Paranormal Glossary

A - M

{Go To N - Z}

[A]

Agent
A means by which something is done or caused. A force or substance that causes a change.

An agent in paranormal research is usually a person who unknowingly causes poltergeist activity (poltergeist activity seems to be between the categories of ghost and psi (the term applied to unusual abilities of human origin such as ESP/psychokinesis/etc.. and investigating "exceptional human experiences" such as out of body and apparitional experiences). See our "Types of Spirit" page for more on poltergeist activity.

Alpha Rhythm
Electrical activity in the brain (about 10 cycles per second) associated with a state of mental relaxation.

Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)
This is a term referring to any state of consciousness that is different from "normal" states of waking/sleeping. This include hypnosis, trance, ecstasy, psychedelic and meditative experience.

Animal Psi
Paranormal abilities exhibited by animals. Also known as "Anpsi". [See "Psi" for more info.]

Animism
The belief in the existence of individual spirits that inhabit natural objects and phenomena.

Religious practices based on the belief that all living things and natural objects have their individual spiritual essence or soul.

Angel
A typically benevolent celestial being that acts as an intermediary between heaven and earth, especially in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism.

An Angel is a spiritual or celestial being sent to earth to relay a message to a person, serve as a protector or help them in their transition into the afterlife.

Announcing Dream
A dream believed to announce an individual's rebirth. [Also see "reincarnation" for more info.]

Anomalous Experience
A term referring to unusual experiences that cannot be explained in terms of current scientific knowledge.

Anomalous Phenomena
Natural phenomena that cannot be explained in terms of current scientific knowledge. [Also see "Anomaly" and "Fortean Phenomena" for more info.]

Anomaly/Anomalies
One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify.

An irregular image that appears on photos, video, or digital media. [See "Orb", "Ectoplasm", Vortex", and "Apparition" for more info.]

Apparition
An unusual appearing ghostly figure. A ghostly figure; a specter.

Spirit energy that is usually seen in the form of the entity that has passed. Some psychics and mediums see them on a regular basis. Catching an apparition on film is what every ghost hunter aspires to do. They show up in a transparent human form and usually wear the clothing of their period. Also note that people have been known to see animal apparitions also. [See "Donna's Apprition" story of when she saw kitty Yarrow, which had passed away not long before, while she was at the home of Jeff Reynolds.]

Apport/Asport
Apport is when a physical object has been transported into a closed space or container, suggesting the passage of "matter through matter'. Asport is any object the spirits or medium makes disappear or teleports to another location. [See "Teleportation" for more info.]

Anpsi
See "Animal Psi".

Artefact
In parapsychology, this is false evidence of paranormal phenomena, due to some extraneous normal influence.

ASC
See "Altered State of Consciousness".

Astral Body
The "body" a person seems to occupy during an out-of-body experience (OBE).
Astral Plane:
Believed by some to be a world that exists above the physical world.

Astral Projection
An out-of-body experience.

Aura
An invisible breath, emanation, or radiation.
A distinctive but intangible quality that seems to surround a person or thing; atmosphere.

It's believed that everything and everyone has an auric field around them. These can often be seen by those who are clairvoyant.

In Kirlian photography when the film is developed, an aura like a halo of colors can be seen around the object or person. The colors in the photographs believe to show several factors such as stress, ill health in living organisms, and the state of your soul. It is analogous to Spiritual Healing which can also be felt but not seen. Example: See Ghost Tracker Matt Ferrell's Auric photo here. [Also see "Kirlian Photography" for more info.]
Authentication:
To establish the authenticity of; prove genuine.

The verification of facts and details surrounding an occurrence of paranormal phenomenon. This can be independent statements from witnesses, written documentation, or other corroborative evidence supporting the report made by the subject concerning their experience and the events to which was apparently related.

Automatic Writing
This is when you write something without being aware of the contents. Some people use this method to receive messages from Spirit.

Automatism
The theory that the body is a machine whose functions are accompanied but not controlled by consciousness.

