Residual hauntings; an incredibly strange phenomena. PT 1

This is some truly fascinating stuff, and I know there's some interest here on ATS.

A journalist and writer friend of mine has been assisting in the proofreading and editing of a book about death and dying. A small team of authors are collaborating on the material. A medical doctor, a PhD psychologist, and a minister have contributed. Their main objective was to convey the idea that death affects everyone, and is always prevalent, yet much of it remains a complete mystery. The book discusses some of the strange phenomena associated with dying, such as NDEs, terminal lucidity, and encounters with deceased loved ones often reported by dying people. If and when the book is completed, the authors intend to make it available free of charge, in an ebook format.


They have decades of experience with hospice and palliative care, and grief counseling, and they've experienced firsthand some of the strange, metaphysical aspects of death and dying. The things that our science can't even begin to explain, much less explain away. They were researching a couple of cases where people claimed to have been visited by recently departed loved ones. The visits were brief, lasting only seconds, but the people who saw their deceased loved ones were convinced beyond doubt. When the authors investigated these visitations further, a discussion of a residual haunting episode came up. As the research continued, more 'haunting' stories came up. The authors initially had no intention of putting the residual haunting subject in their book, but they found it so fascinating, they thought it should be included. They definitely stumbled upon a rabbit hole. They made every attempt to present the info in an objective light, which is hard to do when dealing with something so utterly strange. Some of the info I'm presenting here is from a rough draft of the proposed book. One of the authors, who my friend has spoken with at length, said this research changed their perspective of reality in a profound way. They went on to say that they now realize how little we really know about human consciousness and perception.


Onto the main subject...
Paranormal researchers have speculated that residual hauntings are the most common type of haunting, but most cases go unreported. These researchers agree, for the most part, that hauntings fall into the following four categories: Residual, intelligent, poltergeist activity, or demonic. Residual hauntings are said to be a replaying of a past event. They've been described as echos, recordings, or afterimages of the past. They can be visual, audio, or olfactory manifestations. Sights, sounds, and smells, alone or in combinations, are experienced by people at certain locations, with no scientific explanations available. Unlike 'intelligent' haunts, there are no entities to interact or communicate with.
So what causes these bizarre manifestations if they're not produced by ghosts or spirits? The short answer is that they are a 'recording' being played back. Somehow.

Here are some theories for residual hauntings:

One theory supposes that the images or sounds in a residual haunting might be created by an event that has simply been repeated over and over again. Do frequent and repetitive events leave a lasting "energy impression"? A good example of this is the numerous reports of apparitions walking down a hall or walking on a staircase. A large number of haunted staircases have been reported over the years in schools and office buildings. The "repetitive event" theory could explain phantom footsteps and knocking sounds often heard in haunted houses. There's no ghost to interact with you. You're just hearing a sort of echo from the past. The apparition you see walking down the hall is not the spirit of a dead person. That person has long since moved on. You're just seeing an afterimage. Residual spectres are also reported walking (or floating) down roads and highways. The apparitions are often described as "misty", sometimes with only an upper body visible. Witnesses can sometime see quite a bit of detail, like hairstyles and clothing. The Gettysburg Battlefield spectres are sometimes clear enough to ascertain the type of uniforms they're wearing.

Another theory that seems to be widely accepted is the "traumatic event" theory, which posits that sounds or images are somehow recorded when dreadful or harrowing events occur. Do highly emotional or painful events cause some sort of disturbance in the surrounding area? Do these events leave some sort of impression that can last for long periods of time? Is this the reason why so many battlefields, crime scenes, and areas related to violence have become famous for their residual hauntings? Are these impressions left in the ground on a battlefield? Can they be stored in the walls of a building? Or are they just there in the air itself? Literally, 'just there', to somehow be triggered randomly, or at given times. There are reports of "anniversary haunts", where apparitions are seen and sounds are heard at specific times. The fascinating "Stone Tape Theory" suggests that there is a "psychic ether", a realm where our memories and thoughts are permanently stored, and that these memories could attach themselves to places and then be played back later... decades, and perhaps even centuries later. Do they last forever? Do they fade with the passage of time? Why would they go on for long periods, and then suddenly stop? It seems there are always far more questions than answers. If walls could talk...
Can physical substances and building materials act as recording mediums, somehow storing energy? There are claims that certain types of stone and crystal are thought to be very reliable recording mediums for psychic energies. Is one type of wood better than another for 'storing'? Furthermore, there is speculation that the very layout or floor plan of a building can enhance the 'imprinting'. Do long hallways somehow act as good 'conductors' for these phenomena?


