Definitions Page
Paranormal Terminology
A
Absent Healing
Spiritual or magical healing that takes place when the patient is not around sometimes without them even knowing.
Absent Sitter
A person missing from a sitting (or Seance) but is the intended receiver of the readings.
Absolute Humidity
The mass of water vapor divided by the mass of dry air in a volume of air at a given temperature.
Acupuncture
A Chinese method of healing which involves sticking needles in a person’s body.
Adhesion
When two non-conducting materials hold onto their electric charge.
Afterlife
Considered to be the life after a person dies.
Agent
A person who is believed to be possessed by a poltergeist.
Akashic Records
Believed to be the trace of all events, (including thoughts, ideas, and emotions), preserved in the astral light.
Alien Abduction Experience
The experience of being abducted by aliens, often including loss of time and loss of memory.
Alpha Rhythm
Electrical activity that occur in the human brain when awake and relaxed. Also called alpha wave.
Ampere
A unit of electric current strength (equal to a flow of one coulomb per second).
Amperes Per Meter (A/m)
Used to measure the magnetic field in relation to electric current.
Analgesia
Insensibility to pain most common among mediums and holy men.
Anemometer
Device that notes or measures the wind speed or velocity.
Angels
Spiritual being believed to be the messenger of God.
Animal Magnetism
The exchange of bodily fluid from a person or animal that has a healing affect.
Animal Psi
An animals abilities involving the paranormal.
Animism
The belief that plants and inanimate objects have a soul.
Anniversary Imprint
An imprint that usually manifest itself around the same time every year.
Announcing Dream
A dream believed to identify a person’s rebirth.
Anomalous Phenomena
A natural occurrence that cannot be explained by science.
Apparition
The visible form of a ghost.
Apport
The appearance of an object during a Seance, that has no explainable reason as to where it came from.
Asport
During a Seance an object (usually valuable) will disappear and only sometimes reappear somewhere else.
ASQ
The three phases of an EVP investigation (Alone, Supervise, Question): 1. Leave the recorder alone until the tape runs out 2. Supervise
the recording area while it records 3. Ask questions to check for an intelligent haunting; (Also: ASA - Alone, Supervise, Ask).
Astral Body
The double of a persons body, which is believed to link the body to the astral plain.
Astral Projection
When the astral body leaves the physical body.
Astrology
The study of how astronomical conditions influence human actions.
Aura
Bands of colored lights that surround a body (field of energy) that represent the emotional state of the being. Believed to be seen by
clairvoyants and sensitives. See the Kirlian Photography Effect.
Automatic Writing
The writer does not consciously know what they are writing, at this time it is believed that the person is controlled by a spirit.
Automatism
Activities or movements of a person (writing, drawing etc) occur without the person consciously knowing what they are doing.
Autoscopy
Seeing the double of one’s self as if looking in a mirror.
B
Banshee
A Irish female spirit who moans and screams just before someone dies.
Barometer
Any device that measures air pressure.
Basic Technique
A test for clairvoyance where the subject guesses what a card is.
Benign Spirit
A spirit that will not harm a person.
Billet Reading
A technique where a secret question is written on a piece of paper, put in an envelope, given to a psychic who tries to give an answer.
Bilocation
The appearance, of a person or object, being in two places at once.
Bio-PK
Psychokinetic effects on biological processes.
Black Magic
Using evil to cast spells or rituals to hurt other people.
C
Chi
Asian term for a “life force” or biological energy that is inhaled and can be manipulated for specific purposes
Channeling
A technique used by mediums where they communicate with the dead.
Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
One of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras when a picture is taken. The CCD is struck by light coming through
the camera's lens; each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make it up converts this light into electrons; the number of
electrons, usually described as the pixel's accumulated charge, is measured and then converted to a digital value; this last step occurs
outside the device, in a camera component called an analog-to-digital converter.
Charge Imbalance
The static electrical charge created when two adhered no-conductive materials are separated. One becomes positively charged and
the other material becomes negatively charged.
Circle
Group of people holding Seances.
Clairaudience
The ability to hear sounds or voices that cannot be heard by the human ear.
Clairsentient
The ability to fell something that most would not.
Clairvoyance
A person with the ability to see events which have not occurred.
Classic Haunting (also called an 'intelligent haunting' or 'traditional haunting')
Rare, a sentient spirit that can manifest itself into an apparition and communicate with the living; the ghost responds to outside stimuli
like questions and statements; it can be friendly or hostile and will let you know the difference; they are sometimes capable of opening
and closing doors and windows and moving objects like furniture around.
Clearing
Ridding a location of ghostly activity.
