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Features Archive:

2008 Archive:
Spirits of Christmas and Holidays Past By Edward Shanahan
December 19, 2008


Don't Bark At Me, I'm Not The Dog In The Mirror - by Lee Prosser
December 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

Welcome to Your Psychic Life By Tiffany Johnson
December 1, 2008


Fresh Paths to the Paranormal By Beth Brown
November 26, 2008


The Journals of Willard David Firestone: American Indians - by Lee Prosser
November 21, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Haunted Cemetery - Ghost Chronicles
November 12, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Jeff Belanger and Who's Haunting the White House? - Ghost Chronicles
October 24, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ectoplasm - by Lee Prosser
October 20, 2008

Column - regular feature

Salem Witch Shawn Poirier - Ghost Chronicles
October 15, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Most Famous Phenomenon by Jeff Belanger
October 8, 2008


Haunted House Diary - Ghost Chronicles
October 1, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Paranormal Journaling: A First Step by Jeff Belanger
September 30, 2008


More Horrific Predictions - by Lee Prosser
September 26, 2008

Column - regular feature

Francis Thompson (1859 - 1907) - by Lee Prosser
September 18, 2008

Column - regular feature

Evolution of an Entity by Danielle Lee
September 12, 2008


Into the Abyss: Ancient Rites of Exorcism by Bishop Daniel Garguillio
September 2, 2008


Lee Prosser and Jill Peacha - by Lee Prosser
September 1, 2008

Column - regular feature

An Open Letter to the Paranormal Community by Peter James Haviland
August 28, 2008


Return to Mystery Hill - Ghost Chronicles
August 20, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Ghost of Cameron Mitchell at Branson, Missouri - by Lee Prosser
August 8, 2008

Column - regular feature

Confessions of a Grief Councilor - Ghost Chronicles
August 6, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

The Residual "Jiggle" by Jack Roth
July 31, 2008


Farwell to Chris Balzano - Ghost Chronicles
July 23, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

A Matter of Respect by Patrick Burke
July 21, 2008


Economic Collapse and Depression in the United States - by Lee Prosser
July 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Portsmouth Lighthouse - Ghost Chronicles
July 9, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Legends Set in Stone by Beth Brown
July 3, 2008


Investigating the Pukwudgies - Ghost Chronicles
June 25, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Sensitive - by Lee Prosser
June 20, 2008

Column - regular feature

Ghost Hunting Etiquette 102 by Danielle Quinlan Lee
June 13, 2008


Allup, Leiru, Ligil, Uriel, Pulla - by Lee Prosser
May 23, 2008

Column - regular feature

Ohio's Haunted History by Sherri Brake-Recco
May 19, 2008


Weird Massachusetts - Paranormal Journeys
May 9, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Water Ghosts: Theory of the Bobbing Heads and Floating Bodies - by Lee Prosser
May 9, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Shadows Know by Edward Shanahan
May 2, 2008


Weird Massachusetts with Jeff Belanger - Ghost Chronicles
April 23, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

American Negro Civil War Ghosts - by Lee Prosser
April 14, 2008

Column - regular feature

Landmark Ghosts By Beth Brown
April 3, 2008


The Lizzy Borden House - Ghost Chronicles
April 2, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghosts of Hollywood - Ghost Chronicles
March 19, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

On the Nature of Group Dynamics By Rick Moran
March 19, 2008


Billy The Kid - by Lee Prosser
March 12, 2008

Column - regular feature

Women in the Paranormal: Donna LaCroix
March 5, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Amy Bruni
March 2, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Ursula Bielski
February 28, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: L'Aura Hladik
February 25, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Allison Andrews
February 22, 2008


Haunted Cape Cod and the Islands - Ghost Chronicles
February 20, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Women in the Paranormal: Rosemary Ellen Guiley
February 19, 2008


Women in the Paranormal: Lorraine Warren
February 16, 2008


The Ghosts of Tombstone - Paranormal Journeys
February 14, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Valentine's Day Special - Ghost Chronicles
February 13, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Magick and Magic, What is the Difference? - by Lee Prosser
February 13, 2008

Column - regular feature

My Theory on Spirits of the Paranormal by Edward Shanahan
February 1, 2008


Investigating the Sance with U.K. psychic Gavin Cromwell - Ghost Chronicles
January 30, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Electronic Voice Phenomena is affected by Solar Weather by Tom Ginther
January 21, 2008


The Concord Colonial Inn - Ghost Chronicles
January 16, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Ghost Cat - by Lee Prosser
January 15, 2008

Column - regular feature

The Lizzie Borden House - Paranormal Journeys
January 11, 2008

Paranormal Journeys - webcast

Russian Ghosts - Ghost Chronicles
January 9, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Shadows Of Evil by Rick Hayes
January 4, 2008


Haunted Devon, UK - Ghost Chronicles
January 2, 2008

Ghostvillage Radio - podcast

Magickal Rings - by Lee Prosser
January 2, 2008

Column - regular feature



September 30, 2008

Paranormal Journaling: A First Step

By Jeff Belanger

Paranormal JournalingThose almost inaudible disembodied whispers. Strange knocks. Maybe you've even seen a semi-transparent figure floating down your hallway. Something is present. You can't prove it, but you know it. If you suspect you may be dealing with a haunting in your life, an important first step to taking control of the situation is journaling.