In 2018, a journalist named Marta Jary wrote this somewhat spooky piece for an online story about The Stone Tape Theory:

"What if a house could ‘remember’ everything that’s happened inside it? What if every trauma and joy was somehow locked in the walls, and that hauntings, rather than being the spirits of the dead, are the ‘imprint’ left behind by those who trod in your home before you, replayed like an old film reel in snippets? As you walk down your hallway tonight, your presence may be imprinted on the home, and felt by someone far in the future, walking down that same hallway, the very walls recalling a permanent trace of your existence."

And then there is the probability that some people are more sensitive than others to these energies. Maybe some people are unusually sensitive, and these people are somehow able to "read the script" of what the residual haunt is about.

a reply to: ColeYounger2

Great topic! I've had too many 'unusual' encounters in the past 7+ decades to even remember!

Energy doesn't die, which makes me wonder if our brains don't have some sort of 'firewall' to prevent overload-or perhaps our hectic lifestyles keeps us to grounded in the here and now to be receptive to anything on a deeper level.

a reply to: ColeYounger2

They have decades of experience with hospice and palliative care, and grief counseling, and they've experienced firsthand some of the strange, metaphysical aspects of death and dying.

I previously wrote about my unique experience with the death of my mom at hospice.
When I spoke to the workers and the pastor that was there with me, she said that she experienced so much with the death of her family and many events at the hospice that she can't deny there is something we can't explain.

Also, none of the workers were sad or depressed, quite the opposite. They all know there is something after this play we call life.

a reply to: ColeYounger2

One theory supposes that the images or sounds in a residual haunting might be created by an event that has simply been repeated over and over again. Do frequent and repetitive events leave a lasting "energy impression"?

Wanted to talk about this separately. I saw an apparition some years ago standing by a light pole.
It didn't seem like other "ghosts" it seemed more like a stamp in time.

originally posted by: JAGStorm1
a reply to: ColeYounger2

One theory supposes that the images or sounds in a residual haunting might be created by an event that has simply been repeated over and over again. Do frequent and repetitive events leave a lasting "energy impression"?

Wanted to talk about this separately. I saw an apparition some years ago standing by a light pole.
It didn't seem like other "ghosts" it seemed more like a stamp in time.

The "repetitive event" theory might begin to explain that type of apparition. I remember reading a story about people seeing an apparition of a girl walking or floating alongside a highway. People saw the exact same thing, it never deviated from the 5-6 second "clip" of the girl. She was always moving in the same direction, always at the exact same spot.

a reply to: ColeYounger2

I've seen 2 "ghosts" in my life.

One was a moving one and that one.
That one seemed oblivious to the world around it. It was transparent, but very visible at the same time.
I was taking my son to work because he was having car problems. It was just after 3am and I saw it standing by a lightpole
and later found out that there are two cemetaries nearby. Also found out lots and lots of people had seen similar!

a reply to: ColeYounger2

Interesting, I’ve been fascinated about residual hauntings.

They claim that it’s not the person itself but some type of recording of events played back. My question to that is, why don’t we have these when we are alive? It seems that the person had to have passed on in order for the event to occur. Which in a way, says that the spirit themselves have something to do with it, maybe?

This is fascinating, I love reading threads like these

a reply to: KKLOCO

What seems to be happening in these cases (if I'm understanding correctly) is that some event happened that involved strong emotions which left an energetic/vibrational signature in space time. Those who are perceptive can sometimes pick up on this residual energy

I don't reply to posts very often but this topic intrigues me.
I attended Parameet 2023 here in the UK and Richard Felix was a guest speaker. He discussed the stone tape theory and his conclusion was that concrete contains silica and as silica is used in computer chips for recording data as well as video and audio tape, so why can't past sounds and visuals be stored in the same way through the silica in the buildings structure/materials.

Interesting view but not sure if it's a bit of a leap! Food for thought anyways...


a reply to: ColeYounger2

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