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I have a very specific experiences – or set of experiences – that sparked my interest in the paranormal. I am wondering if you do, too. What sparked you interest? If you feel comfortable doing so, please share the experience.
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Mine is in the experiences thread, I do not want to duplicate post /biggrin.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='
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Mine from my blog:
My friend, Larry, believes he has moved into a haunted apartment. He recently moved to a new state and a new town to take a new job. He’s been living in his apartment for a week, and strange things have started to happen. He’s not so sure what to make of it.
Larry is a scientist, and his world-view tends towards the scientific. He’s well aware of my passion for the paranormal (he’s even been up to Wellington with me) and I would classify him as quietly skeptical. Open-minded, but I haven’t seen that there’s been any one thing to convince him that ghosts exist.
Which is why I was surprised to get a phone call from him telling me about the odd goings on in his new abode. A key that went missing and, after an extensive search of every vertical surface in the apartment, turned up on an empty table. A clock radio set to the static between radio stations and set to the alarm function that went off two hours before it was set for – first to radio static, and then to a voice shouting, “It’s time to get out of bed!”
Sure – there are explanations. There always are. A dream. Key blindness (this is a very real thing, by the way, and my family swears I have it. I lose my keys nearly daily and can search four or five times in one location before finding it exactly where I’ve searched.)
I find myself waxing nostalgic after talking with Larry. I remember those first tentative days in my haunted (??) apartment where I wasn’t really sure what was going on – but it sure seemed like there was something that sent a chill up and down my spine.
For me, it started as innocently as Larry’s key. A walk into the kitchen of the tiny apartment where a cupboard door was hanging open. I closed it, latched it, walked away. An hour later, there it was open again. Interesting, sure, but most likely a faulty latch. It was only over the next weeks and months that it began to dawn on me that I was not alone in that apartment.
It wasn’t one thing. It was a progression. A building. Almost as if a child was playing hide and seek with me, but wanting me to know it was there. An open door would latch shut. A latched door would open. A dripping faucet would make a squeak and turn on in the bathroom.
And then the noises started. Was my imagination running away with me? Was I having waking dreams? Did sounds travel from apartment to apartment in such a way that it felt and sounded as if someone was whispering in my ear?
Like Larry, I was of a scientific bent. Ghosts were characters in spooky stories I liked to read and spooky movies I liked to watch. They weren’t real. They were just a way to pass the time entertained and enthralled.
But each event built on another, which built on another. Each had many potential logical explanations. And yet, as each event unfolded, it was accompanied by a chill. A deep cold that would run through my body. Like someone had walked over my grave.
I moved into that apartment not ever even imagining that ghosts were anything more than fantasies on the written page. I left a year later and I wasn’t so sure. I put it out of my mind. After all – ghosts. Such craziness! I was a rational and intelligent woman. Who’d believe me if I told them? Soon I convinced myself that it was all imagination.
My haunted apartment lay dormant in my mind for years. If a show about ghosts came on television, I perked up momentarily as if trying to recover a memory that hovered somewhere just beyond my reach. But once again ghosts were relegated to flights of imagination.
Little by little, like a recovered memory, my apartment would come back to me. It would be a certain feeling as I went about my daily business. Just a little nibble at the corner of my mind accompanied by some sense of familiarity and a sense of unease – as if I was forgetting something hugely important.
What am I trying to remember? I’d ask myself. There was something there if only I could grasp hold of it.
And so I went – through my 20s and part of my 30s. With this important memory just outside of my ability to access it. I’d feel that feeling and know I was supposed to remember something. It was so familiar as it caressed the edges of my mind. It was as if I was dancing with an invisible partner who matched my steps but refused to allow me to touch it.
And then one day the feeling came and I grasped at a tiny cobweb of the memory and began to unravel it. One gossamer thread at a time, I pulled it apart until it revealed something to me. I had shared an apartment with a ghost. And I was ready to explore that experience fully and find out what really might be out there.
Since then, I’ve chased the shadows. I want to know what lurks inside. I want to know what drives experiences like mine and like Larry’s.
Larry’s experience is just beginning. Where will it lead him? Will it change his beliefs? Will it change his world view? Or will he, like me, somehow forget and move forward while his experience lies nestled and waiting to awaken him to possibilities he had never before considered?
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Alright – since I'm a newbie, and ya'll have probably already posted your experiences more than one – I guess I'll take a stab at it.
Let me preface this by saying that I have sharpened my critical thining skills since these experiences…so while these experiences may well have some natural explanation, at the time I was left puzzled (actually – I'm still puzzled). These experiences won't seem as sensational as others you will hear, but I will tell it as accurately as my memory serves, without intentionally embellishing it.
