Paranormal Terminology

Analysis: The process of going over evidence collected during an investigation.

Anomaly: An anomaly is something unexplainable—i.e. many things attributed to paranormal phenomena.

Apparition: Refers to any entity that seems to have material substance. If it appears in any physical form, including a vapor-like image, it may be called an apparition.

Camcorder: A handheld video camera that either stores video on tape or memory card for video playback purposes that can later be analyzed for evidence. 

Cat Balls: Used during investigations. Believed that entities can manipulate the ball by either moving it physically or using enough energy to make the ball light up as a form of communication.

Cold Spot: A cold spot is an area where the temperature drops in a supposedly haunted location. Ghost hunters often cite patches of cool air as evidence of ghostly activity.

Cleansing: The removal of unwanted spirits of a person or place with the use of prayer, holy water, blessed salts, and sage.

Demon: An evil inhuman entity believed to have originated from hell.

Disembodied Voice: A voice or noise that lacks an explainable source.

DVR: Digital video recorder is a device with a built in hard drive for video playback purposes that can later be analyzed for evidence. Can wired or wireless.

Ectoplasm: The physical residue of psychic energy. Ectoplasm can be seen by the naked eye, and is best viewed in dark settings since it is translucent and tends to glow. It is very unusual.

EDI: Is an all-in-one multimeter which tracks and logs temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, vibration and electromagnetic field strength.

Elemental: An Elemental is said to be a spirit that has never been in human form and comes from one of the four elements; Earth, Air, Fire, Water.

EMF: EMF stands for "electromagnetic field." Some paranormal investigators believe ghosts disrupt electromagnetic fields or emit electromagnetic waves themselves. An EMF meter can be used to detect such energy.

Entity: Any being, including people and ghosts.

EVP: The abbreviation for “electronic voice phenomena,” which refers to noises of a paranormal nature that cannot be heard with the human ear, but are recorded by electronic devices.

Flashlights: Flashlights, more specifically twist on flashlights can be used to communicate with entities by twisting the flashlight to be just barely off.  It is believed entities can then manipulate the flash light on and off for yes and no answers.

Ghost: Typically refers to the soul of a deceased human (or animal) that continues to exist in some form on an earthly plane without “crossing over.”

GS2 Laser Grid: Identifies Ghost/Spirits, Distance, Direction, Motion, and Temperature Fluctuations.

Haunting: A haunting is a concentration of reported paranormal activity attached to a specific person or place.

Hot spot: A site within a haunted location where the activity is prominent.

Inhuman Entity: A supernatural being -- such as a demon -- that did not begin its existence in human form.

Intelligent Haunting: Activity resulting from an aware ghost or spirit that interacts with its environment.

Laser: Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation

Laser Grid Pen: A piece of equipment used during investigations to cast either a laser grid or dots around the room. It is believed if an entity passes through the grid it will manipulate the light cast around the room.

Matrixing: Is the term used to describe the human minds natural tendency to find familiar shapes in complex shapes or colors.

Medium: An individual believed to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and the world of spirits.

Motion Sensor: Detects motion in front of it, human or otherwise either by lighting up, sounding off, or both.

Music Box: A piece of equipment that plays music when movement occurs in front of it, ranging from a normal person passing in front of the box to an entity not visible to the naked eye.

Orb: A round, whitish or pastel-colored translucent area in photos. Generally, these are perfectly circular, not oval. Many researchers believe that they represent spirits or ghosts.

Ouija board: A spirit board used for communication hypothetically to summon spirits however most of the time unintentionally summoning evil spirts or opening portals that are very hard to close. 

Paranormal:  Literally, “above normal,” it refers to anything outside or beyond current scientific explanation.

Poltergeist: A noisy usually mischievous ghost held to be responsible for unexplained noises.

Portal: A gateway to another realm not of this earth.

Possession: The state where an entity inhabits and exerts a level of control over a living thing or object.

Rem Pod: A piece of equipment used during investigations that is set off when the rem pod is touched, there is a sudden temperature change, or a disturbance in the electromagnetic field around it. Any one of these things sets off a noise and a different color corresponding light depending on how the rem pod was manipulated.

Residual Haunting: Repetitive paranormal activity resulting from the energy imprint of a person or event in time.

Shadow Person/Figure: A commonly-reported inky black humanoid entity that moves fast, it is often spotted out of the corner of the eye and has been interpreted to be anything from a ghost or demon, to alien, time traveler or inter-dimensional being.

S.L.S.: An SLS camera (Structured Light Sensor) has an infrared light projector with a monochrome CMOS sensor that shows everything as dots arranged in 3D formation. The software 'sees' people by recognizing joints and movements. The IR will detect paranormal entities that the program recognizes as a human shape based on the body parts and joints.

Spirit Box: A device that scans through radio frequencies at a quick pace, allowing entities to manipulate or slow down the pace and communicate with words and occasionally sentences.

Spirit: The soul of a being.

Voice recorder (Digital or analogue): A device used to capture frequencies not heard by human ear which could contain spirit voices. (Often referred to as VR)