Try not to let your imagination run away with you. This is easy to say and much harder to do. People are frightened by the unknown and by things that they don’t understand. Before you start ghost hunting, try to relax and keep your eyes and ears open for anything on the following list of signs that could mean your house is haunted.
Unexplained temperature drops
One of the easiest ways to tell whether spirits are present in your home is by paying attention to the temperature. If you experience unpredictable shifts in temperature, this could mean that you are indeed in the presence of an otherworldly entity. The reason for this is pretty straightforward. Ghosts require energy, and when they are present, they pull energy from the environment. Accordingly, their presence is directly associated with sudden drops of temperature.Electrical glitches
Electrical glitches can include anything from ringing phones with no one on the other end of the line to flicking lights, televisions that turn on an off, and more. Problems with electricity is a classic clue that reveals a ghostly presence is nearby. Ghosts exist within another dimension and need conduits to make contact, which is why audio and video recording devices have become so well-known as methods of communicating with the spirits.Unusual smells
One of the most common ways to identify the presence of a ghost is through scent. Ghostly smells will usually be somewhat familiar, like perfume, flowers, or the distinctive aroma of pipe tobacco. Sometimes, the scents can be less pleasant, like that of sulfur, which has been connecting to negative hauntings. The smells can manifest and then disappear with no explanation.Movement of objects
If you start seeing doors open and close or notice that things seem to disappear from one part of the house only to show up in another, unrelated spot, you may have a ghost. It is not often that ghosts build enough energy to interact with physical objects, but it does happen.Unidentifiable sounds
The clomping sounds of boots on the staircase, footsteps going up and down hallways, and disembodied voices in the night are all signs that your house is likely haunted. While strange sounds are often more closely connected to residual hauntings, it is also possible that you have a spirit on your hands who wants your attention.Odd behavior from your pets
If your pet begins spending an inordinate amount of time in a certain area of your home or having a reaction to something that is unseen by you, then it is very possible they are making contact with a paranormal entity. Animals can pick up on sounds, smells, and sights that are not detectable to humans. In addition, dogs are also known to foresee imminent earthquakes, tornadoes, and other natural phenomena. So, it is no surprise that your pet can also feel the presence of a ghost.
©By Soloviova Liudmyla/Shutterstock.comFeelings of a nearby presence
Many people who find themselves living in a haunted house will speak of feeling a presence in the house that they cannot explain. This may manifest as feeling someone standing over your shoulder, close behind you, or even in the room with you when you can see no one is there. It is also possible to feel as though you are being watched, wherever you go in the house. It is possible that a spirit is trying to make contact with you but is unable to get your attention in any other way.Sensation of being touched
Ghosts also try to get your attention through touch, perhaps a tug on your hair, a touch on your shoulder, or, in more negative situations, a push on a staircase, scratches, bruises, or worse. If this is something that you start experiencing in your home, then it is very possible that you have an unwanted presence there.Seeing shadows and movement
If you suddenly start seeing the apparition of a person standing in a corner, who vanishes when approached, it has become very obvious that you have a ghost situation. Most sightings will be much more subtle, though. You may start to see flickers of movement out of the corner of your eye, but when you look straight at the spot, nothing is there. You might also see shadows that do not belong, moving in the opposite direction of the light. If this becomes a common occurrence, you may have spirits in the house.Feelings of depression and sadness
When you have feelings of overwhelming sadness and depression in your home, it may not just be because of your mental state. There may be an outside influence, especially when the feelings tend to go away once you leave the house. In many cases of negative and oppressive hauntings, homeowners are plagued by heavy feelings and depression, which cannot be easily explained. This may be a clear sign that something is wrong with your property.Actions you can take
If you are experiencing any, or most, of the items on this list, then it is possible that your house may be haunted. If you can, try to determine whether your possible ghostly activity has a natural cause.Keep a log or journal
The next thing to do is to keep a log or journal of any activity that occurs in the house. This is a great way to not only recall the events when they are fresh in your mind but also to see whether a pattern of activity exists.In your log or journal, record the following details:
- The exact time and date when the activity occurred
- Everyone who was present and what they experienced
- The weather conditions at the time
Decide what you want to do
That brings us to the next decision you will need to make. You can either learn to live with the novelty of a ghost in your house, or you can get in touch with a legitimate paranormal researcher to help you understand it better. You may be unwilling to share your house with a ghost and want to get rid of it. If that is the case, an investigation team can help you determine the veracity and extent of the haunting first.Contact a qualified paranormal investigator
It is now time to get in touch with a qualified paranormal investigator who can come into your home and determine what sort of activity is taking place. This is not as easy as it sounds. Hundreds of websites on the Internet claim to be affiliated with paranormal research, and it would seem that you have scores of ghost-hunters to choose from. Unfortunately, this is not the case. But the following is a bit of helpful information that can help that may help you choose an investigation team for your home.- Make sure that they have a telephone number to make contact with. Also, make sure that the contact information on their website lists a first and last name of the persons who are actually doing the investigations.
