Being haunted by something nasty

hopefuldreamer · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 4

Hi, would really appreciate some advice, as we really don't know what to do. Last night was one of the most frightening experiences of my life, and it is the first time i've not been able to find a single rational explanation.

I became a lodger with a couple of friends a few months back. They told me that it was haunted before I moved in, but I thought nothing of it because i've never been very susceptable to the paranormal.

Emma told me that she'd seen a man, as clear as she can see me, and that he kept popping up and staring at her. He'd be behind doors when she shut them, right in her face when she turned around. He never said anything, he just stared. She describes him wearing a white grandad collar shirt, and a bolo tie with a large clasp. He has short slick back hair, and his eyes have a very pronounced black outline, with no colour to them.

Emma was the only one seeing anything. Even when Laura was right there looking at the same spot, she couldn't see it. But she could see the effect it had on her. She would often become a hysterical blubbering mess, and sometimes even break out into manic laughter.

Anyway, they went to the local spiritualist church for advise, as well as speaking to a woman who claimed to know a lot about spirits. She told them that mirrors are a gateway for ghosts, so to cover all the mirrors (anyone know if that's nonsense or does bare some truth?)

They followed her advise and covered the mirrors that day. They went out, and when they arrived back in the evening, Emma entered their bedroom to find all 3 mirrors in the room face down on the bed. One of them was a big heavy stainless steel frame. She called out to Laura that she'd had enough of this, and as she left the room, the door slammed behind her.

At this point, they packed up and left, incredibly freaked out. But since then, things have been pretty normal.

When I moved in, the strangest thing I noticed was how I was sleeping. I saw nothing, I heard nothing. But my dreams felt... different. It's hard to explain, but it's like they didn't feel like my dreams, they felt like some kind of fuzzy transmission that I couldn't make sense of, and I constantly felt like I hadn't slept properly. I switched rooms when I found out that the first time Emma had seen the man, it was outside my bedroom door, and have since been downstairs where i have had no problem.

So last night is where it gets scary for me. After hearing a few noises coming from the utility room, we started talking about all this stuff, and other experiences Emma has had in the past. She is very susceptable herself, as are Laura's two children (aged 6 and 9 now).

We went to sleep at about 1.00am. The entire night I stayed in a space between sleep and awake, and felt something was in my room. It is all very fuzzy to me, but I felt him glaring at me, standing over me, and wanting me to roll over and look at him. But I refused to fully wake up, and I refused to move at all. I stayed dead still, never looking anywhere but the wall next to my bed, and he seemed powerless to make me. Like all he could do to make his presence known was attempt to make me feel uncomfortable. I vaguely remember Emma coming into my room at one point and saying something to me about waking up, but I refused to because I knew if I woke up, i'd have to face him and I didn't want too.

All of that, I would have put down to a dream after the spooky conversation we had been having, especially since in my half dream, half awake state I pictured the same image that Emma had conjoured up with her description of what she'd seen. I don't know if that's really what was in my room or if that's just the face my mind put on it, but i'm damn sure something was in there after what they told me actually happened.

At about 3am, they had both been woken up by what sounded like a loud bang on the kitchen surface. Laura got up, and sent the dogs downstairs to investigate. They seemed fine, so she went down to have a look herself. Everything seemed normal other than the kettle being off the stand and on the other side of the room... but that she could put down to maybe just having left it there by accident.

Anyway, she put the kettle back on the stand, and went back upstairs. As she sat back down on the bed, the banging started up. So loud and persistent that she refused to leave the room. She says it was one of the loudest things she's ever heard. Emma decided to go and see what was going on. She tried to rile up Charlie (the Staffy dog), but he would not budge from the top of the stairs. Usually if you say 'what's that, go get em' he'll bark and go off in the direction you point him in. He's a very protective dog. But nothing could get him going.

Emma ventured downstairs, and found the kettle once again off the stand, now on the other side of the room.

Now, I remember none of this. I do not remember hearing ANYTHING whatsoever, other than when they came into my room.

They tell me they found me wide awake, with my hands over my ears, curled up and pointed towards my wall. Laura said I was acting so strange. When they asked me if I was alright, and if i'd heard the banging, I told them no, and to go away as I was sleeping. They assumed i'd heard it and was just terrified and pretending I hadn't. But I really didn't hear it.

