Paranormal Terminology

Talk the talk...

With any specialized field there are many unique terms that may be new and confusing! This list includes some terms that we may refer to in our investigations or you might need to know as you start your own research.

APPARITIONS: The supernatural appearance of a deceased person or animal. A full bodied apparition shows the entire body of an animal or person (this type of apparition is very rare). A partial bodied apparition appear more often but only show part of a body like the torso or arms. They often appear as white (or various shades of white/gray) or solid black. Apparitions may appear to hover in the air.

AUTOMATIC WRITING: The ability to write intelligible messages without conscious control of what is being written. This method is often used by psychic mediums to channel a spirit and derive information from them. This can be a very dangerous method! As with all channeling methods (Ouija boards, crystals, etc.) you are opening a door way and have no control over who or what may come through, and no way to be sure to make it leave and “close the door”.

COLD SPOT: A small, defined area of intense cold (at least 10 degrees colder than the surrounding area) that can not readily be explained by other natural or mechanical causes (e.g. air conditioning, a drafty window, ice or snow). In paranormal research the prevailing theory is that when an entity is trying to manifest itself it draws on many sources of energy. One of those sources is the heat energy in the air. As the entity draws the heat out of the air the area in that specific immediate location becomes unusually cold.

CLAIRAUDIENCE: The ability to hear things not audible within normal hearing ranges. This is an example of extrasensory perception (ESP). It includes the audible perception of ghosts, spirits, and those who are on the astral realm. Clairaudience is essentially the ability of hearing the paranormal as opposed to seeing it.

DEBUNK (DEBUNKING EVIDENCE or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY): Reported paranormal evidence or paranormal activity is said to be “debunked” when a simple, logical and non-paranormal explanation can account for the reported event(s). Even if the activity is genuinely paranormal, if a simple and reasonable explanation can also be applied, because of this ambiguity a prudent paranormal investigator has to side with the debunking explanation until further evidence of paranormal activity can be obtained. Care has to be used since it is easy to be skeptical of any report or evidence. Usually if the non-paranormal explanation is complex or requires many assumptions it may be over analyzing the situation.

DEMON: According to the Catholic faith demons are angels that were cast out of Heaven by God during the rebellion against God lead by Lucifer. There are several levels or hierarchies of demons, each with different powers. Other faiths may have different concepts of what demons are. (ORB investigators generally use the term demon to refer to a supernatural being that is evil and causes mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional harm and do not subscribe to any specific faith-based interpretation).

DEMONIC HAUNTING: A haunting by a nonhuman entity. Can be very dramatic, even violent. Demonic hauntings often start out with subtle and relatively simple paranormal activity, then quickly increase to stronger activity. Most often effects people or families that are already under great personal stress from conditions such as alcohol or drug use, psychological or emotional problems, family or marital problems, etc. It is believed the nonhuman entity takes advantage of people in such weaken psychological and emotional condition. Persons who believe they and/or their families are the subject of a demonic haunting should immediately seek both professional paranormal assistance and counseling help.

DEMONOLOGIST: A person who actively pursues demons and other demonologist entitles both for study and to help people rid them from their lives. Usually demonologists are very religious people as they believe strongly that only faith has the power to combat a demon. They are also usually schooled and or experienced in the field of psychology and mental health. IMPORTANT: Active pursuit of demons and demonology is not something to be tried for fun or kicks. Serious injury – both physical and mental – can occur!

DOWSING (aka DIVINING): The ability to use a pair of rods (often metal) held in the hands to locate objects, most commonly water. A Y-shaped tree branch can also be used fro finding water. In the paranormal investigation field dowsing rods are sometimes used to locate energy sources that could be paranormal in nature.

ECHOLALIA: A professional clinical word that means to repeat back what you hear. As applied to the paranormal field it means when a ghost or spirit repeats back something you have just said in order to show they are there and are trying to communicate with you. The words repeated back could be EVP questions or just casual conversation. It is not clear why an entity might repeat back your words rather than respond on their own. Perhaps it is easier/simply for an entity to repeat what it has heard rather than form new words.

EMF – Electromagnetic Field: In its natural form it is the natural electric field (sometimes thought of an an aurora) that is generated by all living things and many inanimate objects such as metals and certain minerals. EMFs are also generated by man-made electric sources such as lights, radios and wires. In paranormal investigations the theory is that entities are largely composed of energy which may be electrically based. By trying to detect EMF it may be possible to locate an otherwise unseen entity. The stronger the EMF detected the greater the potential for paranormal phenomena.

