November 4, 2009, 12:00 am

Kylie Miller

When strange events started to occur in Kylie Miller's flat, she doubted her sanity, and consulted a psychologist and a priest. But help came from an unexpected source.

During the four years I'd lived alone in my ground floor apartment in bayside Melbourne, I'd always felt safe. The building was secure behind a high fence and locked gates, and I had deadlocks on the doors and windows. Not only did I feel protected and comfortable there, but I also had an affection for my little nook away from the world. I loved reading the papers at the dining table as the sun streamed in through the windows; pottering in the garden; and soaking away the stresses of the day in my deep, cast-iron bath. But towards the end of 2008, without any warning, frightening things started happening in my home.

The lights would come on without explanation, light globes would explode in showers of glass, ceiling fans would be spinning when I'd returned from a day out, and my two favourite rings vanished from my bedside table. I began to feel uneasy when undressing, and on two extreme occasions that summer, I felt so uncomfortable that I slept in my clothes.

This was completely out of character for me, and during fleeting moments, I questioned my sanity. Where did this paranoia come from? Was I really being watched? I felt strangely reassured when a friend dropped by in the midst of it all and suddenly – for no reason – she burst into tears. I confided in her what had been taking place in my flat. The energy, she agreed, was overpoweringly negative.

The final straw came one week in early December when I was woken on three separate nights by the horrifying feeling of someone leaping on the bed, pummelling me, and yelling in my ear. Although the event was slightly different on each occasion, the common thread was of a male presence on top of me, preventing me from moving.

The first time it happened, I felt as though I was being tossed around and my left leg was raised into the air. I dismissed it as a strangely real nightmare. The next night the same thing happened, but this time I heard an unmistakable roar, as if someone was screaming right in my ear. My bedroom light – attached to a ceiling fan and operated by remote control – came on three times. Aghast,

I leapt out of bed, switched off the power at the wall and shouted with fury to be left in peace. It didn't happen again that night, but I didn't get much sleep.

The next day, my sister begged me to go and stay with her, but in the harsh light of day, my nocturnal terrors seemed too ridiculous to consider. There must be an explanation, I thought.

As a journalist, I deal in facts. Ambitious and driven, in 1994, aged 24, I was named NSW Young Journalist of the Year, and I've since held senior editorial positions at major metropolitan newspapers in Australia and Asia. I've made it my life's work to sort fact from fiction, and I have a streak of cynicism some might consider unhealthy. I'm also agnostic.

After a few weeks of night terrors and the unsettling feeling of being watched, I asked a psychologist if she could offer an explanation. She assured me I wasn't going mad and pointed to the study of parapsychology. Later, when an electrician suggested I remove the batteries from the remote control (he couldn't explain the exploding light bulbs or spinning fan), I called a priest. "Good triumphs over evil," he told me. He didn't mention exorcism, and I felt too silly to ask.

Tentatively, I confided in a few close friends – fellow journalists who knew my rising paranoia was out of place. I don't take drugs and I'm a light social drinker. I saw sceptical minds open to the possibilities. "I wouldn't believe it if I heard it from anyone but you," one said. Then someone mentioned Maria Last.

A professional psychic and medium, Maria is a 30-something Irish woman whose marriage to an Australian man brought her to Melbourne seven years ago. "Hello, I know this sounds insane, but there's something strange going on

in my flat," I told Maria over the phone.

In her soft lilt, she asked me a series of questions: Had I experienced electrical faults? Had anything gone missing? Did I hear or feel things that didn't seem real? Any unexplained draughts or aromas? Had I had trouble sleeping, strong dreams, recurring headaches, or a sense of not being alone? For the first time in weeks, I felt someone understood. "OK, well, it sounds like you're right, but you really must know that there is no need to worry," she assured me.

For as long as she can remember, Maria has seen dead people. And the day she came to my apartment, she saw several. "The deceased mostly look like people ... sometimes they're like watermarks, sometimes black and white, sometimes colour photos, sometimes just like a coloured movie," she explained. As a baby, she remembers the ethereal form of a "crystalline, bluey-white" woman watching lovingly over her cot. A few years later, while travelling with her family to visit a dying relative, she announced they were too late after seeing his spirit float past. They arrived to discover he'd just died.