Cold Spot
A place in an area where the temperature is lower then the rest of the area. Ghost hunters associate this with paranormal activity when
the difference is around 10°.
Cold Reading
A reading where the sitter is not present.
Collective Apparition
A spirit seen by more than one person at the same time.
Coulomb
A unit quantity of electric charge (equals the quantity of charge in approximately 6 x 1019 of electrons.
Crisis Apparition
The appearance of a person who is in a crisis, such as death, illness or maybe an accident. Some have even had conversations with
this person only later to find out they were already dead.
D
Demon
An evil spirit believed to have power of humans.
Demonic Possession
To be possessed by an evil spirit.
Digital
Using a binary code (ones and zeros), discrete, non-continuous values, to represent information.
Discarnate
Having no body, form or substance.
Divination
The practice of seeking knowledge of the future of the unknown by supernatural means.
Diving Rod
A pair of L-shaped rods used in dowsing.
Decibel
A unit to measure relative loudness (or the difference in power usually between acoustic or electric signals). The smallest amount of
change that can be detected by the human ear is 1 decibel. The decibel scale is not linear; it is exponential.
Doppelganger
To say one has a twin right down to the DNA when in actuality they do not have a twin.
Double
A ghost of the present that looks and behaves identically to living person
Dowsing
The detection of underground water source.
Dynamic Microphone
A type of microphone commonly used that uses a thin plastic diaphragm that when introduced to sound vibrations vibrate a magnetic
element and coil, sending an electric signal to the tape
recorder. Best are Neodymium dynamic microphones.
E
Ectoplasm
A substance from which spirits make themselves a visible form.
Electromagnetic Energy
A hybrid of electrical charges and magnetic fields that binds nature together.
Elemental Spirit
A spirit connected to the four elements of the earth– fire, earth, water and air.
Elongation
The stretching of the physical body, mostly reported in mediums. Some cases have stated a persons body stretched 12" or more.
Entity
A thing with distinct and independent existence or conscious interactive ghost.
ESP
Extrasensory perception. The reception of information through means other than the known senses.
Etheric Body
A layer of physical body, mimicking its design, but composed entirely of energy.
EVP
Electronic Voice Phenomena–the practice of trying to capture the voice of the dead on a voice recorder.
Evocation
The summoning of evil spirits through a ritual.
Exorcism
The process where a evil spirit is driving out of a person. Mostly performed by priest.
Experiment
A test performed under controlled conditions.
F
Faith Healing
An attempt to heal one through prayer or the belief in a higher power.
Ferromagnetic
A substance that becomes permanently magnetized when exposed to a magnetic field.
Field Effect Transistor (FET)
An electronic component for amplification and transformation of electric pulses.
Focal Person
A person who is the center of poltergeist activity.
Frequency
The rate per second of a vibration constituting a wave, e.g. sound, light, or radio waves.
G
Gauss
Unit of magnetic induction in the electromagnetic and Gaussian systems of units, equal to 1 maxwell per square centimeter or 10-4
weber per square meter (also known as abtesla).
Gaussia Systerm
A combination of the electrostatic and electromagnetic systems of units (esu and emu), in which electrostatic quantities are expressed
in esu and magnetic and electromagnetic quantities in emu, with appropriate use of the conversion constant c (the speed of light)
between the two systems. Also known as Gaussian units.
Gaussmeter
A magnetometer whose scale is graduated in gauss or kilogauss, and usually measures only the intensity, and not the direction, of the
magnetic field.
Ghost
A figure of a person, which is often described as being translucent, of what some believe to be of a deceased person.
Ghost Hunter
Someone who investigates ghostly activity.
Geiger Counters
Used to detect changes in background radiation; measures radioactive intensity in MR/hr (milli-Roentgens per hour).
Guardian Angel
An angel sent to protect a person from harm.
Guide
A spirit of a deceased person who possess a medium.
H
Harbinger
A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of something.
Haunting
Subject to be visited by such things as ghost or apparitions, unexplainable sounds, smells or other things that cannot be explained.
Haunted Location
An area that is believed to be occupied by paranormal activity.
Healer
Someone who claims they can heal.
Hertz
Electromagnetic field frequency generated by an alternating current (or the number of waves (or cycles) per second).
Hot Spot
A place within a haunted location that is believed to hold a high amount of activity.
Hypercube
A higher dimensional object that's impossible for our three dimensional minds to visualize.
I
Illusion
A false or unreal perception or belief.
Immortality
Eternal life, being able to live without ever dying.
Imprint
Activity that appears non conscious or redundant
Indirect Voice
Where a spirit uses a medium to speak.
