It can be an unsettling thought to think your house might be haunted. But truly, most houses do have some type of supernatural stuff going on. It really is very common. However, some folks know for sure their house is haunted, because it is obvious. I’ll cover some obvious signs first and then move on to the more subtle ones.
Visibility
I’ve cleared houses where the occupants are certain of haunting, because the ghosts were actually making themselves visible to the people in the house. One such clearing involved a ghost that was appearing out of proverbial thin air and scaring the children. And while this is not the norm for ghosts (most like to keep to themselves), it certainly does happen. The possibility of seeing a ghost mostly depends on the ghost, but also how sensitive the residents are. Some folks are simply more sensitive to this sort of thing and can see ghosts better than others. Some see ghosts in their mind’s eye and some see them with their physical eyes. That particular ghost was mean and arrogant with the goal of amusing himself by scaring people. He fed on the energy of their fear.
Other visible signs to be aware of are vapor, shadows of figures, mist, and movement out of the corner of the eye.
Physicality
When physicality gets added into the haunting mix, things can get a lot more serious, because people can get hurt. But they may also only touch your arm so that you feel as if someone blew air across the hairs of your arm. You may feel as if someone just breathed on the back of your neck. Or you may wake up with unexplained scratches, bruises, bites, or red marks on your body. Again, it will depend on the ghost and their personality. The aforementioned ghost who appeared in front of the children to scare them also tried pushing family members down the stairs.
Some ghosts want to do actual physical harm to humans. One such case happened with a woman who fought nightly with the same male figure in her dreams. For a long time, she thought she was simply having nightmares. He always attack her, straddled her chest, and would try and strangle her, and she spent her nights fighting him off. Her husband slept soundly beside her, none the wiser. She told him about the dreams the next day, but he wrote it off as her just having nightmares. But one night during her battle with the ghost while “dreaming,” the ghost hit her under the chin with his fist. It was quite painful and her head whipped back with the blow, but she still managed to fight him off again that night. But the next day her chin and neck were swollen and bruised. That is finally when she called me. Please don’t wait until it gets to that stage of danger before you call me for help!
And unfortunately, there are also ghosts who have tried to rape people in their sleep. This happened to me personally a few years ago. One night as I was sleeping a man I was attracted to appeared in my dream and began to make love to me. At first I thought it was just a really great dream, but quickly it became obvious that that was not the case. Firstly, it didn’t quite feel like a dream. It had a dark, desperate feeling. Secondly, when I put my hands on his back, his skin felt weird. There were pocks all over his back. Instantly, I knew something was not right. I woke up with a start and began to quickly clear him out. He seemed surprised, and then angry, when I energetically whisked him right out of my space and took him home.
A ghost may also manipulate inanimate physical objects. For instance, lights flicker (or maybe you suddenly have electrical problems in your home), doors and/or windows slam shut or open, electrical/technical issues with computers and phones, battery-operated toys move without batteries in them, objects move, wind chimes move and make noise indoors (where there is no wind), objects disappear and reappear somewhere else, etc.
Noises and Smells
Some ghosts make noises. They knock on walls, doors, and windows. Or they will make a noise that wakes you, but it appears that no one is there, so you assume it was a dream. Some bump around against walls and pipes in attics and basements when they are angry or upset, making sure they get your attention. Some may be vocal, also. You may hear a voice or laughter or a conversation with no one else in the house, and it may be obvious that it did not come from outside. They also may slam doors and windows.
Sometimes it is possible to smell a ghost. That ghost may be communicating by producing a smell that had meaning for them. For example, a woman who always wore a signature perfume in her physical life may smell of that same perfume as a ghost. A ghost who loved gardening may smell like roses. A ghost with dark intent may smell like feces—or like rot, etc.
Unusual Thoughts and/or Dreams (Including Personality Changes)
If you have a ghost living with you, no matter their temperament, they will influence your dreams and thoughts. Thought-sharing is inevitable when you are in close proximity with anyone—including ghosts. You probably don’t consciously realize it, but it happens anyway. Some ghosts influence your dreams and thoughts intentionally, intent on doing harm. Or perhaps they just like amusing themselves by messing with you.
