Intelligent or Traditional Hauntings
This type of haunting is what most people think of when they hear the word ghost. Unfortunately these types of hauntings are very rare. An intelligent or traditional ghost is kind of like Casper in the sense that they interact with people. The most common belief is that the ghost is connected to the site or people in some way.
Some reasons the ghost may be tied to the site or people:
- Died as a result of a traumatic event, murder, car accident, etc.
- Due to unfinished business.
- The spirit may have died suddenly and not realized he/she died.
- The living loved ones are so emotionally distraught they can?t let go.
- The spirit is emotionally connected to their loved ones.
- They cannot rest due to an injustice done to them.
- Fear of the other side or judgment
These ghosts are generally associated with physical activity like slamming, opening, closing, unlocking doors and windows, voices, and sounds. A strong presence, a scent, or touch may be experienced. People rarely see a manifestation of the ghost in the form of an apparition or mist.
Residual Haunting
A residual haunt is believed to be activity of reoccurring or traumatic actions from past events that leave an imprint on the environment.
This type is probably the most common type of haunting. Because its’ characteristics are similar to the intelligent haunting, people often mistake it for an intelligent/traditional haunting. Like intelligent haunts, some examples of activity are phantom footsteps, sounds, images, and scents. One major difference between this haunting and the intelligent/traditional haunting, is that this type of haunting is not considered to be that of a ghost, and there is no interaction with the living.
It is believed that this activity is the dissipation of stored energy from the site. The theory is the energy is stored or absorbed by the site due to repetitive or traumatic events of the energy expended while performing such actions. Similar to a tape player, the energy is stored in the magnetic field of the environment. Over time the energy builds up and is discharged showing a replay of the event, and then the cycle starts again. Some suggest that atmospheric conditions such as storms may initiate the playback.
There is also a quantum physics theory that relates the energy as light particles that are dormant until they are stimulated by an outside variable under the proper conditions. (Brandon, The Ghost Hunters Bible) Researchers have observed that the energy tends to diminish over periods of time until eventually it is either exhausted, or the level is so low that it is not experienced again.
Portal Hauntings
Portals aren’t really a new concept, as we’ve seen them in a lot of sci-fi flicks. But in the real world portal hauntings are considered controversial as there is little known and the idea is mostly theory or speculation. Portals are thought to be doorways to another world or dimension in which entities travel through.
It is speculated that portals are not limited to one location, region or limited to sacred ground. Typically places that experience a wide array of different types of anomalous activity such as glowing balls of light, odd creatures, strange shapes, or unexplained mists or fog, are suspected to have a portal in which these energies are traveling back and forth.