Infrasonic
Pitches too low to be heard by humans. Though we can't hear infra sound vibrations, we can often feel them, because parts of the body
resonate in this range.
Intelligent haunting
See classic haunting.
Interpolation
A method used to increase the resolution of an image by adding pixels to an image based on the value of surrounding pixels.
Ion
An electrical charged atom or molecule.
Ion Counters
Used to count the number of free-floating ions in the air; measures ion density in units of ions per cubic centimeter (ions/cm2).
Ionization
The removal of electrons from an atom so that it becomes charged.
J
Joule
Unit of electrical energy (equal to the work done when a current of 1 ampere is produced by a potential of 1 volt across its terminals.
K
Ka
Ancient Egyptian term for the double or astral body.
Kirlian Photography
A method created by a Russian named Seymon Kirlian where a paper is placed on top of a grounded metal plate, a picture is taken with
a high frequency electric current and when developed you’re able to see the “aura” of the object.
L
Levitation
The paranormal raising or floating of an object or person.
Life Review
Associated with a near death experience, they are memories of a persons life.
Luminous Phenomena
To experience strange glows of light often around people.
M
Magnetosphere
Magnetic field surrounding the earth.
Materialization
The production of a figure during a Seance.
Maxwell (Mx)
The basic unit of magnetic flux in the CGS system, equal to the flux through one square centimeter perpendicular to a magnetic field
with an intensity on one gauss; one maxwell equals 10 weber.
Medium
A person who is the bridge from the living and the dead.
Mediumship
Activity of a medium.
Metempsychosis
Another term for reincarnation.
N
Natural
A rare phenomena that appears ghostly but in fact is created by some scientifically unknown property of the present nature.
Necromancy
To obtain information from the dead without permission.
Newton
Unit of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram one meter per second.
Night Vision Devices (NVD)
Use image-enhancement technology to magnify available light to see in low-light conditions.
O
Ohm
A unit of electrical resistance (equal to that of a conductor in which a current of 1 ampere is produced by a potential of 1 volt across its
terminals.
Omen
A sign that foretells events.
Orbs
Small sphere-shaped masses of energy believed to be the beginning of an apparition.
Original Momentum
The initial force of energy necessary to create motion telekinetically.
Ouija Board
A board with letters and numbers on which a planchette is moved while touching it but not influencing it.
Out-of-body-experience
When one’s consciousness exits the restrictions of the physical body.
Orbaphilia
A chronic condition suffered by unscrupulous unintelligent and or mentally disturbed amateur ghost hunters; technically defined as
someone who loves photographically obtained or video captured orbs regardless of how they came to be and claim nevertheless that
they are in fact paranormal; a thorn in the side of serious researchers everywhere.
Oscillscopes
Measure and display frequency in wave patterns on a screen.
P
Paranormal
A series of events, abilities or matter which cannot be explained by science.
Paranormal Research
The study of phenomena that is unexplainable by main stream science.
Parapsychology
Referred to the experimental studies of the paranormal phenomena.
Pareidolia
A type of illusion involving seeing defined or distinct objects in non-defined subjects (also called Simulacrd).
Passive Infrared (PIR)
A technique used for IR (infrared) devices that detect infrared without emitting it.
Photon
The fundamental particle/quantumof electromagnetic radiation (radiant energy); light; has no electrical charge.
Pitch
The highness or lowness of a sound. It is measured by the frequency of its waves in hertz.
Pixels
The individual dots used to display an image on a computer monitor or sensor.
Poltergeist
A troublesome spirit which will focus on a person instead of a location and is usually associated with the throwing of things, scratches,
and just causing damage to it’s surroundings, and it’s focus is usually on young adolescent child.
Poltergeist Agent (PA)
Phenomena usually surrounding a young child, usually a girl; the PA (the child) is almost always around when the poltergeist activity
occurs; this usually involves objects being thrown around when there is no one around, unexplainable tapping and scratching noises
and objects disappearing and reappearing hours, days or weeks later; in worst-case scenarios there can be injuries to human beings
from thrown objects and scratches appearing on the flesh of the PA; Fires are also known to occur in the worst cases - sometimes with
catastrophic results.
Portal
A doorway for spirits to enter or exit a location.
Possession
A person’s body is taken over by a spirit or entity.
Precognition
Paranormal awareness of future events.
Premonition
Psychic awareness of future events, often with negative outcome.
Primary Readings
Initial measurement of energy taken at a haunted location.
Psionics
The use of physical tools to assist in accessing or interpreting ones ESP’s.
PSI
A term used to embody all paranormal abilities– events, abilities and studies.
