In this 19-minute podcast, learn more about coping with fear if you're afraid of ghosts and haunted places... but you want to go ghost hunting, anyway.

Fiona Broome talks about why it's okay to be afraid when you begin ghost hunting.  Then, she explains the four simplest steps to help you deal with that fear. 

1. Understand what you're really afraid of.

2. Decide if that fear is reasonable or not.

3. Decide if your ghost hunting goals are worth the trouble of overcoming your fears.

And, if you've decided to face your fears for very good reasons...

4. Debunk your fears through education, or desensitize yourself, a little at a time.

And, learn why some fears can be truly important when you're ghost hunting.

(Of course, this is not medical advice.  If your fears are deeply rooted, you may want to talk with a counselor or other professional who understands the mental health aspects of anxiety and fear.)

And, as usual, the music for this podcast is Zombie, by Devin Anderson.

Laconia, New Hampshire is a gold mine of haunted locations.  This is Part 2 (of 2) about haunted places around Tilton, Franklin, and Laconia, New Hampshire.

In the previous podcast, Fiona Broome discussed these locations:

1. Hall Memorial Library, Northfield-Tilton, NH.

2. Tilton Mystery Tunnel, Tilton, NH.

3. Two buildings and a cemetery at Webster Place, Franklin, NH.

4. Daniel Webster birthplace, Franklin, NH.

In this 27-minute podcast, Fiona talks about visiting Laconia, NH with a neighbor.  He remembered a house from his childhood; the house had "ghost stories" and a legend about a hidden Underground Railroad room.

Fiona describes what happened when they visited the house, including evidence of its Colonial history, the Underground RR room, and hash marks on the attic staircase walls and the inside of the door.

However, the owners of the home assured Fiona and her neighbor that there were no ghosts there.

The next day, Fiona returned to that area and found several other sites worth investigating:

Tavern 27 at the Mystic Meadows, 2075 Parade Road, Laconia, NH, and the gift shop behind it.

The former site of the Anti-Pedo Baptist Church of Meredith, NH, which was burned to the ground on behalf of a neighbor, Mrs. Morgan.

Mead Cemetery (433427N / 0712936W) and Round Bay Cemetery, Laconia, NH.

Fiona also recommends looking for the Folsom graves at Laconia's Union Cemetery (between Garfield St. and Academy St.), where the petrified bodies were reburied.

How to find similar haunted locations where you are:

1. Ask people if they know any local, haunted places.

2. Follow your instincts.  Drive around, look at maps, and -- psychic or not -- pay attention to your "gut feelings."

3. Research history! Look for patterns -- geographical or historical -- that connect the locations.

4. Ask more questions.  Collect more stories and look for "odd" comments and history.

5. Investigate, then ask more questions, and conduct more historical research.

For more information about this podcast, Laconia, NH Ghosts

For more information about ghost hunting, in general, visit HollowHill.com.

Music: Zombie, by Devin Anderson

5. Investigate.

In this 17 1/2 minute podcast, Fiona Broome talks about several haunted and eerie locations around Tilton and Franklin, NH.

For more complete background info -- and photos -- see Fiona's article at Hollow Hill: Podcast: Tilton Mystery Tunnel & Webster Place.

Music for this podcast is Zombie by Devin Anderson.

If it's not a ghost or a demon... what is it?

In this 17-minute podcast, paranormal researcher Fiona Broome talks about phenomena that don't fit our usual "ghosts" context, but aren't demons, either.

First, Fiona provides her own definitions for ghostly, poltergeist, and demonic activity.  Her main emphasis is on the scope of the phenomena and how much seems externally-caused v. internal, and how people react to it... and how quickly.

Then, she talks about the main explanations for activity that's probably not a classic ghost or a demon, as those words are popularly used.

Here are a few explanations:

1. Nothing is going on.  The person is making it up.  (This can still be a serious problem that needs to be addressed.)

2. The phenomena are natural, from animal sounds to EIFs. (Experience Inducing Fields including infrasound, EMF and geomagnetic energy anomalies.)

3. It's a deliberate prank. 

4. The phenomena relate to alternate paranormal, supernatural or spiritual contexts, including faeries, aliens, the Loa, imps, djinns, and so on.

5. We're experiencing effects from a parallel reality, as described by quantum science.  This could be the influence of someone alive & well in that reality, a ghost in that reality, or a demon in that realm whose influence is seeping into our world.

Fiona's main point is:  No matter what is actually going on, if someone is clearly in trouble, they need immediate help.

She also explains the difference between a demonologist and an exorcist, and why a second opinion is always important.

In this six-minute mini-podcast, Fiona Broome shares very basic steps to begin your paragenealogy research.  (Her book will explain this in far more detail.)

Begin with your own family history.  That will show you the possible connections -- and innate rapport you may have -- with specific ghosts.

Summary:

Step 1. Ask your family for information about your parents and grandparents.  Include all information.  Don't omit things that "everybody knows." Write it all down.

For each person, you'll need the following:

• Name at birth
• Place of birth
• Full date of birth

If possible (or relevant) ask also for when & where they were married, and -- if the person is deceased -- when & where the person died and is buried.

The correct name is very important.  The location -- country, state, county, and city or town -- are vital, so get as much data as you can.  The date is helpful, but not as essential as the correct name and location.

Tip: Allow for spelling errors in public records.  For example, Fiona's Maloney ancestors' names have been spelled Mulloney, Malloney, Mallony, and so on.  Never rule out an historical record just because of a spelling error.

Step 2. Visit Ancestry.com and use their free trial membership to research more of your family history.  (There are many other resources, online and off, but Ancestry.com is the largest online resource with the easiest interface.  And, it costs nothing to try it; you may find all the information you need during that free trial membership.)