By the time Maria visited me on a warm summer's day, I was at my wit's end. It had been two months since I'd felt comfortable at home. My sleep had been repeatedly disturbed. I was on edge, anxious and reluctant to go to bed.

In the two days since our phone conversation, I'd followed Maria's advice, applying the standard "energy clearing" techniques, including burning sage "smudge" sticks and placing black obsidian crystals beside my bed. "Try these," she'd instructed me, "and call back if it doesn't work." Then, for the third time in a week, I'd experienced the horror of a night-time "visitor" and decided to ask Maria to come to my flat.

Petite and conservatively dressed, she looked more like her mainly professional, female clientele than the velvet-clad cliché associated with New Age beliefs. She explained that she avoids using the word "spiritual" for the stereotype it conjures up. She again assured me everything would be OK, before asking where in the flat I felt least at ease. Was there anywhere that was inexplicably cold? Particular rooms where I'd experienced the most electrical disturbance? Without hesitation, I directed her to the master bedroom, where the ceiling fan had spun and the lights flashed at night; and my home office, which was uncomfortably chilly that day despite the direct, late-afternoon sun.

Stepping into the office, Maria stopped dead. "Well, we've found our culprit," she announced, before turning towards the antique iron day bed beside my desk. "Hello, what are you doing here?" she enquired of the seemingly empty room. "You know you can't stay."

Maria said he was a young man named Jim who had been crippled by a medical problem that left him with limited use of his legs. He told Maria he'd taken a shine to me during an open-house party I'd held a few summers previously, and had been with me ever since. Over the next half-hour, Jim told Maria details about my life she could never have known: the way I read aloud as I'm writing, and my frustration about a health complaint that had curbed my ability to run. He said his admiration for my strength in overcoming the ailment was one of the things that drew him to me, Maria claimed. Jim smoked, she said, and it was possible I'd smelt it. Bizarrely, I'd often griped about a waft of tobacco from the upstairs apartment. Later, I'd discovered my neighbours don't smoke.

I listened to Maria's banter and she passed on Jim's replies. Once or twice they didn't resonate and doubt crept in – but not for long. I'd moved in during July, for example, but Maria was resolute – Jim insisted my house-warming had taken place in summer. It wasn't until later that I remembered I'd waited until my birthday in November to hold a combined celebration. Overwhelmed by the accuracy, I found it hard not to believe.

After about 30 minutes of chat, Maria convinced Jim that life would be better if he went "into the light", the entrance to a higher plane. He was joined by a favourite uncle of his who appeared to escort him. Helping a spirit to "cross over" is similar to the way it's shown in the Channel Seven show Ghost Whisperer, she said, but with significantly less drama, fewer heaving bosoms, and no banging doors and billowing curtains.

But there was more to come. Maria doubted that Jim's jovial energy was responsible for the creepy presence I'd felt, particularly since he'd been with me for so long. Using a crystal pendulum suspended on a chain, she entered the master bedroom and walked around slowly. We watched as the pendulum swung clockwise then, as Maria neared the corner of the room, whip violently the other way. Suddenly, she started speaking again – this time without lightness or charm. This guy, she said, is a creep; a stalker in life and no different in death. Maria's language was rude and aggressive. He told her he'd followed me home after seeing me out a couple of months earlier, and bragged about groping me in bed.

After a few minutes of conversation, in which details emerged about him watching me in bed and in the bathroom, I decided I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't ask questions. I just wanted him gone. I hovered at the back of the room, feeling violated and anxious.

Looking back, I have no idea how long it took, although it felt like forever. Maria explained that she forced the man into the light with the help of bouncer-like spirit "helpers". Minutes later, she again circled the room with the pendulum and we watched as it first hung still, then slowly turned clockwise, indicating the negative energy had passed. The atmosphere might feel tense for a couple of days, she said, but he was gone and he couldn't come back. I burst into tears.

