What is a Haunting?

Things go bump in the night.  An apparition appears out of nowhere and disappears back into same.  A haunting is afoot.  But what is a haunting?  It's simply a paranormal manifestation, and there are three basic types.

The most common type of haunting is a residual one, or, simply, an energy imprint. Some life events, such as a death or birth, expend enormous amounts of energy. When this happens, the energy can be absorbed by inanimate objects such as a house, a piece of furniture or an item of jewelry. When the conditions are right, this energy imprint will be recalled and the event will be replayed. The resulting "ghost" is not a spirit, and nothing more than a rerun, so there will be no interaction.  Think of it as a DVD.  A scene is imprinted upon the disc, and it can replay over and over. You can't change it, and you can't interact with it, but you can see it repeatedly.

 

A famous example of a residual haunting is Anne Boleyn in the Tower of London.  Many people over the last three-plus centuries have reported seeing her ghost make the final walk from her chambers to the site of her death.  Closer to home is Gettysburg.  Numerous individuals, including park rangers, have witnessed the famous and deadly battle, decades after it actually happened.

The second type is an intelligent haunting. This type will present itself in terms of noises, smells, and possibly even apparitions. This spirit interacts with its surroundings, including people, and, surprisingly, this is the type most people associate with a haunting, even though it's actually quite rare.  One of the most famous hauntings in the Tennessee area is the Bell Witch.

Finally, the third, and least common, type of haunting is considered demonic, or evil. Only on the rarest of occasions will a demon interact with the living, even though most people initially fear any haunting they encounter is evil. In fact, most evil spirits will not usually interact with the living unless called upon through such means as Satanic worship.  Demonic spirits can cause harm and should only be left to experts, such as Lorraine Warren.

Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of the New England Society for PsychicResearch in 1952, came to fame with the 1976 Amityville case involving George and Kathleen Lutz.  Now considered by many to have been a fraud perpetrated by the Lutz family, the case was detailed in the 1977 book, The Amityville Horror, and later gave way to a series or further books and movies. 

If you feel you are living with a haunting, don't hesitate to ask for help from a knowledgeable and reputable organization.  Many groups found online don't have the experience they claim.  Ghost hunting in a cemetery may be fun, but it doesn't train one to appropriately deal with a true haunting, and the untrained could actually make it worse.  

The American Paranormal Society is an experienced organization.  Should you need help, simply contact them via Facebook or e-mail.