Your great aunt left you
the house of your dreams,
or so you thought.
Now, as you listen to the sounds
of scratching on the walls,
you realize this house
is the house of your nightmares.
And since you’ve seen
your fair share of horror movies,
you know living in a haunted house
will not end well for you.
Yes, we know there's no scientific
proof of ghosts,
but there are countless reports
of hauntings all over the world.
According to a 2019 YouGov poll,
45% of Americans believe that ghosts
"definitely" or "probably" exist.
And the other 55%
have obviously never stayed
in a haunted house.
People in a haunted house may see
visual signs including
“full-bodied apparitions,"
or items that have moved
without anyone touching them.
So if you walk into the living room
and find everything rearranged,
maybe it’s time
to call the Ghostbusters.
Or someone else.
The idea of ghosts
has persisted for millennia.
It's based on our interest in death
and the possibility of an afterlife.
And ghosts need somewhere to live,
which is why haunted houses
have been around for centuries too.
Incidents of haunted houses
in Europe and the U.S.
increased significantly from 1848
to the late 1920s.
With the increase in hauntings
also came the increase in people
who said they could speak to ghosts
and get rid of them.
These people were known as mediums,
but they've also evolved into
other forms, such as ghost hunters
over the years.
Greg Newkirk is one such ghost hunter,
and anxious homeowners have called him
to many haunted houses
to determine why they are haunted.
According to Newkirk,
there are three types of hauntings.
An intelligent haunting,
also known as the “classic haunting,”
happens when a ghost
notices or acknowledges the people
living in the house
and interacts with them.
Think of Casper,
or for something really dark,
"The Haunting".
A residual haunting is when the spirit
or ghost does not acknowledge or notice
the people living in the house.
It may happen due to a terrible event
that happened in the house.
And finally,
there's the intentional haunting.
This is not a haunting by a spirit,
but a belief that's so strong
that it manifests a haunting.
These places attract attention
from people such as kids
or paranormal bloggers.
Whichever type of haunting
you're experiencing,
here are some tips to help you survive.
If you believe your house is haunted,
contacting a medium may not be
the worst idea.
A medium can visit and assess your home
and see how strongly the ghost
is attached to it.
A medium may decide that your house
needs a sage cleanse,
which is one of the oldest methods
of getting rid of bad energy
and unwanted spirits.
Burning sage is scientifically proven
to remove 94% of bacteria from the air
and release negative ions that put people
in a better mood.
And if it gets rid of spirits
along with that,
then you should probably
open up some windows and doors,
so they have somewhere to go.
Mediums often recommend that you keep
a sense of control
and “make a firm statement”
toward the intruding spirit.
This can include saying out loud
that you want the ghost to stop or leave.
Remember, people who mock
the supernatural are generally the first
to be harmed by a ghost.
This is not the time to clown around.
And if you believe the movies,
don’t keep dolls around.
Especially clown dolls
or anything resembling Annabelle.
The phrase "the mirror is your enemy"
takes on a new meaning
when your home has a ghost.
According to some cultures,
spirits can become trapped in mirrors.
So cover all the mirrors.
We’ve seen this countless times
in haunted house movies.
There's always a person who goes
to check on a noise
and never comes back.
If something is going bump in the night,
have friends or family stay with you
in the haunted house.
This will help assert your presence.
And you'll be less likely
to feel anxious and jumpy.
If you do encounter something
floating near you,
you may want to be able to run away.
So wearing high heels may not be helpful.
Whether you do or don't
believe in paranormal,
you must get your home checked
for carbon monoxide leaks.
Carbon monoxide poisoning
can cause memory loss, confusion,
emotional instability, disorientation
and hallucination.
If your home has a faulty
or abnormally functioning furnace,
it could produce carbon monoxide fumes,
and they could poison you.
Often, after the carbon monoxide leaks
are fixed in the "haunted" houses,
the hauntings stop.
But if the problem really is a ghost,
maybe you woke up in a horror movie.
It's lucky for you we have a solution
for that as well.
Stay tuned to How to Survive.