Residual Hauntings

This is one of three main kinds of ghosts people encounter. Unlike intelligent ghosts, residual ghosts do not interact with the living. 

I often describe this kind of haunting as a “memory” a building, or object, stores and plays over and over. In other words, it is like a film that is on a loop that plays again and again.

A residual haunting often happens at the same time of day—and sometimes every day. 

For example, an owner of a home hears footsteps walking downstairs and then a door slamming. The owner of the home hears this phenomenon on a regular basis but no one is there. This can be a particularly maddening experience. 

Sounds are a common occurrence with ritual hauntings. Many people who have seen and or heard Civil War soldiers or battles at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania have experienced a residual haunting.

Figures or apparitions can play out in a residual haunting but this is not as common an occurrence. These figures never look at the living or try to interact with the living. 

There are rare cases were they do but not enough to mention here. As I stated above residual hauntings are just a memory.

Residual hauntings can be connected to a building, place or a specific item, such as, a rock, chair or doll etc. 

These types of hauntings can disappear slowly over time or they may play out for years. 

Some people connect residual hauntings to some trauma that happened while the ghosts were alive but I find that most are just common ordinary motions or activities that ghosts did while they were living.

Regardless, residual hauntings can be just as unnerving as an intelligent haunting. 

This kind of haunting is hard to get rid of—especially if it is connected to a structure or part of a rock formation etc. So people have to resolve to live with it or not. 

Smudging or cleansing can resolve this issue for a while but residual hauntings tend to return.

Happy Ghost Hunting!