Not everyone gets to see a ghost (spirit, apparition) in his or her lifetime, but if you do, there are 5 times it’s most likely to happen.
An earlier study by Greeley (1976) found that 31% of people surveyed in the U.S. felt that they had been in contact with someone that had died. In Europe, the number was 25% (Haraldsson & Houtkooper 1991).
This left Dr. Erlendur Haraldsson (2012) wondering how many people today believed that they had seen or felt the presence of someone that had died.
Haraldsson decided to undertake an extensive study, interviewing 450 people, to find out their experiences seeing, hearing, or feeling those that have passed on (that is, ghosts).
It’s important to note that he included only experiences that occurred when the interviewee was awake (in other words, dream appearances of spirits were not included). His work concluded that there are some common times when we are more likely to see or sense ghosts:
1.) When it’s daytime.
While most of us have learned through TV and movies that ghosts are almost exclusively seen at night, however, that isn’t based on fact. In this study, 54% of apparitions were actually seen during the day.
2.) When they’re your relatives.
Fifty percent of the time, people reported that the apparition they saw was related to them.
That’s important because we’ve also learned from TV and movies that ghosts are scary strangers. It seems that’s not always the case!
Recommended: 7 Things Our Deceased Loved Ones Want us to Know
3.) When they’re male.
This one’s a game changer! Despite the frequent tales of the ghostly “woman in white” being seen just about everywhere, Haraldsson (2012) found that 69.4% of all apparitions seen were male.
Is it because men have more unfinished business or can more easily summon energy? We may never know, but they’re definitely seen a lot more often than women!
4.) When they have died suddenly (or violently) or by suicide.
Study results indicated that 28% of apparitions seen had died suddenly or committed suicide, vs. 8% of the total population that have died in that manner.
Clearly, there is unfinished business or perhaps these spirits really don’t know that they’ve passed on. Either way, these spirits are much more likely to be seen or heard than others that have passed uneventfully.
5.) When an important message needs to be communicated.
One common theme is communication. While 67% of reported ghostly encounters were visual, 28% reported auditory encounters with spirit. (Note that 20% reported a combination of 2 or more types of spirit encounters, including seeing, hearing, sensing, touching, or smelling them.)
This often happens when someone has passed suddenly and is compelled to give a message or pass along a helpful warning to loved ones.
Examples of this are messages that are supportive or state that the person that has passed is fine or, occasionally, they are warnings, such as letting you know there are hazards ahead on the road and to slow down, or take another route.
The good news is that these communications are almost always positive!
Recommended: 6 Ways “Modern” Spirits Communicate With Us
Now that you’ve learned some of the most common types of ghostly encounters, what are your thoughts? Have you had one? Please comment below – we’d love to hear your feedback!
References:
Greeley, A.M. (1975). The Sociology of the Paranormal: A reconnaissance. Sage Publications. London. 88 pp.
Haraldsson, E. (2012). The Departed Among the Living. An Investigative Study of Afterlife Encounters. USA and UK: White Crow Books.
Author: Dr. Carol Pollio is the Director of Intuitive Investigations, a paranormal investigation, and earthbound spirit rescue organization. After a successful career as a Chief Scientist in a federal land management agency and having honorably served 31 years in the military, Dr. Pollio is now focusing on the field of parapsychology, blending her knowledge of scientific principles with her intuitive abilities and psychic mediumship skills. She is also a certified Parapsychological Field Investigator with the Office of Paranormal Investigations and an Elemental Space Clearing® Practitioner.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Intuitiveinvestigations
Web: www.intuitive-investigations.com
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic blog post. Will read on…
I appreciate you sharing this post.Thanks Again. Great.
Looking forward to reading more. Great blog.Thanks Again. Much obliged.
Thanks again for the article. Really Cool.
Enjoyed every bit of your article post.
A big thank you for your blog.Really looking forward to read more.
Thanks for the post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I loved your post.Really looking forward to read more. Really Great.
Thanks so much for the blog post.Really thank you! Fantastic.
I appreciate you sharing this post. Really Cool.
Enjoyed every bit of your article.Really thank you! Cool.
I really enjoy the blog.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Muchos Gracias for your blog. Cool.
I really like and appreciate your article post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
I think this is a real great blog article.Really looking forward to read more.
Major thankies for the article post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
Thank you ever so for you blog article. Great.
Thanks-a-mundo for the article post.Really thank you! Cool.
Muchos Gracias for your blog.Really looking forward to read more. Cool.
I really liked your blog post. Want more.
Im obliged for the blog post. Awesome.
Hey, thanks for the blog. Will read on…
Great, thanks for sharing this article post. Cool.
Appreciate you sharing, great blog post. Cool.
Major thankies for the blog post. Fantastic.
Great, thanks for sharing this article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I think this is a real great blog article.Really thank you! Will read on…
Really appreciate you sharing this blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Great.
Thank you for your article post.Much thanks again. Will read on…
Hey, thanks for the blog article.Much thanks again. Really Great.