The definition of "Poltergeist"

I would like to help clarify something here. Poltergeist activity is not a ghost or an astral entity. Ghosts, and I suppose, astral entities can move things around. But, the term "Poltergeist" is very often misused by New Age teachers and healers.

In actual poltergeist cases, when the person, family or others who are experiencing this have it explained to them, the activity immediately goes away. An interview of the people involved is conducted. When the person who has the greatest amount of stress is identified, the cause of the stress is identified, and it is explained to them that they are experiencing pychokinesis, the acitivity stops. In other words, the person's stress is sending out energy that is throwing dishes, etc. around. This is the true definition of "poltergeist". Not the Hollywood, scary movie definition.

So, it is assumed that a ghost/spirit can also engage in psychokinesis/Pk/telekinesis and move items. But, the definition of this is not poltergeist. Poltergeist is a very specific Parapsychology term for a very specific cause and effect.

...I hate to say it Painter but that's not correct.....

Poltergeist is a blanket term for any wierd activity going around in a house.

Note: Painterhypnogirl is Tempestinateapot.

Here we go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist

So, basically what your saying is the most commonly accepted theory for why poltergeist activity occurs, but isn't the definition of poltergeist.

[Tempestinateapot]

Yes, the word poltergeist does mean "noisy ghost". But, as in many cases with words, the meanings have been refined and reshaped into current usage and differ from the original. I love wikipedia, but don't consider it always factual. But, since you mentioned it, this is a direct quote from wikipedia and describes exactly what I'm talking about.

Poltergeist phenomena is a focus of study within parapsychology. Parapsychologists define poltergeist activity as a type of uncontrolled psychokinesis. Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK) is a phrase suggested by parapsychologist William G. Roll to denote poltergeist phenomena.

Poltergeist activity tends to occur around a single person called an agent or a focus. Focuses are often, but not limited to, pubescent children. Almost seventy years of research by the Rhine Research Center (Raleigh-Durham, NC USA) has led to the hypothesis among parapsychologists that the "poltergeist effect" is a form of psychokinesis generated by a living human mind (that of the agent). According to researchers at the Rhine Center, the "poltergeist effect" is the outward manifestation of psychological trauma.

As some people know, I am friends with and have received a Parapsychology Certification from Loyd Auerbach after almost a year of study with him. He is considered one of the leading parapsychologists in the world and attends parapsychology conferences, produces papers and books, and is educated in the field as being one of the few people in the world who has a graduate level college degree in Parapsychology. One of his books is highly acclaimed as the "Bible of Parapsychology".

So, I am not giving the pop culture definition of poltergeist. I am giving the definition that Loyd gave to me, which is the one accepted by educated Parapsychologists, but not necessarily the one that psychics and healers use. The reason for this is to help move the study of Parapsychology out of the realm of airy fairy metaphysics and in to the realm of more respected science fields. Having a commonly understood terminology is important in this endeavor. I love airy fairy metaphysics, but I also would like to see it brought up to date and respected. The only way this is going to happen is by scientific methodology being done correctly in the field and teminology being used correctly.

If I may...

So, what your saying is that what some people commonly refer to as poltergeist activity is really "Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK), a phrase suggested by parapsychologist William G. Roll to denote poltergeist phenomena."

I think poltergeist still means poltergeist, but what some folks blame on a 'noisy ghost' could really be the result of RSPK.

Is that right?

[Tempestinateapot]

Yes, that is the correct definition of the term. It is a PK phenomena unknowingly done by a stressed out "human". A ghost/spirit also uses PK to move things (as they can't really pick up something in the physical), but the ghost is not a "poltergeist".

A "noisy ghost" doesn't really describe anything except a ghost making noise. It doesn't say anything about things being thrown around. So, the original term doesn't fit either the pop culture term "poltergeist" or the parapsychology term "poltergeist".

To complicate things even further, a "haunting" is not a ghost. It's an energy imprint left behind at the scene of a trauma. The way to differentiate it from a true ghost, is that the "movie" is played over and over. For example, a woman walks down a staircase crying. Then, it repeats, possibly later when another person notices it. It follows the same scenario over and over, and can sometimes be a very complicated movie.

A "ghost" is simply a ghost, a human who has died and remains close to the physical earth instead of moving on into higher realms. That is the only term of the three (poltergeist, haunting, ghost) that pop culture has gotten right. *BOO!*

[animosity]

I would like to help clarify something here. Poltergeist activity is not a ghost or an astral entity. Ghosts, and I suppose, astral entities can move things around. But, the term "Poltergeist" is very often misused by New Age teachers and healers.

In actual poltergeist cases, when the person, family or others who are experiencing this have it explained to them, the activity immediately goes away. An interview of the people involved is conducted. When the person who has the greatest amount of stress is identified, the cause of the stress is identified, and it is explained to them that they are experiencing pychokinesis, the acitivity stops. In other words, the person's stress is sending out energy that is throwing dishes, etc. around. This is the true definition of "poltergeist". Not the Hollywood, scary movie definition.

So, it is assumed that a ghost/spirit can also engage in psychokinesis/Pk/telekinesis and move items. But, the definition of this is not poltergeist. Poltergeist is a very specific Parapsychology term for a very specific cause and effect.

