Hauntings - Types of Hauntings
Residual hauntings are the most commonly reported type of ghostly phenomena. They are also one of the most interesting... and the most discounted by non-believers and scientists. Their very existence is what's so intriguing. The idea of our actions being imprinted in the environment is by itself a hard pill to swallow. But if you read below, we'll tell you how we believe this phenomena occurs. Remember, paranormal investigation, though scientific by nature, is not scientifically proven. What you read here is our theory of Residual Hauntings based on experience and scientific principals.
First and foremost, the theory of residual hauntings has been questioned and shot down many times by scientists and a few select paranormal researchers. A certain paranormal research website has claimed residual hauntings to be scientifically and hpyothetically flawed, stating that they are not theoretically possible. I find this odd, especially considering that particuliar website is a paranormal related one supporting their organization. Discounting the residual haunting and stating that it's not scientifically possible is the same as discounting the paranormal altogether, as there is no "real" scientific basis to support it as well. As a whole, paranormal phenomena has been discounted for quite some time by the scientific community. Residual hauntings are no different.
The belief of scientists is to discount anything that they cannot explain with scientific theory. But we, along with most other paranormal researchers, as well as millions of people, have experienced the paranormal first-hand and know, without question, that it in fact does exist. Documented photos, videos, audio recordings and personal experiences exist to support the paranormal, including residual hauntings. So while the scientific part of how they happen has been questioned and is in fact uncertain, one thing is for sure: residual hauntings do exist. Everyone has their own idea and the subject will probably remain open forever. In the meantime, here's our own theory:
In essence, the theory of a Residual Haunting does at times seem to defy the law of energy and physics. But this type of phenomena DOES exist and has been documented, even though it remains unexplained. Technically speaking, residual hauntings aren't what we consider "actual" hauntings because there is no human or inhuman interaction involved. But for all purposes, we do refer to it as a haunting because it is paranormal related and does display past events.
Residual hauntings are more common than most people think, and this type of phenomena is the most widely reported type of haunting. This is also one of the most fascinating styles of hauntings due to its "film-like" nature, meaning that it has properties of a movie loop being played continuously.
So what is it? Well, no official explaination exists, but through many years of study and research, we have come to a pretty accurate conclusion:
Residual hauntings are visual or audiable films, so to speak, of past events that have been imprinted in the environment by energy. I believe they are the result of Residual Emotional Energy Resonance (R.E.E.R.). R.E.E.R. is an extreme emotional experience, closely related to Significant Emotional Experience (S.E.E.), but is typically more powerful. R.E.E.R. is so powerful that the energy is able to leave an imprint of the event. Remember, our mind is the most powerful thing in existence, powerful enough to exert very strong emotions that are absorbed by the environment, especially in a traumatic situation.
Residual hauntings may be active all the time or may be triggered by an event, such as added energy of people moving into a previously vacant home. At times, renovations can cause the haunting to become active again, though it is not understood why this happens. When they are noticed, the person witnessing them are usually very frightened and can even begin to empathetically feel what the person was feeling at the time of the event. Here's an example:
A family had an abusive father/husband. Each night the father would come home after work and began drinking. In a druken rage he would become violent and abuse the mother, then the kids. This pattern continues for years until the mother decides to stand up to him and protect her children. One night the father's drunken rage begins. After he beats the mother, he starts out for the children's room. The mother follows him with a gun and confronts him; a struggle ensues and the mother shoots and kills the father. This happens in the doorway of the children's room and they witness the entire episode. The father falls into the bedroom and dies at the edge of the children's bed. The extreme rush of fear and grief explodes, imprinting what the children saw and felt in the environment of the home.
Now let's say 25 years later, a family moves into the home, unaware of the past events. The daughter of the current family occupies the room where the children of the above family watched their father die. Her bed is in the same, or close to the same, location of the children above. One night, the daughter sees a man enter the room and stare at her. Then she watches as the man struggles with a woman, then grabs his chest and falls to the ground. She is struck with fear from seeing the ghost. This continues once a week. After a period of 2 months, her mood and demeanor begins to change. She becomes depressed and sad, which gets worse at night when she sees the haunting.
The above story is an extreme version of a residual haunting and is not a typical reaction from one who witnesses it, but its nature of cause is not uncommon. What's happening is that she is seeing the traumatic event and slowly beginning to feel what the children felt when they saw their father die. She could do something as simple as move her bed and the feelings could stop, as well as the vision.
Most of the time the phenomena will take place in the area, sometimes the exact spot, in which a sudden accident involving a death has occurred. This could be a fatal automobile accident, a suicide, murder, accidental death or environmentally-caused death, such as a fire, storm, or flood. Death has not always been the end result though. Documented cases exist of residual hauntings taking place in an area or structure where people have been treated horribly, like abuse, confinement or torture. This is one reason why so many residual hauntings exist in prisons or insane asylums. It can also exist in a home where an abuser and victims have been present, like the story above.
Although the events that cause a residual haunting are usually tragic in nature, this is not always the case. Reports have surfaced of residual hauntings in historic ballrooms where witnesses have described seeing people dancing, hearing music and smelling scents, such as perfume or cigars, at times when nobody is present. One of those reports came from The Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, Ca.
As research into this fascinating phenomena continues, maybe we'll one day have an answer.