All of these can be signs that otherworldly tenants have turned up in your home. True ghosts are rare and it can be difficult to determine if the strange phenomena you see in your home are related to ghosts. On the one hand, no one can know exactly what makes them settle in certain places. But if you think that your home has not been spared, is there anything you can do about it?
Common signs of ghosts
First, you need to determine, and no one can do it better than you, whether you have had cases worthy of attention. Not all ghosts behave the same, they can create many unexplained phenomena. Some ghosts produce a single phenomenon - for example, a specific slamming of a closed door that occurs repeatedly - while other ghosts in full bloom create many many different phenomena, from subtle noises to constant appearances.
Here is a list of the most common phenomena that may indicate that ghosts are interested in your home:
- unexplained noises - steps; blows, knocking, tapping; scratching; sounds of falling. Sometimes these noises can be barely audible and infrequent, at times they can be quite loud.
- opening and closing of doors, cupboards and cupboards - most often, these phenomena are usually not noticed. Anyone can hear the distinctive sounds of opening or closing doors (homeowners will recognize the sounds of opening doors in their own home), but evidence of the appearance of ghosts will only be incontestable if you remember that you left the open door closed. Sometimes furniture, such as kitchen chairs, can be moved from one place to another. Very rarely, such phenomena occur in front of witnesses.
- turning the light on and off - as in the previous paragraph, you can rarely pay attention to such phenomena, but if the light is on, and you know for sure that you turned it off, this can also be a clear sign of intruders. The same can happen with televisions, radios and other household appliances.
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- the disappearance of objects and their subsequent appearance - this is a phenomenon that we called the "PPO Effect" (Appearance of the Lost Object. This phenomenon is also called "borrowing", and this is a familiar situation when you cannot find what you often use - for example, car keys - you think you put them where you usually go. But they are gone, and you waste time looking for them. And then, the keys are found - exactly in the place where you usually put them. someone took it for a short time and then put it in. Sometimes things disappear for several days or even weeks, but then they appear in the very place that cannot be missed while searching for them.
- unexplained shadows - occasional shadows, usually seen with peripheral vision. Frequent appearance of shadows with obvious human forms, sometimes good, sometimes not very distinguishable.
- strange behavior of animals - dogs, cats or other pets behave strangely. Dogs may bark at something invisible to the human eye, cringe for no apparent reason, or refuse to enter a room for unexplained reasons. Cats can "watch" as something crosses the room. Animals have more developed senses than humans, and many researchers believe that their psychic abilities may be better tuned.
- Feeling that you are being watched - This unusual feeling can be caused by anything, but it has a source that cannot be explained if it occurs in a certain part of the house at a certain time.
Here are some of the most common events that can happen in any house where ghosts live. But sometimes even more inexplicable things happen …
Stronger evidence
The following phenomena are rare, but it is they that become serious evidence of the appearance of a ghost:
- psychokinetic phenomena - the sound of a door opening or something like that is an example of such phenomena. In fact, this time it is with you. Turning the lights on and off, which can be repeated or are a single occurrence, becomes evidence that something inexplicable is happening. Do you see TV or radio turning on by themselves? Or perhaps you are in the nursery and see your child's wind-up toy start working on its own. Doors and windows close or open. Some people say that when they are in bed, they can feel and / or hear someone sitting up in bed.
- the feeling that you have been touched - if you feel observing yourself, this is one thing, and quite another, if you feel that something has touched you. Some people feel that something rushes past them, something touches their hair, they feel a "hand" on their shoulder. Sometimes, something can gently push or push you.
- shouts and whispers - muffled voices, whispers and shouts that can be heard. It happens that music is heard from nowhere. People hear their names pronounced by someone. This phenomenon, like all of the above, gains more weight if several people hear or see the same thing at the same time.
- cold or hot objects - unexplained cold is a classic sign of ghosting, but, in principle, any case of a significant increase or decrease in temperature for no reason can be evidence of a ghost.
- unexplained odors - scent of perfume or cologne, which you have never had. This phenomenon occurs for no apparent reason and may be accompanied by other phenomena such as shadows, voices or psychokinetic phenomena. In addition, various repulsive odors may occur.
Irrefutable evidence
There are even more rare and unusual phenomena, some of them are called poltergeists, and they can be very convincing evidence of the truth of the appearance of ghosts:
- Moving or lifting objects (severe psychokinetic phenomena)
- plates sliding on the table; pictures flying off the wall; slamming doors; furniture moving on the floor.
- physical attack - scratches, blows and strong shocks. This sign of personal assault is extremely rare.
- another physical proof - an inexplicable letter on paper or walls; hand and foot prints.
- phenomena - a physical manifestation of a spirit or object. These phenomena are also very rare and can take different forms: fog in the form of a person or indefinite form; transparent human figures that disappear almost immediately; and the rarest phenomenon, human figures that look as real as living people, but walk through walls into a room and disappear when seen.
Eliminate rational explanations
A person who has discovered several of these phenomena has reason to believe that his or her home is inhabited by ghosts. But here you can be wrong. According to most experts, the human mind and human feelings (any magician will tell you this) can be easily fooled. And people can easily confuse explainable things happening in their homes with the paranormal.
Before you decide that a ghost has entered your home and succumb to panic, do your best to find a rational explanation for what you experienced. Almost all of the phenomena listed above could have completely natural causes:
- noises could be caused by the movement of your neighbors or even by parasites such as mice and squirrels;
- opening and closing doors may be associated with defective hinges or improper installation;
- the effect of PPO - the most common negligence and forgetfulness;
- shadows, possibly caused by the headlights of a passing car;
- perhaps some of the phenomena you discovered are just a product of your imagination.
Of course, the more inexplicable the phenomena, the harder it is to refute their existence. And, as noted above, if there are many witnesses who have experienced these phenomena, they are likely to be taken more seriously.
Try to get help finding rational explanations for the phenomena. The plumber could help you find the reason for that knocking. The carpenter can save that door from closing itself. A friend or neighbor could take a detached view of your particular experience and offer a reasonable explanation for what you noticed. In short, do your best to understand that there are no ghosts in your home.
Keep a diary
If you have provided all rational explanations for the phenomena that occur in your home, and they still continue more or less often, write them down. Keep a diary in which you describe the phenomena. For instance:
June 2, 2002; 22:30 - sat watching TV when the bathroom light turned on by itself. Went and turned it off again.
June 10, 2002; 21:14 - Was in the kitchen and again heard footsteps in the hallway. There was no one there. Went to see, couldn't find the reason.
A diary like this can help experts in any investigation of these phenomena.
If you hear unexplained noises, try recording with a portable tape recorder. If physical ghosts appear, take photos or videos of them. Keep your diary, camera, and camcorders not too far away so that you can record when unusual things appear.
Call the experts
When should you call an unusual phenomena researcher? Only when you have ruled out any rational explanations for the phenomena, you feel and fully confident that your home is indeed haunted, you can contact the experts. Of course, if the events are extreme and you feel that you and your family are at risk of physical or psychological stress, you should call for help right away.
Who are these experts? There are hundreds of organizations that handle cases like this. Of course, they differ in terms of practical experience, so you must be careful in your choice. Troy Taylor, in his article "What to do for someone with ghosts in their home," gives some good advice for those choosing explorers of the unknown, including the qualities they should have, and questions you should ask them before you invite them to check your home.
Despite the oddities you find, your home is unlikely to be inhabited by otherworldly occupants. Also, it can be a kind spirit or a phenomenon with which you can coexist. Usually, these phenomena do not portend anything dangerous.
Stephen Wagner