In
an age when ghost hunting groups proliferate but their standards are often woefully
inadequate, solid and reliable information on how to carry out an investigation
properly is essential. In response to
that need, Leo Ruickbie has written a useful guide which will assist investigators
to conduct meaningful research. Subtitled
‘How to Identify and Investigate Spirits, Poltergeists, Hauntings and Other
Paranormal Activity’, its progression is logical, taking the reader through the
process of evaluation, equipment, investigation methods, analysis, and
interpretation of results. In addition
he discusses more general issues of psychical research, drawing heavily on the
files of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) and the Ghost Club. Supplementing such historical material he
conducted two surveys, the ‘Ghost Hunting Survey’, interviewing investigators,
and a ‘Preliminary Survey of Hauntings’, the latter examining nearly a thousand
reports from across the UK.
Sections
look at ghosts in detail, categorising them in terms of factors such as degree
of visibility, whether or not they communicate or appear to have purpose, and
the sorts of places where they are said to be found, including a roundup of the
most famous locations (the SPR is often asked for its ‘Top 10”, but such lists
are more about marketing than psychical research). Methods used to obtain information are
covered, such as the Ouija board, mediums, dowsing, Electronic Voice Phenomena,
even necromancy (though you will need a bit more information than is provided
here if you fancy a go at that). Then
Ruickbie considers what might be going on, looking of course at the spirit
hypothesis, but covering other possibilities of varying degrees of plausibility. These include the environment, such as faulty
plumbing, underground water, carbon monoxide poisoning, infrasound, geo- and
electromagnetism, the ‘stone tape’ theory and more. Psychological factors are dealt with:
misperception, hallucination, the fantasy-prone personality etc. Possible causes of poltergeists are covered:
spirits, recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis, a desire to be rehoused, even
stories put about as a cover for criminal activity.
After
this wide-ranging tour, the final chapter looks at the perils that can befall
the unwary investigator, from hit-and-runs, falling under trains, to being shot
(the last one more an American than a British problem these days, but
presumably a real danger for those groups foolhardy enough to commit trespass
in search of ghosts). Ruickbie found in
his Ghost Hunting Survey that over half of his respondents had been frightened
at least once during an investigation. As
he concludes, “ghost hunting is not for the faint-hearted.” At the very least it requires good social
skills, confidence when alone in the dark, and the ability to balance
open-mindedness with scepticism.
Completing the package, unlike many publications dealing with
spontaneous cases it has an excellent index and detailed endnotes which amply
demonstrate the extensive reading that informs the volume.
Unsurprisingly,
while it covers the full range of the aspects of investigation, the broad
coverage means that the book isn’t comprehensive, and readers wanting a
practical nuts-and-bolts technical guide taking them through the stages in further
detail should supplement it with information from other sources (my preference is
still Rosney et al’s A Beginner’s Guide to Paranormal Investigation,
published by Amberley). Ghost
Hunting is strong on the environmental factors that need to be taken into
account, and forceful on the distinction between assumption-led research, for
example that there is a haunting by a discarnate entity which only has to be
documented, as opposed to evidence-led research which tries to avoid prior
assumptions. Equipment is dealt with
lightly, and Ruickbie questions the appropriateness of much of the ghost
hunters’ typical gear as it is frequently misused and cannot provide the
evidence for paranormal activity that its users assume.
The
book certainly manages to cover a lot of ground and as Ruickbie acknowledges
the “Brief guide” in the title is something of a misnomer given that it is over
360 pages. Even so, the very breadth of coverage suggests that depth has had to
be sacrificed. That breadth though means
that there is something here for everybody who has an interest in spontaneous
case investigation, both the historical context and current best practice. One can quibble with the book’s title as many
researchers do not like the term ‘ghost hunting’, because it can be seen as
self-aggrandising, has aggressive connotations, and if consciousness does continue
is insulting to the dead. Unfortunately
publishers’ wishes often prevail over authors’ preferences in such matters.
Ruickbie
notes (and is not alone in so doing) the widespread influence that television
shows have had in shaping perceptions of ghost hunting and encouraging
substandard methodologies, making books such as this valuable as an antidote. Good information has to fight hard to hold
its own amongst the dross, a situation made difficult by its relative scarcity,
and he has helped to rectify that deficiency most ably. No doubt there will still be groups who think
that they know best with their gadgets, their obsession with orbs and even demons,
and their readiness to attribute every unusual occurrence they experience to
ghosts. But with such level-headed books
as this readily available, they will have even less excuse for their antics.