When I was a child, around 8 or 9, I had a bunk bed – I slept on the bottom bunk. I remember real vividly the night the "tapping" began. My parents were out and our babysitter, Sarah< was watching us. I was laying down – drifting off to sleep – when an annoying tapping sound started just above my head – seemingly from the bunk above me. I looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise, but I couldn't find any moving pieces that could create that sound. It sounded like someone tapping a pencil on metal. My beds had oak frames. The only metal at all on my bed were the two metal rails which supported the top bunk. So I figured that someting was hitting those rails. I grabbed the rails with my hands, trying to dampen the sound – but it did nothing. The tapping continued. So I got up, retrieved Sarah, and asked her if she could locate the source of the tapping. As we walked into the room, I noticed that the tapping had stopped. She told me that if it started again to go get her. So I laid back down as she walked out of the room, the tapping resumed. I lifted my head – the tapping stopped. I laid down again – the tapping resumed. I was reminded of that Looney Tunes cartoon with the singing frog (the one who sang everytime the man opened the box but when he placed it in front of a crowd of people all he would do is croak?) Frustrated – I jumped out of bed to go get Sarah, and again, the tapping stopped. I didn't want to embarrass myself anymore than I already had in front of the babysitter (I think I had a crush on her), so I ignored the tapping and went to sleep. That was the night it started, but the tapping continued for years. I learned to live with it and learned how to fall asleep in spite of it. When I moved away to college, one of the first things I noticed is that the tapping stopped. I was actually getting a quiet night's sleep. For a year I lived without the annoying tapping at the head of my bed. However, during that year, strange things started to occur at my parent's house (the house I had just left to go to college. My parents reporte hearing footsteps go up and down the stairs at night when nobody else was up. Doors opening and shutting by themselves, etc. And you have to understand – this is coming from the world's biggest skeptic/cynic…my dad. the next school year, I moved into a different apartment and this time went home to retrieve my old bed. And the tapping resumed – the reported activity at my parent's house ceased. The tapping continued through the first five years of my marriage. I had at one time believed the tapping to be my bed rails contracting and expanding with the changes in temperature – but why only when I was in the room? The tapping continued through several different homes and several different beds…until one night. I was awake…the tapping was frustratingly loud this time….when my wife raised her head after being asleep (the tapping always seemed to wait until she was asleep) and told me to knock it off. I was so shocked, that after all these years, someone else actually heard the tapping, that I didn't even bother to tell her that it wasn't me. Immediately the tapping stopped, and in fifteen years, it has not returned.
My second experience happened years later…about 4 to 5 years ago. We had just purchased a new home (new meaning it was just built – we were the first occupants). It was about 6 months after we moved in that things first started happening. I was up late one night – watching televeision (actually I was watching Matrix:reloaded – I love that movie). We had an artifical ficus tree sitting right next to the tv. As I was watching tv, the tree started shaking…by shaking I mean it was as if someone had grabbed the trunk and vigorously shaken it. Needless to say I was quite startled. I sat there for a moment – paralyzed – I didn't even know what to think. So after I had time to think about what just happened I started to rationalize it. I thought that it had to be some kind of animal in that tree. The first thing that I though of were the number of small lizards that crawl around our house…but it would have to be a BIG friggin' lizard to do that…so I thought, a bird, or a squirrel must have gotten in. So I walked over to examine the tree….nothing. Nothing had fallen into it…it wasn't underneath a vent…there was absolutely nothing that I could find that would make that tree shake like that. So I went to bed. A couple of days later, I was in the kitchen making breakfast…I was facing the oven, making omelettes, when I heard my wife approach me from behind and mumble something. I turned around to ask her to repeat what she had just said only to find no one there. I didn't think there was a ghost or anything like that…the first thought that entered my mind is that my wife mumbled something then walked off. So I was frustrated as I called out to her to repeat what she said. I thought she was ignoring me so I became increasingly frustrated, stormed upstairs to find out why she was ignoring me only to find her sleeping soundly in the bed. The covers weren't moved – there was no signs of her leaving that bed recently. Other events continued to happen in that house, such as a similar experience that my wife had – thinking she saw one of the children run up the stairs, only to find that both boys were outside, we both started to hear voices while we slept, and then our dogs started dying one by one – unexplainable deaths. My wife thinks that the neighbor may have killed them off one by one, and I guess that's the rational explanation, but he never struck me as that kind of person. Things started climaxing in the house and my wife and I divorced. After the divorce, we moved out, and nothing strange happened. For two years we were divorced, and my ex-wife started collecting chihuahuas (I don't understand her love for those little spawns of Satan) – she had nine of them. Well – to make a long story short, we reconciled and were re-married. The day she moved back in, dogs started dying – again. Over 80% of the several dogs that she owned and bred have died since we have been back together. To this day, everytime one of her dogs has a litter, almost all of the pups die. This last litter we were lucky – one survived. Now – I know – there is a rational explanation – dogs die…but strange coincidence and the sheer improbablity factor of so many dogs dying prematurely is something else I find strange. As for the shaking tree – I don't have an explanation – maybe some of you do – the voices? I guess that could be an audible illusion…I don't know…but these are the events which led me to the point of trying to find some answers.