Your journal can be on the computer, in a cheap spiral-bound notebook, or any other writing medium you choose, but you must use the journal, and use it religiously. Whether you believe you need to call in clergy, paranormal investigators, a psychologist, or deal with the issues on your own, the journal will be an invaluable tool to all involved.

Before you start having flashbacks to your grade school English classes with dangling participles, rules of verb tense, and a white-haired, iron-fisted teacher overseeing the rules of sentence structure like a grammatical tyrant, don't worry. You're not being graded on this. Sentence fragments and bullet points are fine if you don't feel like waxing poetic. What is not fine, however, is to omit details.

The more details you can offer regarding your experience, the more the journal will be able to offer you help, support, and guidance.

People who experience the effects of what they perceive to be a haunting can feel like their lives are out of control. The world as you knew it isn't functioning the way you were taught, and some people feel desperate during these often trying times. Your journal is the single biggest tool you can use to regain that control.

To begin, think like a reporter. Try to answer those five critical questions: who, what, why, where, when? After you experience something unexplained, grab your journal as soon as possible after the event and jot down everything you can recall. For example, you just heard the distinct sound of footsteps in the hallway above you, but you know you are home alone. Your initial entry might look something like this:
Monday, September 29, 2008, 8:05 PM
I just heard footsteps in the hallway above. It sounded like the steps went from the back of the house to the front. Maybe six steps, then the noise stopped.
Okay, the entry above answers when, of course; and we know who it happened to (the person writing in the journal); we know what happened (footsteps); and we know where (upstairs hallway). But we haven't addressed why (granted, this is the most difficult questions to answer regarding these experiences). Another sentence or two regarding what you were doing just before the event occurred would be a big help:
Just before I heard the steps, I was washing dishes in the kitchen and finishing my coffee. My husband, Steve, left the house about 30 minutes earlier. We had a fight this afternoon and he just said he was "going out."
Try not to editorialize (meaning don't write sentences like, "My no-good husband, Steve, just went out."). Remember, others will likely read this journal. Try and stick to the facts.

Finally, a comment on conditions would also be useful:
The weather was very overcast, not raining, but I heard thunder rumbling in the distance. The house was relatively clean as I just vacuumed yesterday.
Don't expect one journal entry to reveal anything profound. As with any information, little data yields little insight. But through repeated entries over time, you might begin to see some trends, triggers, or learn something about yourself and your haunting.

Perhaps the events only happen at night. Maybe they only happen after there's been an argument in the house. Maybe the caffeine in the coffee you're drinking is reacting with the medication you're taking and causing some kind of problem or hallucination. We'll never know from this single entry, but through multiple entries, patterns will emerge.

You, as the journalist, may not even be the person to see the pattern. Sometimes you're too close to the issues. But when you do bring someone in for help, they may be able to quickly identify a pattern (if a pattern is present).

If more than one person in your home or place of business is experiencing something, by all means make your paranormal journal communal. Even if two (or more) of you experience something unexplained at the same time, you both should make an entry in the journal. Ideally, you don't discuss what happened with each other, or read the other person's journal entry until both of you have had the chance to write down everything you remember from the experience.

Setting the experiences down on paper (or computer screen) will help you feel empowered. Through documentation, you are gaining some control. Through rereading your experiences you're gaining some objectivity that you lack during the actual event. What's happening to you might be paranormal, it might not be. But only through a lengthy observation can you make some of those determinations.

If you do need to bring in clergy, a psychologist, or paranormal investigator, your journal will offer a huge head start on finding a solution. Start writing, and know there's help. But help yourself first.


Jeff Belanger is the founder of Ghostvillage.com and the author of numerous books on the paranormal including: The World's Most Haunted Places, Our Haunted Lives, and Who's Haunting the White House?. His Web site is: www.jeffbelanger.com.


2014 Haunted New England Wall Calendar by Jeff Belanger photography by Frank Grace
Check out the 2014 Haunted New England wall calendar by Jeff Belanger and photography by Frank Grace!


Paranormal Conferences and Lectures
Don't miss the following events and lectures:

Jeff Belanger and “The Bridgewater Triangle” at Dedham Community Theatre - April 6, 2014 9:00PM

The Spirits of the Mark Twain House - Hartford, Connecticut - April 12, 2014

Paracon Australia - East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia - May 10-12, 2014