What is Your Paranormal Activity Tolerance Level?

It seems that no matter where you turn, people are talking about ghosts, hauntings, and other aspects of the paranormal. This is great subject matter for TV shows, as the topic never really seems to be exhausted completely. Someone, somewhere will always have a story about the strange phenomena he or she has experienced. I have had more than one bizarre encounter that couldn't exactly be explained. But when I think about the kinds of stories I see on television and in movies, I wonder exactly how much paranormal activity I would be able to endure before completely losing my mind and/or leaving my home.

Ghosts and other spirits make their presence known in any number of ways. Depending upon the origin of the activity, "haunting" may seem benign or incredibly threatening. How much paranormal activity would have to occur for you to leave your house? There are a few classic symptoms of a haunting. Within each one, there are varying levels of intensity. What you deem frightening has a lot to do with how much you're willing to endure. Let's take a closer look at five different types of incidents representative of a haunting-and break them down from there.

Stuff Moving Around

One of the biggest indicators that an entity is present is the movement of objects by themselves. But even this kind of activity can be deemed "innocent." Here is how I might respond to each one...

"I can handle that.." (Misplaced keys, cell phone, etc.): It's pretty easy to misplace objects that you put your hands on at least 20 times a day. If your keys somehow end up in the freezer, you can just as easily blame a slippery memory as you can a playful ghost.

"Yep, I'm pretty freaked out..." (Household items rearranged): If I walk into the kitchen and find every single cabinet door wide open, I am going to freak out. The same goes for any other household objects that "arrange" themselves in strange configurations.

"It's time to move..." (Flying objects): Suffice it to say that if I ever saw any objects flying around the house at random, I would not be too pleased. Paranormal experts call this type of movement poltergeist activity. I call it time to move.

Seeing is Believing

Most people don't believe that ghosts exist unless they can actually see them. The tricky thing with spirits is that they appear in different forms. These various types have a lot to do with how frightened I might be upon encountering one...

"I can handle that..." (Three-dimensional apparition): For all intents and purposes, three-dimensional apparitions look like real people. Thus, the only way I'd ever be able to tell that a "real" person is in fact a ghost is if they disappeared suddenly. Where this type of ghost appears makes all the difference. Pop up outside the house - I might brush it off. Show up inside the house, and that's a different story.

"Yep, I'm pretty freaked out..." (Films, mists, orbs, and translucent ghosts): Many people who have seen ghosts claim that they could see through the apparition. It's pretty easy to tell that these filmy, misty spirits are not of this world. Unlike the 3-D apparitions, you know that what you're seeing is not real.

"It's time to move..." (Demons, creatures, shadow people, etc.): Unfortunately, apparitions don't always appear in the form of your friendly deceased relatives. Ominous, dark shadows and demonic-like creatures have no business in a place I've called home.

Can't Fight the Feeling

Sometimes ghosts don't present themselves visually at all. You've heard hundreds of tales where the haunted feel rather than see a supernatural entity. But even these feelings can present some gray area...

"I can handle that..." (You are not alone): I think that everyone has experienced the feeling of being watched by something or someone unseen. Usually the sensation is fleeting. In cases such as this, it's easy to chalk it up to an active imagination.

"Yep, I'm pretty freaked out..."("Serious" Energy): If you have ever walked into an empty room that only seconds earlier housed a terrible argument or some tragic event - then you will recognize that unmistakable "crackle" in the air afterwards. The angry energy that some hauntings evoke is tantamount to this sensation. If I ever walk into an empty room and immediately feel "pressured" to leave right away - that is exactly what I will do.

"It's time to move..." (Being touched): The human body is capable of producing many different kinds of sensations. But it's pretty difficult to feel punched, tickled, or slapped without some kind of external stimuli. Once a ghost starts "laying hands" on me, it's time to go.

Hear No Evil

The funny thing about ghosts is that they appeal to all of the human senses - particularly hearing. While it is pretty difficult to "prove" a sound, instances where ghosts are heard but not seen are still quite valid...

"I can handle that..." (Things that go bump): It is quite easy to blame the wind, settling houses, and other natural stimuli on the strange sounds that we hear. On more than one occasion I have convinced myself that a weird noise was simply a figment of my imagination.

"Yep, I'm pretty freaked out..."(Whispers, faint music): Sometimes the noises surrounding apparitions aren't necessarily human, per se. Distant crying, whispering, or faint music can be attributed to one of the millions of technological devices lying around the house. The more "insistent" the sounds are, the more freaked out I become.

"It's time to move..." (Active conversations, animalistic growling, your name called): Lots of people claim to have heard their name called by some unseen entity. If I am home alone, and suddenly I hear my name spoken by someone I can't see, I will not be happy. The same sentiment applies if I were to ever hear a lively conversation taking place in a room where there are no electrical devices (or people) present whatsoever.

Other "Proof"

The wonderful thing about ghost hunting is that there are so many scientific ways to validate a supernatural entity. Nonetheless, having so-called proof doesn't always ease the nerves...

"I can handle that..." (2^nd-hand witnesses): Don't you feel so much better about seeing/hearing a ghost when you know that someone else has seen or heard the same thing? Having a secondhand witness can be quite comforting when you've encountered a spirit.

"Yep, I'm pretty freaked out..." (EVP recordings): EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) recordings are pretty standard in the world of ghost hunting. The beauty of EVPs is that you can usually only hear them upon playback. Hearing a ghost "speak" on undetectable frequencies is pretty creepy. But it isn't nearly as scary as being spoken to directly.

"It's time to move..." (Videotaped proof): Sometimes ghosts don't reveal themselves to people directly. On occasion they show up in photographs or videos. In my opinion, this is just as bad as seeing a full-bodied apparition on my living room couch. At this stage of the game, if I have videotaped any rooms of the house with the hopes of capturing a ghost on film - then I probably have already experienced one or all of the above.

It's time to move.

SOURCES:

www.biography.com
www.syfy.com
www.about.com
www.ghostvillage.com