Chapter 8: The Poltergeist

The poltergeist is the most studied and least understood of all paranormal phenomena. You will find two schools of thought on the subject and to muddy the waters even more, both schools agree on almost all points. For that reason, we will discuss both schools.

What constitutes poltergeist phenomena? To the parapsychologist, poltergeist phenomena consists of the movement of objects, sometimes large objects. You may hear pounding in the walls, there may be water “raining” inside a home and there may be electrical disturbances of all kinds. The demonologist would agree with the parapsychologist on this point and as you are about to see, many others as well.

Let us take a close look at the areas where there is a difference between the two schools of thought. To the parapsychologist, the movement of objects is the result of what is called Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis. (RSPK) The belief here is that the movement of objects is caused by the unconscious mind of someone living in the residence. To the demonologist, the cause of the problem is a spirit, an inhuman one at that. Both sides believe that when the phenomena occurs, there are strong readings of electromagnetic energy fields. However, the source of those anomalous readings is disputed. The parapsychologists will state that the electromagnetic energy is what moves the objects in question. The demonologist believes that it is the spirit that does the dirty work and that the EMF readings are a byproduct of the spirit. When questioned, the parapsychologist will usually admit that they do not know the source of the energy. That is fair enough.

RSPK does indeed exist and there have been many studies over the years. However, there are a few bumps in the road, not to mention those in the night. In all of the testing done under laboratory conditions, the objects moved by RSPK were light in nature. They also were moved only slightly. In a poltergeist explosion, refrigerators and sofas may be propelled with great force.

Now let us take a look at what both schools of thought agree upon. For openers, there is usually one person around whom the phenomenon occurs. That person is called the “agent” or “trigger.” That trigger is usually a female and usually entering puberty. There will be moving objects. However, there will not be apparitions of any kind. The phenomena will start suddenly, unlike the pattern of hauntings. In a poltergeist explosion, you go from 0-60 in the snap of a finger. You may have lived quietly in a house for ten years and one day all hell breaks loose. Fortunately, these outbreaks are relatively short lived. The average is just under two months. The phenomena will stop as suddenly and as inexplicably as it started. Whatever activity takes place shows no intelligence behind it; it is merely a strong burst of energy. The last one is troubling: there is no known way to stop a poltergeist explosion.

At one time, parapsychologists believed that by counseling the “agent,” the phenomena would stop or at least diminish. However, in the majority of cases, the activity tends to increase when this is done. On the other side of the coin, demonologists believed that prayer and exorcism would stop the problem. Research has proven that the opposite is true. These steps usually exacerbate the situation. Sadly, the only solution seems to be letting it burn itself out. Unfortunately, a lot of damage can be done in the meantime.

There is another thing to note. There are times when the poltergeist phenomenon is merely another step in the progression of a demonic infestation. It might be incorrectly diagnosed as a poltergeist, which could be a serious problem in that it gives the invading spirit time to entrench further. That is why someone qualified should make the determination. There are certain things that will not take place in a “true” poltergeist situation. The foremost is apparitions; they are never seen in poltergeist outbreaks. When a parapsychologist has to deal with the subject of an apparition, they will call it a secondary phenomenon. It will be regarded as a psychic imprint as well as RSPK. In many instances they are correct. To the demonologist, an apparition at the time of a poltergeist outbreak means giant red flags are going up.

In most instances of poltergeist outbreaks, rarely is anyone struck with a hurled object and if they are, there is little or no force behind the strike. The object simply falls to the floor. This is amazing to experience. However, if there is a stepping stone situation brewing, a hurled object may indeed cause harm. This is another way to gauge what type pf situation you have on your hands. It is certainly not the most pleasant. In stepping stone cases, objects may be hurled in the direction of someone and will turn towards that person if he moves out of the initial line of fire. That is another indication of trouble.

There are cases on record where unusual objects rain on a house. Sometimes there are rocks; sometimes there are small animals. A recent case was reported where small fish rained on a farmhouse. Needless to say, many people surmised that it was a poltergeist outbreak. However, after scientific studies were done, it turned out that these fish had been sucked from a nearby lake by a waterspout. Eventually they had to fall to earth. However, some cases are not that easily solved.

One such incident is where rain will take place inside a house. Perhaps that rain will consist of small fish. That is a tough one to solve. Fires will sometimes start spontaneously and without cause. Treasured objects may be destroyed. The list goes on. One day, the two schools of thought will work together. Then and only then will the riddle of the poltergeist be solved, assuming it can be solved.

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