This is from the book How to Hunt Ghosts, A Practical Guide
by Joshua P Warren, printed in 2003.
Novice ghost hunters are commonly concerned about the hazards of seeking the supernatural.
The greatest threat is their own psychological weakness. Desiring to come face to face with an entity is one thing. Doing it is quite another. There is usually nothing to fear. Most ghosts do not have the power or will to do serious physical harm. But humans have a natural fear of the unknown, and ghosts embody that morbid fear. Someone who is not prepared to experience a spectral encounter may have a heart attack when and if it happens. This is especially the case if that person is alone when it happens. For that reason, it is important to be psychologically prepared.
On the 4th of July, 2001, a hotel in the southeastern United States held a spectacular fireworks show.
In the middle of the display, a security guard was checking an old building on the property, all by himself. He turned a corner and was surprised to see a man wearing a Derby, standing in a darkened room. His back was to the guard as he stared out a Gray Bay. window. Apparently enjoying the fireworks. The guard called to him and the man turned, gave a blank stare, and then disappeared. When the guard burst back into headquarters, he was sobbing like a baby. The experience had undermined his entire concept of reality. He quit his job due to the encounter.
The security guard was totally unprepared for a blatant run in with a paranormal. Currently, I’m told he’s the Co-warden of a prison. This is obviously a man who isn’t afraid of any physical foe. However, a completely harmless, paranormal experience caused him an enormous amount of psychological shock. There are ways to help you prepare for this shock, though.
Some ghost hunters enact a psychic self defense technique before entering the grounds of a potentially negative spirit.
This entails imagining one’s body surrounded by a shield of protective white light. Formed by thoughts, This shield may be non physical, but then, so are ghosts. Such psychic barriers may help by focusing the individual’s mental strength.
Other ghost hunters conduct a ritual consistent with their belief system. For example, a prayer might be uttered before entering a haunted ground. Carrying items of faith, such as crosses and Bibles, is also commonplace. Anything that symbolizes the individual’s mental and spiritual strength can be beneficial. Do whatever makes you feel more comfortable.
Novice ghost hunters also wonder if specters can follow them home. This rarely happens. But in those cases where it does happen, the individual must verbally command the spirit to leave his or her home. Being a physical creature, you can assert your dominance over the physical world. Your mental strength can drive a ghost away. Usually, Those who suffer from spiritual intrusions are too psychologically weak to stand up to spirits. On the non physical plane, thoughts can be weapons. Use yours effectively.
Aside from psychological threats, there is indeed a physical one.
I have seen physical objects being manipulated by unseen forces on numerous occasions. The largest of these was a meter that weighed slightly less than a pound. It was during an LEMUR investigation, and Brian Irish captured the incident on video. The meters squealed with energy readings as it was knocked forward, then up on its side. Less than a pound may not sound too intimidating. However, a stronger spirit, should be able to move more. A vase flying off a top shelf could do some painful damage to your head. There’s not much you can do about this kind of risk, except to be aware of your surroundings. If you’re in an area where objects could present a danger, especially if they’re unstably positioned to begin with, exercise caution. N
Also, the presence of a ghost can sometimes blow light bulbs.
An entire series of bulbs can go out, marking the spirit’s path of travel. This may be an indication of the specter’s powerful energy overwhelming the delicate filaments. In rarer cases, the bulbs actually explode. Obviously, this can present a formidable danger. I’ve seen lamps that spontaneously caught fire due to this phenomena. In fact, at extreme locations, mechanical and electrical devices can be caused to combust on a regular basis.
The chance of being physically attacked by an entity is extremely low.
Those instances are so few and far between that you’ll probably never encounter it, unless you become a prolific ghost researcher. A physical touch is far more common, but an attack, in which undeniable harm was intended, is certainly an oddity among oddities. It’s even more rare to hear of someone being raped or molested by an entity. In fact, those cases are soix exceptional that no thorough study of the phenomena has been conducted. The most famous episode of this activity is a case that was made into a 1982 movie called The Entity, starring Barbara Hershey.
Of course, everyone also wonders about this thing called possession.
It is possible for a spirit to enter your body and control your actions. I have researched numerous reports of people who claim to be possessed, and have witnessed several exorcisms. In each case, The individual claimed that the presence filled them with dread and depression, injecting thoughts of suicide or the will to harm others. During exorcisms, I’ve seen people grunt and groan for hours, frowning as if in agony. I’ve heard unfamiliar sounds and languages roll from their tongues, and seen their bodies swell with unbridled emotion. However, I’ve never seen anything that couldn’t have been the product of a good acting job. That’s not to say there was no authenticity to the experience, but that there was no objective evidence to suggest the person was actually being possessed. And I definitely never seen a head spin around and vomit pea soup.
At the same time, I have certainly seen people’s personalities change, over a period of time, upon moving into a haunted house.
Or coming into extended contact with active locations. For example, If someone moves into a home that’s haunted by the ghost of a drunkard, that person may gradually become an alcoholic. I’ve also seen people become happier individuals when the spirit is in a positive influence. I’m not sure whether you’d call this true possession, or just someone being swayed by his or her surroundings. If you hang out with criminals, you’re liable to become a criminal. If you hang out with fishermen, you’re reliable to end up going fishing. It it’s only natural for people to be influenced by those around them. Why should it be any different in those influences coming from spirits?
If an entity draws a person’s energy long enough, it may also decrease its individual’s resistance to sickness. Illnesses can be greatly enhanced at hauntings. In the worst case scenarios, the like those presented by the infamous Bell witch episode of Adams, Tennessee, someone can die from this. In the early 1800s, the Bell Witch was an evil spirit that apparently tormented a man, John Bell, to death. He suffered from a series of mysterious ailments and bizarrely physical manifestations. Until he died.
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