Emotional and spent, I sat on the sofa nursing a Scotch as Maria talked about "visitors" who'd gathered around us – my recently deceased grandfather; his long-dead former wife; and a much-loved mentor who'd died of lung cancer and identified himself by flicking a cigarette lighter. The evening grew lighter as he offered amusing advice on subjects known only to me – typically paternal remarks about my taste in men and a bossy appraisal of a career change that he believed would waste my talent. I got so absorbed in the "conversation", I found myself raising my voice as I told him he had no idea. Just like the old days.

Perhaps I'm a cynic, but my job brings with it a questioning mind and a desire to know the truth. The events of that night changed my understanding of "reality" and sent me on a quest to learn more. After reading books on spirituality, I enrolled in a program run by Maria designed to teach people to harness their "sixth sense" and connect with the spirit world. During the first session, she taught me to disconnect from the moods of others, seek advice in my dreams by asking questions I want answered before I go to sleep, and how to recognise signs of spirit presence. For me, they include subtle sensations such as tingling, shivers, touch and sounds.

I was surprised to discover I could relate to what she taught, and opened my mind to a world beyond my comprehension. There was no going back. Unexpectedly, I started to feel a connection with the long-deceased grandmother I had never wished to know, a stranger named Pat who had left my mother as a toddler after a brief marriage to my grandfather during World War II.

Several times during my life I had set out to learn more about Pat, but had been discouraged by the pain her abandonment caused my mother. When I met Maria, I'd just learnt Pat was dead and had seen her photograph for the first time, having finally traced a living sister.

Maria told me my grandmother is with me frequently, finding atonement for the lack of maternal instinct in her life by guiding and supporting me in mine. Do I believe it? It seems absurd, but there's no denying the presence I feel; I can detect her love, amusement and interest in what I'm doing. Sometimes I feel her pride. She has a mischievous streak – not at all grandmotherly – and I catch myself talking to her when I sense her pleasure in behaviours my mother might not approve of. It turns out we're quite alike, and not just in appearance.

The most tangible physical sign associated with Pat is a shiver in my right leg accompanied by a sensation best described as a "knowing"; a feeling of absolute certainty planted in my head at random moments. Occasionally, I hear a voice, internal and barely discernible – and sometimes the warmth of an embrace.

So, what have I learnt? There's no question I still feel doubt, and there are times when it all seems too crazy to be real. Am I looking for reinforcement for things I want to believe? I don't think that's the case, although I wonder if I'll ever be sure. In talking about the experience, I've encountered others who have had similar journeys. I see frequent references to it in the media. Sometimes it feels like belonging to a society for those in the know. Whatever the answer, to me it doesn't matter. My life has changed for the better. I'm happier, gratified and feel more in touch with my spirit.

From Marie Claire

By Stephen Wagner, About.com

A close look at the hit movie, Paranormal Activity, what the filmmakers got right and got wrong with regard to a real haunting, and what the characters did right and wrong.

THE FILM Paranormal Activity has become a phenomenal sensation around the country, primarily because many viewers found the low-budget movie with no big-name stars so effective. Some thought it did not live up to the hype generated around it, but it continues to make big money and an enormous return on its initial investment of less than $20,000.

One question I've been asked by people who have seen the film is: Can stuff like that really happen?

The answer is: Yes,

many of the phenomena that are depicted in the film can and do happen to people. Some of it was faithfully rendered in the film. There were many things that the characters did correctly in that situation. On the other hand, there were things that the film did not get quite right - they were exaggerated (it's a piece of entertainment after all; we can't fault them for that) - and the characters did some things that are not recommended by paranormal researchers.

So here's an examination of what the film got right and wrong. SPOILER WARNING: This article divulges elements of the plot that you might not want to know about if you haven't seen the film. If so, return here after you've seen the film.

WHAT THE FILM GOT RIGHT

Types of poltergeist activity. For the most part, the film accurately depicted the kinds of phenomena that occur with a poltergeist or haunting:

• Lights and appliances going off and on by themselves.

• Unexplained noises, such as bangs and raps on the walls, that cannot be accounted for by natural means. Very often, the location of these noises is hard to pinpoint.

• Mysterious voices and whispering.

• Covers and sheets being pulled off a sleeping person.