I've had experiences of sleep paralysis before, but i've never felt anything like what happened.

We've discussed what we can do, and are considering setting up a camera in the kitchen, but i'm not sure if that's the right thing to do.

I'm very reluctant to try talking to it, because it does not feel like a good spirit. It feels threatening. Not angry as such, but just cold and evil.

But i really would like to know if what is going on is real, and if it can be stopped somehow.

Appreciate any help people can offer me.

Becky

D B Sweeney · Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 12:04 pm Post subject:

Hi Becky, thanks for posting that. You must have been pretty shook up by it.
I don't think you need worry or be scared. IMO there's a logical non paranormal explanation for pretty much everything you've experienced.
If you'd like me to go through your post in detail I will. Please let me know by posting on this thread.

DB

flossy · Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 12:56 pm Post subject:

hi becky, sounds like youve scared yourself witless
maybe because what youve heard from your flat mates has made you a little spooked out, maybe with good reason who knows
i would like to hear DB's expanation of events if you let him Wink

hopefuldreamer · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 4

That'd be great yeah! I couldn't sleep last night, and woke up with a start convinced i'd heard someone call out my name.

I'm usually a skeptic, usually really grounded in science, but i haven't made my mind up yet on negative energies.

I'd be happy to hear the explanations for it though :)

D B Sweeney · Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 12:36 pm Post subject:

Hi Becky, here's my take on events. I'll quote from your post and add my ten cents worth.

They told me that it was haunted before I moved in, but I thought nothing of it because i've never been very susceptable to the paranormal.
The perception that you may experience haunting type phenomenon has been planted, even though you may not think you're susceptible to being influenced or believing - the fact is that a seed has been planted and placed in your mind.

Emma told me that she'd seen a man, as clear as she can see me, and that he kept popping up and staring at her. He'd be behind doors when she shut them, right in her face when she turned around. He never said anything, he just stared. She describes him wearing a white grandad collar shirt, and a bolo tie with a large clasp. He has short slick back hair, and his eyes have a very pronounced black outline, with no colour to them.
Emma's account of what she's experienced will further re-inforce
the perception that the property is haunted.

Emma was the only one seeing anything.
This is very important as it suggests that the phenomena may simply be a figment of Emmas over active imagination and she may be passing this on to others - it's called contagion and it's very common.

Even when Laura was right there looking at the same spot, she couldn't see it.
This supports my suggestion that the haunting is the result of an individual creating a ghost or 'experiences' that are purely subjective.

She would often become a hysterical blubbering mess, and sometimes even break out into manic laughter.
This suggests that Emma has some kind of psychological problem that manifests as some kind of hallucination. I don't know Emma or her medical history but she may have issues that need professional help.

Anyway, they went to the local spiritualist church for advise
That's probably not a good thing to have done because they will only confirm that it's the spirits of the dead and not offer any alternative explanation because they 'believe'.

as well as speaking to a woman who claimed to know a lot about spirits. She told them that mirrors are a gateway for ghosts, so to cover all the mirrors (anyone know if that's nonsense or does bare some truth?)
Mirrors are just reflective glass and are not a portal or doorway to anywhere apart from a reflection of whatever's facing them - so it's nonsense IMO and it's irresponsible of someone in a Spiritualist Church to peddle supernatural mumbo jumbo to potentially impressionable people.

Emma entered their bedroom to find all 3 mirrors in the room face down on the bed. One of them was a big heavy stainless steel frame. She called out to Laura that she'd had enough of this, and as she left the room, the door slammed behind her.
Given Emmas interpretation of earlier events this has to be taken with a very sceptical pinch of salt.

At this point, they packed up and left, incredibly freaked out. But since then, things have been pretty normal.
Hmmmm... I wonder why that was Wink

When I moved in, the strangest thing I noticed was how I was sleeping. I saw nothing, I heard nothing.
That's because the 'ghosts' are other peoples creation.

But my dreams felt... different. It's hard to explain, but it's like they didn't feel like my dreams, they felt like some kind of fuzzy transmission that I couldn't make sense of, and I constantly felt like I hadn't slept properly. I switched rooms when I found out that the first time Emma had seen the man, it was outside my bedroom door, and have since been downstairs where i have had no problem.
Moving house and sleeping in a new place can disrupt both sleep and dream patterns. Dreams are a weird cocktail of our waking experiences that draw on recent and past events in a very odd mix. Your dreams may have been influenced by what you'd heard from Emma to some degree and by your own feelings, fears and experiences.

