (preferably one with a USB port) and start recording. Feel free to contact us for more information.
