Ghost Help

Handling the sitution

Ghost Help does not endorse nor recommend handling your own ghost situation. The reason for this is not because of safety or sanity, it merely gives you the perspective of someone else and will allow you find additional strength and guidance from others. Finding a paranormal team might seem like the best option, but there may be others in various fields you may want to call first. Clergy related to your religious faith, electricians, home inspectors, even psychics who bless or cleanse homes should be your first option. Of course, if you feel there might be a medical or potential health issue it is recommended to get a physical or seek a specialist for evaluation. Finding the cause of the events should be the first priority, not getting "evidence" or trying to prove it to others. Once a cause is found the proper steps can be taken to help eliminate the situation.

What NOT to do

There are definitely a few things that you should not do when dealing with a potential paranormal problem of any sort. The first thing has already been mentioned; attempting to get evidence of the haunting / ghost. There is really no need or purpose to attempting to gain "evidence" or validation of what is going on. If someone experienced something that should serve as proof enough to that individual person. Attempting to further convince those involved or prove to others holds little value in solving the situation; in many cases it complicates things and may make things worse. Here is a short list of things NOT to do:

  • Attempt to "contact" using any of the following means:
    • Asking questions, demanding to be left alone, or any other verbal attempt to make a connection out of fear, anger, or other negative emotions. While it is fine to attempt to communicate with an intelligent / communicative apparition it should only be done when you have the confidence and emotional ability to do so confidently and with level emotions.
    • Use divination tools of any sort for contact. Divining rods, crystals, pendulums, séances, Ouija Boards, and other spiritual / supernatural methods of contact should be avoided for the following reasons:
      • It demonstrates a lack of problem solving (desire or ability).
      • Displays an inability to properly communicate.
      • Can be perceived as an accepted "defeat" to the circumstances.
      • Demonstrates a complete committal to a supernatural or paranormal explanation.
      • Shows a misunderstanding of the history of the Spirit Board / Ouija Board and how its "abilities" were created out of frustration by religions competing with Spiritualism. The Ouija Board is a board game that uses the subconscious ideomotor effect to actually move the planchette. Ghostly phenomena can be "connected" to the board if the participants are fearful or believe that strange things will occur because of the board.
  • Attempt to gather your own evidence via audio. Many people want to emulate what they see on television or what groups do on the Internet. Capturing EVPs may sound tempting, but most people are fooled by simple noises and jump to unnecessary conclusions. EVPs fall under the communication aspect as well and is certainly not the best way to hold a conversation. Even if you capture a world class EVP it may actually have nothing to do with what is going on in your home.
  • Attempt to gather your own evidence via video / photos. Orbs are indeed everywhere, but they are not cause for concern. As mentioned earlier, photographic orbs are merely close or far proximity contamination. Orbs photographed or videotaped have never posed harm or been connected to any type of ghost event.
  • Assume a specific person who died on the property is responsible. Conducting historical research on the property is a good idea, but never assume that one specific person is responsible regardless of who died there. Apparitions and hauntings generally represent those who lived as much, if not more than, those who died there (despite books and the Internet romanticizing the idea).
  • Blab about it on social media or the news media. Telling everyone what is going on might sound like a good way to get good advice. Chances are, you will receive much more bad advice than good and you run the risk of the event becoming overexposed and further ruining your everyday life. The attention may sound tempting, but you must understand the consequences will more than outweigh the thrill of attention.
  • Automatically assume a ghost is responsible. No matter how convincing things might seem there may exist a rational explanation. Many times it takes the eyes and minds of others to help us realize this. Locking ourselves into the least likely scenario is irrational.
  • Allow any random ghost group into your home without consulting step 4 on this site. Ghost groups are not all the same, most are merely out to exploit your situation with their very own experiences.

Dealing with a haunting

Despite what is portrayed on television and on the Internet, intelligent and communicative apparitions are relatively rare when weighed against haunting activity. Hauntings are residual activity and pose no direct threat despite some scary events that can accompany them. Loud noises, bangs, footsteps, visual apparitions (not intelligent / communicative), smells, and the appearance or disappearance of items may be related to hauntings.

Haunting activity does not necessarily mean a person "died a tragic or traumatic death" as described on many websites and romanticized in many books. Many times a haunting is merely imprinted emotion and might have been caused by a person who is very much alive. We tend to not notice the "good" energy associated with stadiums and concert venues, but we certainly feel the "vibes" associated with creepy places or in situations in which we feel uncomfortable. There comes a time when our emotions, habits or routines, or just good timing aligns us with the experience of the haunting phenomena.

Since hauntings are imprinted "energy" (for lack of a better term) there is little sense to try and communicate. The key with eliminating, or living with, a haunting is to determine what causes the events - or more specifically our connection to experiencing the events. By reviewing the events individually it may be possible for a trigger to be discovered (emotions such as fear, anger, frustration, or even being in a certain place at a certain time, in a room in a specific place, etc.). Once a trigger is discovered it is just a matter of adjustment to avoid the phenomenon.

