Glossary

Electromagnetic field readings used by some investigators as environmental context during a session.

Sounds captured on audio that some investigators interpret as voices or responses not heard at the time of recording.

Camera or lighting setups that capture light beyond ordinary visible wavelengths, such as near-infrared.

Attempts to communicate using electronic devices such as recorders, radios, or cameras.

A round light artifact in a photo or video, frequently caused by dust, moisture, or insects near the lens.

A radio-sweep device some teams use hoping fragmented audio resembles answers during a session.

A visual appearance of a person or figure that witnesses believe should not be physically present.

An object said to appear in a space with no ordinary explanation for how it got there.

A localized drop in temperature that some people associate with paranormal activity.

A general word for a non-ordinary presence or being described in a report.

A place with repeated reports of unusual activity, or a zone teams return to during a session.

A model where reported activity seems to respond to people, questions, or changes in the room.

Reports of noisy or physical disturbance — knocks, thrown objects, or disruption — often focused around a household.

A model where reported activity repeats like a recording, without interacting with living observers.

A dark humanoid shape, often seen briefly in peripheral vision or low light.

A claimed focal point of unusual energy or activity at a location; meanings vary widely by tradition.

A Hynek-style scale describing how near a witness came to an unexplained aerial event.

An animal or creature whose existence is suggested by reports or folklore but not confirmed by mainstream science.

Official and research shorthand for unexplained aerial or anomalous observations that have not been identified.

A classic term for an airborne object that could not be identified at the time it was seen.

Claimed ability to gain information visually or intuitively beyond ordinary senses.

Very low-frequency sound that people may feel more than hear, sometimes linked to unease or vibration.

A shared false or conflicting memory that a group of people remembers differently from recorded history.

Investigator slang for seeing meaningful shapes in visual noise, similar to pareidolia in photos and video.

The tendency to perceive familiar patterns — faces, words, figures — in random or ambiguous stimuli.

Claimed ability to influence physical objects or systems with the mind alone.

A state between sleep and waking where the body cannot move, sometimes with a sensed presence or pressure.

Testing a claim against ordinary explanations and documenting whether the extraordinary story still holds.

A person who claims to communicate information from spirits or deceased people.

A board and planchette used for spelling messages; movement is often explained by ideomotor action.

A gathering intended to communicate with spirits, historically often led by a medium.

An item placed during an investigation in the hope it draws activity or becomes a focus for interaction.