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Recently, my sister mentioned that she's going to be attending an overnight at a local haunted house in New Hampshire. It's a yearly event and not exactly easy to get tickets, so she's excited (and I'm jealous) - but, knowing that I research, contemplate and write about this stuff on a daily basis, she asked for my opinion about the sort of things she'd probably be facing inside an allegedly haunted location.
After going over some of the most common events people report at haunted locations such as knocking, moving objects or unexpected smells and apparitions, she asked about something that I couldn't answer immediately, and it's also the basis for this important update because I realized there are likely a lot of people going ghost hunting for the very first time every October, so a lesson in spiritual warfare is certainly in order.
A Lesson in Spiritual Warfare - Protection from Evil Spirits
First of all, as a skeptic regarding most claimed paranormal activities, this is a difficult topic for me to cover. I've always had a strong spiritual belief in unseen forces and energies that are at work in the world around us. With a Catholic upbringing, that translates into something that borders demonology I suppose - although I don't really believe in the modern, commercialized image of the monsters that are used in the movies to portray demons, or Satan.
However, I do believe that in the cases where paranormal activity is authentic and very active, that a metaphorical "demon" may be at work. If you ask me to explain what I mean by that - I can't. It's not the traditional Catholic or Christian version of demons I refer to, but more of an ethereal community of invisible entities who cross over into our physical Universe and play games with us.
So the question is really this - how do you protect yourself from entities that you normally can't see, you don't know their motives or intentions, and in fact you can't be 100% sure that they are even real or have intelligence. After all, the history of physics is filled with discoveries of earth energies that the population, before those discoveries, never knew existed. Still - the big question here is if they are intelligent entities and they are evil, how do you protect yourself?
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A Lesson in Spiritual Warfare
The Ghost In The Closet - Kids Scared of The Dark
When you consider stories about kids scared of the ghost in the dark, it's one of the most difficult things that one has to face as parents. Kids can often have a very vivid imagination, especially teens, kids, and toddlers who have a very creative mind. These are the kids who are always afraid of the ghosts in the closet, the sort that are often described throughout children's literature. The ghosts of our childhood are more often than not simply phantoms created by the shadows that are cast by the nightlight, or the cat rustling around in the closet.
These are the experiences you hear about kids having all the time. However, what happens when real paranormal activity even effects parents? Kids may find themselves scared of the ghost in the room - the strange shadow figure standing at the foot of the bed - but what happens when you, yourself, actually see and experience the spirits and ghosts that you thought were fabrications of the child's overactive imagination? This is a dilemma about kids that you're not likely to see discussed on Dr. Phill.
An Article Comment Raises Concern About Kids Scared of the Ghosts
In the course of my work as an editor and writer over at LoveToKnow Paranormal, I came across the comment at the bottom of the Paranormal State article from one of the parents. Kid's don't often post, so in this case the parent was posting for her child. The reader, Kelley, relayed an experience that she's going through with her 16 year old daughter. In her question, you can feel the confusion and angst she feels from not being able to understand what her daughter is going through.
In her comment, she describes a situation where her daughter has always been able to "see" around her - people who have passed away. This ability is something that she has had ever since her youngest childhood days, but it's something she doesn't discuss with others for fear of ridicule. This is very common - many people who are "sensitive" pull away from society and avoid discussing the abnormal things they see, for fear of being made fun of.
Unfortunately, Kelley describes a situation - a difficult one to read when it's about kids - where the girl's half-brother passed away from an apparent suicide, and the poor girl is now seeing the ghost in her room (she believes) of the half-brother standing at the foot of her bed. This is how the situation was described by her parent. Kids who are going through the grieving process when losing a loved one is hard enough, I can't even imagine what this poor girl must be going through when she experiences these nightly visitations.
