A
Afterlife:
Almost every society and religion has some belief in life after death. The Christian version of the afterlife involves some type of judgment upon the body’s demise and the assignment of the soul to either Heaven or Hell, while many societies believe that life simply continues in another plane of existence.
Apparition:
the visible form of a ghost or spirit. Can be full or partial bodied.
Anniversary Imprint:
an event or spirit that usually manifests around the same time each year (i.e. the spirit or activity only happens on Tuesday or only on the Fourth of July).
Astral Projection:
the conscious initiation of an out-of-body experience.
Aura:
a field of energy that emanates from matter, An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation. A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.
Anomaly:
An irregular or unusual event which does not fit a standard rule or law. An anomaly is something which cannot be explained by currently accepted scientific theories. Anything weird, abnormal, strange, odd, or difficult to classify is considered an anomaly.
Apport/Asport:
Apport is when a physical object has been transported into a closed space or container, suggesting the passage of "matter through matter'. Asport is any object the spirits or medium makes disappear or teleports to another location. [See "Teleportation" for more info.]
Astral Body:
the "body" a person seems to occupy during an out-of-body experience, see Out-of-body Experience.
Astral Plane:
Believed by some to be a world that exists above the physical world.
Authentication:
to establish the authenticity of; prove genuine. The verification of facts and details surrounding an occurrence of paranormal phenomenon. This can be independent statements from witnesses, written documentation, or other corroborative evidence supporting the report made by the subject concerning their experience and the events to which was apparently related.
Automatic Writing:
this is when you write something without being aware of the contents. Some people use this method to receive messages from Spirit.
Automatism:
the theory that the body is a machine whose functions are accompanied but not controlled by consciousness. Physical activities (e.g., arm movements, writing, drawing, musical performance) that occur without the automatist's conscious control or knowledge, also known as motor automatism.
Autoscopy:
this is when someone sees their 'double', or when they're looking back at their self from a position outside their body.
B
Banish(ment):
The expulsion of a ghost, spirit, demon, or other entity/entities thought to be possessing or haunting a human being or location. The ritual, which may be conducted by anyone but should ONLY be undertaken by a professional, is usually secular in nature, but may call upon some Higher Power to cast out the evil force(s). Also see exorcism.
Banshee:
A female death omen spirit of Ireland and Scotland that attaches itself to families -- especially those whose surnames begin with "Mac" and "O" -- and manifests to herald an approaching death in the family.
Bilocation:
(pronounced bye-loh-k-shun) appearing to be in two different places at the same time.
C
Channeling:
A form of spirit communication, mostly popular in the United States during the "New Age" fad of the 1970s. During a channeling session, an unseen entity takes possession of the medium (called a channeler) to impart spiritual guidance or wisdom. The channeled entity was seldom a deceased human; rather it was a spiritual creature such as an angel, demon, the Higher Self, or part of the universal mind.
Clairvoyance:
the ability to obtain knowledge based on unexplainable intuition, vision or various psychic senses.
Cold Spot:
A self-contained patch of cold air strewn about haunted locations; they may be ghosts that can't fully materialize.
D
Déjà vu:
French for “already seen;” the feeling or illusion of having previously experienced an event or place actually being encountered for the first time.
Demon:
In Christianity, demons are evil spirits, the minions of Satan.
Direct voice phenomenon (DVP):
A spirit voice, spoken directly to sitters at a séance. The sound usually seems to come from a point near the medium, or through a spirit horn or trumpet, but not from the mouth of the medium.
Doppelganger:
A ghost of the present day that looks identical to a living person but behaves differently or in a way that which the living person wouldn't.
Double:
A ghost of the present that looks and behaves identically to a living person.
Dowsing:
Interpreting the motions of brass rods, sticks, pendulums and other such instruments to obtain information on the level of paranormal activity(also called divining).
Debunked:
(or debunking) evidence that has been scientifically explained or proven to be a natural normal occurrence, the act of scientifically explaining or proving claimed activity to be natural or normal, to be able to recreate the claim normally or naturally.
E
Ectoplasm:
any physical substance created by, or accompanying a spirit's materialization or a white film like presence on a photograph.