- Try to determine from the website whether the investigators are someone that you would like to have in your home. Remember, the website is the method of advertising that they chose to offer their services through, and if the site is questionable, the ghost-hunters might be, too. Anyone can put up a website, but the quality of the material on it will speak volumes about who is behind it.
- Legitimate investigators will not charge for their services. If you are asked to pay for an investigation, then you should look for someone else. Only services that produce concrete and tangible results are worthy of payment, and paranormal research is too unpredictable for that. In most cases, very little may occur in an investigation, and no one should be expected to pay for that.
- Once you believe you have found an investigator that you are comfortable with, you need to check his qualifications for an investigation. Ask how long he has been involved in paranormal research and about investigations in the past, especially those involving private residences.
Prepare for an on-site investigation
Should the researcher then decide that an investigation of the house is warranted, then prepare for an “invasion.” Even though most research groups will consist of no more than five to six individuals, a good team can seem like many more. An investigation can be very invasive, and photographs and video will be taken of the house. The investigators will ask you to describe the events that occurred (perhaps several times), and your statement will be recorded. They will ask you dozens of questions, and many of them will seem unconnected and perhaps even embarrassing. Bear with them, however, because the questions do have a purpose, and the investigators will be working to try to not only legitimize your story but also to determine whether the reported activity is real.
Here are some things that you should be aware of when it comes to paranormal investigations:- The investigators should not be drinking or smoking at any time.
- The investigators should arrive at your home with open minds. No one is trying to debunk your reports but must keep an open mind to all possibilities. Good investigators must remain noncommittal until they have had a chance to gather their evidence.
- Make sure that the investigators seem to know how to use all their equipment. If there is anything that you do not understand, be sure to ask them to explain what it is used for. If they cannot, you may have a problem.
- Unless the investigation was set up through you with a local television station or newspaper, the investigators should not be accompanied to your home with a reporter or media person. This should never occur without your permission. The investigators are duty-bound to keep all aspects of your case confidential unless they have your permission to disclose anything.
- You can help by making sure that everyone who experienced anything unusual is present on the night of the investigation and that you keep away friends and relatives who want to come over to watch the proceedings. This can be very distracting to you and to the investigators and can interfere with an accurate investigation.
- If you become uncomfortable with what is going on at any point in the investigation, you have the absolute right to call a halt to everything. The investigators are present at your request and are guests in your home. They should be given the respect that such a title signifies, but they also must respect your feelings and fears as.
Follow up
If activity occurs during the investigation, this will be exciting for everyone involved. If it does not, and yet the investigator believes there is a strong possibility of genuine phenomena, he may request a follow-up investigation. A good investigator researcher will always follow up on a case. If you do not hear from him and the phenomenon persists, then call him yourself. Do not be afraid to get in touch with him and ask him to come back.It is possible that an investigator will tell you that they believe your house is haunted. You may be comfortable with that, or you may want to try and get the haunting to stop. However, unless your investigator is psychic, they will not be equipped to get rid of the ghosts that may be haunting your house. Most ghost-hunters are merely investigators. They do not talk to ghosts and do not see them around every corner. This normally means they will contact an outside source.
If you have a family minister, the ghost-hunter will likely suggest that you get in touch with this person and ask them to come to the house and to pray for the soul of the spirit that is present. This is not an “exorcism” but simply an attempt to get the ghost to leave in peace. It can be of great benefit to you and your family, as well.
If a willing minister is not available, then the investigator should be able to suggest or find an expert in getting rid of ghosts. They may not be a professional medium or psychic but someone who is sensitive to spirits and who has a good reputation. It should be someone the ghost-hunter has either worked with before or someone who was referred through a legitimate source.
Paranormal research has several goals. Not only is the investigator seeking evidence of ghosts, but he or she is also there to help the person who called them in to investigate the case. It is the investigator’s main responsibility to alleviate the fears of the witness and to help them deal with the activity they are experiencing. The homeowner should ever be shut out of the investigation but should be treated with the utmost respect. We all know that we fear the things that we understand the least.