Does anyone possess the proof or knowledge to categorically answer this question? ...probably not! There are however many theories pertaining to what a ghost actually is. All of which could be true...or false! The fact is we just don't possess enough knowledge at the present time to answer the question. If you were to ask ten people in the street this question, you would likely get as many different answers.Will we ever find out the answer? I'm sure that we will in time. Below are some of the most popular theories.

1. Ghosts are energy remnants of disembodied spirits that manifests themselves over a period of time, generally in one locaton.

2. Ghosts are the souls of the dead.

3. A ghost is a surviving emotional memory of someone who has died tragically or traumatically, but is unaware of his or her death.

4. A ghost is a person who has died and “missed the bus” going to where they should go. They’re stuck in a level between the living & the spirit world.

The History books are rife with accounts of ghosts and hauntings. Despite extensive scientific studies on these phenomena since the late 1800's there is little definative evidence on offer. As a result, paranormal activity can neither be proven or wholly disproved.

We do know for sure that our lives exist in four dimensions; we see three dimensional images i.e. we have a perception of height, width and depth and the fourth dimension which is not so obvious is the time in which we live. You may have seen documentaries on TV lately claiming that there are over ten dimensions which exist and make our universe possible! I'm afraid that theoretical physics isn't my strong point.

One thing that I can easily accept is that there are possibly two planes of existance...our world...and the spirit world. Both worlds are separated by a thin veil or border and rarely blend together. I liken this to two paint brushes, one loaded with white paint and the other loaded with black paint...if you paint a white stripe and a black stripe very close together you will inevitably blend into a grey area occasionally where the two colours have crossed over or mixed...It might sound too simplistic for some...but it works for me.

A Ghost

Is Probably best described as the energy, spirit, or soul of a dead person who has become stuck between this plane of existence and the next. It is believed that they left their physical body as a result of trauma, tragedy or some other highly emotional circumstance. They are unaware that they are dead. Their presence is felt in several ways including Sight (apparition) Sound (voices) Smell (odour or fragrance) and Touch. Ghosts usually haunt the scenes of their deaths or places that they found pleasant in life and appear to be able to interact with the living on a basic level.

Crisis or Messenger Ghost

This type of ghost is possibly the most commonly reported. These apparitions appear shortly after their time of death. They are usually seen by people who are very close to them. They seem to be aware that they are dead or dying and usually offer words of comfort to their loved ones to help them cope with their loss. Crisis or Messenger apparitions only ever appear once. Many Families reported this type of apparition appearing as their loved ones were being killed on the battlefields of WW1 & WW2.

Poltergeist

I think that the word is German for noisy spirit. Poltergeist activity is considered the most frightening of all ghostly occurrences. It is often thought to be demonic in nature. Poltergeist are associated with knocking and rapping on walls, footsteps, flushing toilets, lights being switched on/off, Items being hidden, and in extreme circumstances they have been blamed for pulling hair, pulling on clothing, slapping and scratching. Some researchers believe that poltergeist activity is linked to living persons (particularly young people) being under emotional stress.

Grounded and Residual Ghosts/Spirits

Most people who visit this site will have surely watched the very popular "Most Haunted" series. You will probably recall that "Grounded","Residual" and "Visitation" were words used by Derek Acora to describe certain spirits that he encountered during his tours of the haunted locations. So what's the difference between the two? I must confess, I had no idea myself until I looked it up on the internet.

Grounded ...This is a spirit of a dead person who has chosen to ground or link themselves to a particular place such as a building, part of a building or area. for whatever reason they have chosen not to move on.

Residual ... Often used to describe spirit energy that is "felt" within the fabric of buildings and objects. This is sometimes referred to as "Stone Tape Theory" that suggests that feeling, emotions and energy of past events can be recorded within the walls, floors and fabric of a building.

Visitation... A term used to describe spirits or energy that have the ability to move (not grounded to one place) A crisis or messenger ghost could be described as a spirit in visitation.

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