Physical activates (e.g., arm movements, writing, drawing, musical performance) that occur without the automatist's conscious control or knowledge. Also known as motor automatism. [Also see "Automatic Writing" and "Dissociation" for more info.]

Autoscopy
This is when someone sees their 'double', or when they're looking back at their self from a position outside their body (Out-of-body Experience (OBE)).

[ B ]

Ba
Ancient Egyptian concept of a person's essence, believed to be be immortal. [Also see "Soul" for more info.]

Banshee
A female spirit in Gaelic folklore believed to presage, by wailing, a death in a family.

In Gaelic belief, a female entity who heralds a death by groaning and screaming.
Bardo:
In Tibetan Buddhism, an intermediate state of existence, usually referring to the state between life and rebirth.

Being
To exist in actuality; have life or reality.

The state or quality of having existence, a living entity.

Bilocation
Appearing to be in two different places at the same time. [Also see "autoscopy" for more info.]

Bio-PK
Psychokinetic effects on biological processes. [Also see "Psychokinesis" for more info.]

Black Shuck
A large spectral death omen demon dog in British folklore, especially in Norfolk and other parts of East Anglia. Black Shuck, also called Old Shuck, derives its name from the Anglo-Saxon term scucca or sceocca, old Anglo-Saxon terms for "demon" or "satan." The spectral dog descended from Norse mythology , for he is said to be the black hound of Odin (Woden) brought by early Viking invaders.

Black Shuck is all black and is huge, about the size of a calf. He has large eyes that glow yellow, red, or green as if on fire. Often, he is headless, yet his eyes -where eyes should be- glow in the dark.

The dog is often thought to be an omen of death.

[ C ]

Cartomancy
The art of telling fortunes with cards. [Also see "Tarot" and "Fortune Telling" for more info.]
Case Study:
An in-depth investigation of an individual subject.

Channeling
When a medium apparently allows a spirit to communicate through them.

Circle
To make or form a circle around; enclose.

A group of people who hold séances. [Also see "Séance" and "Mediumship".]
Clairaudience:
The supposed power to hear things outside the range of normal perception.

Auditory form of ESP (compare with Clairvoyance).

Clairsentience
The supposed power to feel or smell things outside the range normaly perceived by the senses.

Physical sensations (or smell) form of ESP. (compare with Clairvoyance).
Clairvoyance:
The supposed power to see objects or events that cannot be perceived by the senses.
Acute intuitive insight or perceptiveness.

A subset of ESP. The viewing of distant scenes not apparent to the eye, may appear externally - either replacing the normal visual scene (visions) or being incorporated into it (as could be the case with apparitions) - or internally, in the form of mental imagery and intuition.

Clearing/Cleansing
The act of eliminating ghostly phenomena from a location.

Coincidence
A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.

An occurrence, within a short space of time, of two or more meaningfully related events and without any apparent causal connection between them. Coincidences are sometimes bizarre and extraordinarily improbable.

Cold Spot
An area or place that for an unknown reason seems to be cooler than the surrounding areas. Paranormal investigators usually use thermometers to detect the fluctuations of temperature in a location. [See "Thermometer/Thermoscanner" for more info.]

Collective Apparition
This is when more then one person sees a phenomenon at the same time & location. Collective apparitions are good in proving that what was seen was really there, and wasn't just the person's mind playing tricks on them, since more then one person saw it.

Collective Unconscious
Concept put forward by C.G. Jung to refer to a level of unconscious thought and experience shared collectively by humans.

Contact Mind Reading
A technique simulating telepathy, in which the "mind reader" (who generally holds a hand or arm) responds to slight muscle movements produced unconsciously by the person whose mind is apparently being read. Also known as muscle reading, Cumberlandism or Hellstromism.

Control
To verify or regulate (a scientific experiment) by conducting a parallel experiment or by comparing with another standard.
To verify (an account, for example) by using a duplicate register for comparison.

