Sometimes the things that go bump in the night aren't so spooky afterall...
C.l.a.s.s.-A receives a variety of messages for help on a frequent basis. From spooked animals, to intrusive orbs, our community members are missing a lot of sleep.
The truth is, we often wind up debunking many of these common occurrences once we get into the space. We've noticed patterns of concern, so we're going to help you troubleshoot these ghostly-but-mundane issues. Fear not!
Animals Acting Strangely
While it is true that animals are able to access certain sensory ranges that we can't, we find that more often than not, the things they're sensing aren't paranormal.
Many people become spooked when their pets stare at certain spots obsessively, maybe while being verbal or shaking, or when they follow something invisible with their eyes. We've come to notice a pattern amongst these cases with the presence of critters.
Often upon checking the attic or listening closer in the walls ourselves, we begin to notice mice/rats/bats/bugs crawling around. These creatures will often nestle within wall foundations and make subtle movements and noises that we'd barely notice - but our animals sure will.
An easy solution is to set up some ethical trap catches and release them far away from home. You can find those here.
Feeling Watched
This feeling can be extremely unnerving. We've likely all experienced it before for one reason or another. A spirit may be one of those reasons, but we'll explore the others.
High levels of EMF are one popular reason people experience this sensation. Along with it, there may also be anxiety, paranoia, tingling/goosebumps, peripheral hallucinations, headaches/dizziness, disturbed sleep, and depression. Many of these attributes are also associated with hauntings.
Some homes/buildings contain a lot of electrical voltage, contributing to a high EMF level. Prolonged exposure to levels over 0.8 Milligauss can begin to affect the psyche and body.
Very similar effects can be observed with exposure to infrasound (any sound under 20 Hertz). It's usually caused by severe weather (earthquakes, thunder, wind turbines, etc) and can't be detected since it's below human hearing range.
In order to debunk and prevent these, you can order a K2 meter to measure EMF levels and infrasound can be detected with a modified condenser mic or an infrasound meter. You may even be able to find the source in your home with a stethoscope to the wall! You can then get an electrician to update wiring or purchase earplugs to block some effects.
Orbs On Camera
Got some glowy floaters on the baby monitor or in some recent pictures? These are really common submissions that we get from our community. The thing is, they're almost always one of 4 things:
Dust particles
Moisture particles
Lens flare/distortion
Bugs.
Sometimes film devices move through frames at a rate that creates the illusion that there's no wings flapping on a bug, when really its little wings are vibrating relentlessly. We've also seen a similar phenomenon in the worldwide "suspended airplanes' illusion/conspiracy. Bugs will look slightly rod-shaped/oval and fly in winding paths without pause.
Compact cameras especially are known to cause 'backsplatter', a speckled effect due to flash being reflected on unfocused water and dust particles, making the scene look snowy or sparkly. (Sun)light may also cause flare spots, which often look like repeating circles in a row (think crop circles), halos, or spiky circles/stars, splaying from a light source.
Moisture tends to take on some color due to the water refraction through the transparency. Dust orbs can be identified by the slight blur around the edges and it's neutral black-grey-white scale. These are found in carpeted rooms especially and will move in a consistent direction and speed.
Quite frankly we don't really subscribe to paranormal orbs at all, but if something were to stump us, it would be not-circular, moving erratically, changing direction often and pausing, interactive/intelligent with the environment, and changing form.
Whispers
We've come to find that water often emulates whispers. Water in the pieces, trickling taps, and humidifiers can all sound like phonic whispering. Just being mindful of the similarities should help you discern what you're experiencing and find the source. Perspective is everything.
Seeing Things
There's quite a few common reasons people may see things which aren't really 'there'. They may have:
Carbon monoxide exposure/poisoning
Sleep paralysis
A mental health condition
A side effect of drug/medication
Trick of the light/illusion.
Carbon monoxide exposure is very serious. Symptoms present like a flu, but also like a haunting: nausea, dizziness, disorientation, blurred vision, and sensory hallucinations. If you're experiencing these, immediately check for these signs, and check your carbon monoxide detector's batteries. If everyone in the home including pets and plants aren't doing too hot, that's a red flag.
Sleep paralysis is experienced by 8-40% of people at some point. When the mind hasn't caught up to the level of sleep the body is at and remains slightly awake, it can start to superimpose figments of the subconscious onto objective reality, all while the muscles in the body have checked out - rendering you paralyzed. Terrifying.
It's possible your experience was part-dream, rather than paranormal, if you experienced breathing issues, a buzzing noise, chest pressure, inability to move, or an out-of-body sensation during the sighting - and of course if it occurred at night in bed!
Many sufferers report seeing monstrous apparitions. Many report the same creatures. Common sightings are old witchy hag, shadow/human figure(s), or monsters.
Recognizing these associated features can help you realize the very vivid experience was most likely just a projection of the mind. Try having a regular sleep schedule, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and exercising regularly.
Faces In Pictures
Many people submit photos to us containing what they believe are spirit guest appearances. The photos are often dark and grainy, with a mixture of textures and backgrounds in the frame. They'll circle the face and insist there's an extra person or an eerie floating face in some smoke/wood/wall/mirror,etc. Our rule of thumb is if it has to be circled, it's probably too subjective to take seriously as evidence.
Pareidolia is the phenomenon of perceiving faces in ordinary objects (where there aren't any) and is a completely natural occurence for most humans. Think "Jesus in the toast". The first thing we see when we're born is a room full of large faces and we continue to sort patterns into faces. This natural instinct also exists for survival, in which we perceive threats as quickly and efficiently as possible. We're really just a bunch of facial recognition scanners malfuntioning often.
Many of these patterns in textured photo surfaces wind up just being misperceptions. Strangely, we're learning that our minds have a bias towards perceiving faux-faces as male, rather than female 90% of the time. So this could be a clue to help catch the mind's tricks at work.
We're constantly honing our critical thinking and debunking skills, but practice makes perfect. These are the patterns we've begun to observe throughout our experience in the pursuit of finding objective truth. More often than not, there's a mundane explanation for most things. It's what we're left with that's compelling...
Follow our scientific journey here!
Comments