EMPATHS – EMPATHIC ABILITIES: Some people are sensitive to the typically stronger feelings a paranormal entity gives off. They may also be able to see people and events that have occurred years in the past at a given locations. While feelings are hard to confirm or deny, when recorded along with other paranormal evidence that can be documented, empathic ability can be a helpful investigation tool.

ENTITY: A generic all-encompassing term used to describe a paranormal object/being that is presumed to be a ghost or spirit. Since no one is yet 100% sure what paranormal objects really are the term “entity” is used as a pronoun to include any and all possible things such as ghosts, spirits, poltergeists, non-human spirits, etc.

EVP – Electronic Voice Phenomena: The hearing of unexplainable voices during the playback of a recording made on an electronic recording device. The voices can not be readily identified as persons speaking or events (mechanical sounds, background noise, etc.) that took place during the recording. Can be encountered on both tape and digital recorders. Sometimes also found on video recorders (not film however).

EVP CLASSES:

• Class C: The Class C Evp is the most common type captured. It is very faint. Class C EVPs almost always require headphones for listening and are very difficult, if not impossible to interpret. Most Class C’s are noises as opposed to words or sentences.

• Class B: Class B are a little different. Class B’s are more audible. They may require headphones to listen, but most do not. You will be able to hear at least a few words out of a sentence in a Class B EVP.

• Class A: The Class A EVPs are by far the rarest to collect. Class As are very clear and do not require headphones at all to be heard. Full sentences and phrases may be heard without alteration. Class A EVPs are very difficult to come by.

FEAR CAGE: A term used to describe a confined area such as a walk in closet, hallway or basement with very high EMF readings. The combination of being close and confined with in an area of strong EMF often brings out extremely great feelings of uneasiness, anxiety, paranoia and/or uncontrollable fear. When this occurs the best thing is to quickly and calmly leave the area and go to a more open area with lower EMF.

GHOST: A spirit of a dead person believed to haunt people or previous habitats/locations. The spirit remains of a living being, strongly attached to the living realm by some form of emotional force. Often ghosts do not realize that they are in fact dead. Others live out the routine of the day they died, and continue this in a cycle. Other ghosts interact with everyday life of the living.

INFLUENCE: An invisible entity of undetermined nature, effecting the inhabitants of a dwelling. This may initially manifest as an inexplicable feeling of uneasiness, then be followed by more definite signs which reveal a haunting.

IMPRINT (IMPRINTING): It is theorized that events and strong feelings/emotions can leave a copy or record of themselves on places (tunnels, rooms, fields, etc.) and objects (furniture, buildings, personal items, etc.). Most notably this occurs when a sudden and violent death occurs such as a powerful accident, a murder or other crime, a war or battle, etc. The energy that is left can result in a non-intelligent haunting, usually a residual haunting. In these cases people often report seeing and hearing the same thing over and over like a tape playing, rewinding and playing again. Sometimes the event seems to be recorded on the specific location rather than a building, room or object. There have been cases reported where an imprint haunting has occurred in a building, the building is later totally demolished and a new one built (or the area just left vacant) but the haunting still continues. In the situation of imprinting on an object the haunting can follow the object through several owners. This is often reported with items purchased at a yard sale or flea market.

IR (INFRARED): Infrared light is light from the lower end (long wavelength/low frequency) of the electromagnetic spectrum (between the visible light spectrum and microwaves). IR light is not visible to the naked human eye without the use of special equipment. IR is not to be confused with thermal imaging. While IR and thermal energy are both on the short end of the electromagnetic spectrum they are not the same thing. There is evidence that ghosts/spirits and other paranormal entities may be more susceptible to being viewed (including video and image photography) using the IR light spectrum. IR sensors are also often used for measuring temperature and detecting movement.

KINETIC ENERGY: Energy needed to force an object at rest into motion. Objects in motion have kinetic energy. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. As the kinetic energy diminishes it changes into potential energy.

K II METER: An EMF detector that, rather than displaying the EMF field as a numerical read-out, quantifies the surrounding electromagnetic field as a set of lights; green light for low EMF and red for high EMF.

“LIGHTS OUT” INVESTIGATION: A paranormal investigation, usually conducted indoors and at night, where all the light sources and other electronic devices in the building have been turned off. The equipment used for paranormal investigations is typically more sensitive at night and in the dark. Having lights off reduces the possibility of false or misleading evidence caused by reflections and glares.

MANIFEST or MANIFESTATION: The act of an entity trying to make it self appear in our world. Entities are believed to exist mainly as energy with no physical form. When an entity is trying to make itself appear or make its presence known in our world it is said to be manifesting itself; trying to make itself into some form of physical state.

