Ghost Hunting and Investigations

Blog posts on ghost hunting and investigations 

In 1985, SGHA was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in between was me. The idea of this group was to utilize these different viewpoints, skeptic and believer, to investigate haunted places from a perspective that could lead to an unbiased conclusion. The believers became the "ghost hunters" while the skeptics became the "investigators." From day one we have never believed that ghost hunting and investigation were the same things, so the different terms were used to differentiate between the two kinds of methodology. This was essential as each group approached the mystery differently and had different criteria. While I have participate in both elements of SGHA, I eventually found that I enjoyed the "investigator" side.
The goal of the investigators is to attempt to identify and/or replicate any natural or manmade causes of the reported phenomena, search for alternative explanations and to challenge the findings of the ghost hunters. This was the intellectual side of ghost hunting that was more fulfilling and interesting.
In the beginning, when it was just the five of us, everything ran well. Our friendship enabled us to communicate despite having different worldviews and objectives. However, when the group began taking on new members, several issues started to cause problems. To be quite honest, the issues were often on the side of the believers who thought that their perspectives on specific investigative issues were being prematurely dismissed by armchair skepticism. This was eventually solved through the addition of new by-laws or modifications to the group's operational procedures.  However, I was the acting President of the group, which meant that I had to represent both sides equally. The result is that most people identify me more as a ghost hunter, a believer, rather than a skeptical investigator who is still uncertain if the paranormal exists. Still the ghost hunting side is there and here are my blogs about it.

Modern Paranormal Investigation and Ghost Hunting: The stuff you may not know about ghosts and hauntings

Information on the phenomenology of apparitional experiences comes from several collections of spontaneous case studies.  Many cases have been …

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Modern paranormal investigation, ghost hunting and Spiritualism

Although ghost stories have existed throughout time and across many cultures, the beginning of the serious study of ghosts started in 1840 with the …

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The origins of EMF and its connection with ghosts

Most people know that ghost hunters make use of EMF detectors in order to identify the presence of a spirit. But where did this belief stem from? As…

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Sir Oliver Lodge (1878 – 1955) : Paranormal Investigators of the Past

Oliver Lodge was born in 1851 at Penkhull in what is now Stoke-on-Trent, and educated at Adams' Grammar School, Newport, Shropshire. He was the …

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Sir William Crookes (1832 – 1919): Paranormal Investigators of the Past

From 1850 to 1854 he filled the position of assistant in the college, and soon embarked upon original work, not in organic chemistry where the …

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Human brain activity with plexus lines.. External cerebral conne

Scrutinizing the Relationship between Subjective Anomalous Experiences and Psychotic Symptoms

Another great paper that is quite interesting. Abstract: This research was exploratory, and its main objective was to analyze whether anomalous …

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Dr. Walter Franklin Prince, Ph.D. (1863 – 1934): Paranormal Investigators of the Past

Prince was a friend to Harry Houdini and Hereward Carrington and they all had exposed the tricks of fraudulent mediums, however, unlike Houdini both…

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The Inn at Castlerock, Bisbee AZ

A brief video tour of the Inn at Castlerock in Bisbee, AZ. along with some of the ghost stories told about this historic place. The building, set up…

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The ghost of Old Joe

In 1986 I had been a ghost hunter for just over a year. The challenge back then was trying to find places to investigate. The internet did not exist…

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Investigating Paranormal Claims using Urban myth models

Logic proves that ghosts are exceedingly unlikely to be the cause of a phenomenon. The thousands of supposed ghost cases have turned out to have …

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How do you investigate a haunting? (Slides from Presentation)

The Southwest Ghost Hunter's Association (SGHA) was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in …

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The Ghost seen by Lord Brougham

I have always been interested in the older ghost investigations as they provide an interesting insight, especially when compared to ghost …

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The History of Ghost Hunting (Slides from a presentation)

Today I thought that I would share the slides that I used to show when presenting the history of ghost hunting. It covers the beginning and eventual…

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Harry Price, the first ghost hunter (video interview)

Harry Price was a British psychic researcher and author, in the early 1900s who gained public prominence for his investigations into psychical …

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How I became interested in ghost hunting

My earliest memory of a ghost story was borne in a summer camp in the panhandle of Texas where my brother and I spent several summers. Not far from …

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Re-Investigating Un-Haunted Houses

Eight couples who had never experienced any ‘haunting’ activity in their houses and had no reason to expect they would experience ‘ghosts’ were …

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The 10 Biggest mistakes made by ghost hunters

I will admit that this is actually a rather old piece. I wrote the original back in 2005 where it was posted on the Southwest Ghost Hunter's …

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How to perform a Ghost Hunt? (Slides from Presentation)

The Southwest Ghost Hunter's Association (SGHA) was created by five people. Two were very skeptical; two were hardcore believers and somewhere in …

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Room 18 at the St. James Hotel, Best EVP

Being one of the first people to go inside the infamous room 18 at the St. James hotel, I describe what the room was like and talk about the first …

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Ghost hunting cartoons from back in the day...