Psychic
A person who demonstrates the psi abilities.
Psychokinesis
The use of mental power to move or control objects.
Q
Quanta
Fundamental units of energy.
R
Radiation
Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays, waves or particles.
Raps
The unexplained knocking, banging or creepy sounds that are associated with spirits.
Raudive Voices
Voices recorded on a tape recorder of people who are dead.
Relative humidity
The ratio of the current absolute humidity and that of the highest possible absolute humidity depending on the air temperature.
Residuals
Ghost, spirits or entities that repeat it’s last moment before departing.
Residual haunting
The most common type of haunting; best described as an imprint on the environment; a moment in time, burnt onto the surroundings of
a specific location; playing out roles and situations over and over again for centuries at a time; most researchers compare this to a
looped video that repeats itself forever; in these cases you might hear footsteps and other strange noises; however, if you see the
event being played out, you will not be able to interfere; the 'ghosts' here are not conscious of their surroundings; they may not be
sentient.
Retrocognition
Seeing or knowing activity from the past using ESP
Revenant
An entity that comes back only a few times after death.
S
Seance
A sitting where attempts are made to contact the departed spirits.
Shadow Ghost
Entities from another world, shadows on a wall.
Sensitive
A person who can 'feel' paranormal phenomena more than the average person (also known as psychic).
Seebek Effect
The electrical resistance of a substance that is measured by digital thermometers.
Simulacrd
See Pareidolia.
Single-axis meter
A type of EMF (electromagnetic field) detector; can only read magnetic fields toward which the internal coil is pointed.
Sitter
A person who has a session with a medium or takes part in a Seance.
Sitting
A Seance.
Soul
The spiritual element of a person.
Sound
A vibration that travels in waves through almost any medium, including air and water (it cannot travel in a vacuum). It is measured by its
pitch, loudness and speed (frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude). Sound travels at 1130 feet per second at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spirit
A person’s non-physical being, it’s soul.
Spiritualism
Belief in the spirit world and/or the ability to communicate with the dead.
Spirit Photography
Photos of faces of figures who some believe to be dead, but most times these are fraudulent.
Static Electricity
An electrical charge that builds up due to friction between two dissimilar materials; friction removes some electrons from one object
and then will deposit them on the other.
T
Telekinesis
The ability to move objects by using your mind.
Telepathy
The ability to perceive the thoughts or emotions of others.
Teleportation
The paranormal transportation of an object from one location to another.
Triboelectric Series
A list of materials that is sorted according to which materials tend to develop positive charges and which tend to develop negative
charges when the materials meet and then separate; materials higher in the series tend to gain a positive charge while those lower on
the list tend to gain a negative charge.
Triple-Axis Meter
A type of EMF meter; uses three coils and three metal plates on an X,Y,Z - axis; that way the user can read fields from three different
directions; the metal plates detect AC or DC electric fields; each coil has a different calibration that lets you detect all angles instead of
just the area in front of the device; on most models you can switch between each setting or using a computer circuit, reads the sum of
the magnetic and electric.
U
Ultrasonic
Pitches too high to be heard by humans.
V
Vision
A religious apparition.
Volt
A unit of electric potential and electromotive force (equal to the difference in potential needed to cause a current of one ampere to
flow through a resistance of 1 ohm.
Vortex
Swirl of souls together like a gateway to the spirit realm.
W
Warp
A location where the known laws of psychics do not always apply and space/time may be distorted.
Watt
Unit of power (equal to one joule per second.
X
Y
Z
Paranormal Terminology
A
Absent Healing
Spiritual or magical healing that takes place when the patient is not around sometimes without them even knowing.
Absent Sitter
A person missing from a sitting (or Seance) but is the intended receiver of the readings.
Absolute Humidity
The mass of water vapor divided by the mass of dry air in a volume of air at a given temperature.
Acupuncture
A Chinese method of healing which involves sticking needles in a person’s body.
Adhesion
When two non-conducting materials hold onto their electric charge.
Afterlife
Considered to be the life after a person dies.
Agent
A person who is believed to be possessed by a poltergeist.
Akashic Records
Believed to be the trace of all events, (including thoughts, ideas, and emotions), preserved in the astral light.
Alien Abduction Experience
The experience of being abducted by aliens, often including loss of time and loss of memory.
Alpha Rhythm
Electrical activity that occur in the human brain when awake and relaxed. Also called alpha wave.
Ampere
A unit of electric current strength (equal to a flow of one coulomb per second).
Amperes Per Meter (A/m)
Used to measure the magnetic field in relation to electric current.
