Hauntings: Human or Not

There are a lot of reasons that a place, person or thing can be haunted. The haunting can be as varied as the types of spirits or entities that can haunt. As a paranormal investigator, I have experienced many different kinds of hauntings, spirits and entities in the field. To understand how hauntings work, you first have to know what kind of spirits are out there.

A residual spirit is one who just repeats actions from its previous life on Earth. There is no intelligence associated with this type of spirit. It is like an image of a photograph. It captures a moment in time where the moment is replayed like the loop of a videotape. These type spirits can haunt a place, but are of no threat to the humans at the location.

A spirit with intelligence commonly called a ghost is one of someone who is aware of the humans that now are associated with the location. These spirits can communicate with people, manipulate objects and potentially cause harm. They can appear or create auditory evidence in an attempt to communicate. These spirits can be harmful. It really depends on the nature of the spirit. A good way of explaining this is to understand that a spirit cares its personality with it. If they were mean in life, they carry that tendency with them to the other side.

A demon or evil entity is different than a spirit with a bad attitude. Demons are created in evil and carry a negative energy with them with the intentions of upsetting, possessing or disturbing a human's life and soul. They are very predatory and should not be challenged except by those who have knowledge and experience in dealing with such entities. Demons can attach themselves to people, things or locations. They can also roam freely and may follow someone that they want. They create confusion and chaos. There are defined signs of how to identify the presence of a demon including anxiety, feelings of fear, bad odors and the infestation of vermin. Never ever confront a demonic entity with protection.

Amateur paranormal investigators should always take the time to research the activity associated with a haunting to first determine the type of presence before starting an investigation. If you feel there is something that may be harmful to you or others, leave it to the professionals. Don't believe the idea that spirits or entities can not harm you. There is plenty of documented evidence to the contrary. Knowledge is power and knowledge can keep you safe in the darkness of the night. TJB