Can Ghosts Hurt You?

"Are ghosts and spirits dangerous?"
"Can a ghost or spirit hurt you?"
"Have you ever been attacked by a ghost?"

These are commonly asked questions by both new paranormal investigators as well as the general public.

The short answer is: No.

Other than what is portrayed in movies and on TV (even movies that claim to be based on actual events) there is little evidence to support the idea that ghosts and spirits can cause you bodily harm, much less severe harm. Putting aside for a moment cases of demonic hauntings, claimed physical harm by a ghost and spirits usually are more legend than fact. However, we always have to remember that we are dealing with a very unknown subject (the paranormal) and have to temper our conclusions based on the currently available credible base of evidence.

That is not to say there is no concern for physical danger from ghosts or spirits. Some very credible sources have reported the physical manifestation of people being pushed/shoved, knocked down, scratched, burned (intense heat or cold), objects moved into their path so as to try to trip them, even some cases of objects moving through the air at them. However, these events (known in the paranormal investigation field as getting "touched") are extremely rare events and most paranormal investigators, as well as the general public, will most likely never counter any of them. Even if such an event is experienced it is important to maintain a good level of skepticism. Just because you trip over something on the floor doesn’t mean a ghost put it there for you to trip over. Or you wake up with a scratch on your arm you don’t recall getting the day before doesn’t mean you didn’t accidentally scratch yourself during the night.

Similarly, some environment paranormal investigators enter for investigation contain inherent dangers. Old buildings and structures often have loose floors, fixtures, sharp points (nails, broken glass, etc) that all can pose a physical danger to the investigators. Even private home and private property investigations can have dangers unknown to the paranormal investigators such as loose carpets, tricky steps, objects poorly attached to walls, etc.

Cases of demonic hauntings hold a somewhat different position due to the intense energy usually associated with demonic and inhuman hauntings. The possibility of encountering one of the above mentioned physical manifestations is greater for demonic hauntings. However, it has to be remembered that encountering a demonic entity itself is extremely rare. So the danger is not as great as it first seems.

What is of concern to paranormal investigators (especially ones new to the field) is the possible harm to their psyche or belief values if they do encounter an intense paranormal event. While paranormal investigators are wise to always keep an open mind and not jump to preconceived conclusions, going into a situation with such preconceived ideas, especially based in faith, is natural for humans. However, during investigations of paranormal activity it is possible to observe or experience an event that is intensely shocking to your ideas and/or beliefs. If you do have such an experience it’s important to talk about with in your paranormal group (this is one of the many reasons paranormal investigations should not be conducted alone!) to help understand what it might be and realize it isn’t necessarily an affront to your ideas or beliefs. Perhaps even time off from investigating, combined with support from your group, may be needed until you become more comfortable with the event you experienced.

Paranormal investigation, ghosts and spirits, aren’t inherently dangerous. But when dealing with the unknown caution and flexibility is always prudent.