Electromagnetic Energy:
An invisible force located almost everywhere in nature; it is theorized that ghosts are made up of energy, since all energy puts out an electromagnetic signature, it is thought that a ghost might register on a scientific instrument designed to detect such energy
Empaths:
Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned individuals when it comes to emotions. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme. When it comes to ghosts and other spirits, empaths are able to sense their emotional distress, and often help bring information about what might be keeping them from crossing over may this be anger, sadness loss, fear despair, confusion, faithfulness, stubbornness or other mixed emotions that has kept them on our side. Empaths also have some Medium abilities. See also Medium and Sensitive.
Entity:
A disembodied "consciousness" commonly referred to as a ghost or spirit
Extransensory perception (ESP):
A acronym for extrasensory perception; obtaining information from a source other than the five physical senses
Etheric Body:
A layer of the physical body, mimicking its design, but composed entirely of energy
Electronic voice phenomena (EVP):
A acronym for electronic voice phenomena; ghostly sound and or words caught on an audio recording device
Exorcism:
the act of ridding a person or a location of evil spirits by using religious rites
F
False Positive:
a piece of evidence with environmental or equipment malfunction contamination giving the appearance of paranormal activity.
G
Ghost
A paranormal aspect of the physical form and/or mental presence that appears to exist apart from the original physical form
Ghost Hunter:
One who seeks to experience, document and/or debunk ghostly activity.
Ghost investigation:
A ghost investigation, on the other hand, is a carefully controlled research project, set up to record paranormal activity, usually at a location known or presumed to be haunted.
Guardian spirit:
A personal protective spirit often thought to be an angel.
H
Hallucination:
A false or distorted perception of objects or events with a full belief in their reality. Ghosts, as we define them, are not hallucinations, because they have a real, external cause.
Harbinger:
an entity which brings warning of impending events.
Haunt:
A ghost that returns to the same location is said to haunt it. Ghosts generally haunt places, not people, however it is not unusual for a spirit to attach itself to a particular individual or family due to a familial connection.
Haunting:
appearance of phenomena commonly associated with ghosts, spirits or poltergeists. usually a combination of cold spots, apparitions, missing or moving objects and other forms of paranormal activity that tend to be witnessed by more than one person over and extended period of time. There are five types of hauntings as follows:
1) Intelligent:
a responsive/interactive spirit that is believed to be conscious of its actions but theoretically not of its death
2)Poltergeist:
theoretically initiated by pent-up stress on a subconscious level, high deposits of limestone and quartz on site or RSPK, see Poltergeist and RSPK
3)Residual:
events replay themselves over and over without knowledge of what's going on around them and certainly not of their death
4)Demonic:
malicious non human entities usually classified under non-human
5)Angelic:
passive non human entities usually classified under non-human
Healing, psychic:
Healing apparently brought about through a paranormal, non-medical means, such as prayer, the “laying on of hands,” immersion at a religious shrine, and so on. It is inexplicable to contemporary medical science.
Hypnagogic state:
The transitional state of consciousness experienced while falling asleep, sometimes characterized by vivid hallucinations or imagery; also sometimes used to refer to the similar state of awareness experienced during the process of awakening.
Hypnopompic state:
The transitional state of consciousness experienced while awakening; sometimes called
Hypnosis:
An artificiallly induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.
I
Imprint:
ghostly activity that appears non-conscious and redundant, see
Anniversary Imprint.
Intuition:
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition often through mystical or paranormal means.
Ion:
an electrically charged atom or molecule
J
K
K2 Meter:
A device used to measure an electromagnetic energy.
L
Levitation:
To rise or cause to rise into the air and float in apparent defiance of gravity. This is a form of telekinetic activity, sometimes associated with poltergeist type hauntings. It is when a person or object is raised off of the ground and sometimes thrown by an unseen force.
M
Magnetometer:
A device to measure the presence of a magnetic field as well as its strength, direction, and fluctuation. Paranormal researchers us the device in an attempt to detect a ghost's magnetic or energy aura.
