Help for the Haunted
Living with Paranormal Activity
A belief in the supernatural or paranormal is not bad nor should it reflect someone's intelligence or credibility. Claims of supernatural phenomenon can be traced as far back as 2700 B.C., the epic poem of Gilgamesh from Mesopotamia, is not only considered one of the earliest written works but is perhaps the first ghost story as well. If you feel you are living with something paranormal or have experienced something you cannot explain that frightens you, it is important that you tell someone about it. Start with family or close friends if possible, people that you feel you can trust. Keeping these experiences secret and emotions about them bottled up can lead to bigger problems down the road.
Not all paranormal activity or experiences have negative connotations--not every apparition that might appear is attempting to frighten you. Most of the time paranormal or supernatural phenomenon is completely innocuous and the reason why activity manifests remains a mystery. One of the most important things for someone who is experiencing unexplained activity that alarms them to know is that they are not alone. In the United States alone there are thousands of individuals who claim to be living with paranormal disturbances of all sorts, as well as hundreds of individuals and groups looking to study such activity and aid those individuals.
Become Informed
For someone who believes they are living with paranormal activity the first thing to do is to familiarize yourself with the subject by going to the library, book store or going online to a credible site and reading up on paranormal activity and experiences. The more you know, the more comfortable you may begin to feel and it will give you a better idea of what might be going on. The fact is, definitive scientific evidence to support the existence of ghosts remains nonexistent. The more you read, the more you will learn that most fear comes from the unknown and misinformation.
It may also be helpful to keep an anecdotal record of you experiences, be sure to include time and date and the location of your experience, this will help you notice any patterns to the activity and provide useful background knowledge for any experts you might consult. It is ill-advised, however, that inexperienced individuals attempt to communicate or make direct contact with any spirits or entities.
Check our links page for informational links.
Books by, Jeff Belanger, Joshua P. Warren, and Loyd Aurbach are great resources for information.
Click here and check out our Ghosts and Hauntings or Psychic Phenomenon pages for more information.
Resolving Activity
Living or working in a place that is haunted is defiantly not for everyone and many people who do have direct and frequent contact with ghosts wish they were rid of them. Unfortunately there is no one way to get rid of a spirit that is sure to do the trick, however there are some methods that have been known to resolve activity in certain cases. One of the most important things to do is stay strong emotionally as well as physically. Keep a healthy diet, exercise, take walks, relax, keeping a healthy mind and body will help eliviate any additional stress. Dealing with paranormal experiences can be a long and stressful process, however, sticking close to friends and family always helps.
Band together with whom you are closest, if it is your home get together with whomever you live with, speak out loud and in a firm tone and say: "This is my (home/work place), I live here and you are not allowed to harm me or interfere with my life in anyway!" Some people think this works better if the process is formalized, burn candles or light incense, sit in a circle, hold hands. This may sound like a silly practice to some yet many people have had success with resolving activity by simply coming together and asking any spirits to leave them in peace. Empowering clients to take back their own home has proven successful in many cases. Remember although the dead deserve respect your home is still your home and you are in charge. If you are religious prayer may also prove helpful.
Consulting and Expert
For many who live with paranormal activity there comes a time when enough is enough, they become scared, worried for their safety, sanity or simply curious and choose to consult an expert to help them figure out what is going on. Most people have three basic paths they can take. The first would be consulting with their religious adviser if they have one. This is the most traditional way of dealing with paranormal experiences. The priest, rabbi, monk or other advisor can sometimes provide helpful counsel
and in some cases the adviser may be able to preform a ritual or blessing of you and or the location which may resolve the situation.
Another alternative would be to consult a psychic or spiritualist. This involves working with an individual who in most cases claims some form of psychic ability often clairvoyance or some form of medium-ship (see our Psychic Phenomenon page for more info). The premise is that a genuine psychic may be able to pick up on various aspects of the paranormal activity or situation such as a spirit's name. As with any consultant caution should be taken when consulting with psychics.
In some cases a psychic may give you information that will alarm you however it is important to remember that everything you are being told might or might not be true. Some self-proclaimed psychics are indeed con artists, others believe themselves to have powers and lack any genuine ability. Unfortunately there has yet to be organized psychic research by the mainstream scientific community and much of the data collected by parapsychologists is ignored. If consulting with a psychic or medium, don't be afraid to challenge them and ask question. It will be up to you to decide whether or not to believe the information you receive from a psychic.
For some people having an objective opinion is what they want and many paranormal investigators and parapsychologists offer just that. Paranormal investigators, often called ghost hunters, are individuals who attempt to record or study paranormal activity from a more scientific although some would say pseudo scientific, approach. Often these individuals belong to groups with other paranormal investigators, who together, conduct studies of allegedly haunted locations.
These paranormal investigation groups will often use equipment such as video cameras and audio recorders to document supposed activity. There are literally hundreds of these groups in the United States alone. Caution should be used if you are consulting with paranormal investigators as investigators differ in their level of experience and methodology. Some ghost hunters are no more then thrill seekers, teams looking to sensationalize events or simply inexperiences individuals.
Whether you consult with a religious adviser, psychic, paranormal investigator or all of the above, it is always a good idea to have them explain their methods and intentions before doing anything and always ask for references before letting strangers into your home.
Avoid Occult Artifacts
Many researchers believe that using certain objects or practices such as playing with a Ouijia board or holding a seance can "open a doorway" allowing paranormal activity into a home, person or area. Although the Ouija board is sold as a toy some paranormal researchers believe it is a powerful psychic tool that can be extremely dangerous. Likewise, practices like seances or devil worship at a location are thought by some to channel or act as catalysts for paranormal activity. Whether you believe in the power of the object/ritual or not it is probably best that if you are experiencing what might be a haunting you refrain from the use of any occult objects/practices and do not attempt to "make contact" yourself as by doing so you might inadvertently trigger more paranormal activity.
The Environment
It is important for those wishing to resolve paranormal activity or a haunting to take into account the location it's self. Much is still to be understood about paranormal experiences and it is important to consider that the way we act and what we do to a location might also affect it in paranormal terms. If there are a significant amount of highly emotional events taking place at a location, anger, stress, fear, even love this may contribute to how activity behaves. The way a location looks might also be a factor. Keeping the location clean and clutter free will help to make it feel better, perhaps only a cosmetic touch but one that has been known to significantly improve the moods of people involved.
Holy Water
Depending on your beliefs, holy water, has been known in some circumstances as a means to rid an area of supernatural occurrences. Like the burning of sage, holy water, is believed to cleanse and purify both people and places. It is available for free at many Catholic churches. Sprinkle some water throughout the location, using more in areas where paranormal activity has been witnessed. Sprinkle some across doorways in and out of the location and around where people sleep. Some people prefer to trace the sign of the cross, in holy water, on doors, walls and even the occupants of the location. This can be combined with prayer and repeated whenever you feel it is necessary.
Smudging
Those wishing to rid themselves or their home of paranormal activity or a haunting might try one or more spiritual practices intended to cleanse a location of negative 'energies'. The burning of sage or smudging is believed in many cultures to have cleansing even medicinal purposes. Using tied bunches of dried sage (available at many grocery stores) set one end of the bushel on fire until smoking gently. Next open all doors and windows in the location you are smudging and walk room to room burning the sage and letting the smoke drift throughout the space. It may also be helpful while smudging to speak out loud and with authority and ask any presence that is affecting you to leave the location and no longer interfere with your life.
This process may be repeated as many times as necessary, some people smudge their homes regularly simply to refresh the space.
If you are experiencing strange activity and these steps do not work for you, feel free to reach out to us on our Contact Page.