Once you know who your ancestors were, and the important historical eras (and locations) that are part of your family history, you'll also know the kinds of hauntings that may respond more intensely to you, personally.

In this 16-minute podcast, Fiona Broome talks about ghost hunting in 2010 and early 2011.

Initially, she talks about cycles of interest in ghosts.

The past 100 years

The Victorian / Spiritualist era (1870s - 1920s) when many researchers made remarkable discoveries, but today that time is remembered for its frauds.  Modern researchers would do well to review the older books, journals and magazines of that era.

The 1960s, when spirituality and the hippie movement led to a fascination with all things paranormal.  Fiona recommends the book Conjuring Up Philip, and some episodes of the (somewhat dated but delightfully campy) TV series, One Step Beyond.  Amid the hype and woo-woo silliness, breakthroughs in areas such as EMF could be helpful to us today.

Modern researchers can read books by authors such as Jess Stearn and Hans Holzer, and find important bedrock studies related to paranormal studies.  Then, search for those topics and researchers, online, to see what's been discovered since then.

Where we are now

Fiona then talks about the ghost hunting field today.  Paranormal research is facing a widening gap between entertainment -- particularly TV and radio shows -- and serious research.

She reminds listeners that she's never lost her respect for many people on ghost-related TV shows, including the Ghost Hunters franchise… while seeing many shows scripted and edited for popularity instead of credibility.

Fiona relates the current scene to election year, with a very vocal (and very small) minority loudly boasting about themselves while shamelessly trashing others.  Fiona says that she's decided to step back from the fray before it turned into the paranormal equivalent of the Jerry Springer show.

However, despite the sideshow fueled by social media sites and bad radio shows, Fiona raves about the serious research, such as real-time communication with ghosts as well as scientific studies of ghostly phenomena.

She recommends websites, podcasts and books that focus on the academic side of ghost hunting… unless you're mostly interested in entertainment and a "good scare."

EVP studies

Fiona talks about her current surveys of EVP recordings, looking for patterns in the noises and voices in those recordings.  To participate in those studies (anonymously), see Fiona's article,  EVP Survey #1 - Voices.

Initial survey results support these popular beliefs:

1. The vast majority of successful EVP recordings occur in response to things that investigators do and say.

Current conclusion: If you're recording EVP, don't just set up the recorder and leave it while you research somewhere else.  Stay with your recorder, talk to the ghosts and ask questions.

2. Most of the voices seem to be adult males who are hostile or defensive.  So, while Fiona disagrees with the popularity of "provoking" spirits, you may find better EVP results if you talk to the ghosts in forceful (but not belligerent) terms.

These conclusions may change as additional data is added via the current EVP surveys.

Book review: The Poltergeist Phenomenon, by Michael Clarkson.

The Poltergeist Phenomenon is an interesting and entertaining book about poltergeists.  It includes a wide range of true poltergeist and ghost stories, as well as professional opinions about those individual events.

In addition, author Clarkson includes extensive information about evidence for and against the credibility of poltergeist reports.

Clarkson also used discretion in reporting controversial topics, such as the spoon-bending of Uri Geller.  Instead of following current trends that border on libel, Clarkson displayed tact and integrity by focusing on what's pertinent to poltergeist research.

The Poltergeist Phenomenon is written somewhat journalistically, focusing on facts.  For some, that will make the stories more credible and compelling.  If you're looking for over-the-top adjectives and fantastic descriptions, this book may disappoint you. 

Fiona says, "I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good, true ghost stories.  This is also a great reference book for paranormal researchers, offering alternative explanations for phenomena we encounter in the field."

In this 2-minute podcast, Fiona talks about the clothing we wear when ghost hunting.  If all-black is your default wardrobe, you may want to reconsider that for ghost investigations.

In the first of Fiona's new series of mini-podcasts, Fiona talks about Friday the 13th and why it might be a good day (or night) for ghost hunting.

In this 16-minute podcast, Fiona Broome talks about the waning popularity of ghost hunting, and why that might be a good thing.  However, on TV and off, people are going to extremes to try and maintain their corner of the market.  Parts of this field are imploding in a flurry of drama, catfights, mudslinging and flame wars.

Fiona plans to sit this dance out.  She'll be speaking at Dragon*Con 2010, but otherwise expects to keep a low profile -- and keep writing books -- through the end of 2010 and perhaps early 2011.

Also in this podcast, Fiona warns about the folly and liabilities of focusing more on ghost hunting tools than on the haunted environment around you.  She offers several tips, including ways to use your real-time communication devices (EVP, Puck, Ovilus, Frank's Box, Shack Hack, pendulum,etc.) to plan ahead for a ghost investigation.

Finally, Fiona recommends reading the beginning of Embraced by the Light, by Betty Eadie.  As one of the most detailed descriptions of a reported near-death experience, we can learn from what she describes.  If some ghosts go through the same steps, this may help us understand where they are and what they're dealing with, before they "cross over."

In this long (nearly 18-minutes) podcast, Fiona Broome of Hollow Hill talks about several topics mentioned regularly in emails.

• Why she rarely uses the phone, even with fellow professionals. 
• Who to call for different kinds of scares, including ghost and demon problems.
• Demons: They don't appear, all claws, overnight.
• Why most homes have some level of "paranormal" energy, if only particles (aka "residual energy") in your physical environment.

She also explains how she categorizes most ghostly activity, including:

• Parallel realms.
• People who don't realize they've passed away.
• Spirits with unfinished business.
• People who are afraid of what's next, usually because they're sure they've behaved badly.

Fiona also recommends the movie, The Haunting (b&w version), for all serious ghost hunters.

She also reminds people that, in the TV "reality" shows -- even those with serious ghost problems -- rarely (if ever) result in advice to move out of the home. 

Music: Zombie, by Devin Anderson