At the time I am writing this column I am recovering from knee surgery. After five days in the hospital, I returned home.
By Rebecca Nidey
Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House
In essence, I was trapped in a hospital bed and am now trapped; housebound, by weather and recovery from the surgery. While hospitalized after this kind of surgery you are required to be in bed or in a chair most of the time with short walks and rehab, but generally, you have your freedom taken away with much time to think.
Of course, being a paranormal investigator, I found some correlation between my condition and those of the seemingly trapped spirits that we sometimes come in contact with. My “incarceration” was totally voluntary and for a good cause, but it made me think of those lingering spirits who inhabit the areas we have encountered. The question always comes up as to why they are still there.
As I mentioned in some of my previous columns, it is my hypothesis that some linger because they have strong ties with the place they are haunting. It was their beloved home or workplace, or they left behind people that they cared deeply about. Another theory is that their death was so sudden or horrific that their spirits are still in shock and have not recovered enough to pass. This can be found in places such as battlefields, although some of those spirits may be residual. But what about those spirits who just seem to be trapped… the ones that we hear asking for help when we do an EVP session?
As an example, the haunted house that was my first classroom had several resident ghosts. It was my feeling that several were there by choice. One had been the person who had lived in the home up until his death (although he did not die in the home). He was a ghost from this time period. Local legend stated that he had a great deal of money hidden in the house. OK, good reason to stay in the home even if he could no longer spend that money. The first time I set foot in the home I heard a little girl crying for her Mama. That was one of the most heartbreaking sounds known to a person, hearing a child crying in such a manner. I will go into her story in more detail later. There was a male spirit who I usually call “Mr. Nasty” who also inhabited that home. He seemed to be from the same era as the little girl. In a picture taken of the outside of a house, another spirit was apparent. A woman in a long dress from the same era as Mr. Nasty and the little girl was standing by the porch, but she never seemed to make herself known inside the house.
The more we investigated the home, the more I seemed to be able to communicate with the little girl. It became apparent that the man I called Mr. Nasty had been the step-father of the little girl and had most probably been abusing her both physically and sexually. It was also my feeling that the woman who seemed to be trapped outside the house was the little girl’s mother. My feeling is that Mr. Nasty was the cause of the deaths for both the little girl and the mother. We were never able to confirm any of this through local historical records, but at the time they would have lived in the dwelling, there was a huge oil boom going on in the area. The population of the county swelled with many incoming workers and speculators hoping to make money from the boom. Many homes were rented and many people came and left with little record of them being in the area. At that time period it was also common to repress any mention of abuse in any way, whether physical, mental or sexual. It was not spoken of in polite society.
I have been very lucky in my relationships, never having been in one with any whisper of abuse in any manner. However, I have sadly been around too many people who have been in that kind of relationship…..both male and female. Some have been able to escape the relationship, but many continue in it. In speaking with them, the one word that always comes up is “trapped,” I felt trapped and couldn’t escape.
Perhaps that is how the trapped spirits feel also. As light-workers, it is our responsibility to help those in need, whether they are in body or in spirit. Show love and encouragement to all who feel trapped and let them know that there is always a means of escape for them. They have the power to leave that entrapment. Although the paranormal group I belong to does not make it a habit of passing spirits from this world to beyond, we do always ask if there is a way to help. When we do an EVP session it is not ethical or truthful to ask if there is any way to help if we are not willing to try to do so.
One night while in the haunted house I have been speaking of, I once again heard the little girl crying for her Mama. I started directing her to look for her Mama, that she had been waiting for her for a long time and that she was there for her. Anyone who has been in a store, park, or anyplace else, and saw a lost child find her or his Mama knows the joy that comes with that reunion. With some loving encouragement they were able to break free of their trap and find each other. To tell you the truth, I have no idea where the words came from that I spoke that night. I can only assume that Spirit guided me, but basically I was just speaking to a poor lost child as if she was standing in front of me in body.
As with many paranormal events, there is nothing I can offer of proof of this occurrence other than my word. There were several other members of the team present and I am sure that they remember it from their own perspective. Normally, I like to include humor in my column but felt the need to share a more serious subject this month. All I ask is that as you go through life you remember those who seem to be trapped in situations that they feel are inescapable. Offer love, strength, and encouragement until they can find their own way out of that trap, whether they are in body or spirit. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my more serious side this month.
If you would like to learn more about my paranormal investigative team please check out our website: www.crawfordcountyghosthunters.com, our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/crawfordcountyghosthunters. If you would like us to do an investigation in the Illinois or Indiana area contact us as our email: IllinoisHauntings@yahoo.com or contact our Team Leader and Founder Jason Snider at 312-869-4792.
About the Author:
Through her work on the investigative team for the Crawford County Illinois Ghost Hunters, Rebecca Nidey has an understanding of the paranormal, spiritual, and metaphysical worlds and how they work together.
Rebecca has trained in the Healing Touch technique (a form of energy healing). She is a certified Psychic Medium trained by Belle Salisbury, and she is a certified Paranormal Researcher.
Rebecca is the associate editor for Bellesprit Magazine and also writes a column titled Everything I Need To Know I Learned In A Haunted House. She has been a co-host of several radio programs for the Haunted Voices Radio Network and HeyZ Radio Network highlighting the Paranormal, metaphysical and literary fields.
To learn more about Rebecca or to schedule a reading you can contact her at https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.nidey.
