Glossary

Anomaly: An anomaly is a broad term for something unusual, i.e. a deviation from what is normally expected to happen. (source ASSAP)

After Shadow: The transitional “world” between our realm and the other side. The place where spirits/ghosts exist.

Cones: (anatomy) A type of specialized light-sensitive cell (photoreceptor) in the retina of the eye that provides color vision and sharp central vision. (Source medicinenet.com)

Debunking: A paranormal investigator’s most important skill, a procedure in which an investigator attempts to recreate the suspected paranormal activity in order to see if the phenomenon is actually the result of a more mundane event.

Disembodied voice: An apparent audible voice that has no obvious source. It is heard by the human ear(s) in real time, however, not always captured on voice recorders even if it is of significant volume.

EMF: Electromagnetic Frequency or Field. One of the main four forces in the known universe, it is what ghosts are believed to be “made of” and on a fundamental level most everything in our world is constructed of as well.

EMF Detector: (equipment) A device that measures EMF. EMF detectors can have a range of outputs some having quantitative digital outputs (Mel Meter), quantitative analog outputs (the Ghost Meter) and some have simple off/on relative light scale like the K2 meter.

EVP: Electronic voice phenomenon. An apparent spirit voice that can be heard when voice recording device is played back but not heard by the human ear at the time of recording. EVPs are classified in to three categories: Class “A” - needing little to no audio enhancement to be heard, class “B” - some audio enhancement, and class “C” - needing extensive audio enhancement. The majority of the time, the sound like forced whispers when initially discovered.

Ghost hunt: A casual or organized and controlled event in a known paranormally active location for entertainment and/or to gather more evidence of the paranormal. May be done with or without scientific equipment.

Intelligent haunting: A phenomenon where an entity apparently interacts with a living person, e.g. answers questions, moves objects or makes noises on demand, looks into the eyes of a living person.

Paranormal Investigation: An organized and controlled study in a location to determine possible paranormal activity. Often done with scientific equipment.

Pareidolia: A psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant … Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Can be a significant issue during paranormal investigations and/or evidence review especially for those with little experience.

Psychic: Someone who has the ability to pick up on the energy of the living to "see" events in a person's past or future.

Psychic/Medium: A medium is always a psychic, but a psychic isn't always a medium. A person who can pick up on the energy of the dead and the living, oftentimes conferring messages from one to the other. See also Psychic.

Residual haunting: Activity that apparently has no interaction with living persons, it carries on much like a movie playing itself back, may or may not have an obvious trigger, e.g. the lady in white who walks through the graveyard on one night a year.

Rods: (anatomy) A type of specialized light-sensitive cell (photoreceptor) in the retina of the eye that provides side vision and the ability to see objects in dim light (night vision). (Source medicinenet.com)

Science: The explanation of observation.

Shadow person: A Shadow Person is simply a soul that is deeper in the After Shadow, which makes it harder to detect their full energy.  Oftentimes these souls are trying to hide due to fear or other such emotion, but sometimes it can be of malicious intent, to frighten, spy, etc. They can appear in human or amorphous shapes and can range from solid to semi-transparent. Observers have reported that they can be blacker than the darkness itself.

Sprit Box: (equipment) A modified radio set up to rapidly scan through the frequencies of the FM band. (The AM band may be used but produces some unpleasant feedback). In doing this, the spirits are provided with some energy from the radio and speaker amplification.

Spirit Box voice: A voice that is audibly heard in real time through the speaker system of a Spirit Box. The voice sounds very “human” and care must be taken in order to not confuse it with a possible radio voice.

Stone tape theory: This is the theory that some element of stone walls is capable of recording the scenes that take place around it, imprinted on it either through high emotion or mere repetition. A later event, e.g. the presence of a person with the appropriate psychic make-up, then triggers a playback of the recording. This results in a haunting. (source ASSAP)

Xenonormal: Something that appears paranormal but which has natural causes. (source ASSAP)