Personal experiences are just that; things that I alone have heard, felt, seen, smelt or touched. These experiences are, more often than not, unconfirmed by anyone else and not captured on any recording devices.
This does not mean that they are not valid, it simply means that they happened to me and me alone.
Touches
Feelings of being touched can happen at any time. The first time I felt this was as I tripped on an old staircase. A hand reached out - unseen by me - and gently took hold of my elbow, steadying me and stopping me from falling.Another time, I felt a gentle touch on the back of my head as if someone was stroking my hair.
In an abandoned women's home, in the maternity section, I felt hands moving over my belly as if someone was examining me.
Lying in bed and having my quilt pulled off me.
Sounds
Quite often when we are investigating we do not hear anything at the time but when we play back the audio we find we have caught moans, cries, voices and other strange phenomena that went unheard by us at the time.
Sometimes, however, I am lucky enough to hear something strange at the time it happens;
A muttering of many voices from the end of a corridor in an abandoned castle.
A knocking on a wall - on request - when there was clearly no one within touching distance.
Footsteps walking around our group despite us having our torches switched on and all of us accounted for.
Sights
It can be difficult to make things out in the half-light during investigations but I have come across quite a few oddities. Here are some of them;
A fleeting glimpse of a hooded figure standing beside me in full daylight.
Shadows moving around a doorway moments before footsteps were heard running up the stairs in an old mill.
A big black ball of energy appearing in a doorway seconds before all the EMF meters went off.
A white light flying above our heads in an erratic fashion in an abandoned asylum.
Smells
Sometimes, on investigations, we mention to each other that we can smell flowers or smoke or some other scent. It is difficult to classify these as paranormal as there are so many possible explanations
- Aftershave, perfume, deodorant, toothpaste or other personal hygiene products worn by the investigators.
- Wood often holds aromas such as cigarette, cigar or pipe smoke which can be released by heat from the sun or artificial heating.
- The smell of spilt alcohol can often linger for quite some time so if the location has recently hosted a party this can contaminate the scene.
I have sometimes smelled flowers during an investigation but have always ruled it out as a possible perfume contaminant.
I would love to hear of any possible paranormal personal experiences that you may have had. Feel free to add yours in the comments section!
