The Different Types of Hauntings

Throughout the world, there have been many accounts of hauntings ranging anywhere from terrifying to more mystifying sparking a sense of curiosity with the paranormal.

The idea of ghosts and haunted places has fascinated us as humans. Even those who are skeptic to the existence of ghosts might still enjoy listening to a campfire ghost story if only for a good scare.

Ghosts are more than just ghosts as there are various types of hauntings.

Residual

This type of haunting plays in a loop. Think of it as a recording that plays over and over again of a spirit’s life when they were alive. An example might be the sight of a ghostly figure descending the stairs or walking through a part of a building, being seen over and over again.

In a way, a residual haunting is like seeing the past through a window of time over and over again. A window of time in which the spirit is trapped in.

With residual hauntings, these spirits cannot interact and do not know you’re there. To them, you don’t exist and they are experiencing the world as they did when they were alive.

Residual hauntings can occur after a traumatic incident like a brutal and unexpected death. At the same time, residual hauntings can also be created from much more positive energy. An example might be ghostly laughter — residual energy from a perhaps a party or some for celebration that occurred in the past during the spirit’s life. You also might hear music but as soon as you go to investigate the source, it suddenly stops with no explanation. Certain times of the year like the anniversary of a battle can bring forth the replay of a residual haunting.

Intelligent

Unlike residual, intelligent hauntings can see, interact, and communicate with the living.

These spirits have the intelligence and capability to respond to questions during paranormal investigations. Sometimes, these spirits might do everything in their power to get your attention from tapping walls, communicating through EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) to manifestation. The intelligence is the same intelligence and personality the spirit had when they were alive.

Poltergeist

These hauntings are one of the more mischievous types. Derived from German, poltergeist translates to “noisy ghost” or “noisy spirit”.

These hauntings are quite different from intelligent and residual hauntings as poltergeist activity is thought to occur not from a ghost but from the energy of one who is alive.

Poltergeist activity will begin mild. You might hear banging on walls before it escalates to furniture or objects moving and then into something more terrifying and impossible to ignore like the manifestation of voices and even full bodied apparitions.

One interesting theory is that some poltergeist activity is triggered by a certain living person. For instance, the activity might not occur unless that certain individual is present. Because of this, the poltergeist activity might feed off that person’s intense emotions.

Demonic

The worst kind of haunting you never want to encounter.

Demonic spirits were never humans to begin with. Since they were never human, they are more powerful than other spirits and therefore more terrifying and dangerous.

A demon might occur in various forms of which they sense would be the most effective to get your attention and they have the power to change form at will. These forms range from a black mist or fog to an apparition of terrifying being.

One identifiable thing about a demonic haunting is the sulfur like smell that accompanies them.

Shadow people

Like a demonic haunting, shadow people were also never human to begin with.

They are one of the most mysterious and unexplained type of haunting.

Shadow people are usually sighted out of one’s peripheral vision, there and gone the very instant you notice them.

They can appear as a dark mist or fog or as a shadowy dark humanoid figure with no facial features.

Despite the lack of facial features, sometimes, shadow people are described as wearing a hat or a cloak such as “the hat man” — a shadow person reported throughout the world.

Here is a more in depth article about shadow people and theories of what they could be:

The paranormal has always fascinated me. I’ve enjoyed learning about these types of hauntings and their differences and hope you did too.

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