In experimental parapsychology a procedure undertaken in order to ensure that the experiment is conducted in a standard fashion and so that results are not unduly influenced by extraneous factors.

Control Group
A group of people whose performance is compared with that of experimental subjects.

Correlation
The simultaneous change in value of two numerically valued random variables.

An association between two or more events or variables.

Cosmic Consciousness
A blissful experience in which the person becomes aware of the whole universe as a living being. [Also see "Altered State of Consciousness" for more info.]

Crisis Apparition
An apparition that's usually seen by a person when he/she is at the point of death or is the victim of a serious illness or injury. Also apparitions that are seen in places of traumatic events (Like battlefields) are known to be called Crisis Apparitions.

Cross-Correspondences
Interrelated bits of information received from ‘the spirit world’ by different mediums at different times and locations. The communications must be joined together to form a complete message from Spirit.

Crossroads
Like when talking about city crossroads, this is where 2 or more things meet/intersect. But when mentioned in paranormal research, we're usually not talking about streets (unless we get lost on the way to an investigation). Crossroads usually mean where two or more lines of earth energy intersect. There is thought to be a good deal of paranormal activity in these locations.

Cryptomnesia
Knowledge (acquired in normal ways) that may be revealed without the person remembering its source. Such memories may falsely appear to be paranormal revelations.

Crystal Gazing
Staring into a reflecting surface (e.g., mirror, glass, crystal, liquid) in order to obtain paranormal information. Also known as scrying. [See "Scrying" for more info.]

[ D ]

Death
The act of dying; termination of life.
The termination or extinction of something.

Generally understood to be the extinction of an organism's life. Many doctrines assert some form of mental or spiritual survival of physical death.

Deathbed Experience
A dying person's awareness of the presence of dead friends or relatives. [Also see "Near-Death Experience" and "Crisis Apparition" for more info.]

Déjà vu
The feeling of having already experienced something actually being experienced for the first time.

An impression of having seen or experienced something before. Also called a Déjà Experience.

Delta
A term used to refer to any kind of anomalous experience. [See "Anomalous Experience" and "Anomalous Phenomena" for more info.]

Dematerialize
To deprive of or lose apparent physical substance; make or become immaterial.

To suddenly disappear. Example: an object or spirit.

Demon
An evil supernatural being; a devil.

An evil spirit or being which is said to have not ever lived on earth in human form.

Demonology
The study of demons.

Deport
The paranormal movement of objects out of a secure enclosed space. [Also see "Apport/Asport" for more info.]

Direct Voice Phenomenon (DVP)
A Spirit voice, spoken directly to sitters at a séance. The sound usually seems to come from a point near the medium, or through a spirit horn or trumpet, but not from the mouth of the medium.

Discarnate Entity
A spirit or non-material entity. Often used to refer to the personality of a deceased individual.

Disembodied Voice
A voice or sound heard or recorded that comes from no physical body or known source. [Also see "Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP)" for more on capturing voices of Spirit on recordings.]

Dissociation
The act of removing from association; the state of being separate and unconnected.

Activity performed outside of normal conscious awareness, or mental processes that suggest the existence of separate centers of consciousness.

Divining Rod
A forked rod (or sometimes a pair of L-shaped rods) used in dowsing. [Also see "Dowsing" for more info.]

DMILS
"Direct Mental Interaction with Living Systems". Psychokinetic influences on physiological processes. [Also see "Psychokinesis" and "Bio-PK" for more info.]

Doppelganger
A spiritual or ghostly double or counterpart; an apparitional double of a living person.

A mirror image or double of a person.

Dowsing
To use a divining rod to search for underground water or minerals.

An act which, generally, a 'dowsing rod' or 'divining rod' is employed to locate subterranean water, ore, oil, etc.. or other concealed items by following the direction in which the rod turns in the users hand.

Dream
See "Paranormal Dream".

[ E ]

Earthquake Effect
A phenomenon produced by the physical medium D.D. Home, involving the room shaking as if there was an earthquake.

