BOOK REVIEW: Poltergeist Parallels and Contagion
by Darren W. Ritson
The author of The South Shields Poltergeist covers a new discussion of what poltergeist phenomenon is capable of from hands on field investigations. Darren forms the theory that the energy associated can cause a type of "contagion" spreading out from the original case to others linked in some way manifesting activity in other places. There are several forwards and notes in the beginning of the book that add onto the theories and ideas to enrich the reading experience.
When I delve into books about the paranormal, I look to find thought provoking and out of the box thinking. One of the excerpts from this book that really pulled me in was the discussion regarding poltergeist phenomena being 'person centred' (the book is written in the UK). The author states how it's pretty firmly acknowledged that all paranormal phenomena has some sort of catalyst, something that precipitates events or experiences. Then goes on to discuss how poltergeist phenomena is person-centered rather than place-centered like many other researchers would claim. While the thinking behind this is not new to me, the thought process and the descriptions of these labels is a new point of view that I appreciate very much. Darren (and his former partner in research Michael) put a lot of research into their cases of poltergeist phenomena and these types of discussions allowed for them to really organize the evolution of the phenomena associated.
Amidst their paranormal investigations into various cases of what they label as poltergeist phenomena, they begin to experience similar activity, eyewitness accounts and synchronicities in their own lives. Because of these similarities Darren details each case and their similarities, plus adding in the various experiences they have outside of the cases in their own personal lives. They also share details of how the experiences seem to trickle outside of the the original percipients to people they are associated with. This leads them to the theory of contagion, as it applies to poltergeist phenomena spreading.
Towards the end of the book Darren outlines the key stages and concepts regarding "Contagion" and how it progresses from the Primary Infestation, to 1st Stage, 2nd Stage, 3rd Stage, Coincidental Parallels, Significant Parallels, and Person-Specific Parallels. They create a comprehensive definition of each and their supporting analysis of their verified case studies. Beyond that they also include some case studies of poltergeist phenomena that are historically noted, with included information of "contagion" that is exhibited. There is a question posed about what really is a poltergeist and whether it is an individual thing or a arch-poltergeist/hive mind that hops from place to place. Lastly, they include a few chapters of varied points of view from researchers like Alan Gauld and William Roll that slides into other potential explanations for what creates poltergeist phenomena and how they noted similarities in cases themselves.
All in all this book is very thorough and thought provoking. The writer/ researchers are from the UK, so if you are reading in the US, there may be some terms you will need to look up to understand. This book is an excellent resource and an interesting perspective of poltergeist phenomena. I would definitely recommend this book to the serious researcher, especially those who are interested in a more comprehensive system of categorization and evolution of this type of phenomena.
Co-Founder
Antietam Paranormal Society
Comments
Post a Comment