How to Get Rid of a Poltergeist December 30, 2015
Author: Beach Combing | in : Actualite, Contemporary , trackback
James McClenon is a sociologist who has written on the paranormal and parapsychology. His books are to be recommended in the highest terms, not just for their arguments, put perhaps most of all for their reasonable yet never irritating openness to the unexplained; something which does not offend even a hoary old materialist like Beach. McClenon, now retired, was clearly something of an eccentric and his writing is studded with curious asides or jarring perspectives. A particularly favourite for Beach is McClenon’s cure for poltergeists. There are many scholars who have written on poltergeists, of course, but McClenon developed not just a theory of what they were (essentially bad energy in a house), but also, and more importantly advice on how to tame them. Most sociology professors, it must be remembered, spend their time plotting worldwide revolution, not helping Mrs Smith with bad juju: so kudos and medals to JMC. We are on page 59 of Wondrous Events.
During recent years, I have devised a treatment strategy for reducing negative haunting experiences. Those witnessing the most phenomena within a particularly case generally report previous anomalous experiences. The resolution of a case is often dependent on the thoughts and feelings of these individuals. My approach, while not adequately evaluated, appears to have been effective in five test cases. I hypothesize that those experiencing frequent anomalous events have lowered the unconscious, skeptical barriers that normally prevent such episodes… Experiencers can develop mental strategies to control the forms of event they perceive.
So if you are in a house with a ‘poltergeist’ you should probably quickly find the person who is at the centre of most experiences, and who will likely be the source or conductor for what Beach will refer to here as ‘the energy’ (to keep things as secular as possible). JMC, then gives four bits of more specific advice for bringing down the negative aspects of the experience. Note that the glosses are Beach trying to understand why McClenon has chosen this or that strategy.
(1) [hauntees should] discuss and acknowledge the phenomena’s non-threatening and ‘unreal’ qualities.
i.e. it is important to note that ‘the energy’ is not, of itself, actually doing physical or malicious damage. If there is an element of attack, perhaps it is better to reason it out as ‘mischief’. Presumably here the hauntees are taking the edge off the negative energy they or some of their number have created.
(2) [hauntees should] attempt to increase their ‘mental strength’ through connection with powerful spiritual forces.
This could be prayer to a deity, meditation on something good, conversations with dead relatives… in short, whatever works. This is to redirect and channel the energy in the house.
(3) [hauntees should] examine the possibility that anxieties shape group anomalous experiences and that future experiences can be controlled by individual and group attitudes.
The group recognizes that their own dynamics might influence (and very possibly create) ‘the energy’ and that this means that those in the house have a shared responsibility for said ‘energy’.
(4) treat the phenomena as real and create nondestructive directions for occult forces to express themselves.
Once a series of phenomenon have become ‘real’ for a family it is foolish to argue for too long about rats behind the skirting boards: this would be fighting the energy and some ‘hauntings’ seem to resent not being taken seriously. It is better to put the energy to work: for example, the little girl who asks the ‘ghost’ to help her sweep up.
JMC goes on to talk about using psychics to help direct energy (4?): he also mentions the use of self-hypnotic techniques and meditation (for 2 and 3?).
Any other advice for a family confronted with a poltergeist: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com
Chris from Haunted Ohio Book: How to cure a polt? Possibly family counseling is in order. However, many households infested with polts seem to be too dysfunctional to be aware that counseling might help. In my years of visiting haunted/polt-infested places, the polt people almost invariably stubbornly resisted the very things that might help them. Some put their faith in God to deliver them from the power of the demon that had one of their family members in its grasp–I still think about the woman who told me her teen-aged daughter was possessed because various polt-like activities were occurring. “Did anything happen to the girl that she hasn’t been able to get over?” I asked. Oh, yes, the mother told me, she was raped by an uncle when she was seven years old (the uncle had not been turned into the police, nor had the daughter had any sort of counseling.) At this point the girl’s father, who had been listening on the extension said something like, “She don’t need a counselor; she just needs to turn to God.” Not much to do with that, but I told the mother that the girl might be at risk of suicide (based on statistics of childhood abuse victims with no support.) and that was the end of the conversation.
Some of the polt families were dealing with current issues of abuse. One woman had recently divorced a violent husband, who was threatening to kill her because a new boyfriend had moved in with her and her teen-aged daughter. It was easier to imagine that the polt activities were the result of outside forces than to deal with her own earthly stresses.
In general, I found that many of my ghost/polt cases called on me to practice psychiatry without a license. It was very depressing; there were so many unhappy, doomed people “incapable of their own distress.”
This statement from McClenon particularly struck me:
2) [hauntees should] attempt to increase their ‘mental strength’ through connection with powerful spiritual forces.
This could be prayer to a deity, meditation on something good, conversations with dead relatives… in short, whatever works. This is to redirect and channel the energy in the house.
Redirecting or channeling the energy is an excellent idea in principle. But when religion/the clergy gets involved, things may calm down for a short time, but polts always come roaring back. It seems as if the polt is a rebellious creature–taking great pleasure in mischievously flouting authority–and what higher authority is there than a deity? There are a fair number of anecdotes about “exorcism” or prayer intervention backfiring and making things worse.
Also,
(3) [hauntees should] examine the possibility that anxieties shape group anomalous experiences and that future experiences can be controlled by individual and group attitudes.
The group recognizes that their own dynamics might influence (and very possibly create) ‘the energy’ and that this means that those in the house have a shared responsibility for said ‘energy’.
As I said, polt families are rarely so self-aware. There is more apt to be a scapegoating of the person they believe is the focus of the “attacks.” Or perhaps we should say that the scapegoat in a dysfunctional family is more likely to be a polt vector.
Some people believe that “polt energy” can be redirected by driving stakes into ley lines (black leys) to neutralize bad energy; others suggest fixing the feng shui of the house.
I, for one, have absolutely no idea what the mechanism is, but happy, healthy families rarely, if ever, have polts.
Bruce T instead writes: Here’s how it’s done, according to my late Grandfather, who claimed rattlesnakes rocked him to sleep.
First, you need a zinc wash tub. Beginning the morning of the New Moon you urinate in the wash tub. You repeat this every morning until the next New Moon. That morning you do your business as normal, in the bathroom or the privy, depending on circumstances. Then you cut a willow switch. You then start a fire, place the tub of urine over the fire and wait for it to come to a boil. When it does, you stir the boiling urine with the willow switch counterclockwise until it evaporates. You take the residue, jar it, and bury it off the property, preferably at a crossroads. The process is said to remove all Haint’s, hexes, and curses.
Of course, you can go the easy route and paper the walls of your house with newspaper. Haint’s are said to be curious things. They’re compelled to read everything they come across. If you paper the walls with newspaper, they get frustrated and move on.
You can also paint your window and door frames a medium blue. Haint’s are adverse to that color.
Finally you can build a haint catcher, or bottle tree. Put some colored bottles/ jars on the limbs of a small tree in your yard. Haint’s catch themselves when they take refuge there when the sun comes up. Seal them up and bury them deep. Again a crossroads is best. If you can’t bury them immediately, store them in a shed away from the house where they won’t be disturbed and keep an eye on them.
There you go, a multi-layered defense against most paranormal forces. Psychics would charge you thousands of dollars for this info, but I’m giving it away for free. That’s the kind of guy I am.
KMH writes in ‘There are poltergeist cases which are difficult to solve, such as this one at the Mirror. More power to James McClenon if he is able to succeed in cases like these. He could have a profitable career as a poltergeist remover.