Ecstasy
An altered state of consciousness in which the person experiences great rapture and loss of self-control. [Also see "Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)" and "Trance" for more info.]

Ecto/Ectoplasm
An immaterial or ethereal substance, especially the transparent corporeal presence of a spirit or ghost.

A semi-fluid substance exuded by a physical medium from which materializations may form. Ecto is also what we call the smokey mist like substance we capture on film that we believe to be spirit energy. To avoid false evidence it's important for you and other people to not be smoking during an investigation. If you must smoke, make a place away from the investigation for everyone to smoke at. Also watch out for your breath on cold days, fog, etc.. If you are sure none of the elements above are present and you don't see any mist with the naked eye, yet it shows up on film, you may have something.

Electro Magnetic Field (EMF) Meter/Detector
Also called a gauss or magnetometer, these let you know the Electro Magnetic Field readings in an area. The presence of spirit has been known to often produce/disturb electro magnetic energy in the area. Lots of things throw off EMF's though (Lamps, TV's, etc..) so scout around the area of the investigation first and get to know where these things are. If you start getting fluctuations in EMF readings in an area with no other explanation for them.. Tell someone to start taking photos/video/EVP/etc.. You may get interesting results.

Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)
This is the capturing of spirit voices on recorders. Try setting up a recorder during investigations (Regular hand held audio tape recorders or digital recorders work fine. If using a audio tape recorder, an external mic is best so you don't pick up the sounds of the gears and such turning of the recorder). When playing the recording back you may hear sounds or voices that weren't heard at the time of the investigation. Try asking questions and pausing also.. you may get answers.

Elemental Spirit
A lesser spirit bound to the fundamentals of nature (earth, wind, water, and fire).
Entity:
A real being, whether in thought or in fact; being; essence; existence.

A disembodied or preternatural spirit.

Ethereal
Heavenly; Not of this world; Spiritual.

ESP
See "Extra Sensory Perception".

Evil Eye
A look or stare believed to cause injury or misfortune to others.

Alleged ability of some people to harm others by looking at them.

EVP
See "Electronic Voice Phenomena".

Exorcism
A religious or quasi-religious rite to drive out evil spirits. [Also see "Possession" for more info.]

Experiment
A test carried out under controlled conditions.

A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.

Experimental Parapsychology
Parapsychological research involving experimental methods rather than survey techniques or the investigation of spontaneous cases.

Experimenter Effect
Influence that the experimenter's personality or behavior may have on the results of an experiment.

Extradimensional
Originating outside our normal space-time reality.

Extra Sensory Perception (ESP)
Communication or perception by means other than the physical senses.

The ability to gain knowledge through means other than the five physical senses or logical inference.

[ F ]

Fairy
An tiny elemental entity [See "Elemental" for more info] considered clever, mischievous, and possessing magical abilities.

Faith Healing
Healing that is associated with prayer or belief in Divine power.

False Awakening
When a person believes he or she has woken up, but actually is still dreaming.

Focal Person
Person who is at the center of poltergeist activity. [Also see "Poltergeist" for more info.]

Fortean Phenomena
Strange phenomena, especially those which challenge conventional scientific knowledge. Named after the American researcher and writer Charles Fort. Fortean phenomena include those generally considered paranormal, but also bizarre non-paranormal events such as monsters and prodigies, extraordinary coincidences, and unusual rains.

Fortune Telling
The practice or art of professing to reveal future events in the life of another.

Various practices which aim to divine future events.

Fraud
A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain.

The deliberate faking of paranormal phenomenon, generally for the purpose of financial gain, psychological manipulation, or notoriety. Faking for the purpose of entertainment (e.g., by stage magicians and mentalists) is not normally classed as fraud.

[ G ]

Ganzfeld Experiment
An experiment where input from the outside world is reduced by placing halved ping-pong balls over the eyes and by masking external sounds (covering subject's ears with headphones and playing white noise). A state of mild sensory deprivation.

