Northeast Forensic Paranormal Research

Recently, I was asked to respond to this story and request for advise. I thought I would share this as a blog posting first is the parents story then is my response.

Parents Story

My 2 year old daughter just ran downstairs at 3:45am saying that a ghost came through her wall and tried to get her. Then she told me that it went through the door. Of course this is in so many words. But now she is scared to death to go in her room. I even asked her if she wanted me to stay with her. At first she said yes but when we got near her bed she wouldn't go near it. She grabbed her favorite blanket and her stuffed dog and is now sleeping on the couch. We just put an air conditioner in her room and I am wondering if that is what she heard or saw but it is nowhere near her bed. I do believe in spirits and over the years have heard strange things in the room. Every once in a while the cats will look up towards that room. When we hooked up the baby monitor it would sound like someone blowing in it. Like you would test a microphone. At first we thought that it was the cats checking it out but they were both in the living room sleeping. We are a dwelling of 3 apartments hooked together so it could have just been the neighbors and our overactive imagination. How do I get her to go back in her room? And how do I get a 2 year old to understand that there is no ghost in her room. I was afraid of the dark as a child so I have a nightlight in her room just in case. Could she just be seeing the shadows on the wall? Plz help. I don't know what to do for her. Thank You!

My Response

Many times adults will rationalize activity in order to allay their fears of not being alone in the location. Children and animals especially cats will see or experience ghosts more easily than adults, Why? no one is exactly sure however we do know children are more honest about what they experience and do not rationalize experiences the way adults do.

There is a lot going on here. What you have is a child that is confirming the experiences of the adults in this location. The confirmation also is supported by the cats who "look" in that direction from time to time. You need to be careful with cats though, many times they are looking at things that appear to be paranormal however are not. I have two cats and they often will chase or watch something that is "not there" but on close inspection it will be a very small bug or shadow that is from something none paranormal. Yes, the child could also be seeing none paranormal shadows as well.

The parents should not try and tell the child that there is not a ghost, they should take her statements as they are. If they start telling the child that there are no ghosts the child will be more confused and traumatized. The parents should explain that not all ghosts are bad or will hurt people. This will make it easier for the child to want to be in the room as opposed to ghosts being all bad and there is nothing going on it the room, it's your imagination. The parents should also understand that children will pick up on the parents fear even if the parents try to keep the information and stories from the children. Remember we are all animals, as with all animals there is the basic instincts of fight or flight and the children do and will pick up on the queues of the parents.

As far as the air conditioner, when you use an air conditioner you are taking water/moister out of the room and increasing the static electrical charge of the room. This atmosphere is consistent with hauntings and increased activity. There are a couple of things you can do to determine if it is the AC that she maybe responding to or if it is more. You can remove the AC and see if the child stops or continues to respond. Also, if there is real activity in the room the dry air that has a static charge may be increasing the activity. Once you determine if the child is just responding to the introduction of the AC or not, you may want to have the AC in the room but turned off. If the child is not responding to the introduction of the AC but is responding/experiencing the paranormal events when the AC is on this would help confirm the activity and the fact that the AC is helping to occur.

My question, (rhetorical) is why is it okay for the parents to say there is odd activity in the room but when the child does the parents want to explain it away? It appears that the parents are experiencing something in the home. The cats also appear to be responding to something. You have an experience with the baby monitor that the parents admit is not within the norm of the device, however when the child announces their experience the parents want to tell the child there is nothing going on. The only way to determine if there is activity is for a credible investigation.