Definitions
|A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z|
A
Anomaly – An irregular or unusual event which does not fit a standard rule or law, and cannot be explained by scientific theories.
Apparition – The manifestation of a ghost or spirit. Could be in the form of mist, shadow or full body to the viewer.
B
C
Cerebral Anoxia – The lack of oxygen to the brain. May cause hallucinations and is believed to explain some of the occurrences of a near death experience.
Changeling - The child of a troll, elf, or fairy that has been left in the place of a human child. The stolen human child then lives with the troll family. A changeling is like a human baby but ugly, always hungry, and with a bad temper. Sometimes the changelings are much wiser than a human baby would be. It is thought that changeling stories came from actual events. A family who had a handicapped or sick child may have traded their sick child for a healthier, better-looking child. (Wiki)
Clairvoyance – To have lucid mental perceptions and keen insights about people and life situations and to have clear visual mental images, pictures, to “see” auras and other psychic phenomena.
Cold Spot - A localized area of temperature decrease. Believed to be a spirit or ghost taking energy from the area.
D
Deja Vu – Certain events and experiences seem as if you are re-experiencing the event or situation that has happened at another time. As familiar as the experiences are, you cannot recall nor figure out when they happened.
Demon - In religion, folklore, and mythology a demon is a supernatural being that is generally described as a malevolent spirit. A demon is frequently depicted as a force that may be conjured and insecurely controlled. (Wiki)
Demonology – One who studies and practices the art of demonology. An individual who specializes in the removal of evil or demonic forces from a given environment. One who brings demonic forces out of their slumber to be cast away.
Divination – The obtain unknown knowledge or future events from omens. Astrology may be considered divination.
Doppelganger - A persons double or look-a-like. They are generally regarded as harbingers of bad luck. In some traditions, a doppelgänger seen by a person’s friends or relatives portends illness or danger, while seeing one’s own doppelgänger is an omen of death.
E
Ectoplasm – A transparent/gray/white matter that comes from objects or mediums in a haunting. May be slim-like or misty.
Electromagnetic Field (EMF) - A physical field produced by electrically charged objects. Can cause feelings of paranoia, uneasiness, and being watched.
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) – The disembodied voice of a spirit or ghost caught on an audio recording device.
Era Cues – Term used by Everyday Paranormal. A method by which using any sounds or visuals from a certain era to provoke ghosts to communicate. Such as playing old music, battlefield noises, dressing in costumes, etc. http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/ghost-lab-era-cues.html
Extrasensory perception (ESP) – The knowledge of external objects or events without the aid of the senses.
Exorcism – The practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to be possessed.
F
Folklore - Including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. (Wiki)
Frank’s Box – Created by Frank Sumption, Frank’s Box, is described as a ‘Telephone To The Dead.’ It randomly scans through AM radio frequencies and mixes white noise to produce EVP’s.
G
Ghost – A ghost has been defined as the disembodied spirit or soul of a deceased person, although in popular usage the term refers only to the apparition of such a person. Often described as immaterial and partly transparent, ghosts are reported to haunt particular locations or people that they were associated with in life or at time of death. (Wiki)
H
Haunted House - A haunted house is defined as a house that is believed to be a center for supernatural occurrences or paranormal phenomena. A haunted house may allegedly contain ghosts, poltergeists, or even malevolent entities such as demons. (Wiki)
Haunting – A site of reported paranormal activity. May be sounds, noises or smells caused by lingering spirits or ghosts.
I
Incantation – A reciting of words or chants to produce a magical result.
Intelligent Haunting - A ghost or spirit aware of its state and able to communicate with the living.
Invocation – To call upon a spirit by incantation.
Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC) – Used to refer to images captured on video camera while created a feedback loop. Some people consider this to be the “EVP” of video communication.
J
K
L
M
Medium – A person who can communicate with the deceased.
N
Necromancy – A form of magic in which the practitioner seeks to summon “operative spirits” or “spirits of divination”, for multiple reasons, from spiritual protection to wisdom. However, since the Renaissance, necromancy (or nigromancy) has come to be associated more broadly with black magic and demon-summoning in general, sometimes losing its earlier, more specialized meaning. (Wiki)
Night Terror – Characterized by extreme terror and a temporary inability to regain full consciousness. The person wakes abruptly from slow-wave sleep, with waking usually accompanied by gasping, moaning, or screaming.This can sometimes be misinterpreted as a spirit or ghost being present.
O
Object Interaction – Often associated with poltergeist activity. Objects are moved without the interation of a physical being.
Occam’s razor – The principle that “entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity” and the conclusion, thereof, that the simplest explanation or strategy tends to be the best one. Occam’s razor states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. (Wiki)
Orb – A circular ball of light that appears in a photograph or on film. Sometimes confused with light reflecting on moisture, dust or bugs.
Ouija Board – A board with letters and numbers used to interacte with the deceased.
P
Paranormal - A general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science’s current ability to explain or measure. Notably, paranormal phenomena also lack scientific evidence, as detectable but not well explained phenomena such as dark matter or dark energy are not commonly called paranormal. (Wiki)
Parapsychology – Literally beyond psychology. The study of apparent new means of communication, or interaction, between organisms and their environment (commonly referred to as psi, or psychic ability), beyond those presently understood by the scientific community.
Poltergeist – A spirit or ghost that will make noises or move objects. Usually a bothersome entity that focuses more on a person rather than a place.
Possession – When some form of entity (spirit or demon) takes over a human body.
Portal – In fiction is a magical or technological doorway that connects two distant locations, whether separated by time and/or, more commonly, space.
Precognition – Pre-knowing; where nondeductible information about a future event is acquired.
Premonition – A feeling or situation that foretells future events.
Psychic – Popular term used to denote a person who regularly uses, or who appears to be especially gifted with, psi abilities. Also refers to general phenomena related to the mind (from Greek psyche).
Psychometry - To touch an object with your hands and get information about the object, it’s creator, its owner, or it’s history.
Q
R
Residual Haunting – a replayed haunting in which no intelligent ghost, spirit, or other entity is directly involved. Much like a video tape, residual hauntings are playbacks of auditory, visual and other sensory phenomenon which are attributed to a traumatic event, life-altering event, or a common event of a person or place, like an echo of past events.
S
Science - In its broadest sense, any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice.
Shadow People – Shadow like beings normally seen in ones peripheral vision.
Supernatural - The term supernatural or supranatural (Latin: super, supra “above” + natura “nature”) pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others. Supernatural beliefs have existed in many cultures throughout human history. (Wiki)
T
U
V
Voice Phenomenon (VP) – Disembodied voices heard clearly with the human ear.
