Haunted America: Living Comfortably with Ghosts in Your New Home

Skeptics will flatly tell you that there is just no such thing as ghosts, but in reality the likelihood that ghosts do exist has been proven time and time again, making even the skeptics question what really is going on in their home. Even shows like HGTV cannot ignore the obvious; that being new home owners questioning strange events taking place within their new space, and the only reasonable answer is that the joint is haunted. One couple who openly admit to being skeptical when it comes to ghosts aren't so sure how they feel about paranormal activity after they dealt with it first hand in their new digs in Germantown, Ohio.

Matt and Jennifer Chambers learned that ghosts can in fact communicate with the living, and they clearly can take on a voice similar to those around them that are living. Not long after the couple purchased their new home, they had a brush with what can only be described as someone from the other side attempting to call their cat Mukky. As Jennifer was telling the feline to kill a ferocious spider her husband Matt clearly heard a man's voice also talking to the cat. The only problem is that there was no other man in the house. Jennifer also heard the male voice, but assumed that it was her husband mumbling under his breath. After questioning neighbors the couple learned that the voice probably belonged to the prior homeowner who had recently passed from cancer while under the care of hospice.

So now what? Do you sell tickets to your new haunted house, live in fear, call the police, hold a séance or put the place up for sale? According to the experts, the answer lies squarely with each individual owner and how they feel about living with spirits. The majority of people are going to fear the unknown, so getting a better understanding of who lived in your home before you and how they passed on is a great place to start. After all you have just shelled out a lot of money on your new place. It would be a real shame to be too afraid to enjoy it because of a few pesky ghosts. The key is to try and calm down and listen to what the spirits may be trying to tell you. It could be everything from a warning about the house to the ghost attempting to tell you how the met their demise.

Open threats from ghosts and spirits are not to be taken lightly. Calling in a Priest is suggested when the events are so overwhelming that it is causing a loss of sleep to actual damages to humans or the home itself. In most cases living with ghosts can actually be entertaining. Most active ghosts will do everything within their power to make their presence known by doing everything from showing up in unexpected places in an actual form that simulates a human to making a loud racket to get your attention. Many ghosts are playful and will move objects or open cupboards. When ghosts become overly annoying you may have to remind them that you now live in the home and would appreciate it if they would respect your house with a bit of quiet time. Ask them want they want or need, and remind them that you are fully aware that they are there, but that there are rules of the house that they must also follow if they wish to remain living in your home. Try to keep in mind that they were once living beings that are lost and simply need guidance in finding their way home.

Often time's odors will become apparent when a ghost has entered the room. Popular smells associated with good ghosts include flowers, tobacco, food and perfume. Foul smells like rotten eggs, burning matches, sulfur, rotten meat and fire are not to be taken lightly. In fact this is a bigger problem then most people can handle without some form of outside help. Burning sage and sprinkling your home with salt is the best way to eliminate evil spirits, but for those stubborn poltergeists and demons that refuse to leave, an exorcism is about the only thing left to do. If you become afraid of the circumstances going on then quickly make your own presence known and clearly state to the spirited intruder that they are in fact scaring you, and tell the ghost to please stop it.

Some ghosts enjoy the soothing sound of a television or stereo, and this was precisely the case determined when Toni Cusumano was enjoying a quiet evening at home alone watching her favorite program in her sprawling haunted Victorian mansion located in the Pennsylvania Poconos. All of a sudden Toni heard the television in her son's room spring to life. Toni was snug as a bug in her most comfortable chair, and by no means wanting to get up and investigate the issue at hand, so she loudly yelled, "knock it off" to which she was quickly rewarded with sudden and complete silence from the upstairs bedroom. She claims that the problem has since been solved.

Calling in the professionals might just solve many of the homes haunted issues since paranormal investigators can either debunk or prove the presence of ghosts in your humble abode. Ghost hunters will typically use equipment that allows them to communicate with the other side to determine their intentions with the house that they are presently haunting. Many ghosts are mischievous in nature and only want you to acknowledge them by talking to them and often times they will openly show up and appear to you as a regular human in form. They can also appear as a full-bodied, non-vaporous see-through appearance of a disembodied person's spirit, also known as an apparition. In this instance most people react to their presence similarly to those actors seen in the movie Casper or Ghost Busters. Try to calm down and ask them to leave because they are scaring you. Most good ghosts are polite and will abide by your wishes.

Florida based ghost hunters Scott Flagg and Jack Roth have investigated hundreds of cases of haunting's around the world, and they find that when it comes to ghosts in the home, living with a benevolent ghost is perfectly fine so long as they do not bring harm to the people living at the residence in question. Many homeowners have discovered that their beliefs about the supernatural have changed throughout the process of living with a ghost and that they can often times aid them into transitioning into where they should actually be. Children and babies in the home are of course a serious reason to have concern when it comes to living with a ghost, but if the children appear unafraid or unconcerned, then no harm, no foul.

Staying in control of the situation at hand is the best way not to lose your head, mind or home. Research the home's history and determine if the home is worth keeping. A prior death in the home that occurred from natural causes or disease is no reason to fear being tortured by an angry ghost seeking revenge for your taking up what they feel is their living quarters, living or not. If you discover that your home was once the site of a mass murder, torture chamber, morgue, mental institution, hospital or lab where humans were used for experimentation leading to their deaths, then you just may want to move on to better living conditions somewhere else. Every situation is unique and each person has different personal beliefs about ghosts, paranormal activity and all things that involve dealing with the spirits. If you are comfortable living with them then make the most out of the situation and welcome them as extended members of your family.

Sources:

http://www.frontdoor.com/buy/living-with-ghosts/55935

http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/10/be_respectful_but_set_boundari.html

http://www.househealing.com/

http://livingwithghosts.com/

http://www.frontdoor.com/buy/haunted-house-hunters/55934

http://www.ghosttoghost.com/livingwithghosts.htm