A Typology of Hauntings
By Barb Huyser
"In 1977, I participated in my first organized paranormal investigation as a graduate student in psychology. Ghost research has been one of my passions ever since. As Troy Taylor of the American Ghost Society has said, there are no experts in this field. I concur with that statement. It reflects a lack of organized research into hauntings. Organizations like the American Ghost Society and the Ghost Research Society are a step in the right direction in an effort to add some structure to our work. I have proposed this typology of hauntings that I use in my own research, based on my years of participating in investigations and discussions with other paranormal researchers."
Friendly Visitor:
An individual dies and his spirit crosses over to the other side exactly as is supposed to happen. On occasion, the spirit returns to "watch over" or communicate in some way with loved ones left behind and then returns to the other side. The communication occurs in a manner that has meaning to the recipient. The recipient knows who the spirit is. A Friendly Visitor is attached to people he cares about.
Earthbound Spirit:
An individual dies and his spirit does not cross over to the other side, remaining stuck in the earthly plain. It occurs because of unexpected or unaccepted death. The spirit is like a neurotic person, caught up in a pattern of self-destructive, self-defeating behavior that results in the spirit staying where he is not supposed to be. An Earthbound Spirit tends to become attached to places where he had emotional connections in life. The people who live in the area the Earthbound Spirit roams may not know his identity.
Phantom:
Also known as a residual haunting. The land or the building has been imprinted with an event that replays itself when conditions are right. The event replays itself exactly as it occurred with no variation. There is energy present, but not the personality or consciousness of the spirit. The causes of imprinting or the conditions for replay are currently unknown.
Poltergeist:
A haunting that has a high frequency of phenomenon and/or a high intensity of activity. Although this is a separate classification, it could have multiple causes. It could be psychokinetic activity caused by a disturbed person, an overactive Earthbound Spirit, or a Non-Human Entity could be involved. These cases usually are not sustained beyond a few months.
Non-Human Entity:
A highly controversial classification where paranormal phenomenon are purported to be caused by an entity that has never been human. By legend and speculation, these potentially include demons, nature spirits, or entities crossing over from other dimensions.
These classifications are proposed for debate. Although I currently use this terminology and classifications in my own research, I consider them tentative. By no means do I claim to have the answers here. But, our field will gain greater credibility when we examine and ultimately establish a commonly used system of classifications of hauntings.
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