Analgesia
Insensibility to pain most common among mediums and holy men.
Anemometer
Device that notes or measures the wind speed or velocity.
Angels
Spiritual being believed to be the messenger of God.
Animal Magnetism
The exchange of bodily fluid from a person or animal that has a healing affect.
Animal Psi
An animals abilities involving the paranormal.
Animism
The belief that plants and inanimate objects have a soul.
Anniversary Imprint
An imprint that usually manifest itself around the same time every year.
Announcing Dream
A dream believed to identify a person’s rebirth.
Anomalous Phenomena
A natural occurrence that cannot be explained by science.
Apparition
The visible form of a ghost.
Apport
The appearance of an object during a Seance, that has no explainable reason as to where it came from.
Asport
During a Seance an object (usually valuable) will disappear and only sometimes reappear somewhere else.
ASQ
The three phases of an EVP investigation (Alone, Supervise, Question): 1. Leave the recorder alone until the tape runs out 2. Supervise
the recording area while it records 3. Ask questions to check for an intelligent haunting; (Also: ASA - Alone, Supervise, Ask).
Astral Body
The double of a persons body, which is believed to link the body to the astral plain.
Astral Projection
When the astral body leaves the physical body.
Astrology
The study of how astronomical conditions influence human actions.
Aura
Bands of colored lights that surround a body (field of energy) that represent the emotional state of the being. Believed to be seen by
clairvoyants and sensitives. See the Kirlian Photography Effect.
Automatic Writing
The writer does not consciously know what they are writing, at this time it is believed that the person is controlled by a spirit.
Automatism
Activities or movements of a person (writing, drawing etc) occur without the person consciously knowing what they are doing.
Autoscopy
Seeing the double of one’s self as if looking in a mirror.
B
Banshee
A Irish female spirit who moans and screams just before someone dies.
Barometer
Any device that measures air pressure.
Basic Technique
A test for clairvoyance where the subject guesses what a card is.
Benign Spirit
A spirit that will not harm a person.
Billet Reading
A technique where a secret question is written on a piece of paper, put in an envelope, given to a psychic who tries to give an answer.
Bilocation
The appearance, of a person or object, being in two places at once.
Bio-PK
Psychokinetic effects on biological processes.
Black Magic
Using evil to cast spells or rituals to hurt other people.
C
Chi
Asian term for a “life force” or biological energy that is inhaled and can be manipulated for specific purposes
Channeling
A technique used by mediums where they communicate with the dead.
Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
One of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras when a picture is taken. The CCD is struck by light coming through
the camera's lens; each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make it up converts this light into electrons; the number of
electrons, usually described as the pixel's accumulated charge, is measured and then converted to a digital value; this last step occurs
outside the device, in a camera component called an analog-to-digital converter.
Charge Imbalance
The static electrical charge created when two adhered no-conductive materials are separated. One becomes positively charged and
the other material becomes negatively charged.
Circle
Group of people holding Seances.
Clairaudience
The ability to hear sounds or voices that cannot be heard by the human ear.
Clairsentient
The ability to fell something that most would not.
Clairvoyance
A person with the ability to see events which have not occurred.
Classic Haunting (also called an 'intelligent haunting' or 'traditional haunting')
Rare, a sentient spirit that can manifest itself into an apparition and communicate with the living; the ghost responds to outside stimuli
like questions and statements; it can be friendly or hostile and will let you know the difference; they are sometimes capable of opening
and closing doors and windows and moving objects like furniture around.
Clearing
Ridding a location of ghostly activity.
Cold Spot
A place in an area where the temperature is lower then the rest of the area. Ghost hunters associate this with paranormal activity when
the difference is around 10°.
Cold Reading
A reading where the sitter is not present.
Collective Apparition
A spirit seen by more than one person at the same time.
Coulomb
A unit quantity of electric charge (equals the quantity of charge in approximately 6 x 1019 of electrons.
Crisis Apparition
The appearance of a person who is in a crisis, such as death, illness or maybe an accident. Some have even had conversations with
this person only later to find out they were already dead.
D
Demon
An evil spirit believed to have power of humans.
Demonic Possession
To be possessed by an evil spirit.
Digital
Using a binary code (ones and zeros), discrete, non-continuous values, to represent information.
Discarnate
Having no body, form or substance.
Divination
The practice of seeking knowledge of the future of the unknown by supernatural means.
Diving Rod
A pair of L-shaped rods used in dowsing.
Decibel
A unit to measure relative loudness (or the difference in power usually between acoustic or electric signals). The smallest amount of
change that can be detected by the human ear is 1 decibel. The decibel scale is not linear; it is exponential.