Materialization:
the process by which a spirit creates a visible representation of itself in the physical world
Medium:
a person who claims to possess an ability to communicate with spirits and is sensitive to paranormal activity, see also Sentitive
N
Natural:
a rare phenomenon that appears paranormal but in fact is created by some scientifically unknown property of nature, see also False Positive
Near-death experience (NDE):
Term applied to experiences undergone by persons who either seem to be at the point of death (or who are even formally declared dead) but then recover, or who narrowly escape death (as in an automobile accident) without being seriously injured; most NDEs feature certain common elements, such as a feeling of indescribable peace, a sense of being out of one’ s body, a movement into a dark void or down a tunnel, seeing a brilliant light, and entering that light; reports may also feature seeing one’s life “flash” in front of them, the encountering of an unseen presence, or being greeted by deceased relatives or religious figures.
Necromancy:
interacting with the dead, particularly for the purpose of communication or resurrection
Non Human:
a spirit that exists never having been human ever. Usually referencing Deities, demons and angels this classification of haunting is extremely controversial as it is unable to be proven scientifically.
O
Orb(s):
natural balled up collections of Electromagnetic Energy floating through the air. Usually associated with dust and bugs this piece of evidence is usually debunked quickly and discarded.
Ouija board:
A board pre-printed with letters, numerals, and words used by mediums to receive spirit communications. Usually a planchette is employed to spell out words or point out numbers or words.
Out of Body Experience:
the experience that the self is in a different location than the physical body.
P
Paranormal:
phenomena currently considered unexplained and out of the ordinary by mainstream sciences.
Parapsychology:
The study of phenomena, real or supposed, that appear inexplicable on presently accepted scientific theories. The term was first coined in German by Max Dessoir and later adopted by J. B. Rhine in English. Except in Britain, the term has largely superseded the older expression “psychical research.” There are no legitimate schools of parapsychology in the United States, but a handful of universities are now offering limited coursework in consciousness studies.
Parapsychologist:
One who studies parapsychology; however, this title is not officially recognized in the Unites States, and it is illegal to call one’s self a parapsychologist unless they have a degree in psychology from a recognized university.
Poltergeist:
German for noisy ghost; an entity or energy that displays sensational interaction with the physical environment, and manifests only when a specific individual or individuals are present.
Possession:
the act of being physically or mentally controlled by spiritual forces, usually negative.
Post-mortem communication: A message delivered to a living person from a deceased one, usually delivered via a medium.
Premonition:
A feeling or impression that something, usually dire in nature, is about to happen and about which no normal information is available.
PSI:
A blanket term used to denote or describe paranormal events, processes and causes.
PSI phenomenon:
Any event which results from, or is an instance of, PSI.
Psychic(al):
Of or possessing paranormal abilities. A psychic person uses empathic feelings to tap into nonphysical forces.
Psychic ability:
The ability to sense that outside what is considered normal.
Psychokinesis (PK):
The mind’s ability to affect the external world and commonly referred to as “mind over matter.” Psychokinesis can occur either spontaneously or at will by some individuals. It is thought by many researchers to be the basis for most if not all poltergeist activity.
Q
R
Radio Voice Phenomenon (RVP):
Receiving the voice of a deceased human being over a regular radio.
Reading:
The statements made by a sensitive , or as a result of a divination process, in the course of obtaining paranormal information or “messages.”
Reciprocal apparition:
An exceedingly rare type of spirit phenomenon in which both the agent and percipient see and respond to each other.
Revenant:
an entity that comes back only a few times after death
RSPK:
Recurrent Spontaneous Psycho Kinesis Believed to be one theoretical source of poltergeist activity, with RSPK the person projecting such energy is doing so sub-consciously and therefore not aware of their doing so.
S
Séance:
A gathering of individuals, usually led by a medium, for the purpose of receiving spirit manifestations or communication with the dead. Also known as a "sitting," a "spirit circle," or simply, a "circle."
Sensitive/HSP (highly sensitive person):
A person who is more attuned to the spiritual world. A person who is capable of sensing paranormal activity not realized by other investigators or residents. Someone with HSP has a heightened sensitivity to paranormal phenomenon and can have empathic abilities such as feeling the emotions of a spirit. They also have heightened perceptive skills, they are highly aware of stimuli that many are not such as energy, mood, light, noise, odors, texture, and temperature.