How to Deal With Psychic Kids Scared of What They See
When it comes to dealing with teens, kids, or toddlers who are seeing strange things that they don't understand, such as ghosts in their home, it's always important to handle the situation delicately as a parent. Keep in mind that this is about kids, and kids internalize everything. Regardless of your own beliefs about the ghosts, whether you're a believer or a skeptic, you should never convey those beliefs to your own child. The best approach is an agnostic one. There's a standard path every parent should follow in order to rule out the physical explanations as quickly as possible, before assuming paranormal explanations. Jumping to paranormal assumptions right off the bat can cause far more harm than good, especially if a child is suffering from severe psychological impairments and mental health issues.
The stigma of mental health makes many parents avoid exploring this option. Some parents don't even believe in mental illness, especially when it's about kids. But I can tell you that there are health factors that can affect the brain, and do cause hallucinations and very realistic experiences that many people would consider metaphysical. So if your child is describing having visions, sightings, or other experiences like seeing a ghost in their room, just play it safe and cancel out that possibility right away - but always keep an open mind that the experience concerning the ghosts that's keeping your kids scared could very well be paranormal in nature.
Understanding The Ghosts That Haunt Your Child
To determine the true source of what your child is experiencing, carefully go through the following steps.
1. Talk to a physical doctor first (not a psychologist). A medical doctor is likely to request a brain scan just to play it safe. This is a very important first step, because physical growths in the brain can cause very real auditory and oscillatory experiences. It's impossible, in that case, for a child to know the difference between a real object they are seeing, and one that's not really there.
2. If the scan shows nothing, talk to a psychologist. But interview those psychologists carefully as concerned parents. Kids depend on their parents for this kind of support. Find one that is open minded to the possibility of paranormal things, but also one that is carefully critical and doesn't jump to conclusions that *all* claims are paranormal in nature. It's critical to find a balanced and level-headed psychologist, as that's the only kind who will be able to perform a legitimate evaluation of your child. There are countless psychological malfunctions of the brain that can lead to real visions and experiences that a child has difficulty understanding.
3. Accept the truth. If the psychologist determines that the child is relatively healthy psychologically, then accept the fact that your kid's scared state may need to be faced head-on in a manner that takes the reality of paranormal activity into account. It's never a good idea to feed your child with your own paranormal beliefs, so avoid talking to your child about your own theories regarding what they are experiencing. Instead, ask the child what they think they might be seeing, and what they think should be done about it. If your family is spiritual, consider bringing in spiritual guidance in the form of a minister or priest.
The Spiritual Nature of the Phenomenon
Too little is known about why people see these apparitions to just assume certain spiritual conclusions. When dealing with kids, it's best to avoid the whole topic of demonic activities, even if that's what you believe in. From similar experiences that I've seen other families have had with paranormal forces, if your own family is stable and healthy spiritually, such forces will have little power over the family. But it's certainly important to help the child develop their spirit and armor themselves with the spiritual weapons that faith provides against potentially negative forces.
With all of that said, we live in a world where the ghosts of childhood are that much more real, because many more parents than ever before now believe in the reality of spirits and ghosts. I remember the days when I awoke in the middle of the night, terrified from the state of paralysis that I found myself in and the strange and scary sounds I was hearing (humming and even strange voices some nights). I only learned many years later that those experiences were caused by a combination of sleep disorder and the fact that my eustachian tubes were always plugged as a kid, generating pops and rushing-water sounds that my mind "converted" into the sound of voices.
This is why, even though as parents we may accept the reality of spirit and ghost phenomenon, it's critical to explore every human experience, especially that of our children, with a very critical and analytical mind.
Ghost Hunters Provide The Best Ghost Stories
Within the field of paranormal research, ghost hunters provide the best ghost stories available anywhere. Because these are folks who are out there in the field collecting data and evidence, researchers are able to extract some of the best samples of scientific evidence from their archives.
Why Ghost Hunters Provide the Best Ghost Stories
Paranormal research societies, organization which serve as the home for most ghost hunters, are excellent sources for putting together a database of valid evidence of haunting phenomenon. While searching for ghost stories on the Internet is extremely popular these days, the ideal starting point for anyone interested in true ghost stories should be the archives of those ghost hunters.