Back in 2003, my ghost hunting team used a forum to communicate and arrange logistics and share our thoughts on various subjects. These cartoons …

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That's Some Scary Sh!t EPISODE 2: Ghosts of Old Town

I was recently interviewed about the ghosts of Old Town for this new YouTube channel. Had a great time working with these guys!

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Why Bob and I wrote the Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium

In the spring of 2020, the authors, Bob and Cody, started having conversations about updating their 2008 book "The Complete Ghost Hunter: Basic …

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The Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium is now available!

From the back cover; Written by a believer and a skeptic with over 30 years of experience, the Conscientious Ghost Hunter's Compendium reveals …

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My latest book, "Texas' Most Haunted EXPOSED", is now available!

From the back cover; For decades ghostly tales have been told across the lone star state. Texas' macabre past has created its share of phantoms. …

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No access to email.

Lately I've been having issues logging into my sgha email address. Best to contact me via Facebook until i figure this out.

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My Book "New Mexico's Most Haunted Exposed" won an award!

My book won an award! To have it judged by three other authors and become a finalist is really an honor.

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Author Conversations presented by Arcadia Publishing

Talking about my book "Haunted Tombstone" and a little history. Check out the podcast, there is a lot of fun stuff in there! …

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The ghosts of Old Tucson Studios

In this video, we give our opinions of the ghost of Old Tucson studios after a site visit with Donovan's Ghost Patrol.

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Haunted Tombstone is now available

Once the rowdiest town in the Old West, Tombstone still holds echoes from those wild days of thieves, outlaws and gamblers. The ghost of the Swamper…

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The cover for my next book has been approved.

The cover is done. The release date is now set for September 23rd 2018.

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The Toughnut Mine

Found this old image of the entrance to the Toughnut mine in Tombstone.The mine came to be one of two big strikes by the Tombstone Gold and Silver …

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Rating Paranormal Activity (Low grade, High grade)

Well-organized, systematic studies of apparitions started after the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) was founded in England in 1882. The SPR was…

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How can you be a ghost hunter if you do not believe?

Here is the answer to the question "How can you be a ghost hunter if you do not believe?"  

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The three most important things a ghost hunter needs

In this video, Cody talks about the three most important things a ghost hunter must have.    

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Biggest Ghost Hunter FAIL! Repeating the mistakes of the past, Part 2

We are back with part two discussing this very important issue!

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Biggest Ghost Hunter FAIL! Repeating the mistakes of the past

The biggest mistake ghost hunters make is repeating the same mistakes made by those who came before them. If you cannot learn from your mistakes, …

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Cody Polston

Why do ghost hunters investigate in the dark?

So why do ghost hunters investigate in the dark? Does it really make sense?

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The various ideas about residual hauntings

When it comes to "residual hauntings" there are many ideas out there. Starting in 1890, four different concepts of this idea have been put forth in …

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Team shirts for ghost hunters, why do they wear them?

In this video Cody explains why ghost hunting teams wear team shirts and why the shirts are typically black.

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Interview with Loyd Auerbach (part 5)

Cody sits down with Loyd to talk about psychics and mediums.

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Interview with Loyd Auerbach (part 4)

Cody sits down with Loyd to talk about ghost hunting. Is it just a hobby?

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Interview with Loyd Auerbach (part 3)

Cody sits down with Loyd to talk about what ghost hunting groups can do to help further the field of paranormal research.

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Interview with Loyd Auerbach (part 2)

Cody sits down with Loyd the equipment used in ghost hunting.  

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Interview with Loyd Auerbach (part 1)

Cody sits down with Loyd to discuss the paranormal oriented TV shows. What is his opinion of them?  

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Ghost Hunting myths

In this video I talk about many of the myths that are associated with ghost hunting.

