In the course of running a paranormal team, you get a lot of questions from clients that have never had a paranormal encounter before. Most of the time, it leaves people really confused, scared and just generally freaked out. All these are normal reactions to the average person. Especially, that most people can live their whole life without so such as a trace of a ghost. Which, leads most of my clients questioning their own sanity. Luckily for them, there are other people out there who also have witnessed this type spiritual phenomenon. And for those people living in Connecticut, they can call TSPI. From personal experience, I can tell you, that every member of the team has gotten into the paranormal business because of their own personal experiences with the unexplained. In an earlier blog, I talked about some of my own personal experiences growing up in a house that had a ghost named "George". So, I can personally relate to every one of my clients.
First, it is super important that you don't completely freak out. I know what you may be thinking. I just saw a ghost, "What do you mean don't run away screaming?". The reason I say this is, one, I don't want you to get injured falling down a flight of stairs or tripping on something in your house and breaking your neck. Next thing you know it, you become a ghost too. But, in all seriousness, you could get injured... It is completely normal to be scared, but I want you to try and be a good witness. It's important to get a good description of the event. You want to note, what the ghost looked like, what were you doing when it happened, who was there, and most importantly. What emotion did it evoke when you witnessed the event. Outside the emotion of sheer terror. Did it evoke a sense of darkness, dread, light feelings, curiousness? These are some of the different types of sensations that clients have said they have felt during a paranormal encounter. If you can, try and tap into this. This becomes important to relay to a trusted paranormal investigator. Many times, it is that first encounter that gives us a clue to why this activity is occurring.
Next thing to do is keep a healthy dose of skepticism. A common thing occurs when dealing with a possible haunting. You start to assume everything is a spirit. You start listening more keenly to everything in your home. You start to hear those everyday noises because you haven't been paying a whole lot of attention. You may start to think, it's got to be the ghost right? Well, maybe it could be. But, my advice is to start keeping a journal of the activity. Make sure you note the dates, times, what happened and any witnesses. At this stage, you are acting like your own investigator.
You may even start to see a pattern. For example, you notice an unexplained bang, right around midnight. That may just be your neighbor coming home from the late shift, closing their car door. That strange noise from the basement that you hear hourly, could just be your furnace turning on. Again, keeping a journal is not designed for you to disprove everything you witness. It is to document what going on. So, when the paranormal team arrives, they have a record of recent events that can have an important bearing on the investigation.
An another important piece of advice is to try and not discuss what is going on inside your home. For example, my family made the mistake of talking frequently about the ghost. My mother even named him George. The reason is a simple one. You are validating its presence and it could lead to more activity. Most spirits are benign and most of the time it won't matter. The problem comes when its possible negative entity. It will feed on your fear and other emotions and possibly makes things worse. Even human spirits that do not want to crossover, can make things difficult for you. So, by abstaining from talking about the spirit, this can curtail things until a paranormal investigator can show up. As paranormal investigators, we come at the investigation with a practical approach, trying to explain things through natural means. If we do determine there is something present, our next step is to figure out what kind of spirit is there. This will then lead to a possible resolution.
In closing, I have given you some advice on what to do when you think you have a ghost. Taking these steps and doing some homework is as important as calling in a paranormal team. We at TSPI want to empower all our clients to take back their lives and be educated on what to do. This article is not meant to an end all, but some healthy advice. So, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to call or email us. I wish you all the best and Happy Hauntings!!
Written by
Shamus Denniston
Founder & Director of TSPI
Tel: 920.940.TSPI
Email: tspiparanormal@gmail.com