Do you believe in things that go bump in the night?

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Jeanne Rector claims she has seen, felt and heard ghosts speak.

"If you don't understand what you see or hear, you are afraid," Rector said.

That's why Rector joined a paranormal investigative groups out of Fredericksburg. One of hundreds across the country, which are growing in popularity.

Rector and ghost hunters like Jason Stout gather at known haunts armed with an array of high tech equipment.

"Sony handicam with night vision, electromagnetic fled detector, spirit box, explained Stout.

Stout and his Woodbridge group spent the night in a Northern Virginia home they claim is known to be haunted by ghosts. They, like all paranormal investigators, hoped to leave the home with evidence ghosts exist.

Ghost hunter David Bennet said he has seen the other side and has the pictures to prove it.

"The skirt there. The white shawl…," Bennet said of one photo taken outside the gazebo of the Weems-Botts Museum in Dumfries.

Bennet investigates locations believed to be haunted alone or with groups like Rector's.

"It's important to have these collective experiences," Bennet said.

For Rector, who says she has had encounters with ghosts since she was a child, being a part of a paranormal group has given her peace of mind.

"It's made me more confident and less scared of the dark," Rector continued.

But Chip Denman, the founder of the National Capital Area Society of Skeptics, said he's seen no truly scientific  data that ghosts exist.

"We are so good at fooling ourselves and believing in what we want to believe in," Denman said.