by Tom Stewart

Created on: November 09, 2009   Last Updated: December 29, 2009

When it comes to defining such terms as 'ghost', 'spirit', and 'demon' there are no specific terms, only beliefs and theories. Depending on your religion and culture, you may have a different opinion of such spiritual and paranormal ideas and whether or not they even exist. However, for years, paranormal investigators have been applying a scientific approach to proving the existence of all three and have been able to define the three as possible causes to haunted objects, people, and locations.

Ghost - the term 'ghost' is sort of a broad term used to describe most hauntings in the paranormal field. A ghost will usually be in some sort of human likeness though not always solid or full bodied. It is believed that ghosts are the spirit of a deceased human being who has not yet crossed over. They can appear in full clothing similar to what they wore when alive or sometimes will appear as a dark or white shadow able to penetrate through doors, floors, and ceilings. Not all ghosts are of an intelligent nature though, meaning they are not always aware of their surroundings or capable of interaction. In many cases ghosts are residual; an imprint in time of a past event that is somehow playing itself over and over again like a broken record. Usually ghosts haunt specific locations or people that they were closely attached to when alive. They are also more common in situations where the life was lost in a tragic manner. Ghosts can also appear as animals or even as objects like a train or a horse drawn carriage.

Spirit - a 'spirit' is believed to be the soul of a human who has passed away but is still trying to make contact with the living. Sometimes spirits will manifest as a ghost but they can also make contact in many other forms. In some cases spirits are simply a cold spot in a room, a specific scent in the air, or a knocking sound in the attic. In some situations, spirits are felt as a presence watching you in a room or as an invisible person breathing near you or touching you. In the paranormal field, investigators use audio recorders to conduct electronic voice phenomena (or EVP) sessions to try and record disembodied voices of spirits. They ask a series of questions to the spirit with the hope that the spirit will somehow use the energy in the room to vocalize an answer that can be heard when the recorder is played back. It is believed that spirits are occasionally able to speak to the living but that it is usually inaudible to the human ear and requires a device

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