Banishing - Formal, ceremonial procedure effected to cast an invisible presence or influence out of an area.
Continuance - Commonly referred to as life after death, survival of the psyche post-cessation of the biological organism that had generated it.
Demonologist - A person, usually a member of the clergy, who studies and catalogs demons.
Digital audio - Refers to the small digital sound recorders used in investigations or to a recording media.
Digital infrared camera - Captures images invisible to people. Images are feed processed by a computer for examination.
Dowsing rod - A Y-shaped rod or two L-shaped rods; used in searches for underground water, discovering the location of unmarked graves, determining the sex of unborn children and locating ghosts.
Ectoplasm - A filmy, quasi-solid substance reported to issue from a medium's the mouth, nostrils, eyes, ears, navel or nipples during trance states. In photographs, this phenomenon seems to resemble soaked muslin fabric. Whether it has ever been genuine, virtually no ectoplasm has been reported in the past 50 years.
Electromagnetism - (also, electromagnetic field, or EMF ) — A force given off by electric charges; found in anything that uses electricity. Some believe spikes in electromagnetism can be tied to paranormal activity.
Entity - A disembodied consciousness commonly referred to as a ghost, spirit or demon.
EVP (electronic voice phenomena) — Disembodied voices and sounds picked up by recording devices.
Exorcism - Ceremonial expulsion of invading entities from a person or dwelling.
Orb - Spherical image, usually translucent white, though sometimes reddish or bluish, which inexplicably registers on film and videotape.
Hi-8 - A kind of portable video-tape camcorders.
Intelligent haunting - An incident in which a ghost knows interacts with the living. The entity might we trying to win a person's assistance on something or just trying to scare the crap out of him.
K-2 meter - A device, specially calibrated for paranormal investigations, that measures magnetic fields. Some believe it can be used to train a spirit to intensify its magnetic field as a form of communication.
Matrixing - The tendency for people to interpret sensory input as something familiar or more easily understood and accepted.
Medium - 1. A person saying she can sense emotions of those dead or alive, and/or is sensitive to electrical fields around people and entities.
MiniDV - A small digital video recorder that records.
Psychic cleansing - A less ritualized form of exorcism wherein a site is purified and malevolent influences banished through prayers.
Residual haunting - Psychic imprint of an incident that is repeatedly played out and witnessed by someone living. Ghosts in these time-displacements often seem unaware of observers.
Silky - A female ghost attired in a rustling silk garment (sometimes seen, other times just heard), who performs domestic chores for a household after the occupants have retired for the night.
Smudge sticks - Traditional Native American tools used for purification, healing, clearing, cleansing and spiritual ceremonies. Their smoke is believed to balance or eliminate negative energy.
Thermal-imaging digital camera - Records images of long-wavelength infrared (IR) radiation, sometimes referred to as heat, which is invisible to people. This allows the capture of images in even total darkness, or through smoke or fog.
Vortex - A gateway that opens from the spirit world letting entities into ours.
