What is a Poltergeist?
The word “poltergeist” comes from the German word “poltern,” which means to “rumble” or “jangle”, and “geist,” which means “spirit.” “Poltern” also describes an act of loud or aggressive speech. Although poltergeist literally means “noisy spirit,” a poltergeist is neither a spirit nor a ghost, according to paranormal and parapsychology experts. Often described as a disruptive invisible force and entity, the nature of poltergeists has long been a subject of debate within many paranormal circles. Poltergeists have traditionally been described in folklore as troublesome spirits who, unlike ghosts, haunt a particular person instead of a specific location. Such alleged poltergeist manifestations have been reported in many cultures and countries, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, and most European nations. The earliest recorded poltergeist cases date back to the 1st century.
There are marked differences between poltergeists and what is normally thought of as a ghost. Ghosts are usually considered to be the spirits of dead people – possibly our loved ones watching over us, or the trapped and tormented spirit of a murder victim, perhaps seeking retribution for their life being taken. Generally, these spirits pass through the Earth plane totally unaware that we even exist.
By contrast, poltergeists are a different sort of entity that displays very little signs of a typical haunting. Poltergeists seem to have the ability to interact with the material world quite easily, sometimes to a malevolent extent, such as the case back in the late 1970’s in England. A scientist, Vladistav Bukreev, witnessed the harrowing and terrifying period of an English family living in London between 1977-1978. They were tormented regularly by intense poltergeist activity. Dr. Bukreev saw showers of stones and bricks come down inside the house, and the windows were smashed by the objects being flung through them by an invisible hand. Objects would float through the air, and blood, water, and other liquid substances would emit from the walls and ceilings. Also, the family sustained what appeared to be bite or claw marks on their bodies. The two young girls were lifted up into the air and moved around with no apparent support. For nearly a whole year, the family endured their horrifying experiences, but finally could take no more and fled from the property.
Another much-advanced theory about the nature of poltergeists is that their aggravating and perturbing work could be attributable to demonic entities. Some have even gone as far as to suggest that the Devil himself could possibly be behind such paranormal disruption and torment (just like in the 1973 horror film The Exorcist). This idea was prevalent during ancient times, possibly because of the remarkable similarities between a demonic manifestation and a poltergeist attack. Like demonic manifestations, poltergeists attacks can be sudden and obvious, or gradual and subtle, until their perpetrators attain their full level of strength and power.
Depending on the power of a poltergeist, its activity can range from cold drafts, strange sounds, and foul smells to levitating objects, unseen hands, and physical abuse. The individual is often under severe emotional or physical stress (especially whilst experiencing puberty). Effects can include rappings on walls and floors, the physical movement of objects, lights and other electrical appliances being switched on and off, and even the manifestation of physical phenomena.
The progress of paranormal study during the 20th century sparked a new concept about the nature of poltergeists. Research conducted by parapsychologists Nandor Fodor, Alan Gauld and A. D. Cornell, and William Roll traced poltergeist existence and activity not in paranormal entities, but in humans. According to their theories, the force usually ascribed to poltergeists is a powerful emotional and mental trigger rooted in the human psyche. These theories stem from the idea that poltergeist activity usually occurs in places which have seen much violence and suffering, or around persons who are experiencing deep emotional turmoil.
Roll named the phenomenon as “recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis” or RSPK. This refers to the expression of intense emotion, like hostility, anger, and sexual tension from a human agent that causes inexplicable physical manifestations such as levitation. The agent is usually oblivious to the fact that he or she caused the disturbance, because it is the subconscious mind that found a way to release any repressed emotion through psychokinesis.
On the other hand, poltergeist activity, without the presence of an agent, is attributed to the remnants of intense emotions in a particular locale, a phenomenon similar to how a place gives one “the creeps” without any apparent reason. In this case, poltergeist activity is simply an outward manifestation of human emotion. It can, however, be controlled, as long as the agent expresses pent-up feelings, thus reducing the chances of any subconscious “poltergeist” activity. Clairvoyants often pick up such sensations when investigating poltergeist cases. Visit Kooma online
Some people even believe that a poltergeist is an elemental type of creature, something very much akin to the Fae in Irish folklore. Still there are others who say a poltergeist is something generated by a young girl or boy as they approach their teen years, when the physical and emotional changes are very stressful, and the teenager concerned is unconsciously releasing psychical energy so that it actually affects their physical surroundings.
Poltergeists derive great pleasure from frightening people. That is literally what feeds their energy. And since it is something that they do so well, due to their powerful telekinetic abilities, they will always have a ready supply of victims to supply them with ample life energy and malleable force. Poltergeists thrive in an atmosphere redolent with powerful human emotions like fear, rage and anger. That is why you will always find them appearing in households where trouble individuals live, people who feed them a constant supply of energy and power with their incessant unhappiness.
Despite the differing opinions about the nature of poltergeists, there can be no doubt that these entities really do exist. Whether poltergeists are paranormal entities or psychic forces, they continue to be one of the most fascinating, interesting – and extremely disturbing – paranormal phenomena ever reported. And hardly a week goes by when we don’t hear about at least one poltergeist occurrence in some part of the world.
Alan Toner is a published Kindle book author who writes in the paranormal genre. In addition to running his official website www.wirralwriter.co.uk, he also owns this True Ghost Stories site.
His official Amazon Author Page is at www.amazon.co.uk/Alan-Toner