General Extra Sensory Perception (GESP)
ESP in which it is unclear whether the results are due to clairvoyance, telepathy, precognition or retrocognition.

GESP
See "General Extra Sensory Perception".

Ghost
People tend to put Ghost and Spirit in the same category and definition, even at Ghost Tracker we have found ourselves switching back and forth from Ghost to Spirit when talking about them because they both basically get the same idea across.. But most paranormal researchers distinguish the two by these definitions:

A Ghost usually refers to a residual energy [See our "Types of Spirit" page for more info on Residual hauntings] of a person, animal, or even an inanimate object that has been imprinted in the location, only to be played over and over again like a recording in time. Unlike Spirits, Ghosts don't seem to interact. [See "Spirit" for more info on them.] When a person has preformed events over and over again in a location they tend to leave a psychic impression on the area, which sometimes stays in the location long after that person has passed on. Traumatic events in a location may also leave a strong psychic impression on the area (Like people seeing soldiers fighting battles on battlefields, etc..)

Ghost Hunter/Investigator
A person or group who tries to record evidence of spirit or ghosts. This may be done by means of photography, video, EMF (Electro Magnetic Field)/Thermo readings, trying to capture EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) on recordings, and other means.

Ghost Hunt/Investigation
A ghost hunt is an attempt to capture spirit activity in a location not known to be haunted. A ghost investigation is an attempt to capture spirit activity usually at a location already known, or presumed to be haunted.

Glossolalia
Fabricated and nonmeaningful speech, especially such speech associated with a trance state or certain schizophrenic syndromes. Also known as "speaking in tongues". [Also see "Xenoglossy" for more info.]

Guardian Angel
An angel believed to have special affection and protection for a particular individual. [Also see "Spirit Guide" for more info.]

Guide
See "Spirit Guide".

[ H ]

Haunting
To inhabit, visit, or appear to in the form of a ghost or other supernatural being.

This can be sounds of activity, objects being moved, sightings of apparitions, etc.. in a location when no one is there physically.

Hot Spot
An area or place where frequent paranormal activity occurs, such as hauntings.

Huna
A Hawaiian religious practice involving clairvoyance, precognition, healing, miracles and magic.

Hyperaesthesia
An abnormal or pathological increase in sensitivity to sensory stimuli, as of the skin to touch or the ear to sound.

Exceptionally acute sensory awareness. [Also see "Extra Sensory Perception" for more info.]

Hypnosis
An artificially induced altered state of consciousness, characterized by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction.

An Altered State of Consciousness involving a heightened degree of suggestibility. [Also see "Mesmerism" and "Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)" for more info.]

Hypnotism
The act of inducing hypnosis. [Also see "Hypnosis" for more info.]

[ I ]

Illusion
The condition of being deceived by a false perception or belief.

An appearance that leads the person to draw mistaken conclusions.

Imagery
The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.

The ability to perceive images in the mind. These may be visual, auditory, tactile, etc.

Immortality
Endless life or existence.

The belief that some aspect of personal existence survives death.

Incorruptibility
Not subject to corruption or decay. Inexplicable lack of decay in a corpse.

Incubus
A spirit supposed to descend upon and have sexual intercourse with women as they sleep.
Indirect Voice Phenomena (IVP):
Phenomenon in which an entity appears to speak using the vocal apparatus of a living person. Often the voice will sound very different from the persons normal voice. [Also see "Direct Voice Phenomena (DVP)" for more info.]

Intuition
A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

The act or faculty of knowing or sensing something without the use of normal senses.
Invocation:
The act or an instance of invoking, especially an appeal to a higher power for assistance.

The act of summoning spiritual beings.

[ J ]

[ K ]

Ka
Ancient Egyptian term for the astral body. [Also see "Ba" for more info.]

Karma
A distinctive aura, atmosphere, or feeling.

The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.

Kirlian Photography
A photographic method involving high frequency electric current, discovered by S.D. & V. Kirlian in the Soviet Union. Kirlian photographs often show colored halos or "auras" surrounding objects.

