Paranormal investigators research and attempt to explain the cause of paranormal phenomena. They often investigate in teams, using expensive field equipment to monitor and record paranormal activity. If you have an interest in ghosts, UFOs, poltergeists and other unexplained phenomena, and would like to learn more about becoming a paranormal investigator, please read on.

• A family of four is awakened in the middle of the night by strange sounds coming from their kitchen. The children are terrified, and the terror spreads to their mother as she huddles with them on the bed, waiting for Dad to return with an official report. When he does, he's skeptical about what he's seen, but it seems to coincide with his wife's reports over the last few days of a shadowy figure lurking in the kitchen. Something strange is going on in their home, but it's not the type of incident they can report to the police. Who are they going to call for help? If they're smart, they will call a local paranormal investigation team.

Paranormal investigators devote their time, and in some cases their entire lives, to finding explanations for paranormal activity. "Paranormal" is a term often used to describe occurrences that cannot be explained or measured through traditional scientific means.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal_activity Paranormal Activity This term can be used to describe everything from hauntings and poltergeists to UFOs and an assortment of other unexplained phenomena. Paranormal researchers and investigators use special equipment to measure such unusual activity, but how does one go about becoming a paranormal investigator?

Passion is one of the driving forces behind most paranormal investigators. As Grant Wilson, founding member of the Atlantic Paranormal Society, explains in an online essay on getting started, being a paranormal investigator is a job that does not pay well. In fact, most paranormal investigators sink a lot of money into the necessary equipment used to track, monitor and record paranormal phenomena.TAPS: Getting Started Investigating is an expensive hobby for most people who do it, but the passion behind the search for the truth compels them forward.

• Many paranormal investigators are driven by:

1. Past personal paranormal experiences
   1. Contact with a ghost
   2. UFO sightings
   3. Witnessing strange paranormal activity such as psychokinesis and telekinesis
2. A desire to know the truth
3. Curiosity
4. Skepticism

An education in parapsychology is not required for you to become a paranormal investigator, but there are benefits to having an education in the field. There are also a number of online courses you can take to become a certified paranormal investigator, but again, you do not need certification to become an investigator.Flamel College: Paranormal Investigator

1. Look into online and local courses in paranormal researcheHow: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
2. Read books about the paranormaleHow: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
3. Watch documentaries and television shows that focus on paranormal investigation:
   1. Ghost Hunters & Ghost Hunters International
   2. Paranormal State
   3. Destination Truth
   4. Ghostly Encounters
   5. Unexplained Mysteries
   6. Most Haunted
4. Pay close attention to the techniques used by investigators when reading and watchingeHow: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
   1. EVP Sessions
   2. Provoking
   3. Photographing
   4. Taking temperature readings
   5. Videotaping
   6. EMF readingsSimply Ghost: Become a Paranormal Investigator
5. Research equipment
6. Learn the lingoeHow: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator

Paranormal investigators use a wide range of equipment in the field to detect, record and monitor paranormal activity. Some of the equipment out there is incredibly expensive, but it's not necessary if you're just starting out. The only equipment you need to start your first investigation is:

1. A camcorder with nightshot or infrared
2. An additional infrared illuminator
3. An audio recorder
   • If using a recorder that requires cassettes, be sure to get an outside mic to cut out the sound of the gears moving the tape.TAPS: Getting Started
4. A notebook and pen to record eventseHow: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
5. Extra batteriesTAPS: Getting Started
6. FlashlightsSimply Ghost: Become a Paranormal Investigator

• When you're watching major investigators on television, you will see them arming themselves with a host of expensive equipment. You may be asking yourself, "What is that equipment and why is it useful?"

1. EMF detector: investigators use an EMF detector in areas of reported activity to determine electromagentic frequency levels
   • High EMF levels can cause everything from hallucinations to feelings of dread, fear and nausea. EMF detectors are used more often to disprove paranormal activity, rather than to prove it.TAPS: Getting Started
2. Temperature sensors: used to detect and record extreme fluctuations in temperature.Crucible: Paranormal Equipment
3. EVP detector: electronic voice phenomena can be recorded on anything from a simple audio recorder to a television or radio.Crucible: Paranormal Equipment
4. Video cameras: used to capture movement and possible evidence of manifestation.Love to Know: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
5. Infrared cameras and video cameras: detect motion and fluctuations in the infrared range.Love to Know: How to Become a Paranormal Investigator
6. Film camera: be sure to use a film camera so you have the negatives as backup proof of any recorded evidence.
7. Walkie talkies: if working with a large group, these will help you keep in touch with each other.Simply Ghost: Become a Paranormal Investigator

• During investigations, many investigators have personal experiences. Be sure to keep your senses sharp and ready to detect things like:

1. Smells
2. Physical sensations
3. Cold spots
4. Disembodied voices
5. Knocking, scratching, footsteps or other mysterious noisesSimply Ghost: Become a Paranormal Investigator
6. Feelings of nausea or disorientation

Once you've got the tools you need to get started, you're ready to head out on your first investigation...but where should you investigate?

1. Check with family or friends who believe they may be experiencing something paranormal in their homeTAPS: Getting Started
2. Research local places that are said to be haunted and are open to the publicTAPS: Getting Started
3. Consider taking a ghost tourTAPS: Getting Started

• Investigating don'ts:

1. Cemeteries: just because there are bodies buried there doesn't actually mean that the spirits of those bodies are lingering as wellTAPS: Getting Started
2. Trespassing: getting caught trespassing is one surefire way to start your days as an investigator off on the wrong footTAPS: Getting Started

• If you open your local paper, or even scan the Internet, there are paranormal teams all across the United States, and they are always looking for able-bodied investigators to join them. Sites like Ghost Village and The Shadowlands provide listings for experienced local groups searching for people to connect with. When looking to join a group, make sure they are:

1. Professional
2. Sincere
3. Dedicated
4. Legitimate
5. ExperiencedShadowlands: Paranormal Groups

• Once you get some experience behind you, you may even want to consider branching off and starting your own paranormal team.

• Whether you're beckoned by the unknown, or you've had a paranormal experience yourself, allow that passion to drive you forward. Spend some time studying the paranormal and consider taking a few courses to familiarize yourself with not only the paranormal, but the techniques and equipment used by investigators to gauge and monitor paranormal activity. Start out small, using only the most basic equipment, and investigate locally. Be sure that your practices always adhere to the law, and remember to respect others if you want to build a good reputation for yourself as an investigator. There are thousands of groups out there, so consider joining one of them or even starting your own group. Always remember when investigating that the more helpful you are to the people in the field who need your help, the more likely they are to recommend you as an investigator if their friends or family members start experiencing something strange.