The Haunted by Chad Stambaugh

It is common knowledge among most paranormal investigators that approximately eighty percent of all reported cases prove to be nothing paranormal at all. It is also common knowledge that there are four different types of paranormal phenomenon that could be occurring in a home if there is indeed activity. These types of activity are called intelligent haunts, residual haunts, poltergeist, and demonic haunts. When you look at the percentages it is easy to see that only twenty percent of all reported cases are actually experiencing some type of paranormal activity.

However, the problem is what type of activity they may be dealing with, what are the chances that the activity is something to worry about, and what could the activity be mistaken for, if anything. Unfortunately today some paranormal groups, and or investigators do not go into detail about what may be in the home of their client, or what the client may be mistaking the activity for.

Most paranormal groups will tell the client that they either have an intelligent, residual, poltergeist, or demonic haunt occurring in their home, and that there is a twenty-five percent chance that it could be either one. While these are the most reported types of haunting’s that doesn’t necessarily mean that is what is going on in the home. That is because it is more common than people realize to mistake one type of activity for another. This is why the paranormal group needs to delve deeper into the case itself to try and determine what exactly could be going on in the home so that they can give their client the proper information, and help.

For example, a lot of individuals constantly mistake heavenly beings (angels) for ghosts. It is well known that we as human beings are surrounded by angels at all times. Angels were created for the sole purpose of watching over us, to comfort us in stressful or difficult times, to minister to us, and to give us messages from God when he sees fit.  I also believe that the good Lord will on rare occasions use divine intervention and allow a deceased  relative to visit family members when they are going through stressful, and or difficult times. These are called your spirit guides.  It is situations like this that can sometimes make people believe that they have seen a “ghost” or believe that their home is “haunted” when in reality it is not that at all.  It is very important to remember that if this is in fact what is going on in the home then there is nothing to be afraid of, nor is there anything that the client or investigator can really do about it.  This type of activity will eventually cease on its own, at the appointed time.

Most paranormal investigators know the signs of each particular type of haunt, thus they are able to tell the client what is going on in the home. This is why it is so important for the client to tell the investigator exactly what is occurring in the home, how often it is, when it started, and how it makes him/her feel when it does happen. This will give the investigator some much needed insight into the case and help them determine what exactly is going on in the home and how to stop it, if that is possible.  It is for this reason that my group uses a very complex pre-investigative questionnaire that a client must fill out for us to even take a case.  Some say it is too invasive, I say it’s not. I want to know all the facts before I send my team into any investigation that could be harmful to my team. Safety is my number one priority to all my team members. I will not do an investigation without the questionnaire fully completed. If the client fills it out, it shows me that they are serious in wanting help, and it shows me that it’s just not a prank or something else.

In conclusion, just remember that if there is activity occurring in a home that it doesn’t mean that it is something to worry about, however, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t worry about it either. Investigators and clients need to remember, and understand that activity in a home could be caused by more than one thing, and they should never assume it’s one of the classic type haunts because anything could be causing the activity, and every case is and will be different.