Creaks in the Night, Footsteps in the Dark: What to Do if Your House is Haunted

The following is a guest contribution from H. Davis.

You hear a creak in the night. You see a shadow in the dark, and lights flicker from time to time. Unexplained noises can be heard throughout the house and when you go to investigate, there’s nothing. On certain days when the weather’s nice outside, you still feel random cold spots in specific areas of your home.

Depending on your spiritual beliefs, this could indicate that your house is just settling or there’s a presence in your home beyond this world – something paranormal. Even if you aren’t a believer in the paranormal, you have to admit that you’ve wondered about it at some point in time throughout your life.

So if you suspect that your home may be haunted, here are a few things mediums like Alison Wynne-Ryder suggest doing to find out.

Rule Out the Possibilities

It’s important to rule out the rational explanations to ensure that the things occurring in the home are phenomena that can only be done by something physically manipulating objects.There are a number of things that could give a rational explanation to sounds and movement in the house. For example, since most homes in the U.S. were built with water infrastructures that date back to the 1970s and are now due for an upgrade according to Ohio University, pipes today are far more likely to knock against walls; and depending on how hard the knock is, picture frames and other hanging objects can fall and break.

If a person has experienced unexplained happenings before, they’ll immediately jump to the conclusion that their home is haunted. This is because the human mind (as psychologists will tell you) can be easily fooled and as humans, we often mistake explainable events for paranormal ones.

So before deciding whether or not your home is haunted, get help in finding the rational explanations. You can ask a plumber to inspect your home, or speak with a contractor to check the foundation your home was built on. There are a lot of homes built on weak foundations, which means over time, houses can shift. This could explain why doors in certain homes open and close on their own.

Keep A Journal

A journal is a place where your deepest thoughts reside without fear of harsh judgment and/or blame. So once you’ve ruled out the logical occurrences happening around your home, you can begin the process of documenting them. With that in mind, be sure to keep that journal close by. This will not only help you keep track of everything going around you, but it’s also evidence that can be used if you reach out to paranormal investigators. For instance:

• On October 1st, 2017; 7 a.m. – While brushing my teeth in the bathroom, the radio in the living room turned on. I heard the radio changing stations and when I went to investigate, everything turned off. There was no one else in the house at this time.
• October 9th, 2017; 8:15 p.m. – Was in the kitchen with my roommates making dinner and heard a child laughing as footsteps went up the stairs. No one else was upstairs and none of us have kids. Again, keeping a log of occurrences like this one can help tremendously during an investigation.

If you hear noises around the home, record them if you can with a tape recorder, phone, or other mobile device. On the other hand, if physical things are happening – doors being slammed, or object being thrown – videotape them as they occur.

Call the Professionals

Once you’ve come to the realization that your home is haunted, reach out to the experts. This doesn’t mean that you should grab a spirit (Ouija) board and start asking questions. This will only make things worse as you open spiritual doorways you can’t close.

Again, only call investigators if you’re sure that what you are experiencing is a haunting. Of course, if the events happening are extreme and you feel like you’re in danger, you should call for help right away.

Just who are the experts?

The experts are paranormal investigators. In fact, there are hundreds of paranormal investigating groups all across the U.S. and Canada. Who you reach out to depends on who you’re comfortable with. You can find state-by-state organizations, or you can reach out to other investigating groups overseas. The most important thing to consider, however, is their practical experience, which is why you should be careful in your choice. Typically, when investigators arrive, the first thing they want to do is get to know the homeowner. With that in mind, expect them to ask personal questions like whether or not you’re religious, depressed, or have ever been addicted to certain drugs like Xanax.

Their goal isn’t to make you feel like a liar, it’s simply to give more credit to your claims by ruling out mental illnesses, which don’t manifest themselves like physical ones according to Wake Forest University. They’re also making sure that you’re a logical thinker and aren’t making things up to get attention – this happens a lot.

The good news is, despite all the strange things happening your house, investigators are usually able to find a logical explanation for everything. Only in the most extreme cases, they’re forced to take drastic action.

Thanks for the read! Did I miss anything super important? What are some other tips you’d like to suggest to homeowners who might think their place is haunted? Feel free to leave a comment below.

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About the Contributor

H. Davis enjoys exploring the outdoors and reading up on spooky stories. If you can’t find him online, you might be able to catch him cheering on the Dodgers. Follow him on Twitter @Davis241.