The colors in the photographs believe to show several factors such as stress, ill health in living organisms, and the state of your soul. It is analogous to Spiritual Healing which can also be felt but not seen. Example: See Ghost Tracker Matt Ferrell's Auric photo here. [Also see "Aura" for more info.]

Kundalini
In Yogic belief, a source of tremendous vital energy that may be stimulated by various practices. Kundalini, or the "Serpent Power", is believed to provide energy for paranormal phenomena.

[ L ]

Levitation
To rise or cause to rise into the air and float in apparent defiance of gravity.

This is a form of telekinetic activity, sometimes associated with poltergeist type hauntings. It is when a person or object is raised off of the ground and sometimes thrown by an unseen force.

Lucid Dreaming
Dreaming in which the person is aware that the experience is a dream.

Lucidity
Lucid dreaming; An early term for clairvoyance. [Also see "Clairvoyance" and "Lucid Dreaming" for more info.]

Luminous Phenomena
The experience of strange lights or glows, often around objects or people. [Also see "Aura" for more info.]

[ M ]

Macro-PK
Psychokinetic effects that can be directly observed rather than only inferred from statistical analysis. [Also see "Psychokinesis" and "Micro-PK" for more info.]

Mantra
A sacred sound or sacred syllables used in meditation. [Also see "Meditation" and "Transcendental Meditation" for more info.]

Materialization
To cause to become real or actual; To cause to become materialistic.

The appearance of spirits in material form.

Medicine Man/Medicine Woman
A witchdoctor or shaman. [Also see "Shaman" for more info.]

Meditation
A devotional exercise of or leading to contemplation.

Meditation is the process of relaxing, emptying your mind of all thought or reaching a different state of consciousness. Meditation can aid in spiritual development and/or inner peace. There are many types of meditation.

Medium
A person who professes to be able to communicate with spirits.

A person thought to have the power to communicate with spirits of the dead or with agents of another world or dimension.

Mediumship
Activity of a medium.

Mentalism
A branch of conjuring involving the simulation of psi. [Also see "Psi" for more info.]

Mental Mediumship
The paranormal obtaining of information by a medium. [Also see "Physical Mediumship" for more info.]

Mesmerism
The act of inducing hypnosis.

The induction of a sleep or trance state, discovered during the work of Friedrich Anton Mesmer, from whose name the word is derived. Also known as hypnotism.

Metal Bending
Psychokinetic ability to bend metal objects. [Also see "Psychokinesis" for more info.]

Metamorphosis
A transformation. See "Shape-shifting".

Metempsychosis
Another term for reincarnation. [Also see "Reincarnation" for more info.]

Micro-PK
Psychokinetic effects that cannot be directly observed, but only inferred from the statistical analysis of data. [Also see "Psychokinesis" and "Macro-PK" for more info.]

Mind Reading
See "Telepathy".

Mist
An anomaly (not usually seen at the time with the naked eye) that appears on photos/videos as a "cloud of smoke" thought to be Spirit energy, also called Ecto [See Ecto/Ectoplasm for more info.]

Mnemonist
A person who has learned techniques that enable extraordinary feats of memory.

Morphic Resonance
A term coined by Rupert Sheldrake to refer to the way in which the "morphogenetic field" (underlying form) of an object or organism may influence distant fields.

Motor Automatism
See "Automatism".

Multiple Personality
A psychiatric condition in which the person manifests two or more distinct and separate personalities at different times. [Also see "Possession" for more info.]

Muscle Reading
See "Contact Mind Reading".

Mystic
A person who has mystical experiences. Used loosely to refer to psychics, mediums or romantics.

Mystical Experience
Altered State of Consciousness involving experiences of ecstasy, unity, timelessness, loss of self, divine revelation, etc. [Also see "Altered State of Consciousness (ASC)" for more info.]

Mysticism
Religious or spiritual doctrines which argue that the human mind or soul can directly experience the divine. [Also see "Mystical Experience" for more info.]