Spiritualism:
a belief in a spiritual world and/or the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead
Spiritual guide:
A spirit that watches over a living person and that offers wisdom or guidance. Referred to by some as a guardian angel.
Stigmata:
Term used to refer to the marks which appear spontaneously on the surface of the body in imitation of the wounds believed to have been received by Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion; sometimes observed on the bodies of certain devout individuals, and may also be induced by auto-suggestion or under hypnosis.
T
Telekinesis
the ability to control the physical environment without using physical manipulation or force (also known as psycho kinesis, TK, or PK)
Telepathy:
the process by which a mind can communicate directly with another without using normal, physical interaction or ordinary sensory perception
U
U.F.O.:
Unidentified Flying Object – an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins.
Urban legend:
A story that is too good to be true and takes on a life of its own, usually told from the angle of “this happened to a friend of a friend.” Paranormal urban legends include the vanishing hitchhiker, the devil baby and the hook and the boyfriend’s death.
V
Vortex (Vortices):
A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it. A photographed anomaly that appears as a funnel or rope-like image (sometimes creating a shadow) that is not seen at the time of the photograph that is thought to represent spirit. Other theories include; a collection of orbs, a 'gateway' to where orbs originate or travel to or a wormhole in time-space. Sometimes camera straps in the way of the lens can produce what looks like a vortex, so to not have false evidence it's best to remove you camera strap.
W
Warm Spot:
An area or place that for an unknown reason seems to be warmer than the surrounding areas. Paranormal investigators usually use thermometers to detect the fluctuations of temperature in a location.
White Noise:
Acoustical or electrical noise of which the intensity is the same at all frequencies within a given band. A hiss-like sound, formed by compiling all audible frequencies.
Witching hour:
A slang term for the time of night when ghosts are the most active, usually placed at between midnight and 3 a.m.
Wraith:
An apparition of a living person that appears as a portent just before that person's death.
X
Xenoglossy:
The ability to speak or write in a language that has not been learned.
Y
Z
Zener cards
ESP cards, named after psychologist Karl Zener, who apparently suggested the symbols used on the cards – circle, cross, square, star and wavy lines.
Afterlife:
Almost every society and religion has some belief in life after death. The Christian version of the afterlife involves some type of judgment upon the body’s demise and the assignment of the soul to either Heaven or Hell, while many societies believe that life simply continues in another plane of existence.
Apparition:
the visible form of a ghost or spirit. Can be full or partial bodied.
Anniversary Imprint:
an event or spirit that usually manifests around the same time each year (i.e. the spirit or activity only happens on Tuesday or only on the Fourth of July).
Astral Projection:
the conscious initiation of an out-of-body experience.
Aura:
a field of energy that emanates from matter, An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation. A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.
Anomaly:
An irregular or unusual event which does not fit a standard rule or law. An anomaly is something which cannot be explained by currently accepted scientific theories. Anything weird, abnormal, strange, odd, or difficult to classify is considered an anomaly.
Apport/Asport:
Apport is when a physical object has been transported into a closed space or container, suggesting the passage of "matter through matter'. Asport is any object the spirits or medium makes disappear or teleports to another location. [See "Teleportation" for more info.]
Astral Body:
the "body" a person seems to occupy during an out-of-body experience, see Out-of-body Experience.
Astral Plane:
Believed by some to be a world that exists above the physical world.
Authentication:
to establish the authenticity of; prove genuine. The verification of facts and details surrounding an occurrence of paranormal phenomenon. This can be independent statements from witnesses, written documentation, or other corroborative evidence supporting the report made by the subject concerning their experience and the events to which was apparently related.
Automatic Writing:
this is when you write something without being aware of the contents. Some people use this method to receive messages from Spirit.
Automatism:
the theory that the body is a machine whose functions are accompanied but not controlled by consciousness. Physical activities (e.g., arm movements, writing, drawing, musical performance) that occur without the automatist's conscious control or knowledge, also known as motor automatism.
Autoscopy:
this is when someone sees their 'double', or when they're looking back at their self from a position outside their body.
B
Banish(ment):
The expulsion of a ghost, spirit, demon, or other entity/entities thought to be possessing or haunting a human being or location. The ritual, which may be conducted by anyone but should ONLY be undertaken by a professional, is usually secular in nature, but may call upon some Higher Power to cast out the evil force(s). Also see exorcism.
