Ghost Hunting vs Paranormal Investigation

Q: Is Ghost Hunting the same as Paranormal Investigation?

Ghost Hunting usually refers to:

• A recreational or semi-professional activity

• Focused only on finding or documenting ghosts or hauntings

• Often reliant on TV-inspired methods like using EMF detectors, EVP recorders, spirit boxes, infrared cams, etc.

• More focused on experiential evidence (what you hear, feel, or record)

• Commonly conducted by hobbyists or enthusiasts

• May lack a deep investigation framework or skepticism.

It technically fits under the umbrella of "paranormal investigation"—which simply means looking into unexplained or anomalous phenomena.
However, many ghost hunts:

• Don't test alternate hypotheses

• Lack research design

• Don’t always document rigorously

So while ghost hunting is a form of paranormal investigation in spirit (pun intended 😏), it’s often a very narrow and informal version of it.

Paranormal Investigation, especially as practiced by serious researchers, aims to:

• Understand unexplained phenomena, which can include: 

• Apparitions and hauntings (includes ghost hunting)
• Poltergeists (which might involve psychokinesis)
• ESP/telepathy
• UFO phenomena
• Psychic dreams, precognition
• Entity encounters, cryptids, and more

• Apply critical thinking, psychology, history, and science-based inquiry (or parapsychology, depending on the group)

• Consider alternative explanations (e.g., natural, psychological, hoax)

• Document and analyze events in a more rigorous and context-sensitive way

• May involve interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., with physicists, psychologists, or historians)

In other words:

➡️ Ghost hunting = try to find ghosts
➡️ Paranormal investigation = try to understand paranormal phenomena 

In that sense, it’s more than just trying to “find a ghost.” It’s trying to understand what’s really going on, whether or not it ends up being paranormal in the end.

	Ghost Hunting	Paranormal Investigation
Scope	Narrow: ghosts, hauntings	Wide: all anomalous/paranormal phenomena
Methods	Often tech-driven, TV-influenced	Can include psychology, history, instrumentation, etc.
Common Level	Hobbyist, tourist, entertainment-driven	Hobbyist or serious, skeptical, methodical
Relation	Subset of paranormal investigation	Umbrella category

We need to be clear on the words we use to reduce misunderstandings

SUMMARY

Ghost hunting can be considered a form of paranormal investigation when it aims to understand the phenomena referred to as ghosts, rather than solely documenting unusual experiences or seeking proof of spirits.

That said, many individuals who begin as ghost hunters may improve their methods and perspective over time and develop into serious paranormal investigators.

-  C.E.

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