What to do if your house is haunted

Keep A Journal

If you feel you have ruled out rational explanations for the phenomena that are taking place in your house, and they are still occurring on a more or less regular basis, document them. Keep a journal of the phenomena as they happen. For example:

• May 2, 2002; 10:40 p.m. – Was sitting watch TV when the kitchn light switched on by itself. Went in and turned it off again.
•  May 10, 2002; 8:10 p.m. – Was in the bathroom and heard the footsteps crossing the upstairs hallway again. No one was up there. Went up to investigate and could find no cause.

A journal such as this could help with any formal investigation of the phenomena by experts.

If you hear unexplained noises, attempt to record them with a portable tape recorder. If there are physical phenomena of any kind, photograph or videotape them. Keep your journal, recording and camera equipment readily available so you can document the phenomena as it happens.

 

Removal techniques

If, upon inspection, you discover an unwanted presence, try  to educate yourself about the ghost, the house and various removal techniques, as much as possible. Since knowledge is power, using this knowledge can boost your confidence, lessen your fear, and provide you with the information you will need to restore your home back to the welcoming and safe environment you want it to be.

• Take ownership of your home. Ghosts usually feed off of your fear so, as calmly as possible, tell it you want it to leave and why. Go through the house holding hands and saying in a firm voice:  "This is my house and I don’t like it when you–fill in the blank–, so please leave this house immediately."  –  "This is the house for the living, not the dead. You are dead, so we wish you well to seek the light and move on where you ought to be.".

• Get rid of ‘negative energy’ using sage. One way the Native Americans used is a Sage ceremony. It was used to get rid of negative energies in the shelter. To do this, get two packs of sage, burn it, and spread the smoke throughout the house. Say something along the lines of "We mean you no harm, please leave this place in peace." You do not necessarily have to say that, but it has been known to work. However, this method has a few unfortunate downs.

• Try spread salt on the windowsills (as salt represents a sort of positive energy). Sprinkle holy water (if you are Christian) throughout the house. Putting garlic in the room, or wearing it around your neck may also help.

• Go through all the rooms in the house, with a small bell, ringing it quietly in each corner.

• Cleanse your home. To do this, wash everything in your house. All sheets, curtains, everything. Vacuum/hoover the floors and give the house a really thorough cleaning.

 

Call the experts

Contact your local priest. The priest will bless the house, hopefully at the least, making things better. If they don’t, turn to the paranormal investigator, who will be able to remove the ghosts.

Who are the experts? There are hundreds of paranormal investigation organizations across the U.S. and Canada. You can find a state-by-state listing of many of them here. Make sure they are serious and have credentials before inviting them to your house.