Banshee:
A female death omen spirit of Ireland and Scotland that attaches itself to families -- especially those whose surnames begin with "Mac" and "O" -- and manifests to herald an approaching death in the family.
Bilocation:
(pronounced bye-loh-k-shun) appearing to be in two different places at the same time.
C
Channeling:
A form of spirit communication, mostly popular in the United States during the "New Age" fad of the 1970s. During a channeling session, an unseen entity takes possession of the medium (called a channeler) to impart spiritual guidance or wisdom. The channeled entity was seldom a deceased human; rather it was a spiritual creature such as an angel, demon, the Higher Self, or part of the universal mind.
Clairvoyance:
the ability to obtain knowledge based on unexplainable intuition, vision or various psychic senses.
Cold Spot:
A self-contained patch of cold air strewn about haunted locations; they may be ghosts that can't fully materialize.
D
Déjà vu:
French for “already seen;” the feeling or illusion of having previously experienced an event or place actually being encountered for the first time.
Demon:
In Christianity, demons are evil spirits, the minions of Satan.
Direct voice phenomenon (DVP):
A spirit voice, spoken directly to sitters at a séance. The sound usually seems to come from a point near the medium, or through a spirit horn or trumpet, but not from the mouth of the medium.
Doppelganger:
A ghost of the present day that looks identical to a living person but behaves differently or in a way that which the living person wouldn't.
Double:
A ghost of the present that looks and behaves identically to a living person.
Dowsing:
Interpreting the motions of brass rods, sticks, pendulums and other such instruments to obtain information on the level of paranormal activity(also called divining).
Debunked:
(or debunking) evidence that has been scientifically explained or proven to be a natural normal occurrence, the act of scientifically explaining or proving claimed activity to be natural or normal, to be able to recreate the claim normally or naturally.
E
Ectoplasm:
any physical substance created by, or accompanying a spirit's materialization or a white film like presence on a photograph.
Electromagnetic Energy:
An invisible force located almost everywhere in nature; it is theorized that ghosts are made up of energy, since all energy puts out an electromagnetic signature, it is thought that a ghost might register on a scientific instrument designed to detect such energy
Empaths:
Empaths are highly sensitive, finely tuned individuals when it comes to emotions. They feel everything, sometimes to an extreme. When it comes to ghosts and other spirits, empaths are able to sense their emotional distress, and often help bring information about what might be keeping them from crossing over may this be anger, sadness loss, fear despair, confusion, faithfulness, stubbornness or other mixed emotions that has kept them on our side. Empaths also have some Medium abilities. See also Medium and Sensitive.
Entity:
A disembodied "consciousness" commonly referred to as a ghost or spirit
Extransensory perception (ESP):
A acronym for extrasensory perception; obtaining information from a source other than the five physical senses
Etheric Body:
A layer of the physical body, mimicking its design, but composed entirely of energy
Electronic voice phenomena (EVP):
A acronym for electronic voice phenomena; ghostly sound and or words caught on an audio recording device
Exorcism:
the act of ridding a person or a location of evil spirits by using religious rites
F
False Positive:
a piece of evidence with environmental or equipment malfunction contamination giving the appearance of paranormal activity.
G
Ghost
A paranormal aspect of the physical form and/or mental presence that appears to exist apart from the original physical form
Ghost Hunter:
One who seeks to experience, document and/or debunk ghostly activity.
Ghost investigation:
A ghost investigation, on the other hand, is a carefully controlled research project, set up to record paranormal activity, usually at a location known or presumed to be haunted.
Guardian spirit:
A personal protective spirit often thought to be an angel.
H
Hallucination:
A false or distorted perception of objects or events with a full belief in their reality. Ghosts, as we define them, are not hallucinations, because they have a real, external cause.
Harbinger:
an entity which brings warning of impending events.
Haunt:
A ghost that returns to the same location is said to haunt it. Ghosts generally haunt places, not people, however it is not unusual for a spirit to attach itself to a particular individual or family due to a familial connection.