Doppelganger
To say one has a twin right down to the DNA when in actuality they do not have a twin.
Double
A ghost of the present that looks and behaves identically to living person
Dowsing
The detection of underground water source.
Dynamic Microphone
A type of microphone commonly used that uses a thin plastic diaphragm that when introduced to sound vibrations vibrate a magnetic
element and coil, sending an electric signal to the tape
recorder. Best are Neodymium dynamic microphones.
E
Ectoplasm
A substance from which spirits make themselves a visible form.
Electromagnetic Energy
A hybrid of electrical charges and magnetic fields that binds nature together.
Elemental Spirit
A spirit connected to the four elements of the earth– fire, earth, water and air.
Elongation
The stretching of the physical body, mostly reported in mediums. Some cases have stated a persons body stretched 12" or more.
Entity
A thing with distinct and independent existence or conscious interactive ghost.
ESP
Extrasensory perception. The reception of information through means other than the known senses.
Etheric Body
A layer of physical body, mimicking its design, but composed entirely of energy.
EVP
Electronic Voice Phenomena–the practice of trying to capture the voice of the dead on a voice recorder.
Evocation
The summoning of evil spirits through a ritual.
Exorcism
The process where a evil spirit is driving out of a person. Mostly performed by priest.
Experiment
A test performed under controlled conditions.
F
Faith Healing
An attempt to heal one through prayer or the belief in a higher power.
Ferromagnetic
A substance that becomes permanently magnetized when exposed to a magnetic field.
Field Effect Transistor (FET)
An electronic component for amplification and transformation of electric pulses.
Focal Person
A person who is the center of poltergeist activity.
Frequency
The rate per second of a vibration constituting a wave, e.g. sound, light, or radio waves.
G
Gauss
Unit of magnetic induction in the electromagnetic and Gaussian systems of units, equal to 1 maxwell per square centimeter or 10-4
weber per square meter (also known as abtesla).
Gaussia Systerm
A combination of the electrostatic and electromagnetic systems of units (esu and emu), in which electrostatic quantities are expressed
in esu and magnetic and electromagnetic quantities in emu, with appropriate use of the conversion constant c (the speed of light)
between the two systems. Also known as Gaussian units.
Gaussmeter
A magnetometer whose scale is graduated in gauss or kilogauss, and usually measures only the intensity, and not the direction, of the
magnetic field.
Ghost
A figure of a person, which is often described as being translucent, of what some believe to be of a deceased person.
Ghost Hunter
Someone who investigates ghostly activity.
Geiger Counters
Used to detect changes in background radiation; measures radioactive intensity in MR/hr (milli-Roentgens per hour).
Guardian Angel
An angel sent to protect a person from harm.
Guide
A spirit of a deceased person who possess a medium.
H
Harbinger
A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of something.
Haunting
Subject to be visited by such things as ghost or apparitions, unexplainable sounds, smells or other things that cannot be explained.
Haunted Location
An area that is believed to be occupied by paranormal activity.
Healer
Someone who claims they can heal.
Hertz
Electromagnetic field frequency generated by an alternating current (or the number of waves (or cycles) per second).
Hot Spot
A place within a haunted location that is believed to hold a high amount of activity.
Hypercube
A higher dimensional object that's impossible for our three dimensional minds to visualize.
I
Illusion
A false or unreal perception or belief.
Immortality
Eternal life, being able to live without ever dying.
Imprint
Activity that appears non conscious or redundant
Indirect Voice
Where a spirit uses a medium to speak.
Infrasonic
Pitches too low to be heard by humans. Though we can't hear infra sound vibrations, we can often feel them, because parts of the body
resonate in this range.
Intelligent haunting
See classic haunting.
Interpolation
A method used to increase the resolution of an image by adding pixels to an image based on the value of surrounding pixels.
Ion
An electrical charged atom or molecule.
Ion Counters
Used to count the number of free-floating ions in the air; measures ion density in units of ions per cubic centimeter (ions/cm2).
Ionization
The removal of electrons from an atom so that it becomes charged.
J
Joule
Unit of electrical energy (equal to the work done when a current of 1 ampere is produced by a potential of 1 volt across its terminals.
K
Ka
Ancient Egyptian term for the double or astral body.
Kirlian Photography
A method created by a Russian named Seymon Kirlian where a paper is placed on top of a grounded metal plate, a picture is taken with
a high frequency electric current and when developed you’re able to see the “aura” of the object.
L
Levitation
The paranormal raising or floating of an object or person.
Life Review
Associated with a near death experience, they are memories of a persons life.
