Do Residual Hauntings Exists?

Do residual hauntings exist?

A question I often get asked is, “What do I think about residual hauntings?” My belief is that they don’t exist. I know residual hauntings are commonly believed to exist among members of the paranormal community. In my 25 years as a paranormal investigator, I have never witnessed one.  

The most commonly accepted definition of a residual haunting is one that recurs repeatedly, like a video playing on a perpetual loop. In my experience, if a haunting truly repeats itself, it should be predictable. At a particular moment, we should experience a particular event, and those events should occur in a set order at predictable times. The term “psychic imprint” is often used to explain why a residual haunting occurs. Saying an event was so tragic that the psychic energy was strong enough to leave an imprint seems like wordplay to justify why a haunting exists (Idol of the Marketplace Fallacy). If this occurs naturally, I would surmise the haunting could not be very detailed in its “playback” of events. Also, the energy would dissipate, and the haunting would fade over time.  

Another question I have is whether spirit communication is possible with a residual haunting. Replying to inquiries (EVPs) requires a level of cognizance. There has to be intelligence and awareness to reply. If a residual haunting is just a “psychic imprint,” then how can it reply to your questions?

In my experience, every haunting has shown some level of cognizance. I even go so far as to say that all hauntings are poltergeists. I know many paranormal investigators consider poltergeists to be malevolent hauntings, but all hauntings exhibit some level of activity. If they did not show any apparent activity, we would most likely never know a house is haunted. When I investigate a haunting, I classify it as a high-, medium-, or low-level poltergeist. If the haunting is malevolent, then I classify it as such. Most malevolent hauntings tend to be high-level poltergeists.  

If a spirit does not respond to your EVP inquiries, it may be choosing not to. That is a level of cognizance, by reason of making a choice, or it may be unaware of your presence. Either way, this does not constitute the definition of a residual haunting.