Can You Get Rid of a Haunting? (see also "How Do I Get Rid of a Ghost?") November 19, 2009 (via our website contact form)
Question: I think my friend is having paranormal activity in her home. She recently left her home in fear after artificial plants were thrown at her son while he was sleeping in his bed. Before this other things were happening, like furniture moving, doors opening/closing, odd sounds, etc.... If there is paranormal activity can you get rid of it for them?
Answer: Getting rid of paranormal activity is complex and even knowing what to try would depend on what kind of haunting she is dealing with. From what you described below, it sounds a little like poltergeist activity. Contrary to scary movie depictions, the prevailing theory on poltergeist activity is that events are caused by non-conscious psychokinesis (psychic) energy from a focus person, usually an adolescent. That makes me curious how old her son is. If events seem to always occur in his presence, this could be a possibility.
Many accounts of supposed poltergeist activity suggest that the best way to deal with it is to ignore it. Whether it is spiritual in nature or more psychic from a living human, emotions and fright seem to feed it. Being indifferent is the best course and over time many report that the activity goes away. Of course, that's easy to suggest when you aren't getting things thrown at you (or your son) while sleeping! The flip side on poltergeist activity is, if it was her son that was the root of the activity, it might follow him wherever they go.
If the house is truly haunted by a spirit, it sounds like it would be an "intelligent haunting" which is the classic "person dies, soul lives on" scenario. And yes, spirits can manifest energy to move things, though it is important for this family to understand that they have true power over the material world.
Getting rid of an intelligent haunting is hit or miss. Many people report success with burning sage or sweetgrass - the belief is that the smoke from these types of herbs attracts negative ions (energy) and takes it away.. The family could also try having the house blessed by a priest or other clergy. Others deal with intelligent hauntings by addressing the spirits directly and letting them know when they are displeased. They tell the spirit to leave them alone and sometimes it works. Of course, this could also backfire, and if so, they would have to resort to the "ignore" method.
Personally, if it were me I would fight back any way I could. I know this is difficult especially when things are being thrown at your kids. If a spirit is doing things like moving furniture, it is trying to get your attention. Why it would do this is unknown - it could be unhappy with you there or it could be trying to tell you something else. Or, it could be totally unaware of you at all.
We did an investigation a few years back for a family who left their dream home due to paranormal activity and to me this is very sad. Paranormal investigation has gotten popular lately with tv shows and such, but most people don't realize that the psychological effect is often more compelling than the events.
Hope this helps, please don't hesitate to call or email us if you have more questions or need more information.