So last night is where it gets scary for me. After hearing a few noises coming from the utility room, we started talking about all this stuff, and other experiences Emma has had in the past.
You're loading your own gun here, noises from the Utility room could be anything and not necessarily from the utility room. I don't know your house but I'm old enough to have lived in many houses and they all make odd noises - some of them make very odd scary loud noises that have nothing to do with ghosts and everything to do with construction, materials, plumbing, heating, rats and other 'house guests'. - also talking about the 'odd' stuff Emma experienced is going to set your minds to 'spooked'- this is fuel for imaginations fire.

We went to sleep at about 1.00am. The entire night I stayed in a space between sleep and awake, and felt something was in my room. It is all very fuzzy to me, but I felt him glaring at me, standing over me, and wanting me to roll over and look at him. But I refused to fully wake up, and I refused to move at all. I stayed dead still, never looking anywhere but the wall next to my bed, and he seemed powerless to make me. Like all he could do to make his presence known was attempt to make me feel uncomfortable. I vaguely remember Emma coming into my room at one point and saying something to me about waking up, but I refused to because I knew if I woke up, i'd have to face him and I didn't want too.
Typical Hypnogogic sleep. See the links below.
http://watarts.uwaterloo.ca/~acheyne/S_P2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

At about 3am, they had both been woken up by what sounded like a loud bang on the kitchen surface. Laura got up, and sent the dogs downstairs to investigate. They seemed fine, so she went down to have a look herself. Everything seemed normal other than the kettle being off the stand and on the other side of the room... but that she could put down to maybe just having left it there by accident.
Bangs and odd bang like noises are very common. I hear them in my house several times a week. Depending on the sleep state one is in they can be exaggerated or downgraded to muffles. Sometimes the bangs are just part of our dream states and sometimes they're actual noises caused by numerous mundane things such as the house, the plumbing, the weather etc. The Kettle base could have (as you've said) just been misplaced.

Anyway, she put the kettle back on the stand, and went back upstairs. As she sat back down on the bed, the banging started up. So loud and persistent that she refused to leave the room. She says it was one of the loudest things she's ever heard. Emma decided to go and see what was going on. She tried to rile up Charlie (the Staffy dog), but he would not budge from the top of the stairs. Usually if you say 'what's that, go get em' he'll bark and go off in the direction you point him in. He's a very protective dog. But nothing could get him going.
I'm confused at this point Becky - were you in the house when this was happening?. Were you sleeping through these events or not there at the time either asleep or awake because the way you're describing this it seems to come from Lauras and Emmas perspective as you use the phrase 'she says' which suggests you weren't party to these events.
I'm not going to continue for now until you can clarify which is first hand accounts ie - yours - and which is what has been told to you.

Cheers Becky Very Happy

and..don't be scared.

DB

DB

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

Dont listen to DB - HES CONVINCED HIMSELF THERE IS NOTHING BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID OF EVERYTHING.

If you do nothing it could get worse - you could end up like the girl on the exorcist.

Get a good Paranormal Team in and theyll set up cameras etc... and sort it out. Shocked

D B Sweeney · Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:48 am Post subject:

If you do nothing it could get worse - you could end up like the girl on the exorcist.

Always look on the bright side eh Cactus Rolling Eyes

Sending in a 'paranormal team' to 'sort it out' is like sending fox to
herd chickens. Do you not think we have to rule out the normal as an explanation before we make the huge leap of logic to saying it's paranormal?.

DB

PS. The Exorcist was a work of fiction and the girl was an actress Very Happy

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

Emma told me that she'd seen a man, as clear as she can see me, and that he kept popping up and staring at her. He'd be behind doors when she shut them, right in her face when she turned around.

spiritualist church told them that mirrors are a gateway for ghosts, so to cover all the mirrors (anyone know if that's nonsense or does bare some truth?)