Yea? Sorry by polterguist activity I meant it affects phisical matter.

Doesn't polterguist mean "noisey spirit" in german?

Yea? Sorry by polterguist activity I meant it affects phisical matter.

Doesn't polterguist mean "noisey spirit" in german?

A "noisy ghost" doesn't really describe anything except a ghost making noise. It doesn't say anything about things being thrown around. So, the original term doesn't fit either the pop culture term "poltergeist" or the parapsychology term "poltergeist".

If I understand correctly, what PHG is saying is that what a lot of people blame on a spirit or ghost is actually a form of Psycho-Kinesis originating from the living, specifically, a member of the household.

Poltergeist phenomena is a focus of study within parapsychology. Parapsychologists define poltergeist activity as a type of uncontrolled psychokinesis. Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK) is a phrase suggested by parapsychologist William G. Roll to denote poltergeist phenomena.

Poltergeist activity tends to occur around a single person called an agent or a focus. Focuses are often, but not limited to, pubescent children. Almost seventy years of research by the Rhine Research Center (Raleigh-Durham, NC USA) has led to the hypothesis among parapsychologists that the "poltergeist effect" is a form of psychokinesis generated by a living human mind (that of the agent). According to researchers at the Rhine Center, the "poltergeist effect" is the outward manifestation of psychological trauma.

[Tempestinateapot]

Hehe! Explaining this is more complicated than I thought.
Scymi said:

If I understand correctly, what PHG is saying is that what a lot of people blame on a spirit or ghost is actually a form of Psycho-Kinesis originating from the living, specifically, a member of the household.

Sort of. Let me see if I can clear it up...
Poltergeist - Live human using PK unknowingly through stress to throw things around.
Ghost throwing things around - A DEAD human using PK KNOWINGLY to throw things around. Or, maybe unknowingly, too...hadn't thought of that until now.

The only way to know the difference (unless you are psychic and can detect a ghost) is to conduct an interview with the family (or people around the phenomena). When it is determined that someone in the house is under a large amount of stress (not triggered by the scary things happening, but triggered by a stressful situation in their life) once they have been informed that THEY are doing the throwing dishes, etc. by using PK, the phenomena immediately stops.

Loyd told me that every single instance he has been called to a house where things are flying through the air, he has discovered the source (live person) explained it to them, and it stops. He BELIEVES in ghosts, and often takes a famous medium/psychic he is friends with along with him on ghost busting and house cleansing trips. He trusts her judgement (which is unusual for a Parapsychologist) and finds that having someone who is very talented at seeing/feeling spirits is helpful. But, the fact remains, that the majority of things flying around, in his investigations have turned out to be poltergeists and not ghosts.

** On a side note, he was convinced of the existence of ghosts when one walked through him.

Poltergeist - Live human using PK unknowingly through stress to throw things around.

I have to respectfully disagree.

IMO, Poltergeist is defined as a non-living entity, i.e. ghost. I believe it's possible that people have incorrectly attributed certain phenomena (like RSPK) to this type of entity.

No hard feelins', just my opinion.

Yes, the word poltergeist does mean "noisy ghost". But, as in many cases with words, the meanings have been refined and reshaped into current usage and differ from the original. I love wikipedia, but don't consider it always factual. But, since you mentioned it, this is a direct quote from wikipedia and describes exactly what I'm talking about.

Poltergeist phenomena is a focus of study within parapsychology. Parapsychologists define poltergeist activity as a type of uncontrolled psychokinesis. Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis (RSPK) is a phrase suggested by parapsychologist William G. Roll to denote poltergeist phenomena.

Poltergeist activity tends to occur around a single person called an agent or a focus. Focuses are often, but not limited to, pubescent children. Almost seventy years of research by the Rhine Research Center (Raleigh-Durham, NC USA) has led to the hypothesis among parapsychologists that the "poltergeist effect" is a form of psychokinesis generated by a living human mind (that of the agent). According to researchers at the Rhine Center, the "poltergeist effect" is the outward manifestation of psychological trauma.

As some people know, I am friends with and have received a Parapsychology Certification from Loyd Auerbach after almost a year of study with him. He is considered one of the leading parapsychologists in the world and attends parapsychology conferences, produces papers and books, and is educated in the field as being one of the few people in the world who has a graduate level college degree in Parapsychology. One of his books is highly acclaimed as the "Bible of Parapsychology".

So, I am not giving the pop culture definition of poltergeist. I am giving the definition that Loyd gave to me, which is the one accepted by educated Parapsychologists, but not necessarily the one that psychics and healers use. The reason for this is to help move the study of Parapsychology out of the realm of airy fairy metaphysics and in to the realm of more respected science fields. Having a commonly understood terminology is important in this endeavor. I love airy fairy metaphysics, but I also would like to see it brought up to date and respected. The only way this is going to happen is by scientific methodology being done correctly in the field and teminology being used correctly.

I'm sorry hun, but from what I can understand him and a few of his followers are pretty much alone in his "definitions," so he gets overruled by the law of numbers here.

The term seems to mean "pk or noise activity," nowadays, and doesn't necissarily denote a ghost.