5 Types of Hauntings 1. General Hauntings These hauntings occur with no regularity and for no particular reason.  Weird occurrances may manifest on occasion or even continually for a few days or may last many years; others may only occur on special dates i.e anniversaries etc.; while others may be totally random. It is generally thought that hauntings involve apparitions, or ghosts. In fact, apparitions are seldom seen. Most hauntings involve noises like tapping, knocking sounds, strange smells, cold breezes, footsteps, sensations (like the cold prickling of the skin) or the feeling of being touched by an unseen hand.   2. Poltergeist A variety of phenomena can be connected to poltergeist activity: Knocking and tapping sounds, noises with no visible cause, disturbances of stationary objects (i.e. household items and furniture.) doors slamming, lights turning on and off, fires breaking out, etc. 3. Residual Haunting This type of haunting is much more common than people realize. In locations where these types of hauntings take place, a powerful event or a series of events may be imprinted on the atmosphere. It can then suddenly pop up and play itself at random. Not all are visual; they are often replayed as unexplained sounds or even smells. This is called a "pychic impression" A large number of battlefields have become famous for thier hauntings over the years. This could be caused by the traumatic events that took place at the location. 4. Portal Hauntings The idea of a "portal" or "doorway" to another dimension is not a concept. These passageways may provide access for entities to enter our world. One of the most common locations for these "passageways" seems to be in cemeteries. In most cases cemeteries are not haunted, but through recent investigations many paranormal researchers have collected dozens of anomalous photogaghs that were taken in graveyards. There is no explanation to why these cemeteries would suddenly become haunted unless they provide access for spirits to pass from one world to the next. Other locations may also include old schools, hospitals, and correctional facilities as places were "passageways" exist. 5. Intelligent Hauntings These types of hauntings is perhaps the most commonly accepted kind, but not always as common as you might think. The spirit or entity involved in an "intelligent" presence in a haunted location. It is described as the personality of a person who was alive and after passing, stayed behind in our world. Instead of passing over to the otherside. This is said to sometimes happen in cases of murder, a traumatic event or unfinished business. At the time of death, the spirit refuses to pass over because of these events. The spirits often linger because of emotions that tie them to earth, from anger to love. In other cases they may not know how to passover like is believed with some child spirits that have been encountered. Or they may not realize that they are dead, due to thier death being sudden. These spirits are not evil or demonic, as some would have you believe. They are made up of the energy that once made up the personality of the living person. So if they were a kind and caring person in life, the spirit will most likely be in death. On the other hand, angry and cruel people will also keep those same nasty qualities as spirits. These nagative spirits can be frightening, especially to people not trained in the paranormal. In very rare cases they have been able to harm the living, but that is generally not the case. It is much more common to hear of an encounter with a benevolent spirit than with a negative one.