Luminous Phenomena
To experience strange glows of light often around people.
M
Magnetosphere
Magnetic field surrounding the earth.
Materialization
The production of a figure during a Seance.
Maxwell (Mx)
The basic unit of magnetic flux in the CGS system, equal to the flux through one square centimeter perpendicular to a magnetic field
with an intensity on one gauss; one maxwell equals 10 weber.
Medium
A person who is the bridge from the living and the dead.
Mediumship
Activity of a medium.
Metempsychosis
Another term for reincarnation.
N
Natural
A rare phenomena that appears ghostly but in fact is created by some scientifically unknown property of the present nature.
Necromancy
To obtain information from the dead without permission.
Newton
Unit of force required to accelerate a mass of one kilogram one meter per second.
Night Vision Devices (NVD)
Use image-enhancement technology to magnify available light to see in low-light conditions.
O
Ohm
A unit of electrical resistance (equal to that of a conductor in which a current of 1 ampere is produced by a potential of 1 volt across its
terminals.
Omen
A sign that foretells events.
Orbs
Small sphere-shaped masses of energy believed to be the beginning of an apparition.
Original Momentum
The initial force of energy necessary to create motion telekinetically.
Ouija Board
A board with letters and numbers on which a planchette is moved while touching it but not influencing it.
Out-of-body-experience
When one’s consciousness exits the restrictions of the physical body.
Orbaphilia
A chronic condition suffered by unscrupulous unintelligent and or mentally disturbed amateur ghost hunters; technically defined as
someone who loves photographically obtained or video captured orbs regardless of how they came to be and claim nevertheless that
they are in fact paranormal; a thorn in the side of serious researchers everywhere.
Oscillscopes
Measure and display frequency in wave patterns on a screen.
P
Paranormal
A series of events, abilities or matter which cannot be explained by science.
Paranormal Research
The study of phenomena that is unexplainable by main stream science.
Parapsychology
Referred to the experimental studies of the paranormal phenomena.
Pareidolia
A type of illusion involving seeing defined or distinct objects in non-defined subjects (also called Simulacrd).
Passive Infrared (PIR)
A technique used for IR (infrared) devices that detect infrared without emitting it.
Photon
The fundamental particle/quantumof electromagnetic radiation (radiant energy); light; has no electrical charge.
Pitch
The highness or lowness of a sound. It is measured by the frequency of its waves in hertz.
Pixels
The individual dots used to display an image on a computer monitor or sensor.
Poltergeist
A troublesome spirit which will focus on a person instead of a location and is usually associated with the throwing of things, scratches,
and just causing damage to it’s surroundings, and it’s focus is usually on young adolescent child.
Poltergeist Agent (PA)
Phenomena usually surrounding a young child, usually a girl; the PA (the child) is almost always around when the poltergeist activity
occurs; this usually involves objects being thrown around when there is no one around, unexplainable tapping and scratching noises
and objects disappearing and reappearing hours, days or weeks later; in worst-case scenarios there can be injuries to human beings
from thrown objects and scratches appearing on the flesh of the PA; Fires are also known to occur in the worst cases - sometimes with
catastrophic results.
Portal
A doorway for spirits to enter or exit a location.
Possession
A person’s body is taken over by a spirit or entity.
Precognition
Paranormal awareness of future events.
Premonition
Psychic awareness of future events, often with negative outcome.
Primary Readings
Initial measurement of energy taken at a haunted location.
Psionics
The use of physical tools to assist in accessing or interpreting ones ESP’s.
PSI
A term used to embody all paranormal abilities– events, abilities and studies.
Psychic
A person who demonstrates the psi abilities.
Psychokinesis
The use of mental power to move or control objects.
Q
Quanta
Fundamental units of energy.
R
Radiation
Energy that is radiated or transmitted in the form of rays, waves or particles.
Raps
The unexplained knocking, banging or creepy sounds that are associated with spirits.
Raudive Voices
Voices recorded on a tape recorder of people who are dead.
Relative humidity
The ratio of the current absolute humidity and that of the highest possible absolute humidity depending on the air temperature.
Residuals
Ghost, spirits or entities that repeat it’s last moment before departing.
Residual haunting
The most common type of haunting; best described as an imprint on the environment; a moment in time, burnt onto the surroundings of
a specific location; playing out roles and situations over and over again for centuries at a time; most researchers compare this to a
looped video that repeats itself forever; in these cases you might hear footsteps and other strange noises; however, if you see the
event being played out, you will not be able to interfere; the 'ghosts' here are not conscious of their surroundings; they may not be
sentient.
