Are all ghosts evil?  No.  Despite what Hollywood portrays, ghosts and most spirits are not evil or dangerous.  Most ghosts and spirits were people like you and me, who had families, jobs, dreams and concerns.  However, in intelligent hauntings, the spirits maintain the same characteristics as the person who lived.  If someone was cranky as a person, their spirit will be cranky in nature.  Most hauntings that are claimed to be evil are actually human spirits frustrated that they can't get attention and resort to more obvious means of being noticed. 

Can a ghost hurt me?  There are incidents of people getting injured by ghosts, but those are very rare.  Most injuries caused by ghosts can be attributed to careless running as a result of the fear of the paranormal.  It is rare for a poltergeist to injure - more often than not it is the epicenter that injures themselves, not others.  Demonic entities - well they can produce scratches, burns, and other injuries - our advice, avoid them. 

If I move, will the ghost follow me?  It depends.  If a ghost is attached to you, they will often follow you.  If it follows you that means it usually is a deceased loved one.  If the ghost is attached to the original property, they will remain there if you move.  If the ghost is attached to a certain object (for example, a piece of furniture) that ghost will follow that object.  Part of our interview process tries to determine if the paranormal activity is attached to a person, place, or object.

Can antiquing bring ghosts in my house?  In a word, yes.  Ghosts can become attached to an item that he or she cherished while alive.  Most of these hauntings are residual in nature, meaning they are not aware of you and will not interact with you.  Any used item may have an attached energy, whether from a tag sale, estate sale, inheritance, or even if you find something on a curb.  If a haunting commences after acquiring a certain item, the best solution is to remove that item for a few months.  If the haunting continues, you can assume it was not that item.  It could be another item or attached to you or the property. 

Can I communicate with ghosts?  Yes, but only intelligent hauntings.  Residual hauntings are akin to a recording of a moment in time that is replayed over and over again.  Ghosts can produce voices that are audible to the human ear, but most voices are captured as EVP, not heard by the human ear.  However, most ghosts communicate by tapping or knocking.  They will also try to get your attention by moving or hiding items or by trying to appear as a visible form.  Whatever you do, do not try to communicate with a Ouija board or other divination techniques as they can invite demonic entities into your home! 

My dog acts scared and refuses to enter a certain room. Can it be haunted?  Animals seem to be more aware of paranormal activity than humans.  Dogs will either bark, or whimper and absolutely refuse to go into a haunted space.  Cats will also act strange.  For cats and dogs, it depends on their personality how much it affects them.  Some are intrigued, but most of the time, they are afraid. 

My child claims they see a ghost, but no one else can, can they be crying out for attention?  The child can be crying out for attention.  However, one thing to remember is that young children have not been told by society that “ghosts are not real”.  There are many cases from investigators that imaginary friends are really not imaginary at all.  Some EVP sessions have gathered evidence of imaginary friends being ghosts talking to children.  If a child has vivid descriptions of an imaginary friend, it just may be a ghost. 

How can I get a residual haunting to stop?  The bad news – sometimes you can’t.  The energy will slowly diminish over time, but since residuals are similar to a recording, it’s an energy that cannot be reasoned with.  The good news?  It is an energy that is not aware of you and cannot try to communicate with you.  I’ve often heard the only other way to remove a residual haunt is to dismantle your home completely.  I don’t know anyone who would do that.  If the residual energy is attached to an object, removal of that object will remove the attached energy as well. 

Can you expel an intelligent haunting?  Sometimes.  Be very leery of any group who can state that they can expel spirits.  Truth is, it’s hit or miss.  Intelligent haunts can be reasoned with.  They either do not want to pass to the other side, or they do not know they are dead.  Sometimes intelligent hauntings will stop when you ask them to.  Let them know they are scaring you or bothering you and ask them to leave.  A clergy member can pray for the soul at your house and they may move on.  Sometimes though, they do not want to leave and will not leave, so you have to learn to live with them.  But set ground rules.  It may seem odd, but tell them that “this is my house and you cannot do……………..”  We have a few tricks up our sleeves for the stubborn ones, but again they must want to leave before they do. 

Why are Ouija boards dangerous? – Ouija boards can invite a demonic presence into a house.  Although at first glance it appears to be a harmless toy, in actuality, it is a potentially dangerous item.  The demonic entity will focus on someone in the group with a lower psyche.  This demonic entity will answer basic questions in order to lull the users into a false sense of security.  The entity may disguise itself as a friendly or helpful spirit.  The more the Ouija board is used, the greater the chance the entity can come to this realm and create major and potentially dangerous situations.   

Once a demonic entity is allowed into your home, it is very difficult – and dangerous – to expel!  If you have a Ouija board, please throw it out!  Do not donate it to charity, just toss it.  The greatest solution to this problem is education.  Please educate your child on the dangers involved with this “toy”.  Education is much easier than dealing with a demonic entity! 

I have pictures of orbs, is that evidence of a haunting?  No.  More often than not orbs are created by a reflection of a camera flash off of dust, pollen, sand, bugs, mist, snowflakes, or any other tiny objects that naturally float.  When the camera flash reflects off of these objects, the result is a ball of light, sometimes translucent, sometimes more solid.  Orb photos can easily be recreated using ordinary materials and flash photography.  When someone enters an area, they stir up dust and other tiny items, and then when a photo is taken the picture has “orbs”.  Manchester Paranormal Investigations will never present orbs as evidence of the paranormal. 

