Is My House Haunted?

If you’re reading this, you might be asking yourself the question ‘is my house haunted?‘ I have been there myself and know how confusing this situation can be. In my own experience, I felt I had no-one to turn to. Very few in my social circle believed in ghosts let alone believed the encounters I was trying to explain.

A recent study into the paranormal found that 37% of people reported at least 1 paranormal experience. The study also found that women were more likely to report an experience as are those between the ages of 35 and 64. It is important to note that these are ‘reported’ experiences – this doesn’t necessarily mean that males below the ages of 35 are less likely to have a paranormal experience, but perhaps they are less likely to report an encounter. This might say more baout society than ghosts!

Another study into the phenomenon of haunted homes, conducted by Dr Geoff Ellis found that 23% of people believe their homes are haunted. And 55% of people said they would be discouraged from buying a haunted home.

Is My House Haunted?

Here are some of the signs which could indicate your house is haunted.

1. The sensation of being watched – this could occur in one particular spot or throughout the home. It might also only happen at certain times of the day/night.
2. Unexplained drops in temperature – or ‘cold spots’. These cold spots are said to indicate the presence of a spirit. Some believe spirits draw energy from the environment leaving a cold spot.
3. Unexplained smells – This could be a pleasant smell, such as perfume or unpleasant, such as cigarette smoke. People also report the smell of burning candles, sulfur and other strange smells. The aroma could be associated with a particular individual, e.g. Grannies favourite perfume.
4. Electrical glitches – Such as lights flickering on and off. Televisions switching themselves on and off or turning channels by themselves.
5. Pets acting strangely – Dogs barking for no apparent reason. Dogs and cats staring at seemingly nothing.
6. Repeatedly waking suddenly between 3 am and 4 am – This is said to be the ‘witching hour’ and a time when most spirits are active. Also, people who die of natural causes tend to pass away in the night – could they then be more active as spirits in the night? Or perhaps we can simply see and experience the spirits better in the dark when we are in a state of relaxation.
7. Whispering – Many people who live in haunted homes report hearing their name whispered when they are at home alone. Or whispered chatters coming from an unknown source.
8. Unexplained emotions in a particular room/space – this could be the human body picking up on a spirit’s energy who perhaps feels angry or sad.
9. Static charge in the atmosphere – the human body can sometimes detect the presence of spirits and this often feels like static electricity in the air.
10. Objects moving or being taken – Spirits are sometimes known to move objects around the home. Or make them disappear and suddenly re-appear sometime later.

So, How do I know if My House is Haunted?

However, just because you experience these things in your home doesn’t necessarily mean your house is haunted.

I’m an avid believer in the paranormal and have had experiences throughout my life, but I also know that not all unexplained experiences are paranormal.

Let’s look at some alternative explanations for these experiences:

The Sensation of being watched

Some people are sensitive to EMF – (electromagnet fields). These occur naturally in the earth and also in our bodies. But high volumes of these electric fields can be emitted from certain electrical equipment. I repeatedly felt like I was being watched in my kitchen.

I checked with my EMF detector the space where I felt most uncomfortable. It turned out the microwave was sitting close to the spot. The microwave gave out huge volumes of EMF. I moved it out of the kitchen to see how I felt and the sensation went away.

However, ghosts are also said to give off EMF – check your electrical devices first for EMF. EMF or ‘K2’ meters are relatively cheap and easy to use.

If the EMF readings stay in one spot continuously, chances are you’re picking up on an electrical source. However, if the reading moves, you might have a ghost!

Unexplained drops in temperature

Check for drafts coming through the windows and doors. Also, drafts could be coming from the attic. If the cold spot moves or it cannot be explained by drafts, you might have a ghost!

Unexplained smells

Phantom smells can be hard to figure out. Does the smell occur at a particular time of day? Could the sun be shining on a table/object which is heating up and emitting the smell? For instance, old tables and chairs can give off strange, sometimes smoky smells when the sun hits them. I’ve even seen this occur with carpets and rugs. If you can’t find an explanation, you might have a ghost!

Electrical glitches

Check the fuses in all your electrical items. Have you had an electric surge? These can cause lights to flicker on when they are in the off position. Is your T.V. set to switch off/on at a certain time?

Ghost are known to interfere with electrical equipment in order to draw enough energy to manifest, so, if you can’t find an explanation, you could have a ghost!

Pets acting strangely

Could your pets be picking up on EMF in the home from an explanable source? Cats and dogs are said to be sensitive to EMF fluctuations. However, as noted above, spirits also give off EMF. Dogs and cats are said to be more in touch with the spirit world than we are and can see things we can’t, so perhaps you could have a ghost!

Repeatedly waking suddenly between 3 am and 4 am

I have experienced this myself and so do my children. My background as a medieval historian made me aware of the medieval body clock. Our medieval ancestors often woke in the small hours of the morning. They might rise for an hour or two, do a few odd jobs and then return to bed until dawn. These people were simply following their natural sleep patterns.

Perhaps you are simply doing the same. However, we do sometimes wake after dreaming about deceased relatives (who by the way died in the early hours of the morning). Perhaps it is a combination of both and you might have a ghost!

Whispering

If this has ever happened to you, then you know how frustrating this can be. I have experienced this myself throughout my life. I’ve been told I’m simply imagining it. However, to me, the whispering of my name is incredibly real and initially terrifying. I learn to live with it now.

Honestly, I have no alternative explanation for this phenomenon, I’ve tried everything but the whisphers tend to be very close to my ears I know there’s no other explanation. I think I have a ghost!

Unexplained emotions in a particular room

Are you like me and prone to emotional fluctuations? Perhaps something traumatic or particularly pleasant happened to you in a certain room and your brain is simply remembering the experience. You could be picking up on some energy left in the room from someone else who had an emotional experience in that room.

I would dismiss this factor if this is the only experience you have, however, if its coupled with other factors, you might have a ghost!

Static charge in the atmosphere

If you feel this, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. To me, it’s the indication of a spirit and nothing else. If this occurs throughout the house and at different times of the day, I’d say you have a ghost!

Objects moving or being taken away

Now, I’m not necessarily talking about the kind of things we see in the movies. Such as pots and pans flying across the room and people levitating off the bed.

Here’s an example, you take off a necklace (perhaps it has a connection to a deceased relative). You put it in a particular spot and leave the room. Later in the day, you go to find the necklace only to discover it’s vanished. There’s no-one else in the house or no-one would/has moved it. You search the house and can’t find it. Later that day or some days later, the object re-appears in the same spot or a different spot.

This has happened to me on multiple occasions. If you’re sure no-one else moved it and you’ve searched high and low. is there any other explanation? Could you have a ghost?

When people think of haunted homes, their mind tends to go to creepy old buildings. However, a haunting can happen in any home – old or new. The important thing is to try and find a rational explanation for the occurrences. If none can be found, your house could be haunted!

Do you live in a haunted home? Can you relate to any of the situations described above?

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