Retrocognition
Seeing or knowing activity from the past using ESP
Revenant
An entity that comes back only a few times after death.
S
Seance
A sitting where attempts are made to contact the departed spirits.
Shadow Ghost
Entities from another world, shadows on a wall.
Sensitive
A person who can 'feel' paranormal phenomena more than the average person (also known as psychic).
Seebek Effect
The electrical resistance of a substance that is measured by digital thermometers.
Simulacrd
See Pareidolia.
Single-axis meter
A type of EMF (electromagnetic field) detector; can only read magnetic fields toward which the internal coil is pointed.
Sitter
A person who has a session with a medium or takes part in a Seance.
Sitting
A Seance.
Soul
The spiritual element of a person.
Sound
A vibration that travels in waves through almost any medium, including air and water (it cannot travel in a vacuum). It is measured by its
pitch, loudness and speed (frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude). Sound travels at 1130 feet per second at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spirit
A person’s non-physical being, it’s soul.
Spiritualism
Belief in the spirit world and/or the ability to communicate with the dead.
Spirit Photography
Photos of faces of figures who some believe to be dead, but most times these are fraudulent.
Static Electricity
An electrical charge that builds up due to friction between two dissimilar materials; friction removes some electrons from one object
and then will deposit them on the other.
T
Telekinesis
The ability to move objects by using your mind.
Telepathy
The ability to perceive the thoughts or emotions of others.
Teleportation
The paranormal transportation of an object from one location to another.
Triboelectric Series
A list of materials that is sorted according to which materials tend to develop positive charges and which tend to develop negative
charges when the materials meet and then separate; materials higher in the series tend to gain a positive charge while those lower on
the list tend to gain a negative charge.
Triple-Axis Meter
A type of EMF meter; uses three coils and three metal plates on an X,Y,Z - axis; that way the user can read fields from three different
directions; the metal plates detect AC or DC electric fields; each coil has a different calibration that lets you detect all angles instead of
just the area in front of the device; on most models you can switch between each setting or using a computer circuit, reads the sum of
the magnetic and electric.
U
Ultrasonic
Pitches too high to be heard by humans.
V
Vision
A religious apparition.
Volt
A unit of electric potential and electromotive force (equal to the difference in potential needed to cause a current of one ampere to
flow through a resistance of 1 ohm.
Vortex
Swirl of souls together like a gateway to the spirit realm.
W
Warp
A location where the known laws of psychics do not always apply and space/time may be distorted.
Watt
Unit of power (equal to one joule per second.
X
Y
Z
Decibel Terminology & Definitions
Ampere
= A unit of electric current strength, equal to a flow of one coulomb per second
Coulomb
= A unit of electric charge equal to the quantity of charge in approximately 6 x 10 to the 19th
power of electrons
Decibel
= A unit used to express relative difference in power, usually between acoustic or electric
signals, equal to ten times the common logarithm of the ratio of the two levels
Gauss
Hertz
= Electromagnetic field frequency generated by alternating current
Joule= Unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of 1 ampere is passed
through a resistance of 1 ohm for 1 second
Milligauss (MG)
= 1/1000 of a gauss
Milliwatts per square meter (mW/m2)
= A unit for measuring one joule of work per second of power per square meter
Ohm
= A unit of electrical resistance equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere
is produced by a potential of one volt across its terminals
Ohmmeter
= An instrument for measurement in ohms of the resistance of a conductor
Volt
= The unit of electric potential and electromotive force equal to the difference in potential
needed to cause a current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm
Watt
= Unit of power equal to one joule per second
Ampere
= A unit of electric current strength, equal to a flow of one coulomb per second
Coulomb
= A unit of electric charge equal to the quantity of charge in approximately 6 x 10 to the 19th
power of electrons
Decibel
= A unit used to express relative difference in power, usually between acoustic or electric
signals, equal to ten times the common logarithm of the ratio of the two levels
Gauss
Hertz
= Electromagnetic field frequency generated by alternating current
Joule= Unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of 1 ampere is passed
through a resistance of 1 ohm for 1 second
Milligauss (MG)
= 1/1000 of a gauss
Milliwatts per square meter (mW/m2)
= A unit for measuring one joule of work per second of power per square meter
Ohm
= A unit of electrical resistance equal to that of a conductor in which a current of one ampere
is produced by a potential of one volt across its terminals
Ohmmeter
= An instrument for measurement in ohms of the resistance of a conductor
Volt
= The unit of electric potential and electromotive force equal to the difference in potential
needed to cause a current of one ampere to flow through a resistance of one ohm
Watt
= Unit of power equal to one joule per second
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