MATRIXING: The natural tendency for the human mind to interpret sensory input, what is perceived visually, audibly or tacitly, as something familiar or more easily understood and accepted, in effect mentally “filling in the blanks.”

MIST: An energy field that looks like a cloud or haze but has a paranormal ectoplasm substance. There may or may not be any particular shape, color (typically white or light colored), thickness, or consistency.

NONHUMAN or INHUMAN SPIRIT: An entity ghost or spirit) that is not the result of a human person that once lived on Earth. This category also includes angels, demons, devils, etc. It is not known exactly where these kinds of entities come from but it is reasonably well accepted by the paranormal community these spirits are not from people who had lived on Earth and have since died. Encounters with non-human spirits is rare and usually dramatic. Extra care should always be used if dealing with a potential inhuman spirit!

ORB: The vast majority of orbs can be naturally explained. But true orbs appear to be a form of energy of an unknown origin. An orb can take different shapes. They seem to defy gravity and change directions quickly. They seem to also twinkle. The presence of people make them react. They appear both indoors and outdoors. False orbs tend to be transparent and pale white, or blue. Real genuine orbs tend to appear dense or brighter on film. It has concentric circles or bands within. It can be active in visible realm, but more active in infrared. They appear abundantly in supposed haunted locations. Drops of rain, specks of dust, insects, reflections, as well as many other things can be mistaken for orbs.

PARANORMAL: Events above the normal or everyday experiences. Events that can not be readily explained by known conventional reasons and/or commonly accepted science. Not to be confused with Supernatural that implies a deity explanation.

POLTERGEIST: Term is German for “noisy ghost”. It can be dependent on a certain individual or group of individuals. They usual make the biggest impact on physical objects. They tend to be temporary. In some instances a poltergeist can appear as the psychic extension of a person, usually most common in adolescent females. Tend to be mischievous and like to play pranks. More recently developed theories move away from ghost activity to the realm of spontaneous and unconscious (unintended telekinesis.)

RESIDUAL HAUNTING: Non conscious and unintelligent (no thought or purposely actions), usually appear as person but can sometimes be a group of people, and animal or any non-living thing. There are no interactions with observers. They stay in same location replaying the same event over and over usually on some rhythmic cycle or pattern (though what the pattern is can be hard to determine). Sometimes causing electrical environment interference to occur. Often compared to a video recording that automatically plays itself over and over.

SHADOWS: (Shadow Beings, Shadow Entities) Shadows refer to the possible paranormal apparition which appears as a dark human-form manifestation. We say “possible” paranormal apparition since the true nature of this type of paranormal event is still unknown and the subject of much research.

SHADOW PEOPLE: Apparitions that have no recognizable features, of any size or shape, typically seen flitting from one’s peripheral vision.

SUPERNATURAL: Events or happenings generally attributed to the will of a deity. Usually includes the concept of angels, demons/devils, and other God-like creatures.

TELEKINESIS: (Telekinetic power) The ability to manipulate physical objects using the body’s static electrical charges. Psychic extension of the person transported through the electrical field surrounding the individual. More commonly known as a persons’ ability to move object with just their mind and thoughts.

TOUCHED: The act of experiencing physical contact from a ghost spirit or other paranormal entity. Can be as simple as a tug in your shirt or pressure on a part of your body to scratches, burns or being pushed/shoved. However, serious physical injury is very rare.

ULTRAVIOLET (UV): Ultraviolet light is light from the upper end (long wave length/low frequency) of the electromagnetic spectrum. As with infrared light, UV light is normally not visible to the naked human eye without the use of special viewing or photography equipment. Some paranormal investigators have experimented with using UV light to take video of ghosts and other paranormal entities. The results have been indeterminate. Other paranormal investigators have claimed UV light is an effective barrier to block demonic entities.

VORTEX – Vortices, Vortexes: A concentrated yet brief area of high electromagnetic energy often found in photographs taken at paranormally active locations. The often appear as sold (opaque) white or silver tubes, rods, or elongated ovals. They can also appear to be braided like a rope or chain (care has to be take to ensure it is not a rope, chain, camera strap etc). A vortex is not an entity. However, some paranormal researchers believe a vortex is a momentary doorway or portal to another realm that allows entities and other paranormal phenomena to come into our world. Some researchers also believe vortexes are linked to the Earth’s own electromagnetic field which at least in part help determine when these portals open/close. It is also believed that some locations are more prone to having active vortices due to the alignment of the Earth’s magnetic field and local geological structure.

Source: This list has been modified by the ORB Team from an original list published by Long Island Paranormal Investigators.