When dealing with a residual haunting, you first have to understand the concept that a spirit can imprint energy after it leaves a location. A paranormal experience or a supernatural force can leave residual energy – like breadcrumbs – once they are gone from a particular space. It’s how we deal with that leftover energy that matters.

Residual hauntings aren’t really hauntings. In fact, it’s more of a recording of past energy that once was. Imagine walking into a space that once held a significant amount of energy – a heightened occurrence if you will. Once that energy leaves, a shadow remains that represents lingering energy.
Residual hauntings typically occur when something really traumatic occurred in a location. This could be murder or another bodily violation. The negative energy that was created from the event gets metaphysically recorded onto the area.
Then, it repeats over and over again for all to witness – similar to a television show. The ghosts or spirits that are trapped in the loop are unaware anyone is even watching them. This is why many paranormal investigators are lured to locations where permanent impressions are spotted.
While you might feel like you are being haunted, attacked, bombarded with the unknown…there really isn’t anything there connected to you. This wouldn’t be considered an intelligent or demonic haunting by any measure. It wouldn’t even be considered a noisy ghost.
Residual Orbs
Residual orbs are often mistaken for ghosts but they are actually residual energy put on display by residual energy. The residual energy within a residual orb could be the residual ghost itself but, as most residual orbs are not transparent, this is not usually the case with residual spirit hauntings.
Residual orbs can be mistaken for residual hauntings when they appear in photos and are seen by people unfamiliar with residual haunting phenomena; the best way to ensure you understand your residual spirit hauntings is to find out if there really is a residual entity attached to your spirit using various methods including psychics, mediums, or even repressing the residual ghost into another object that it can attach itself to until you remove it again over time.
Residual Energy Moves from Home to Home
If you move into a residual haunted house, residual energy may follow you into your new home or it might stay in its original location; residual hauntings can be very strong and are usually noticed by members of the household so residual spirits should not cause any problems once they have been dealt with.
Once residual energy has attached itself to your spirit then residual haunting phenomena will occur; this residual haunting phenomenon does not necessarily indicate that there is a residual entity attached to your spirit but it certainly could be an indication that residual entity is attached to another member of the household. There have been some cases where residual entities move from one resident to the other when they depart their bodies for whatever reason but this appears to be more common with residual demons than residual ghosts.
Residual Haunting Phenomena
As residual haunting phenomena can be put on display by residual energy, you cannot always see residual ghosts and residual hauntings using the normal senses; residual spirits can be seen in pictures taken by digital cameras that have flash or when they appear at night as orbs of light. Even if residual hauntings are not seen with the naked eye, residual entities often make noise and this is usually detected by at least one member of the household. There have been cases where a residual entity has attached itself to an object such as a chair or bed but these types of residual spirit hauntings are very rare.

How To Determine If It’s A Residual Haunting
There are a few ways to determine whether you are experiencing a residual or a demonic haunting. Is the energy responding to anything that you do or say? Or is it just playing by itself? This is the biggest clue. Different types of hauntings have specific reactions.
Normally, with poltergeist haunting, the spirit is trying to latch onto their host and is trying to engage with you on a regular basis. With intelligent hauntings, a ghost or a spirit literally interacts with the living.
But past energy cannot do such a thing because there is nothing truly there to begin with. Each paranormal phenomenon is completely different.

Are you afraid? Or are things just happening in an unexplained manner? Doors opening and closing depending on the time of day or footsteps walking at random. Do they make you feel threatened because there is an evil spirit associated with it or do the ghost noises just startle you? Really plug into your emotions. How does your body feel when these things are happening? Do you see a human form from the side of your eye?
The most common way to determine whether or not you are dealing with a residual haunting is repetition. Are you finding the same thing is happening over and over again with no change whatsoever? There is a bit of critical thinking that will need to happen here!
Remember the example we gave about the record? It’s like a song on repeat. Are you stuck on repeat? Do you only see the same door open and close over and over again? Does the same lamp turn on and off? If the answer is yes, then you have lingering energy and nothing else. These psychic impressions might seem like a haunting, but in the end, they are just leftover energy that you happened to find.