They followed her advise and covered the mirrors that day. They went out, and when they arrived back in the evening, Emma entered their bedroom to find all 3 mirrors in the room face down on the bed. One of them was a big heavy stainless steel frame. She called out to Laura that she'd had enough of this, and as she left the room, the door slammed behind her.

how I was sleeping. I saw nothing, I heard nothing. But my dreams felt... different. It's hard to explain, but it's like they didn't feel like my dreams, they felt like some kind of fuzzy transmission that I couldn't make sense of

hearing a few noises coming from the utility room

We went to sleep at about 1.00am. The entire night I stayed in a space between sleep and awake, and felt something was in my room. It is all very fuzzy to me, but I felt him glaring at me, standing over me, and wanting me to roll over and look at him. But I refused to fully wake up, and I refused to move at all. I stayed dead still, never looking anywhere but the wall next to my bed, and he seemed powerless to make me. Like all he could do to make his presence known was attempt to make me feel uncomfortable. I vaguely remember Emma coming into my room at one point and saying something to me about waking up, but I refused to because I knew if I woke up, i'd have to face him and I didn't want too.

At about 3am, they had both been woken up by what sounded like a loud bang on the kitchen surface. Laura got up, and sent the dogs downstairs to investigate. They seemed fine, so she went down to have a look herself. Everything seemed normal other than the kettle being off the stand and on the other side of the room... but that she could put down to maybe just having left it there by accident.

Anyway, she put the kettle back on the stand, and went back upstairs. As she sat back down on the bed, the banging started up. So loud and persistent that she refused to leave the room. She says it was one of the loudest things she's ever heard. Emma decided to go and see what was going on. She tried to rile up Charlie (the Staffy dog), but he would not budge from the top of the stairs. Usually if you say 'what's that, go get em' he'll bark and go off in the direction you point him in. He's a very protective dog. But nothing could get him going.

Emma ventured downstairs, and found the kettle once again off the stand, now on the other side of the room.

Now, I remember none of this. I do not remember hearing ANYTHING whatsoever, other than when they came into my room.

They tell me they found me wide awake, with my hands over my ears, curled up and pointed towards my wall. Laura said I was acting so strange. When they asked me if I was alright, and if i'd heard the banging, I told them no, and to go away as I was sleeping. They assumed i'd heard it and was just terrified and pretending I hadn't. But I really didn't hear it.

I've had experiences of sleep paralysis before, but i've never felt anything like what happened.

I'm very reluctant to try talking to it, because it does not feel like a good spirit. It feels threatening. Not angry as such, but just cold and evil.

I think if all this is true - it is beyond normal everyday life, just my opinion. Shocked

hopefuldreamer · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 4

To DB - I will respect your posts as a skeptic. in fact im kind of glad there IS a skeptic on this forum because i must admit i wasn't expecting it in a ghost oriented forum.

I was in the house, and I heard nothing. All i have as my own personal experience is my own 'feeling', and since the events i described I have had other more physical things happen.

I have heard loud knocking at my window... not anything that could be mistaken... knocking like someone wanted me to answer. I have also woken up to someone yelling my own name. I yet again repeat, i am a skeptic... I am ALWAYS logicing things out... but when things happen frequently, you start to wonder.

To everyone else, is there anything you would say could be done to help it?

Just tonight I arrived back to find that one of the kids had 'hallucinated' a person, and would not respond to anyone for about half hour. He just kept shaking. I know kids have bad dreams, but we don't talk to the kids about this stuff and it seems a pretty big coincidence that it all keeps happening at the same time.

I'm fully aware of the fact that I might just be paranoid, as a skeptic i'm perfectly capable of sweeping everything under the rug... but every single night something happens that makes me once again go 'no, this is weird...'

Agentscott · Joined: 08 Feb 2011 Posts: 1042 Location: Essex

Try like the guys on ghost adventures and tell it to get its pathetic haunting backside out of your house and that you won't stand for it. Then lie about having the power to destroy it.
It deserves a bit of a harsh responce.

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

Agentscott, on this one i wouldnt try communicating with it if its evil - its like a ouji board - you could let all hell in Shocked

D B Sweeney · Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 5:31 am Post subject:

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

no - but if you can communicate with 'the other side' with them you dont know who or what you are talking to Shocked

D B Sweeney · Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 6:05 am Post subject:

thecactus · Joined: 07 Mar 2011 Posts: 3196 Location: Northern Ireland

my last post - 2nd word - IF -

I DIDNT SAY - you can communicate with 'the other side' with them you dont know who or what you are talking to