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I can't really remember what made me interested. I know I had an experience when I was about 6 or 7 years old but mainly I think the interest came from hearing all the stories that my family told me. It seems a lot of them have had many paranormal experiences over the years and ESP runs strong in my family so the combination of everything just set me on the path that I am on. Plus having a couple of more experiences over the years, especially recently in the last 3 years or so just made me more determined.
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from the time i was very small i would have 'spells' when i would be gobsmacked with this terribly strong sense of deja vu, only it was like it hadn't happened yet. (this isn't going to make a lot of sense because it still doesn't completely make sense to me.)
i would be playing and all of a sudden i couldn't hear anything but could see the people around me. the thought would go thru my head 'i know what you are going to say' and the conversation would play out a sentence or 2 ahead of what the people were saying. i would look at the people out of sequence because i was following the conversation in my head and keeping track of what they were really saying, as i could now hear them as if they were far away. this 'spell' (i used to call it that) would first be accompanied by a funny feeling in my stomach and then an overall feeling of flushness…i would always say to myself: 'ok, here we go again…let's just do this'.
it was never anything important, just that i knew what was going to be said. word for word. and i have had it happen with places: i have been to building i had never been in and knew exactly how to find my way around in them. deserted houses etc. even when small.
there is no history of epilepsy or anything like that in my family. i never lost consciousness. afterwards things just went back to normal. it doesn't happen as often now, but still sometimes.
"We are the music makers... and we are the dreamers of dreams." - Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder)
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Ok well Iv posted some of my experiences on other threads (seriously if I posted everything Id be taking over this site lol). But what started it hmmm…….
Iv heard people tell me that since my family is into ghosts, it just passes the belief to me. Well, not true. I actually believe many thing my family does it and vice versa. Also, my family started voicing their opinions on ghosts after I already believed. So what started it? I have experienced thing literally ALL my life. The house I grew up in was haunted. According to my grandmother (after I was already in my teens) the activity ramped up after I was born. Not just poltergist things but sightings as well. I have witnessed angels, ghosts, evil spirits (not going to say they were demons as Im not sure they were). Seen things, heard things, felt things, Iv even had conversations with them! Yes when I was younger (but no I dont think they were imaginary friends) but also n high school. Iv taken audio, video, and pictures that things appear in. Most of the time no I wasnt trying to catch anything. One time, while trying to catch something (kind of I also just wanted the picture) I caught something. If you look in my Queen Mary thread you will see it and judge for your self. But most of the time I catch it when not trying to. I caught an apparition on tape while doing a school project. Can you imagine out surprise while editing when we saw it!
So really, there was not one event. There was my life. With so much going on, almost right from the start, I was almost destined into it.
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When we first moved into our house we could not stay in the 2nd floor front room. We'd get a heavy oppresive feeling, goosebumps and just a very eerie feeling on the back of the neck. It would start as soon as we passed our bedroom door and stepped down the hallway, with the feelings getting worse the closer we got. Sometimes we'd catch something on a quick glance but never saw anything specific.
We had our priest come in and bless the house and we never had anything happen since. As a matter of fact I'm typing this here now as the room is now my den.
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Mine started in my childhood, my mom was always seeing dead relatives & going to psychics & such. We were very close so I think it rubbed off on me also. She would also read my cards all the time,
so that was really cool to me as a kid & a teen. Later in my twenties & on I had a few experiences that I don't want to bore everyone with right now. Also I've always just had very intuitive feelings
about things, such as good or bad feelings about certain things. Everytime I followed my instincts it turned out ok. But I think that most people have those feelings, some just don't always acknowledge them.
I do believe in an afterlife & am curious about that.
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Bryan, you're a great storyteller. You need to put your experiences in a book. By storyteller, I don't mean to imply that I thought your were lying, on the contrary. The art of storytelling has been lost.
My personal experience? Well, my earliest recollection of something really bizarre and hardcore that would make me follow after/chase the shadows would be what happened to me at the age of 10, or there abouts. I was lying in my bed one night, probably between 9:00 – 10:00 p.m., because that was mine and my sister's bedtime(9:00 p.m.). My parents were in the livingroom down the hall watching tv. My sister's were in their room next door quietly talking(they are younger than myself).
