Top Five Signs of Paranormal Activity
The top five signs of paranormal activity may not all occur in a single area, but one or more of these signs are typically found in any location believed to be haunted.
Paranormal Activity Defined
It's important to define the difference between normal and paranormal activity. The rule of thumb used to classify paranormal activity encompasses anything that defies logical explanation. Simply put, events, encounters or activities that occur outside the bounds of normal activity are often considered paranormal in nature.
However, it's not quite that easy to declare that an occurrence is paranormal. Even if there isn't an immediate explanation for the unusual activity, a logical explanation may still be discovered upon further investigation.
Top Five Signs of Paranormal Activity
The following five signs are considered evidence of paranormal elements at work. Until they are scientifically disproven or explained, these signs help investigators evaluate whether or not a particular location is haunted.
Number One: Disembodied Voices and Phantom Sounds
The most common sign of paranormal activity is a phantom sound. This phenomenon is reported quite often in the form of disembodied voices, slamming doors, phantom footfalls, knocks or raps and other inexplicable sounds.
There are several types of equipment that paranormal investigators use to help determine, locate and evaluate these sounds. Digital recorders capture disembodied voices in the form of electronic voice phenomena (EVP). These voices often cannot be heard during the course of an investigation, but they are later discovered imprinted on the recording. Many times, these voices respond directly to questions the investigator asked during the investigation.
Number Two: Manipulation of Objects
Eyewitnesses often report seeing objects move across a table or kitchen counter on their own. Cabinet doors open by themselves or objects sail across the room as though they have been thrown by an unseen force. While this type of activity is less frequent than others, it's usually a strong indication of the presence of paranormal activity.Other times, investigators will attempt to communicate with spirits by using certain pieces of equipment that the ghost can manipulate. Sometimes evidence of the paranormal is obtained simply by asking a spirit to turn a flashlight off and on or move a toy. Investigators may even ask a suspected spirit to move closer to an EMF meter to make the readings fluctuate as proof of the entity's presence.
Number Three: Equipment Malfunction and Battery Drains
Equipment battery drains are common wherever a paranormal phenomena takes place. Brand new batteries are often completely depleted of all charges. Other electronic equipment often malfunctions with varying degrees of interference. The paranormal community subscribes to the belief that these drains and malfunctions are caused by a spirit's attempt to physically manifest by using the energy from the batteries.
Number Four: Apparitions and Ectoplasm Claims
Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF) meters are used to locate energy fields that investigators believe are possibly emitted from ghosts, especially when the entity attempts to physically manifest. Heat sensor equipment and light spectrum cameras are used to locate and document what's believed to be spirit activity. Many vaporous shapes have been captured on video and in photos. Some experts believe that these anomalies are proof of a spirit's attempt to materialize.
Ectoplasm is a word often used to describe a gel-like residue reportedly found at the site of an apparition or paranormal event. The existence of ectoplasm is a controversial topic. Historically, the substance was believed to be produced by a medium rather than a spirit entity. The ectoplasm would supposedly flow out of the medium's mouth or nose. The spirit would then use the ectoplasm to physically manifest. Under this scenario, the ectoplasm would be left behind after the entity returned to non-corporal form. Many people mistakenly refer to vaporous shapes or trails of fog-like mist as ectoplasm.
Samples of so-called ectoplasm have been analyzed and identified as various substances that are quite human and common. Skeptics believe that ectoplasm is nothing more than a prop used in scams perpetrated by charlatans who portrayed themselves as mediums during the Victorian era up until the late 1930s.
Number Five: Air Temperature Changes
Cold spots are the most commonly reported form of paranormal activity that involves temperature fluctuation. Paranormal experts believe that sudden cold spots that cannot be attributed to heating and cooling systems are caused by the presence of a ghost. Hot spots also occur, and they are just as significant and happen quite frequently.
Thermal scanners are used to track and locate possible paranormal activity. Hot and cold spots are easily identified by the color they each produce on the scanner screen.
Understanding Paranormal Signs
A single sign of paranormal activity typically won't provide enough evidence for a scientific investigative team to declare that a location is definitely haunted. However, two or more consistent signs may indicate an authentic haunting. At the very least, you have enough of a possibility to warrant a paranormal investigation.
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