The Poltergeist Phenomenon Study: Part One

Poltergeist Phenomenon has been studied and documented as far back as 355 A.D. The phenomenon which translates to "noisy ghost" in German, it is not in fact used as frequently in German any longer. Psychical and paranormal researchers have made this term more prominent since the 1950's by gathering documented information from cases of the past to current cases. These researchers investigated claims of poltergeist phenomenon, not by using a bunch of trendy equipment, but by simply using recording devices to document activity and making detailed notes of every experience.

During the quarantine I passed my time by collecting and reading different books regarding the Poltergeist Phenomenon. While my blog is usually about critiquing the different books I feel like each post should highlight certain books and the information they provide, after all it's impossible to make definitive decisions about any of these theories, but it can illuminate common traits from the cases on which they based their findings.

The Poltergeist by Dr. William G. Roll
Roll coined the term Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK) to explain Poltergeist Phenomenon. Psychokinesis is defined as the ability to move objects with the mind or to energetically use the mind to influence physical systems and objects without physical energy. The theory of RSPK solidified the idea that cases with poltergeist traits were caused by an agent that was in the center of the activity. The agent subconsciously moved objects, caused fires, created rappings/ knocks, and more. Each case differed in severity but also had the potential of a "focus". The focus was usually a person that the agent subconsciously feared, hated, or reacted to in some way. Roll also theorized that the objects that were moved in each case had some psychological connection with the agent as well as the area that the object was placed before it was moved. Most of the cases that Roll presented in The Poltergeist were cases in which he was present and actively investigating the phenomenon. Dr. Roll includes a chapter in this book that outlines potential "ersatz" poltergeists or frauds. While we may think that these cases are simply individuals or families creating the supposed phenomenon for attention, there are many that are simply mistaken perceptions of experiences or even mental health issues that are created by the agent (and we use the term agent loosely). In the chapter "Parapsychopathology or Human Potential?", Roll shares that J. B. Rhine coined the term Parapsychopathology that suggests "a malfunctioning not of the familiar organism, but of a wider extended organism." Which translates to the idea that the human personality extends out from the physical body into the environment around him, which in turn can create or manifest the phenomenon labeled as poltergeist. While the content can seem dry in this book, the cases are extremely well documented by Roll, and his theories are well thought out and explained.

The Engima of the Poltergeist by Raymond Bayless
Strange stone throwing, violent object movement, mysterious rappings, visual apparitions, phantom voices, water puddles, fire, spontaneous combustion, and anomalous odors; Bayless collects a vast number of cases to organize the different phenomena that is related to the Poltergeist. In this particular book the idea that many such exorcisms or possessions can be explained by examining the poltergeist phenomenon. Mr. Bayless professes that it can be difficult to examine the vast amount of material that is available because in many cases fraud enters the equation, however the phenomenon was only more recently studied and understood as a collective theory. This idea makes older cases less possible to be fraudulent because many did not know of the existence of the phenomena associated. The idea that the witnesses did not know that rappings, objects moving, spontaneous fires, or even strange puddles of water were all symptoms of the same type of "haunting"; proves that there is less of a chance the experiences were fraudulent or made up. As time goes by and more information exposure of the phenomenon is occurring, the more chances of cases being fraudulent will happen. Bayless examines much of the demonic and/ or possession cases that end with exorcism with an extremely skeptical and objective eye, saying that "Proportionate to the degree that custom and religious beliefs are established within the unconscious, so will the phenomena of the poltergeist be subject to exorcism. He also concludes that "Many parapsychologists consider poltergeist to be a form of secondary personality having abnormal and psychic powers." This entire book challenges what mainstream paranormal belief and information that has been shared through subjective case studies. Bayless' professes that no conclusive statements can be made either way regarding Poltergeist Phenomenon but he clearly states that blending the many theories into one inclusive explanation is too difficult. His final chapter creates the best theory based on all case studies, "Psychical phenomena in many of its manifestations can be considered the product of paranormal energies and "ectoplasmic" material exuded from a mediumistic subject. This plasm is shaped into phantasmic forms of all kinds, and is also responsible for various telergic, or telekinetic, effects such as the movements of objects and throwing of rocks. Other manifestations including temperature changes, spontaneous fires, and the like may result from other mechanisms. The plasmic material available is ideoplastic, and is molded into the many varied forms that have been seen. The resultant phenomena can be the product of subconscious activities." He also goes on to say that the trigger may not always in fact be the result of the energy provided by the "agent" but rather that the "agent" is the medium for an entity to use. I think of it like a radio, the individual or medium "agent", is used by an outside entity to manifest the phenomenon like you need the radio device to transmit signals. These theories continue to add the living human being in any investigation or case study as an extremely important variable to study.

These two books were written in a time where psychical research was taken very seriously and were not disturbed by trendy equipment that corrupted the data with artifacts (error of perception introduced by the equipment or techniques). However some of the researchers were professed to believe the phenomena existed so deeply that it warped their results or even their perception of the activity occurring. Essentially some of them did not adequately examine potential fraud or all variables which resulted in their findings being questioned. Surprisingly Harry Price who was made famous for his extensive research of the Borley Rectory, was just one such psychical researcher that other researchers questioned. I hope to share more of that in another part of this blog. My team has had one classic poltergeist case that checks most of the boxes; strange puddles, objects disappearing or moving, phantom sounds, and extremely loud rappings. This case based on the individuals experiencing the phenomena, is legitimate and begs for a blog all to itself.

Rebecca Boyer

Co-Founder/ Case Manager

Antietam Paranormal Society

Original Blog written for Paranormal Perceptions. 

https://paranormalperceptions.wordpress.com/2020/06/09/the-poltergeist-phenomenon-study-part-one/