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Ghost Stumpers (skeptical questions)

In this video I answer several questions that are often called "ghost stumpers".

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What are ghosts, Part 2

The majority of what people think ghosts are is actually based on superstition and folklore. There has been some serious scientific work done …

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I EAT YOUR SKIN (1964), Movie Review

Written, Produced and Directed by Del Tenney. All video and stills from the film are owned by VCI Entertainment. A research scientist on a …

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Advice for baby Ghost Hunters (Noobs)

Here is some practical advice for people who are new to ghost hunting.  

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Why your EVP “Evidence” is bogus and not the voice of a ghost (responses)

I recently wrote an article in my blog called "Why your EVP “Evidence” is bogus and not the voice of a ghost". Due to the amount of comments and …

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What are Ghosts , Part 1

The majority of what people think ghosts are is actually based on superstition and folklore. There has been some serious scientific work done …

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Test Your Might, Analysis of voices v.s. Signal to noise ratio

Signal to noise ratio is a major consideration when analyzing audio. Are you really hearing a voice or is it actually the lower frequencies of …

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Why your EVP "Evidence" is bogus and not the voice of a ghost

Anyone can turn on a audio recorder and ask questions into thin air. Anyone can listen to that recording and think they are getting responses from …

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The truth about ghost hunting. Sorting the posers from the investigators!

Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, …

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The ghost of Sandee Saunders

Along the lonely stretch of I-25 where she lost her life, late-night drivers were startled by manifestations of Sandee’s disembodied head, often …

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GHOSTHUNTER X Magazine, Issue #1 is now available

In this issue: Josefita Otero, the ghost of the Luna Mansion The Lady of the Lake, an investigation at Ft. Phantom Lake The ghost of …

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How tragic events can create alterations in a ghost story.

Sometimes realistic events can shape and change legends. A good example of this is the story of Rebecca Potter who, according to legend, haunts the …

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The “anecdotal evidence is invalid” argument.

The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. In cases where small numbers of anecdotes are presented, there is a larger …

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The name game. Ghost Hunter v.s. Paranormal Investigator

One of the most appalling things about the "field" of modern day ghost hunting (paranormal investigation/research) is the obvious disregard of its …

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Leave Orbs alone!

I stumbled upon this video today and it made me laugh. It does a fine job of portraying the crybabies of the paranormal. (Yes, it is a parody). …

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How to analyze ghost videos using critical thinking in 5 easy steps

The ever-present video camera is creating a new form of “paranormal” news. Anytime anything even slightly strange occurs on a video surveillance …

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The Self and its source

So class, today I want you all to go read the following article. It's okay, I'll wait for you to get back. G'wan now, git! Don't come back till …

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The Enemy Within: How ghost hunters fail due to their own psyche

Investigating ghostly phenomena is actually a daunting challenge. The rational investigator must weed through bias, myth building, and historical …

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Why it is easy to FAIL with Full Spectrum cameras.

As Inigo Montoya (of The Princess Bride, for you non-movie-geeks) might say, "Full Spectrum? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what …

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Battery Drainage Phenomena.....BULLSHIT!!!!

The concept of Battery Drain phenomena comes from  a belief that is based solely in anecdotal statements by investigators in  the paranormal …

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The 10 Biggest mistakes made by ghost hunters

1. You cannot use the paranormal to prove the paranormal. Simply put this is a circular argument that violates Scientific method and gives your …

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Ghost Hunting in Tombstone in 2008 (The Lost GHOSTHUNTER X Files)

In 2008, SGHA was shooting video for a DVD that would be named GHOSTHUNTER X. The final film ended up being about the Storyteller theater in Old …

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The Birdcage Theater, Tombstone, AZ (with 94 Rock) Photographs

Here are the photos taken at the Birdcage theater during a ghost hunt with 94 Rock.

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Scientific Method, Belief Systems and World View

The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for separating the truth from lies and delusion. The simple version looks something like this: …

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The truth about ghost hunting. Sorting the hobbyists from the amateur researchers

Hobbies are practiced for interest and enjoyment, rather than financial reward. Engaging in a hobby can lead to acquiring substantial skill, …

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Valverde Battlefield (Photos from Investigation)

Photographs from a visit to the battlefield. In a rare opportunity, we obtained permission to go onto the battlefield to take a look around.

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Urban Myth Models

Logic proves that ghosts are exceedingly unlikely to be the cause of an phenomena. The thousands of supposed ghost cases have turned out to have …

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