Glossary of Paranormal and ghostly Terms

To help you understand the paranormal we have compiled a list of the most common terms used in the world of the paranormal and ghost hunting.

Paranormal - Is the umbrella term used to describe unusual phenomena or experiences that lack an obvious scientific explanation. For example ghosts, alien abductions and UFO’s.

Pareidolia - The term pareidolia, referenced in 1994 by Steven Goldstein, describes a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include images of animals or faces in clouds.

Parapsychology – This is the scientific study of unusual events associated with human experiences and PSI subjects.

Planchette – A pointer used with an Ouija Board to communicate with ghosts and spirits.

Poltergeist - from German poltern, meaning to rumble or make noise, and Geist, meaning ghost or spirit and denotes a spirit or ghost that manifests itself by moving and influencing objects.

Portal – This describes an opening, which allows spirits to pass from plain of existence to another.

Psychic – People that have the ability to know what will happen in the future and to be able to sense what another person is thinking.