Do I Need A Paranormal Investigation?
If you still feel uncertain about the entire situation, by all means, hire a clairvoyant or conduct a paranormal investigation. A team of paranormal investigators will help you figure out what is actually going on using differential ghost imaging, while tracking your haunting activity. Using their contact microphones, they can finally determine whether you are coming in contact with an actual spirit.
Haunted stories truly can make people uneasy in their own homes – as they should! If this will ease your mind, then get someone to check out your particular situation.
Different Types Of Hauntings:
Elemental hauntings [or element natural] is what we call a spirit able to affect the elements of nature. For example, water elementals can move water at will and make it levitate in the air. Therefore they are very powerful and can be dangerous.
Most accounts of elemental hauntings involve crying sounds or scratching noises coming from a certain part of the house where an earthbound spirit resides; this situation might lead people to think that there are rodents trapped inside but it has been found out that these sounds come from natural spirits, known as elementals. Many times people have fled their homes while many more have suffered serious trauma after encountering such phenomenon.
Elemental hauntings usually occur when one member of the family passes away in a violent manner like murder or suicide; it appears that this is the only way for an elemental to attach itself to our energy. The elementals are very dangerous and harmful when left loose. According to various stories, these elementals could stay on earth forever if they are not released once they have attached themselves to someone’s energy. That is why knowing how to deal with them is very important .
Animal hauntings are often caused by humans mistreating the animals and not giving them a decent burial after they die. Animal ghosts can be confused for residual hauntings when their energy is released into the environment via photographs, but their behavior is usually very different to residual entities; animal spirits who are haunting a specific person will often only appear in front of that certain person but residual orbs can appear in front of anyone regardless of whether there is an attached entity or not.
A classic haunting is when a residual spirit or hell-bound spirit haunts a location for a period of time until the entity leaves this realm to reside in another.
Typically, classic hauntings occur when people die suddenly or violently and do not leave the earthly plane via normal means (buried under a tree or pyramid) and/or if they are trapped here by other entities such as demons. Classic hauntings are often found within mansions where violent crimes have been committed ie: murder or suicide; however, there appears to be an increase in classic haunting phenomena within modern homes due to the fact that more people live longer these days giving them ample opportunity to produce significant residual energy before passing on.
When you or someone else in your household is being possessed by a poltergeist entity, odds are that it’s being caused by the residual ghost of a dead person. What do you know about poltergeists?
The best way to deal with any type of hauntings – including a poltergeist haunting – is to find out if there really is a residual entity attached to your spirit using various methods including psychics, mediums, or even repressing the residual ghost into another object that it can attach itself to until you remove it again over time; once you have dealt with the poltergeist then investigating why you experience such paranormal activity is the next best thing.
If you believe that a residual entity is attached to your spirit then this could be what is causing poltergeists in your home; although it has been known for people who are being possessed by a poltergeist entity to have some of the same paranormal phenomena as those experiencing a normal residual haunting, it appears that most cases of poltergeist activity are actually caused by the residual ghost of a dead person.
A poltergeist is an entity that has not crossed over to the other side after its death; poltergeists can be very destructive and leave behind a lot of paranormal activity. A residual haunting is often mistaken as being a poltergeist haunting when in fact it might not be what is causing paranormal phenomena in your home. It would be advisable for you to contact a local poltergeist expert or even check out your local library if you think you are experiencing poltergeist activity.
EVPS Will Not Work
Just a note on the paranormal investigation – EVPs will not work because the loops are not responsive or intelligent. Remember that. You cannot ask any specific questions or get any particular answers from this lingering energy because it’s just that – lingering energy.
So, if you are looking for answers, you won’t get any from a tape recorder. If you do hear any sort of message, it will be repeated over and over again. Please don’t forget this. Ghost hunters really won’t be much help here. Neither will ouija boards.
Could you ask a rerun a question? These past events are just playing in this moment but are not connected to the present in any way.

Famous Residual Hauntings In History
The more emotionally charged the event, the bigger the imprint. That makes sense, right? One of the most famous residual hauntings out there to date is Tower of London’s ghost, Anne Boleyn. She was beheaded in 1536. Countless people have witnessed her spirit walking throughout the landmark surrounded by knights and ladies.
But her ghost is not confined to just the Tower. She has been spotted at Hever Castle, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court. For a more detailed story about her afterlife, click here.
Related: Welcome To The Crescent Hotel – Spirits Included
Final Thoughts On A Residual Haunting
An infinite loop caught on our plane – a piece of their lives stuck on repeat destined to be played over and over again until the end of time. It isn’t dangerous. It just is.

One more note before we close this one out – a residual haunting does not have to occur where the murder or extreme event took place. It just happens near it. For example, if a woman is murdered walking home from work, her infinite loop might take place in her home.
It’s where the ghost is most comfortable repeating their existence. What did they use to do over and over again? The shock of their murder could not stop them from doing this particular routine.
Is it walking up and down the stairs? Is it turning on and off their bedroom lamp? Is it rocking on their porch swing? The paranormal activity just mimics this over and over again. What does the residual energy want to do – better yet – what can’t they stop doing?
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