Haunting:
appearance of phenomena commonly associated with ghosts, spirits or poltergeists. usually a combination of cold spots, apparitions, missing or moving objects and other forms of paranormal activity that tend to be witnessed by more than one person over and extended period of time. There are five types of hauntings as follows:
1) Intelligent:
a responsive/interactive spirit that is believed to be conscious of its actions but theoretically not of its death
2)Poltergeist:
theoretically initiated by pent-up stress on a subconscious level, high deposits of limestone and quartz on site or RSPK, see Poltergeist and RSPK
3)Residual:
events replay themselves over and over without knowledge of what's going on around them and certainly not of their death
4)Demonic:
malicious non human entities usually classified under non-human
5)Angelic:
passive non human entities usually classified under non-human
Healing, psychic:
Healing apparently brought about through a paranormal, non-medical means, such as prayer, the “laying on of hands,” immersion at a religious shrine, and so on. It is inexplicable to contemporary medical science.
Hypnagogic state:
The transitional state of consciousness experienced while falling asleep, sometimes characterized by vivid hallucinations or imagery; also sometimes used to refer to the similar state of awareness experienced during the process of awakening.
Hypnopompic state:
The transitional state of consciousness experienced while awakening; sometimes called
Hypnosis:
An artificiallly induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.
I
Imprint:
ghostly activity that appears non-conscious and redundant, see
Anniversary Imprint.
Intuition:
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition often through mystical or paranormal means.
Ion:
an electrically charged atom or molecule
J
K
K2 Meter:
A device used to measure an electromagnetic energy.
L
Levitation:
To rise or cause to rise into the air and float in apparent defiance of gravity. This is a form of telekinetic activity, sometimes associated with poltergeist type hauntings. It is when a person or object is raised off of the ground and sometimes thrown by an unseen force.
M
Magnetometer:
A device to measure the presence of a magnetic field as well as its strength, direction, and fluctuation. Paranormal researchers us the device in an attempt to detect a ghost's magnetic or energy aura.
Materialization:
the process by which a spirit creates a visible representation of itself in the physical world
Medium:
a person who claims to possess an ability to communicate with spirits and is sensitive to paranormal activity, see also Sentitive
N
Natural:
a rare phenomenon that appears paranormal but in fact is created by some scientifically unknown property of nature, see also False Positive
Near-death experience (NDE):
Term applied to experiences undergone by persons who either seem to be at the point of death (or who are even formally declared dead) but then recover, or who narrowly escape death (as in an automobile accident) without being seriously injured; most NDEs feature certain common elements, such as a feeling of indescribable peace, a sense of being out of one’ s body, a movement into a dark void or down a tunnel, seeing a brilliant light, and entering that light; reports may also feature seeing one’s life “flash” in front of them, the encountering of an unseen presence, or being greeted by deceased relatives or religious figures.
Necromancy:
interacting with the dead, particularly for the purpose of communication or resurrection
Non Human:
a spirit that exists never having been human ever. Usually referencing Deities, demons and angels this classification of haunting is extremely controversial as it is unable to be proven scientifically.
O
Orb(s):
natural balled up collections of Electromagnetic Energy floating through the air. Usually associated with dust and bugs this piece of evidence is usually debunked quickly and discarded.
Ouija board:
A board pre-printed with letters, numerals, and words used by mediums to receive spirit communications. Usually a planchette is employed to spell out words or point out numbers or words.
Out of Body Experience:
the experience that the self is in a different location than the physical body.
P
Paranormal:
phenomena currently considered unexplained and out of the ordinary by mainstream sciences.
Parapsychology:
The study of phenomena, real or supposed, that appear inexplicable on presently accepted scientific theories. The term was first coined in German by Max Dessoir and later adopted by J. B. Rhine in English. Except in Britain, the term has largely superseded the older expression “psychical research.” There are no legitimate schools of parapsychology in the United States, but a handful of universities are now offering limited coursework in consciousness studies.
Parapsychologist:
One who studies parapsychology; however, this title is not officially recognized in the Unites States, and it is illegal to call one’s self a parapsychologist unless they have a degree in psychology from a recognized university.
Poltergeist:
German for noisy ghost; an entity or energy that displays sensational interaction with the physical environment, and manifests only when a specific individual or individuals are present.
Possession:
the act of being physically or mentally controlled by spiritual forces, usually negative.