Escalation of poltergeist activity. As happens in the film, poltergeist activity most often starts slowly, even with subtlety. It might start with a few mild unexplained noises every once in a while. Then they become more frequent and louder. Then the peculiarities with the lights, TVs and other appliances might kick in. This can then be followed by shadows and even voices. In some rare cases, things can get much worse (worse than even happens in the film).

Paranormal focus. Paranormal Activity was also correct in indicating that such activity very often centers around an individual - the woman, in the case of the film - rather than a place. So she was correct in telling her boyfriend that it probably would not have mattered if they fled their apartment; the activity would have stayed with her.

Activity at night. Most of the paranormal activity in the movie occurs at night, and essentially this is very often the case. Poltergeist and haunting activity certainly does take place during daylight hours, but it seems to happen more often at night. I say "seems" because I'm not sure there's much data to support this. It may very well be that it's merely perception that it occurs more often at night: People are often away from their homes during the day (things could be happening while they're away); the night is quieter, when people may be more likely to notice odd noises; unexplained shadows might be more noticeable in the night's artificial lighting.

Shadow forms. In the movie, a person-shaped shadow is seen passing across the couple's bedroom door. The sightings of such "shadow people," as they have come to be known, are becoming more and more common. Shadow people are not always connected to poltergeist and haunting activity, but they can be. And, as the film depicts, they can manifest as fleeting shadow forms across a door or wall, but they can also have far scarier shapes. There are reports of these shadow people appearing to be opaque or even solid-looking black masses that stand or move in an open space, such as a hallway or the middle of a room. In other words, in these cases, they don't seem to be shadows cast on a surface; they seem to be three-dimensional shadows!

Physical contact. The woman who is the object of the poltergeist or haunting activity in the movie is affected physically by the mysterious force, receiving scratches and a bite mark. Does this kind of violent physical contact really happen? Yes, it does, but in very rare, extreme cases. There are documented cases of victims being scratched, bit, slapped, pushed, shoved, hair-pulled and more. Again, I must emphasize that this kind of physical attack is relatively rare.

The paranormal investigator. The film did a pretty good job in its depiction of a good paranormal investigator and an initial interview. He wasn't some over-the-top "psychic" lunatic. He asks reasonable, careful, intelligent questions, at first attempting to eliminate natural causes for the activity. He isn't alarmist and doesn't scare his clients with proclamations of demon infestations, or that they should vacate their apartment immediately. In general, he gave them good advice.

He is also correct in recommending another investigator when he becomes uncomfortable with the things he was sensing.

WHAT THE FILM GOT WRONG

Physical contact. In addition to the scratches and bites, the woman also is eventually dragged down a hallway, feet first, by some unseen entity. Could this happen in an extreme poltergeist or "evil spirit" haunting? I suppose we can't absolutely rule it out, but I don't know of any case on record in which a person has been dragged down a hallway or something similar. This doesn't mean there hasn't been such a case, and it might be possible, but the chances of something this extreme happening are so remote that I have to toss it off as merely the imagination of the filmmaker.

The poltergeist activity. Although the film got many of the types of poltergeist activity and its escalation correct, it did not understand that the phenomena most often fades away and disappears on its own after a few weeks. If the film depicted that, however, they would have a film with a very dull ending.

The Ouija. There were a few incidents with regard to the Ouija board with which I have reservations:

• Ouija planchettes do not move by themselves. Let me hedge a little by saying that I cannot state dogmatically that a Ouija board planchette has not and cannot move without a person touching it. After all, if a poltergeist or ghost can switch a light off and on, pound on a wall or even scratch a person, could it not also move a Ouija planchette? Yes, I'd have to admit, and I have even received reports from people who say they have witnessed this. As far as I know, however, a Ouija planchette moving on its own has never been documented on film or video. (If I'm wrong, please send me the evidence.) And in the cases where people say they have witnessed it, people obviously were present, which could indicate a psychokinetic source (that is, caused by the minds of the observers). In the film, the planchette moves when no one is around.

• Ouija boards do not erupt into flame. Such a thing happening is highly doubtful.

Spirit possession. In the film, the woman - another spoiler here! - is possessed by the entity and attacks her partner. Possible?