My photograph has a mysterious mist forming, is that paranormal?  It may just be, but it could also be a host of other things, such as cigarette smoke, or a breath on a cold day or night.  It is important to have a controlled environment in which investigators do not smoke in the area of an investigation as the cigarette smoke will create a mist image.  It is important to make sure you also do not take a photo of your breath on a cold day or night.  If it is cold, consciously avoid exhaling as you are taking a photo as to not get your hopes up that you found something.  We were lucky to capture a paranormal mist after receiving an EVP.  The mist was invisible to the human eye, but picked up by a camera. 

Why do visitations happen while people are in a half-sleep?  People have become trained that there is no such thing as “ghosts” so much that we cannot realize that contact is being attempted.  While half-asleep our subconscious state allows us to be more open to suggestion and is more aware of unusual surroundings.

Why do some people see ghosts and others do not - even if they are both at the same location at the same time?  It has been said that in order to see, hear, or feel an entities presence, one must have some degree of extra-sensory perception (ESP).  Everyone has some level of ESP - some have more than others and some may suppress ESP due to their fear of the unknown or by being programmed that there is no such thing as ghosts.

Can a pet haunt us?  Yes.  There are many instances where a cat or dog will die and remain with their owners as spirits.  Why can’t animals have souls?  They are capable of thinking and feeling emotions.  The power of love may enable a pet to remain with its owner/friend even after death.  There has been recorded evidence of EVPs with meows or barking when no animal was heard or around. 

Is there a peak time for activity?  It has been said that peak times for paranormal activity is three days before and after a full moon and new moon.  The moon cycle affects the geomagnetic fields on Earth.  Periods of solar storms that charge the Earth with charged ions also produce amazing results.  Thunderstorms are also peak time for paranormal activity as the air is charged with ions.  However, do not investigate outside in a thunderstorm or we may talk to your spirit about why that was not a great idea.

Can a Ouija board cause mental anguish?  Besides the risk of attracting a demonic or dangerous spirit, users of the Ouija also have no control over information that was repressed, and resulting queries can result in the user to suffer a psychosis as a result of repressed memories being brought to light.  There have been many instances of Ouija board users being institutionalized after using a board.  Is there any correlation?  We can’t say and we say why risk it?

If you say spirits can manifest at any time, why do most see apparitions in the middle of the night?  It takes an extraordinary amount of energy for a spirit to manifest itself during the day.  They are most noticeable at night, because it is dark and there is less noise and light interference.  They may know that they will not be noticed during the day, so save their attempts until nighttime.  If you turn on a flashlight during the day, the light would be more difficult to see – use it at night and you can clearly see the light.  Spirits have intelligence, and know how to best get your attention.  They will attempt to talk to you and make other noises at any time, but usually save the visual until nighttime. 

Can demons materialize as a human form?  Yes.  It is known that they attempt to hide their intention if they feel threatened.  There are reports of demons pretending to be a human when paranormal investigators arrive, as they fear exorcism.  When they manifest as a human form, they are believed to be missing something.  They may be missing eyes, legs, arms, etc. or are disfigured in some way.  Maybe universal law commands that they display their true colors when they appear human.  We take very seriously reports of demonic entities.  The telltale signs of demonic entities includes a very offensive odor (sulfur or rotten flesh), very loud growling that encompasses an area, rising temperatures, and very thick soupy air.  There’s no mistaking a demon – however, if an investigator arrives they will try to pretend to be a human entity to avoid being cast out. 

Are angels amongst us?  It is thought that angels are amongst us everywhere.  They can look just like humans and are here to assist us, and to bring hope or guide those who need it the most.  You may have passed one on a sidewalk today and not known it.  They are believed to be around during the good times and the bad.

Do you see a common trait in hauntings?   We consider each haunting to be as unique as a snowflake.  One thing that is seen in most intelligent hauntings is the prevention of an individual to move on because of intense emotions of bitterness or regret.  It is true that spirits may be around because they want to protect someone or look after them, but it is believed these spirits moved on and can return when desired to check in on someone. 

But for the ones that are bound to this Earth, they are prevented from moving on because they can’t let go of their emotions.  Be it the need to finish a task, or holding onto negative energy.  So the best bet for us to move on at death is to let go of all that emotion and learn to love, forgive, and realize that we may never finish all that we set out to do – but there are more important things in life that worry.  Sounds cheesy – but after conducting investigations, this is the best advice we can give to the living.  To those that have past, we offer the same advice.    

In cases of malevolent spirits and demonic entities, they are actually drawn and feed into negative energy, so this life-change will have many benefits – health wise, spiritually, and by avoiding poltergeists, malevolent spirits, and demons.  Remember personal demons may invite real Demons. 

I see just a pair of eyes, what does that mean?  It is thought that the spirit only manifests as eyes as that is what they want your focus to be on. It is assumed they do not want focus on the rest of their face or their body. Some people claim to see red eyes, red is traditionally the color of anger, so it is possible the spirit want to make the point that it is angry for some reason and wants to make that simple point. ‘

There is an urban legend in Connecticut where a pair of red eyes is located in a haunted location. It turns out that the property owner or a neighbor upset at attention places two red reflectors at that location to scare off people. So the key, as to all paranormal events, is to rule out all normal explanations first.

Are the sounds of growling necessarily evil? Not necessarily. While it is true that some demons and malevolent entities may growl in order to raise fear to feed off of, there are also times where a growl is a little less menacing. It is know that animals have spirits, and animal spirits may also become trapped or choose to stay in this realm. Some of these spirits may be dogs who are still around “protecting” their owners. If someone may get too close to a protected human spirit, the dog may growl.  The growl may also be residual in nature. So don’t assume every growl is evil – it may not be.