Post-mortem communication: A message delivered to a living person from a deceased one, usually delivered via a medium.
Premonition:
A feeling or impression that something, usually dire in nature, is about to happen and about which no normal information is available.
PSI:
A blanket term used to denote or describe paranormal events, processes and causes.
PSI phenomenon:
Any event which results from, or is an instance of, PSI.
Psychic(al):
Of or possessing paranormal abilities. A psychic person uses empathic feelings to tap into nonphysical forces.
Psychic ability:
The ability to sense that outside what is considered normal.
Psychokinesis (PK):
The mind’s ability to affect the external world and commonly referred to as “mind over matter.” Psychokinesis can occur either spontaneously or at will by some individuals. It is thought by many researchers to be the basis for most if not all poltergeist activity.
Q
R
Radio Voice Phenomenon (RVP):
Receiving the voice of a deceased human being over a regular radio.
Reading:
The statements made by a sensitive , or as a result of a divination process, in the course of obtaining paranormal information or “messages.”
Reciprocal apparition:
An exceedingly rare type of spirit phenomenon in which both the agent and percipient see and respond to each other.
Revenant:
an entity that comes back only a few times after death
RSPK:
Recurrent Spontaneous Psycho Kinesis Believed to be one theoretical source of poltergeist activity, with RSPK the person projecting such energy is doing so sub-consciously and therefore not aware of their doing so.
S
Séance:
A gathering of individuals, usually led by a medium, for the purpose of receiving spirit manifestations or communication with the dead. Also known as a "sitting," a "spirit circle," or simply, a "circle."
Sensitive/HSP (highly sensitive person):
A person who is more attuned to the spiritual world. A person who is capable of sensing paranormal activity not realized by other investigators or residents. Someone with HSP has a heightened sensitivity to paranormal phenomenon and can have empathic abilities such as feeling the emotions of a spirit. They also have heightened perceptive skills, they are highly aware of stimuli that many are not such as energy, mood, light, noise, odors, texture, and temperature.
Spiritualism:
a belief in a spiritual world and/or the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead
Spiritual guide:
A spirit that watches over a living person and that offers wisdom or guidance. Referred to by some as a guardian angel.
Stigmata:
Term used to refer to the marks which appear spontaneously on the surface of the body in imitation of the wounds believed to have been received by Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion; sometimes observed on the bodies of certain devout individuals, and may also be induced by auto-suggestion or under hypnosis.
T
Telekinesis
the ability to control the physical environment without using physical manipulation or force (also known as psycho kinesis, TK, or PK)
Telepathy:
the process by which a mind can communicate directly with another without using normal, physical interaction or ordinary sensory perception
U
U.F.O.:
Unidentified Flying Object – an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins.
Urban legend:
A story that is too good to be true and takes on a life of its own, usually told from the angle of “this happened to a friend of a friend.” Paranormal urban legends include the vanishing hitchhiker, the devil baby and the hook and the boyfriend’s death.
V
Vortex (Vortices):
A place or situation regarded as drawing into its center all that surrounds it. A photographed anomaly that appears as a funnel or rope-like image (sometimes creating a shadow) that is not seen at the time of the photograph that is thought to represent spirit. Other theories include; a collection of orbs, a 'gateway' to where orbs originate or travel to or a wormhole in time-space. Sometimes camera straps in the way of the lens can produce what looks like a vortex, so to not have false evidence it's best to remove you camera strap.
W
Warm Spot:
An area or place that for an unknown reason seems to be warmer than the surrounding areas. Paranormal investigators usually use thermometers to detect the fluctuations of temperature in a location.
White Noise:
Acoustical or electrical noise of which the intensity is the same at all frequencies within a given band. A hiss-like sound, formed by compiling all audible frequencies.
Witching hour:
A slang term for the time of night when ghosts are the most active, usually placed at between midnight and 3 a.m.
Wraith:
An apparition of a living person that appears as a portent just before that person's death.
X
Xenoglossy:
The ability to speak or write in a language that has not been learned.
Y
Z
Zener cards
ESP cards, named after psychologist Karl Zener, who apparently suggested the symbols used on the cards – circle, cross, square, star and wavy lines.