It appears to be true that a person can be "possessed" temporarily by a spirit or foreign personality. Part of the problem in understanding this phenomenon is what this possession really is. However, there are good cases in which a spirit personality temporarily takes control of a living person to relay a message or other information. This might be the case with some spirit mediums. And such possession has also occurred spontaneously without the living person inviting the spirit invasion. (I dislike using the word "possession" because it automatically makes most people think of demonic possession, which we are not talking about here.) And, as I've said, we know so little about this phenomenon and how "genuine" the documented cases really are (there could all kinds of psychological factors), that it's hard to even talk about in an intelligent way. Having said that, if the phenomenon is possible, then the possession by good (or benign) or evil forces both are possible.

With regard to the film, however, can an evil spirit possess and control a person to the point of murder? Countless murderers have, of course, blamed their crimes on demonic possession, and no doubt there are many among the faithful who think they're right. I certainly don't. And I find the film's climax to be so unlikely that it's ludicrous. More colorful filmmaking.

WHAT THE COUPLE DID RIGHT

The couple in Paranormal Activity reacted to the phenomena in a quite realistic and correct way, for the most part. If you're having similar troubles, this is what you also should do:

Document the activity. The very premise of Paranormal Activity is that the boyfriend attempts to document the weird things happening to them with a video camera. This is a good idea for a few reasons:

• You have hard evidence for the phenomena.

• Seeing or hearing the phenomena on tape will prove that it wasn't just your imagination; you're not crazy!

• The recorded evidence will aid paranormal researchers with any investigation.

• The documented evidence might help you understand or deal with the phenomena: studying it might reveal there is a natural explanation after all, or it might provide clues in dealing with something of a genuine paranormal nature.

Call an investigator. When the paranormal activity got too spooky for the couple, they called a paranormal investigator they trusted. Right - and right not to just call the local ghost hunters. Do a little homework, ask around and try to find an investigator or team of investigators that is respected or has a good reputation. In some cases this may well be the local ghost hunters. The key is to find someone you trust. You're bringing this person or team into your home and into a very sensitive situation. You don't want inexperienced people who have no idea what they're doing. And avoid anyone who will charge you for an investigation.

WHAT THE COUPLE DID WRONG

Confronting the entity. When the couple was at a breaking point with the activity, the boyfriend openly confronted and challenged the entity. This is probably not a good idea when dealing with negative energies. They might accept the challenge and the troublesome activity could get worse - much worse.

With some mild poltergeist and benign haunting activity, it can be effective to tell the spirit in a calm but firm tone (as if you're talking to a child) that you don't like their antics, that it's your house, and that you would appreciate it if they would cease and leave you alone. Believe it or not, this can actually be effective, especially with playful, prankster ghosts that hide things, make irritating noises or are otherwise bothersome.

Using the Ouija board to make contact. The girlfriend specifically warns the boyfriend not to employ a Ouija board to try to make contact with the entity. He does it anyway, with disastrous results. (I think we could call the Ouija board erupting into flames on the coffee table disastrous.) She, too, has heard that the Ouija can open a portal to spirit energies, some of which might be quite negative.

In this case, I agree with her. I'm not sure I buy into the Ouija-portal idea, but in a situation like the couple's, where there is a great deal of fear and unknown phenomena taking place, it's best not to further excite the raw emotions of the household with the crazy messages that can come across on a Ouija board. Even if the Ouija is powered by the users' psyches, all their anxiety and deep-seated fears could manifest as negative Ouija messages and possibly worsen psychokinetic activity around the home. It's not that the Ouija has any power of its own, but it can serve as a focusing element for the conscious or unconscious mind.

So, taking into consideration that Paranormal Activity is a work of fiction that needs to entertain and attempts to scare its audience, I'd give it a grade of B- for its depiction of a real experience with paranormal activity.

FROM ABOUT.COM 

Poltergeists: An Alternate View

 

A reader believes poltergeists are probably the work of spirits

 

By Stephen Wagner, About.com 

16 Signs That Your House is Haunted

 

What to watch for and what to do about it

 

By Stephen Wagner, About.com