There are some theories of how to "erase" hauntings. Large magnets, such as rare Earth magnets, or a surge of magnetic energy (ex. tape reel eraser) used within the specific area may have the effect of erasing the "energy" or "emotions" responsible for the phenomena. Granted, this is just a hypothesis. One technique I have used with success is "reprinting" good emotions or events in the area of concern. A case I investigated seemed to be centered on a large closet area. Experiences had happened in the bedroom where the closet was as well as the living room that was on the other side of it. There was no sense of intelligence or communication so the assumption was a haunting. The emotional context coming from the events was based in fear and there were purportedly noises, whispers, and a general feeling of anxiety coming during specific events. We decided to hold a party within the closet as well in the area on the other side of the wall. The celebration was based on a new beginning of living in the home with more positive energy. We had a cake on a small table lit with candles, cheered, high-fived, hugged, laughed, and just had a good time celebrating a new beginning. We tried this to varying degrees a couple of more times and eventually the events ended. Now, was it the new imprinted energy or was it merely the mindset of a new beginning? We will never truly know, but the result was enough to convince me this was a great idea and I have tried it in other locations with similar success. The success, however, seems to depend on the buy in of those who live in the home. If they expect the investigators to "fix" the issue for them without them being involved it may not be as effective (so this slightly answers the question).

Dealing with an apparition

An apparition means that the ghost in your home is showing intelligence and communication. A part of the personality of a formerly living person is now inhabiting your home or other location. With the knowledge you have gained thus far with this site hopefully you understand these things and will act with less fear and more understanding. It is very difficult to deal with these types of events due to the feeling of no control over the situation and inability to figure out the right thing to do. Since an apparition was a person you should do your best to be respectful. Having a good attitude toward the "ghost" is the best course of action for many reasons. First, it's just the right thing to do when dealing with a person (living or dead). Second, this can aid in your confidence and eliminate your fear (helping you become empowered), ability to make a better connection, and it will surely aid in getting your point across.

The decision to communicate should only come once you feel comfortable and non fearful. Never attempt to communicate out of fear, anger, frustration, or any other negative reaction to anything you feel is attributed to a ghost. If you have already done so; don't panic!

You may also think that the ghost is trying to harm you or is negative, but this reaction may be created by your fear or misunderstanding of what is happening or a misinterpretation of your intentions by the apparition. Communicating your expectations, intentions (not to banish, want to be left alone, etc.), as well as your feelings brought on by the apparition's actions is the best way of dealing with the events. You may have to do this repeatedly for a few days or even weeks, but once you see the events beginning to diminish it's time to begin to ignore what is happening and start to move on with your life. This may sound hard at first, but eventually ignoring things will actually cause them to stop (or diminish to a tolerable level) over time. This is partly based on the fact that the apparition will "realize" it's not fun anymore or that you have no interest in communicating, as well as your belief system has gotten over the fear and misunderstanding and will allow you to get back to regular living.

For those who have had a history of ghostly events in your life it might not be this simple. Being a "human lightning rod" for apparitions will make you more attractive to ghosts since they seem to know you are able to communicate fairly easy. There are dozens of books and online sources that can help you balance your energy, create barriers, or even "turn off" you psychic sense so that these events dwindle or cease. There is not one thing that works for everyone and you may have to try various techniques to get the "signal" to weaken.

Dealing with other potential explanations

We previously discussed the term poltergeist. A poltergeist is a release of stress from a person (agent) via psychokinetic energy. This energy may make objects move, create sounds, small fires, water inundations, or other odd behavior that surrounds a particular person (or persons). The person responsible is usually not aware they are creating the events and may even deny it. The stress may or may not be apparent and the person may not seem stressed. Changes that occurred near the time the events began can be a potential trigger. Poltergeist situations (and apparition cases many times) may take on symbolism at its core. A person may be stressed about work and the events may be centered on their car keys, work clothes, or objects associated with their work. A poltergeist agent may also be a combination of people. Evaluating how a person or entire family is feeling about changes in their life (new job, marriage, new home, new job, loss of job, debt, death in family, etc.) can help ease the activity. In any event involving potential paranormal phenomenon it is highly recommended that everyone involved seek counseling of some sort. This isn't because you might be crazy it is merely because this can cause a lot of stress and can make things more difficult. Even if you do not disclose the paranormal events to a counselor or other professional you may find comfort in dealing with other potential issues that may help things in various ways.

Poltergeist situations can last anywhere from a week to more than a year although they are fairly rare and are many times not realized as the cause of the events at first (blame it on a ghost). The events may even linger for a short period of time even after the stress of the agent(s) has been relieved, but usually ends on its own regardless. These situations can also "attract" apparitions due to the psychic energy given off by the agent. It is also possible that this energy can create haunting activity. Even hauntings can attract apparitions, so these cases are not always easy to distinguish.

Demons, demonic entities, demonic possession, incubus (male demon), succubus (female demon), and other religious classifications of evil are merely symbols of their individual religion. We are not here to debate religious beliefs, but to point out the limitations of this belief when dealing with real life situations. Rituals involving the removal, dismissal, banishment, etc. are fine as long as they do not provide unnecessary stress or involve dangerous rites (exorcisms) based on fear or misinterpretation of mental illness. Many people hide behind these beliefs and expect prayer or rituals to provide relief, unfortunately, while these do provide mental comfort it is necessary for one to become personally empowered over the situation in order to obtain control with it.

If you have not been able to find a logical solution and have decided to allow a paranormal team to investigate your home or business please go to Step 4. This page will let you know what to expect and what you should ask for from any paranormal team. Inviting a group of strangers into your home should not be left to chance.

Paranormal Institute