'Investigating The Unexplained: A Practical Guide To Ghost Hunting' By Steve Higgins

How much do you know the paranormal investigation technique known as the Estes Method and the history behind it? Take our tricky trivia quiz and test your knowledge

In the context of the paranormal, a vigil is a period of sustained observation or watchfulness during which investigators aim to witness paranormal activity.

"Spirit" refers to the essence or soul of a deceased individual that is believed to exist in some form even after death, the term is often used interchangeably with "ghost."

In the paranormal world, "manifestation" can refer to both the process of manifesting as well as "a manifestation," which is something that has manifested.

In recent years, many paranormal investigators have opted to use this trendier, catch-all term "entity" instead of more traditional ones like "ghost."

Many ghost hunting devices and apps claim to allow spirits to communicate by converting environmental anomalies into perceivable words or phrases using a built-in word bank.

Trigger objects are used in paranormal investigations to entice spirits or paranormal entities to interact with the environment in order to provide evidence of their presence.

Spirit photography, the art of capturing images believed to show ghosts on camera, dates back to the late 19th century, but remains a popular part of paranormal investigations to this day.

Shadow figures are frequently reported ghostly sightings, seen as dark, shadowy silhouettes of human-like figures that appear and move in peripheral vision or directly in line of sight.

In 1997, Channel 4 broadcast 'For The Love Of... Ghosts', a late-night show where Jon Ronson chaired a discussion on ghost hunting and paranormal experiences.

While skepticism is a crucial part of reviewing paranormal evidence, ploughing in with the blinkered intention of debunking could be doing more harm than good.

Occam's Razor isn't spooky or mystical, but it is an important principle, a tool of logic, that's often brought into debates about potential paranormal evidence.

AI offers new opportunities for advancing paranormal research with the potential to transform the way paranormal evidence is examined objectively and efficiently.

The Ganzfeld experiment is a well-known technique used in the field of parapsychology to test individuals for extrasensory perception (ESP) or psychic abilities.

The strange, melodic sounds described as warbling, metallic, or underwater in nature that seem out of place in Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) recordings,

Divination is a practice used to gain insight or discover hidden knowledge about the past, present, or future, often through supernatural means or by communicating with the spirit world.

It might be time for investigators to give up trying to obtain proof of the existence of ghosts scientifically and instead embark on a more personal exploration of the paranormal.

Long before EMF meters and spirit boxes, pendulums were helping the curious connect with spirits, and the method is still used by some on ghost hunts to this day.

Necromancy is the practice of seeking to communicate with the deceased that is steeped in history, with roots tracing back to ancient civilisations and ties to modern ghost hunting.

A near-death experience is a psychological event that occurs to someone who is on the verge of death or who has avoided a situation where death was likely.