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Demons and Haunted Houses
Ghost hunters around the world investigate cases that involve what appear to be real ghosts, hoaxed phenomenon, and also misunderstood circumstances or events. Unfortunately, it's very difficult for ghost hunters to remain on the fence regarding the reality of the spiritual realm. Some investigators see so much overwhelming evidence that they start to believe every little creaky staircase is a ghost. On the flip side, other investigators come across so much silliness that they get hardened to even those cases where authentic phenomena shows it's face. How do you proceed with both skepticism and an open mind?
Research the cases where the evidence calls into question everything you've come to base your reality on.
Examine Only Cases of Real Hauntings With Excellent Evidence
"Hauntings" are those cases where objects, the environment, or even people themselves start to become manipulated by unseen forces. It's the most difficult predicament for a scientist, because there are so many unknowns. It's a black box with something inside, and you need to determine what that "something" is without touching, smelling, nudging, or otherwise manipulating the box. That's the difficulty every scientist faces within the paranormal field. This is why you need to dive into the thickest, ugliest, and most difficult cases of paranormal activity. That's why, this week, I'll be examining cases of possession and it's place within the environment of a haunted home.
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Is My Haunting a Real Ghost or a Demon?
One of the questions that I often come across when reading through the accounts of homeowners who are afflicted with real ghosts and paranormal phenomenon in their home is this - is my haunting a real ghost or a demon? Are these unseen forces that making knocking noises and move objects nothing more than docile ghosts, or are they deceitful demons? The answer to that question is made all the more elusive by the fact that it's an unanswerable question.
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Haunted University of Southern Maine
Having a family member in the Haunted University of Maine Theater Department of USM is a lot of fun. We get to see lots of wonderful plays, hear about the backstage plunders, and best of all...we get to hear about the many experiences that staff have with the restless spirits that haunt the University of Southern Maine Theater Department.
Exploring the Haunted University of Southern Maine
USM is a charming college campus located in Gorham, Maine, located just 15 minutes west of Portland, Maine. There are a number of alleged paranormal "hot spots" on this campus, located just 30 minutes East of where we live.
After watching a recent theater production at USM, my sister, who was in the play, told me about a number of ghost legends on campus. A few of the residential halls are known to have fascinating cases of hauntings, but one of the most intriguing locations on campus for ghostly activity is Russell Hall, the current USM Theater building.
Russell Hall, as shown here, is a wonderfully old brick building situated at the very heart of campus. The building has seen its share of the student population, and as rumor has it, possible deaths as well.
One particular story surrounding Russell Hall is based on the recent experience of one Theater student who decided to creep into the hall one night during after hours. Nervous already, because students aren't allowed into the Hall after the doors are closed, this particular student set to work on his tech project.
The Real Ghost Experience
As the student worked silently up in the loft with the tech equipment, at about 4 a.m., he suddenly heard the sound of someone climbing up the ladder to the catwalk near the loft. The student instantly felt panic fill his chest. As the knelt there, frozen, he could hear the slow and steady climb of shoes and hands on the ladder. Then, the heard the footsteps of someone walking across the catwalk. From his vantage point, he could see the lower part of the catwalk. Expecting to see the uniform pants of a USM security guard, he was shocked to see the plaid covered legs and white shirt of what appeared to be a student. The student slowly walked to the center of the catwalk, turned, jumped off and then promptly disappeared.
Obviously shocked, the student scrambled down from the loft and ran out of the building the way he had come in. He swore, to everyone he told the story to later, that he would never allow himself to be alone in the Theater ever again.
The Investigation
The first step in this investigation is to research the history of this building, and determine whether or not there are any records of a death or suicide inside this building since it was built. The next step will be to contact USM and obtain permission to spend a night in the Theater with equipment, including sound, video, and digital stills. If any local paranormal society is interested in assisting with this investigation, please contact me before the end of January!
