City Lights Paranormal Society

Types of Hauntings

Residual

It is believed that when a person dies, their bodily energy can remain on earth. For some people, daily activities never change. Every day they find themselves doing the same thing, maybe at a certain time of the day, in a specific spot. The repetitious nature becomes habitual; like that of a doorman, for example. If a person’s only job eight hours a day, five to seven days a week is to greet people coming and going, the repetitious energy may get stored in the atmosphere. This type of spirit will never interact with the living. It will always do its own thing, at its specific time, in its designated location with or without someone else being present.

Intelligent

An intelligent haunting is exactly what it sounds like. In most cases, it occurs when a person is killed suddenly. The overwhelming shock imprints in the atmosphere. Intelligent hauntings are somewhat common. They do have the ability to interact with the living, for whatever reason. Perhaps the saddened spirit needs help, wants to understand something, or maybe it just likes to get attention. Most commonly, an intelligent haunting will result in humans being touched, losing items, hearing voices, and feeling as if they are constantly being watched.

Poltergeist

There are some people who can look at an item or person and say to themselves that everything is expendable. Nothing lasts forever, and they tend to be content with that. Conversely, other people get so emotionally attached to things that the very thought of losing them would be enough to cause tears. For instance, a single mother whose only pride and joy was her child, or a person who had an artifact left to them by a very special relative and swore to never part with it. This strong connection causes a person’s energy to remain with that artifact or person even after they pass away. In most cases, if an item or person is moved, the activity will move with it. It is believed that this style haunting derives its energy from limestone.

Demonic

This is the worst haunting of them all. A demonic haunting is believed to never have been human. It is nothing good. It thrives on weak and innocent people, and indulges itself in the art of possession. If someone is a victim of a demonic haunting, they know it. There is no guess work involved.

Thermo meters

Digital thermometers used to measure hot and cold. It is said that an entity, trying to make itself known, draws in energy from the surrounding area. By pulling in all this energy, all the heat in an area is sucked up, creating what is called a cold spot. Many investigators try to document cold spots then look for a source, if there is one to be found.

Electromagnetic field (EMF)

A field of energy generated by electrically charged objects, such as humans. All throughout space there is a constant electromagnetic field. An EMF is a mixture between both an electric field and a magnetic field. An electric field is a stationary charge, while a magnetic field is a charge caused by movement.

EMF meters

Measure electromagnetic fields in volts per meter. It is believed that a spirit drawing in energy tends to cause an EMF spike. Paranormal investigators use these meters to locate EMF fields or even random spikes. If there is nothing giving off a high EMF reading, it is possible that something paranormal may be taking place. The best EMF spike is one with no source, just free floating. It is even more fascinating when the EMF moves and an investigator is able to follow it. A K2 meter is the same thing as an EMF meter, but instead of showing measurements, it reacts with a set of lights. Paranormal investigators use this piece of equipment to interact with a spirit.

EMF illusions

Though spirits are believed to cause random EMF spikes, it is important to remember the natural electromagnetic fields. A lot of times, uncovered wires and huge machinery give off high EMF readings. If a room is filled with bad wires, it will cause a high electric current to flow through the room, which is very unhealthy. Doctors have proven that high EMF situations can cause medical problems. If a person sits in an area for a length of time under these conditions, they may experience headaches, nausea, skin irritation, paranoia, and feelings of being watched, etc. As a scientific paranormal investigator, it is important to determine whether or not there are areas with potentially problematic natural electromagnetic fields.

Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)

Is a disembodied sound. A spirit may very well be trying to communicate, but humans are not able to hear them. It is believed that they use the same frequency as radios, televisions, or even microwaves. Therefore, paranormal investigators bring along digital voice recorders. These disembodied sounds tend to digitally leave an imprint on the recorder. When an investigator listens to what was recorded, he/she may discover voices that were not heard at the time.

Ectoplasm mist

Is a lot like an EVP. Very rare but amazing, these masses of mist can be captured by digital cameras. Although the human eye cannot see them at the time, the pixilation from the flash of the camera illuminates these balls of energy, and they appear as mist in the photo.

Meaning of physical items

In some situations, props seem to be very effective. For example, if a paranormal group is called in to investigate the possible haunting of a child, they might decide to bring in a ball in hopes that it might move. A lot of times, an EMF or K2 meter may be placed next to the ball while the same area is being measured by a thermo meter. If the investigators refer to any type of action including the ball and any of these instruments show a reaction, it is a good indication of possible paranormal activity.

Provoking

A method used by paranormal investigators to entice a reaction from a spirit. Although it is always nice to be respectful and understanding of a spirit’s situation, provoking sometimes becomes very effective when trying to offend them. Just like a living being can react harshly to things, so do spirits. On a quiet night, the tune can quickly change by altering tactics. When it comes to proving or disproving a haunting, a new approach is always worth a shot.