I was lying on my back with the cover pulled up to about my chest(always had to have a cover, and to this day). Then, a pair of hands tightly gripped each ankle and pulled me straight down the length of my bed, my back hitting flat against the hardwood floor, with the back of my head lightly pounding the floor! My mom immediately yelled back the hallway and asked "What is going on back there?" I simply said that I had fallen out of bed. My sister's laughed and called me "clumsy." Plus, during this same time period, I would wake up with the dark silhouette of a large man standing at my bedroom door, and I would try and yell for help, but I could not yell(not a sound), and I could not move(night paralysis), so I would close my eyes, and after "many minutes," he would finally go away. The yanking me out of bed happened just "once," but the "shadow figure" accompanied with "night paralysis" happened many, many times!
From personal experience, I "KNOW" that the "other side" exists!
~ MidnightPoet
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the dark figure and sleep paralysis is an actual condition that
is quite common. it's not paranormal though.
the other experience though certainly sounds paranormal to me.
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the dark figure and sleep paralysis is an actual condition that
is quite common. it's not paranormal though.
the other experience though certainly sounds paranormal to me.
Heidi, I have read tons of material on sleep paralysis, and on shadow people/figures, and they "are paranormal." The reason why is because children are more "in tune" with the "other side," and the Other Side has more influence over children, because they are so innocent and vulnerable. Believe me, I have been reading paranormal books and journals, as well as scientific journals all of my life since I was about 11 years old. I have many volumes of books written by "parapsychologists" on the subjects of "night terrors," and "night paralysis," and "prophetic dreaming," and "shadow figures." I forgot to mention that the same night in which the "Thing/IT" pulled me out of bed, later that night/early morning, I had a "shadow figure" at my bedroom door, and I was "paralyzed" for many minutes.
Sorry, "shadow figures, accompanied with paralysis" "ARE PARANORMAL!"
About two years ago I had a very bad experience with a "shadow person" and major sleep paralysis right here in this apartment. The same apartment where I threw away an Ouija Board(twice), and it came back both times. I had a "talk" with it, threw it away a third time, and, so far, it has never returned!
Bottom line: Shadow People and Night Paralysis are paranormal! /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
~ MidnightPoet
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It's your right to believe its paranormal, and my right to believe it's explained by a perfectly natural phenomena of the brain /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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It's your right to believe its paranormal, and my right to believe it's explained by a perfectly natural phenomena of the brain
/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
It's "NOT" natural, but "PARANORMAL."
When two invisible hands grab you by the ankles and pull you out of bed, I think you'll change your mind! /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':huh:' />
Heidi, have you ever "experienced" night paralysis and shadow figures?
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It's "NOT" natural, but "PARANORMAL."
When two invisible hands grab you by the ankles and pull you out of bed, I think you'll change your mind!
/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':huh:' />
Heidi, have you ever "experienced" night paralysis and shadow figures?
and I agreed with you in my first response that THAT incident certainly sounded paranormal.
and no I havent, but ive read tons of information on it.
again, you can have your belief and i'll have mine /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
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and I agreed with you in my first response that THAT incident certainly sounded paranormal.
and no I havent, but ive read tons of information on it.
again, you can have your belief and i'll have mine
/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
So, you've never experienced it? Then you have no part nor lot in this matter. That would be like saying because you've read lots of books about Russia even though you've never been there, would make you an expert on Russia? Unless you have experienced it, then you have nothing to say!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!! /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':huh:' />
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So, you've never experienced it? Then you have no part nor lot in this matter. That would be like saying because you've read lots of books about Russia even though you've never been there, would make you an expert on Russia? Unless you have experienced it, then you have nothing to say!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!!
/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />
I'm sorry Poet…I didnt realize the rules here stated that we are
only allowed to comment on/have opinions on things we've actually
experienced /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':huh:' />
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I'm sorry Poet…I didnt realize the rules here stated that we are
only allowed to comment on/have opinions on things we've actually
experienced
/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' />
You have every right to comment on something that you have never personally experienced, just be careful in telling someone who has experienced things which you have not, that their experience was just a "natural phenomena of the brain." That sounds like a nice way of saying, "It's all in your head." I wish you could experience in the same magnitude what I experienced, then we would not be having this friendly disagreement! /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
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You have every right to comment on something that you have never personally experienced, just be careful in telling someone who has experienced things which you have not, that their experience was just a "natural phenomena of the brain." That sounds like a nice way of saying, "It's all in your head." I wish you could experience in the same magnitude what I experienced, then we would not be having this friendly disagreement!
/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':o' />
oh no, in my opinion it's quite real, but not paranormal.
but im not allowed to talk about it so i'll just go away now /rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' />
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