Ghost Terminology

This is a definition list of terminology used by
paranormal investigators and parapsychologists.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M -

N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Agent
In paranormal terminology, this is used to describe the cause of a haunting. An agent can sometimes be a human being, which is believed to usually be the case with poltergeist activity.

Anomaly
A deviation from the natural order or usual method; An abnormality.

Amorphous
Having no definite form or shape.

Apparition
The phenomenon where a ghost, disembodied soul, or spirit takes on a physical form that can be seen or photographed. Apparitions may appear as transparent, faint, disfigured, or incomplete.

Apport
The mysterious arrival of an object, usually referred to in the case of a haunting or during a seance. An apport is usually a solid object. Some apports are believed to be assembled from invisible material matter; others are teleported from another location.

Asport
The disappearance of objects that reappear elsewhere or not at all; Dematerialization.

Atmospheric Apparition
A visual imprint of people and events that was left behind in the environment which continues to replay.

Automatic Writing
A technique in which people write without conscious thought. It is believed by many that spirits can take control of a living person and are then able to communicate through them through their handwriting.

Automatism
The vehicle in which the subconscious, or as some believe, the spirit world, communicates with the conscious by means of unconscious and spontaneous muscular movement. Automatic writing, the use of the Ouija Board, and pendulum swinging are all examples of automatism.

Collective Hysteria
Also known as mass hysteria and group hysteria. is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same hysterical symptoms by more than one person. It may begin when a group witness an individual becoming hysterical during a traumatic or extremely stressful event. A potential symptom is group nausea, in which a person becoming violently ill triggers a similar reaction in other group members.

Ectoplasm
The word originally stood for a substance that emanated from a medium during a trance. It has now become a very common word in ghost photography. Also known as 'spirit vapor', ectoplasm often appears as a mist, sometimes looking very much like cigarette smoke. It can been seen moving, and often faces and other forms can been seen in it. Orbs often appear in photos taken of ectoplasm.

E.V.P. (Electronic Voice Phenomena)
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP); The practice of attempting to record ghosts and spirits; The sounds that make up EVP are sonic events of unknown origin, which can sometimes be heard, but are mostly captured in recordings, on various types of electronic apparatus.

Orb
A globed-shaped light caught on film usually during a haunting or other paranormal experience. Some paranormal researchers believe that orbs are the first stage of the manifestation of the spirit of an individual that has died, and are thought to be made up of the life force that powered their body in life. Orbs may vary in size, color, and density. Dust, moisture, lens flare, and insects are sometimes mistaken as spirit orbs. On rare occasions, orbs may even be seen with the naked eye.

Pareidolia
A type of illusion or misperception involving a vague stimulus which is perceived as clearly being something. A psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (usually an image) being mistakenly perceived as recognizable. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds, seeing the man in the moon, and hearing messages on records played in reverse. (See: Simulacra)
(Definition from Wikipedia)

simulacrum, and recently referenced in the paranormal research field as matrixing. The definition of simulacra is to make like or to put on an appearance of. (See: Pareidolia)

condition characterized by paralysis of the body shortly after waking up (known as hypnopompic paralysis) or, less often, shortly before falling asleep (known as hypnagogic paralysis). Physiologically, it is closely related to the normal paralysis that occurs during REM sleep, also known as REM atonia.

Sleep paralysis occurs when the brain is awakened from a REM state into essentially a normal fully awake state, but the bodily paralysis is still occurring. This causes the person to be fully aware, but unable to move. In addition, this state is usually accompanied by certain specific kinds of hallucinations. This state usually lasts no more than two minutes before a person is able to either return to full REM sleep or to become fully awake, though the sense of how much time has gone by is often distorted during sleep paralysis. People who are fortunate enough to be facing a clock while having an episode may often be surprised to see how little time has gone by during an episode that seems to last a very long time.