Paranormal intrigues me, but from a distance. If my house was haunted I would move out….instantly. But it’s not. At least I don’t think so…but my children disagree.
Today I had the opportunity to sit in on a presentation by Gene Walters of 3 AM Xtreme Paranormal, “Stigmatized Properties.” Walters opened his company in 2010 with one goal, to help people feel comfortable in their homes. On any given investigation throughout the Chicagoland area, his team can range anywhere from 2 up to 12 depending on the size of the location and includes psychics, investigators and those just intrigued by the paranormal.
Walters spoke of a case in Streamwood years ago where a woman would hear footsteps in the hallway, see dark shadows and feel like she was being watched. The experiences and feelings had been following her for 10 years, regardless of where she lived. The only time things seemed “quiet” were when she lived with her mom for six months.
3 AM Xtreme Paranormal was asked to investigate however nothing turned up during the investigation. They did however sit down with the woman to discuss her past and found out that many years ago, her ex-boyfriend had died in a motorcycle accident. Prior to the accident up until the interview, she still had some of her ex-boyfriend’s personal items. The only time she was not in possession of the items was during that six month period where she lived with her mom. 3 AM Xtreme Paranormal believed that all her experiences were related to her ex-boyfriend and recommended that she say goodbye to him and encourage him to move on, and then get rid of his personal items. She never again experienced anything paranormal in her house after she followed through with the recommendations.
Although this case shows how 3 AM Xtreme Paranormal assisted someone, they do get called to investigations where what is believed to be paranormal ends up being something that can be debunked.
Cold Spots
It is believed when someone feels a cold spot in a home, it’s a spirit drawing energy from the room to manifest. That cold spot could be a spirit, or it could be a door not sealing properly, a window that leaks, a draft from a fireplace or duct work carrying a draft.
Footsteps
Footsteps could be a spirit wanting to be heard and manipulating energy to create sound effects. It could also be floor boards popping into place after someone (a real person) has walked over them.
Feeling of Being Watched
People go into a particular room or basement and feel like they are being watched. That “feeling” can be a result of high Electro-Magnetic Fields or EMF. High EMF detections can be the result of bad or exposed wiring. Walters explained that during one investigation, a husband complained that he always felt like he was being watched in his bedroom. The EMF detector showed readings well over 100 meters. The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, says that anything under 2.5 meters is safe. The drywall was removed to discover that the wiring in the wall was cloth. The feeling of being watched could also be the result of an individual detecting a spirit.
Shadows
When people complain of seeing grey or black shadows, a common cause would be car lights producing shadows in unsuspecting areas or even light bouncing off surfaces and producing a shadow somewhere else in the room. Not to sound creepy but it could also be a shadow person lurking in someone’s home.
Walters said with all the investigations they do, 20% end up being non-paranormal. Also did you know that a website exists for you to look up whether someone died in a house? You can find that website here. I don’t know anything about this website except that it was brought up during the presentation so check it out, but understand that Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® is not endorsing it and if you do use the website, you are disclosing what you are supposed to be disclosing to your clients. On that note, check out this other blog post on what you should and shouldn’t be disclosing on Stigmatized Properties by here.
One last note, actually make that two last notes. Walters spoke of using crystals or stones (Rose Quartz or Selenite were his recommendations) in a house you have listed to clear the energy in a room, having your client put it in the foyer. The “feel” of a house is super important to potential homeowners and as Walters said, “Maybe stones work or maybe they don’t; but if it helps it can’t hurt.”
Lastly, Walters recommended reading the book, “Is Your House Haunted” by Debit Chestnut. I’m totally going to download it.
I took lots more notes on the types of hauntings, types of ghost and haunted objects but think I’ll save that for another post. Until next time, Happy Halloween!