We’ve all had that creeping sense that we may not be alone in our homes…
Whether you’re a believer or not, sometimes you can’t help but sense a ghostly presence in your living location.
And now, some paranormal experts have opened up exclusively to IGV about the major signs to look out for that could suggest you’re living in a haunted house.
In the realm of paranormal experiences, Energy Witch Michelle Lewis advises people to ‘trust your senses’ when something seems unsettling or strange in their surroundings.
Lewis explains that if you ‘see, hear, smell, taste, touch, or feel something in or around your home that seems off, weird, unpleasant, spooky, or even frightening,’ it could be a sign of paranormal activity.
Describing common signs of spirit presence, she mentions sudden, unexplained temperature changes, cold spots, flickering lights, or electronics that turn on and off randomly.
Odors can also be telltale indicators, with nostalgic, unusual, or unpleasant smells often accompanying these experiences.
Objects moving or disappearing, disembodied voices, and the eerie sensation of someone else’s presence are all phenomena that could point toward the paranormal.
‘Feeling like someone else is present or seeing figures appear and vanish’ are especially striking indicators, says Lewis.
Despite these signs, Lewis advises against jumping to conclusions too quickly.
“You should first examine for any mundane explanations and fixes, like leaky pipes, outdated electrical wiring, loose floorboards, or even small animals that may have died undetected under the house or in the walls,” she explains.
If these causes are ruled out and one continues to feel unsettled or unsafe, she suggests calling in a spiritual advisor, energy worker, shaman, witch, or medium for guidance.
Adding to the conversation, spiritual coach Kelle Sparta, founder of Spirit Guides Mystery School and host of the Spirit Sherpa Podcast, emphasizes several signs that may signal an otherworldly presence.
Items may move from where they were left, which she attributes either to ‘faerie borrowers or a ghost,’ and notes that ‘saying “give it back” will often result in the item being returned to the place you last left it.’
Many report feeling watched, especially when waking up or drifting off to sleep; according to Sparta, this sensation is ‘likely a ghost.’
Movement seen from the corner of one’s eye that vanishes upon closer inspection may also be a ghostly presence or other energy being.
Cold spots that seem to shift within the house are commonly tied to the paranormal, as ‘ghosts create cold spaces where they are standing, so if you walk through a cold spot, you just walked through a ghost.’
More actively unsettling behaviors, like doors, drawers, or cabinets opening and closing on their own, could indicate a poltergeist, which she warns ‘can be very dangerous.’
Animals, especially pets, may also pick up on spirits, and Sparta suggests that if a pet is staring at an empty space, ‘it’s likely a ghost.’
Some individuals may even experience repeated dreams of the same person, as ‘ghosts will sometimes try to talk to us through our dreams.’
Psychic medium and medical intuitive Heather Carlucci also shares her insights, urging readers to be attentive to sudden, stubborn smells, an occasional strong taste, or objects that have been moved or are missing.
Some might witness movement from the periphery or hear sounds from other areas of the house, with tangible physical sensations adding another dimension to these encounters.
According to Carlucci, a haunting can be an intensely solitary experience, where only certain people perceive the presence.
“What we often don’t talk about with hauntings is that like attracts like, so often a collective witnessing of a presence is rare,” she explains.
The energy of someone who has passed may resonate with the living person due to a shared trauma or emotional energy.
Carlucci suggests that this shared resonance might be what initially attracts the spirit, noting that feeling a ghostly presence is ‘not necessarily a scary thing.’
Rather, the presence might even indicate a deeper, more empathetic connection, as she says: “You may have more in common with the ghost than you think.”