There are countless paranormal groups out there calling themselves ghost hunters. They refer to what they do as going on ghost hunts. What they fail to realize is that they are going about this in completely the wrong way. Intent is the number one thing you need to have in check to be successful in learning from, and communicating with, spirits. You may get some interaction but most people that are even remotely good at paranormal research can learn within a few minutes if a location is inhabited by spirits or not.

Intent is the difference between walking around and getting the occasional erratic EMF spikes and having your name said clearly without having to ask for it. Intent is the difference between a grainy class B EVP that might be something and a spirit telling you loudly and clearly the answer to a simple math question you ask them.

Train wrecks like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Hunters International are widely to blame for the vast amount of groups that are making these simple to avoid mistakes. Intent starts at the very beginning, the very core of why you are interested in the field to begin with. If you spend a lot of time and energy coming up with a cute name or one that spells a scary word when you use the first letter of each word, you’re doing it wrong before you’ve even really started. Intent comes from within, and if there’s one thing I hope you take away from this article it’s that they do know your intent. If your primary concern is with a cute or scary name, you might as well find another hobby because you’re already headed down the wrong path in their eyes. And if you’re taking your cues from a television show, I can’t help you.

Portland Ghosts doesn’t ghost hunt. We view it as disrespectful even to use the term. These spirits are still human. If you studied the living you wouldn’t say you’re a human being hunter so why would you ever use the phrase ghost hunter when dealing with spirits. If you watch our videos you might notice that the vast majority of the time we’re not walking around trying to locate spirits. We sit down and invite them to come to us, if they are interested in speaking to us at all. If they are not, then walking around stalking them is simply another sign of disrespect. You wouldn’t want a stranger walking around your house following you and barking out questions so why would you do it to someone else?

Another thing you will notice is that many times I do this alone. Bringing in large numbers of people is again going about it the wrong way. One to two people is the most you should ever need and I have found that when you’re alone many of the spirits seem to respect you for it. If you’re willing to go alone to speak to them they can easily pick up on your true intent.

I personally don’t like using the phrase investigation either. I’m not investigating them. They haven’t done anything wrong. Instead of a paranormal investigation, you should be conducting paranormal research (since our society demands we place labels on everything). I prefer to look at it as paranormal learning. I’m a student and the spirits willing to communicate with me are the teachers.

Everything I have mentioned all comes back to intent and respect. I’m not hunting you, I’m not investigating you, I want to learn from you. Recently we witnessed a group at a location where we have spent over a year establishing a relationship with the spirits. We are on a first name basis with many of them and have learned a great deal from them. This group arrived and immediately started acting like extremely inconsiderate and rude guests barging into someone else’s home and making demands. It was really no different than what would legally be termed a home invasion.  This is what I mean by intent. I don’t know the name of this group because they don’t have the conviction to stand up and tell anyone who they are. Most everyone that was present were appalled at their behavior but unfortunately this is not uncommon, even for the groups that claim to be opposed to this tactic. In reality, even if you don’t openly antagonize spirits, you can still be disrespectful of them based on many other criteria such as the name you chose for your team, your investigative style or by calling yourselves ghost hunters.

Almost every time I turn on the P-SB7 spirit box now the very first word said is my name. There is a communication network on their side and news does travel. You are flagged on their end. How you want to be flagged is up to you. Groups that consider what they do as hunting or went out of their way to make sure the name of their team spells F.E.A.R. or R.I.P. or S.P.I.R.I.T. will be marked as such. They do know who you are, they do know your intent and they have better things to do than speak to you.

I used to get a ridiculous amount of EVP’s. I always did sessions in 1 minute increments for several reasons. I could do 10 one-minute sessions and get 5-8 clear Class-A EVP’s consistently, even in places where others couldn’t. I rarely even take a digital voice recorder with me any longer, I don’t need one. Once word gets out on their side the level and quality of communication increases dramatically. I’m now at the point where they are coming to me. They check in on me constantly as well as those who work with me. They trust us because they know our true intent. Do all of them like me or us? Of course not. Some of the ones that check in with us are not pleasant at all.

I recently moved 2,000 miles from Portland to the Midwest. As soon as I started doing research here the first thing that happened was my name being said over the spirit box like I had never left. I also get a lot of hi’s and hello’s when I first turn it on. They know who I am regardless of my location.

I believe you can only see spirits when they allow you to see them (and conditions are just right). I see them more now than I ever did in the past. I’m not psychic or gifted in any way, they just know my intent and allow me to see them far more often now than they used to. I know when they are nearby. I see them, hear them, feel them almost on a daily basis now because they are allowing me to.

If your intent is in the right place and you respect them as the people they are, they will come to you. And you won’t have to walk around and hunt them any longer.