Think about it. If you were a soul that was lost and lonely—your friends and family died years ago—and you don’t really remember who you are anymore, then if would make sense that you would get bored and begin experimenting with your immediate environment and the people in it.
If you or anyone you live with suddenly begins to have weird, dark, or scary dreams and/or nightmares, that is a clear sign that something weird is going on. One such instance was when a woman called me and told me that she and her husband had both had the same very scary sensation at night of being drowned in thick darkness. They both said it didn’t feel like a dream, but like they were weighed down by complete blackness. They both had to struggle to wake up.
Upon tuning in, I felt mental illness was involved with the sensations they had experienced. I asked her if they had had any recent contact with anyone who worked with mental patients in an institution. She told me that they had spent the weekend in a haunted hotel that was built in the 1880’s and used to be a hospital—with a mental ward in the basement. That made sense to me. The ghost had attached itself to them and followed them home (which is very common, by the way).
Please also be aware of anyone you live with that very suddenly becomes suicidal or has a drastic personality change. This is a serious sign and should be addressed as soon as possible. Some suicide victims kill themselves but then don’t realize they are dead, so they will attach to someone living and then negatively influence their thoughts. Their soul may be hanging out, still depressed, not realizing it is dead, and attach to someone healthy and happy.
Feeling Like You are Being Watched
This is one of the less obvious signs of a ghost, but you really should not ignore the feeling—especially if it suddenly starts happening and you’ve never noticed it before. Ghosts and entities of all sorts are everywhere, so it is really not unusual for one of them to follow you and make itself at home. If you have a feeling that someone or something is watching you—even though you can’t see anything—it may be true.
Most ghosts are not perverts, although there are exceptions, of course. Most ghosts are simply lonely and just want to hang out somewhere where they can hide or don’t feel threatened. They may even be embarrassed to watch you and may leave when you are dressing or bathing. It depends on the ghost, how they died, and their personality when they had a physical body.
Pet Behavior
If your pet suddenly begins to act strangely, don’t ignore it. Is your pet suddenly always fascinated by nothing that you can see? Does he/she stare at nothing, as if watching someone/thing invisible? Another sign to watch for is if your pet starts to be afraid of things and places in your home where it has never shown such concern. Your dog may not want to go into certain rooms, for instance, when she has never had problems in that room before. They may become territorial and protective, trying to protect you from the ghost, but because you cannot see the ghost, you may assume they are just misbehaving. Again, this is best judged when you suddenly see a behavioral change that was not there before.
Sudden Stains and Weird Substances
If you notice a stain somewhere in your house—ceiling, walls, floors—that is sudden and is not being caused by obvious physical means (leaks in the roof, etc.), you should take notice and be aware. Some ghosts manifest in interesting ways, and this is one of the common ones. A client called me because she watched a dark stain appear one night above her bead in the ceiling. It moved around as she watched. Once the entity was removed, the stain disappeared.
Also, if you notice weird, unexplained substances appearing and/or dripping on you or things in your house, you should beware. This is a clear sign of paranormal activity.
History of your House
Have you just moved in and noticed weird stuff happening? Did you check the history of the house before you purchased it? Does this house have frequent turnover of residents and/or owners? There are many reasons a house could have ghosts, and traumas and dramas that happened in your house could be one of those reasons. Traumatic deaths of all sorts can leave ghosts attached to a house. Drama and abuse can leave bad energy and ghosts attached to a room or whole house. If you do some research on the house before inhabiting it and find some of this in its history, you may be looking at a haunted house.
The Good News
All of these problems can be fixed. I know you want your dreams to be your dreams and not be influenced by a ghost. I know you really want to buy that house, because you fell in love with it, but are afraid it’s haunted. I know this stuff can be scary. I’ve been doing this work since 1993. Give me a call if you notice any of these signs, because I’m your huckleberry.
a wilder grace 