Article Topic: Ghosts & Hauntings

If asked about which type of location tends to be the most haunted, most people would respond with cemeteries, battlefields, or old houses at the top of the list. But what about campuses of America's colleges and universities? Surely we've all heard a story or two from a local campus legend. But why are these institutions of higher learning truly institutions of haunted learning as well? Matthew L. Swayne, author of America's Haunted Universities, provides a few potential explanations for these haunted phenomena.

Why would spirits want to hang around a mortuary, a place filled with depressing energy? Psychic intuitive Mariah de la Croix certainly didn't think that they would want to; her five years in the funeral business proved her wrong, however. Here she details just what it was like to be so up close and personal with the spirits that remained near the places of the recently deceased.

Most of us enjoy a good bone-tingling scare. As a whole, we spend millions of dollars each year trying to satisfy our darker side. We like our horror movies, can’t wait to get on death-defying rides, and we spend countless hours reading the latest thrillers. But what about real paranormal encounters? Could they be more commonplace than we tend to think? Lisa Rogers, author of On Haunted Ground, poses the theory that, for better or worse, we all may be a little more haunted than we think.

In the summer of 2007, Ghost Under Foot author Kenneth Harmon and his family discovered that they had a ghost inhabiting their Fort Collins, Colorado home. Spurred by paranormal experiences at the famously haunted Stanley Hotel, the Harmons begin their investigation. Instead of diminishing, the ghostly experiences increase as the Harmons grow closer to Mary Bell Wilson, the spirit inhabiting their home.

As a paranormal investigator, one of the first questions Debi Chestnut is often asked is, “How did the ghost get here?” The answer isn’t as simple as it sounds—it requires asking a lot of questions of the homeowner and conducting hours of research. That said, Chestnut believes there are generally five reasons why a ghost takes up residence in a home. Here the Is Your House Haunted? author discusses five main reasons your house may be haunted.

Have you ever seen The Exorcist, The Amityville Horror, or other movies of that nature? Now imagine putting yourself in those roles and ask yourself, “How would I survive? Who would I turn to and trust with my deepest concerns and fears? Who, if anyone, would stand beside me through it all?” Growing up, Debra Lyn Pickman was always interested in the paranormal, and hoped to one day have an experience of her own. This turned out to be a case of "be careful for what you wish for." Until she and her family moved into the Sallie House, she had no idea that evil could physically reach out from another realm, draw blood, and jeopardize your belief system and the safety of your family. Here she recounts the terror that beheld her family for years.