Can ghosts follow you home? [Things you must know]

You wake up in the middle of the night, feeling the energy has shifted in the room. In the corner of your eye, you suddenly see a shadow moving. Last weekend you were on a ghost hunt with friends. Is it possible a ghost followed you home?

As a general rule, ghosts do not follow you home. Most hauntings are residual and do not know your presence. They are merely replays of events. In rare cases, though, there are records of ghosts following people. They often return to the haunting site after a few days.

There are known dangers when it comes to ghost hunting. One of them is a ghost following you home. There are things you can do to minimize the risk, though. Let’s take a closer look!

Can ghosts follow you home?

There are as many opinions about this as ghost hunters, paranormal researchers, and psychics. As with everything supernatural, there are no truths or definitive answers. We have to rely on experiences and paranormal “evidence.” Paranormal activity can sometimes be tough to catch on recorders and tech, so we must rely on personal experiences when making up our opinions.

A common belief is that ghosts can follow you home after visiting a haunted site. With that said, it is not common practice. Most hauntings are residual. Residual hauntings mean that the ghost is unaware of you and your presence. They are unaware of you and will not follow you home.

Residual hauntings are imprints that act like recorders that replay a scenario. The events are often charged and embedded in the site. These hauntings have no idea that you are there and will not follow you home. They are anchored to the site.

If you want to learn more about residual hauntings, I have written an article on the subject.

When it comes to other kinds of hauntings, for example, intelligent hauntings – there is a risk that they might follow you home. They might feel connected to you and have something they need to say. You might reach out to them when you are on a ghost hunt. Sometimes you might even ask if there is something you can do for them to be able to move on. This allows them to attach to you.

Personal experiences

As there is no scientific evidence of ghosts following people home, we must rely on personal experiences and second-hand records. According to Hans Holzer in his book The Handbook of Parapsychology, spirits do not follow people home. They are connected to their haunting site (affiliate link – Amazon). He was pretty firm on this statement. He could not see why a ghost should follow a person home when attached to the site.

According to Amy Bruni, on the other hand, she had experiences of ghosts following her home. You can read about this in her blog post. She also brings up the subject in her book, Life with the Afterlife: 13 Truths I Learned About Ghosts (affiliate link – Amazon). A ghost was following her home and left after a few days. She believes ghosts follow people home and do what they need to, and then disappear or go back to the haunted site.

When I researched paranormal forums, the standard view was that ghosts follow people home at times. They don’t tend to stay that long, though. There must be an intelligent haunting; this is something that most agree on. Residual hauntings do not attach to people or objects.

As you see, there are very different opinions, and experiences regarding the subject per see. My personal opinion and experience are that ghosts, in most cases, don’t follow you home. They are often strongly connected with the site, home, a belonging, or estate. In rare cases, ghosts attach to people. This is most common when it is loved ones or family, though. They might take up on that offer if you reach out and offer help. So be careful what you say and offer.

If you want to learn more about why ghosts haunt, you can read my article for information.

Intelligent hauntings

Intelligent hauntings are where the ghost, spirit, or entity is aware of you. They might interact by smells, sounds, touch, manifestations, or alike. The embodiments are not the same all the time, as with the case of residual hauntings.

Intelligent hauntings might take an interest in you for some reason. If you offer them help or assistance in their mission – they take up on your offer. They return to the haunted site when they realize you cannot help them. So they will not follow you for the rest of your life but for a limited time.

Demonic hauntings

Demonic hauntings are rare but exist according to many paranormal researchers, such as Ed and Lorraine Warren. Ed was a demonologist, and Lorraine was a trans medium and psychic. They investigated famous hauntings such as the Amityville haunting. They encountered many demonic hauntings during their career, and on several occasions, the demonic entity followed them from the haunting site.

The Church believes in the existence of the demonic. They have conducted exorcisms in cases of demonic possession and oppression.

The demonic can be dormant in objects and sites. This means that demonic activity can appear if you start poking into things. The same goes for intelligent hauntings; they can be dormant too. If you begin investigating or doing some remodeling of a site, it can be the onset of an unexpected haunting. Always come prepared when ghost hunting.

Be sure not to lure things out of the shadows by offerings or promises. The same goes for threatening or being rude to the entities on site. This might lead to a ghostly following if the haunting is intelligent or demonic. They might want to give back to you or make their statement heard.

Never challenge a demonic entity in any shape or form. If you believe you might have encountered dark energy, it is best to leave the site and perform cleansing for yourself and your gadgets.

Possessed possessions

Possessed possessions are items that have demonic or ghostly attachments. The entity is not attached to the site itself but as an item. If you take the thing into your home, you bring the entity with you.

If you want to learn more about possessed possessions, I have written an article on the subject.

Ed and Lorraine Warren encountered cases with possessed possession too. In the case of the haunted doll Annabelle, attacked them while driving their car. The doll was believed to have a demonic attachment. This means that possessed objects can bring negative energies to your home. They are not attached to the site, per see, but the thing itself.

As demonic attachments can lead to possessions, this is very serious and should never be taken lightly. If you suspect an item from a haunted site might have an attachment, do not bring it home!

How to prevent ghosts from following you home

There are a few things that you can do as a ghost hunter or paranormal investigator to lessen the risk of ghosts following you home. For starters, it is very uncommon that they do. But it is better to be safe than sorry. There are a few easy rituals and procedures to follow to make your ghost hunt a pleasant one.

Boundaries and rules

Always start by saying hello to the spirits. Tell them what they are allowed to do and not. You can go the unreligious route if you are not into religion. You find examples of both types of prayers below. Either works.

Below you find my version of opening and closing prayers.

Hello little Haunted House! My name is X and I’m here to conduct a paranormal investigation today/night/evening/morning. I have my friends Y and Z with me. We come in peace and are not here to disturb you. You are not allowed to attack us or attach to us or our belongings. You are not allowed to follow us home when we go. Thank you for letting us in.

On arrival

When the investigation has ended, repeat your boundaries to make it more than clear what the rules are. You can say something like this, for example:

Goodbye little Haunted House! It is now time for us to leave. Thank you for having us and letting us capture evidence of your existance. Just to make things clear, you are not allowed to follow us home. You are not allowed to attach to us or our belonings. You are to stay here where you are. Good bye!

On exit

You don’t have to make it more complicated than this. As long as you are clear about what your boundaries are and what they are allowed to do and not do, they can’t follow you. Negative entities have to be allowed in. This can be by promising them something, offering them something, forgetting to say that they can’t follow you home, and like.

The same strategy applies to all happenings during a ghost hunt or investigation. You must tell the spirits to stop the activity if you feel uncomfortable or threatened. Tell them they are not allowed to keep doing what they are doing. The key is to believe that you have power over the situation. It is all in the intent, as everything when it comes to the spiritual.

Prayers and rituals

There are prayers and rituals that you can perform to protect yourself from intelligent hauntings or demonic entities following you home. It is common for paranormal investigators to say a prayer before starting an investigation, but it is by no means a must.

Ami Bruni, a paranormal researcher, writes on her blog that she doesn’t do any rituals or bring protective objects. She says that it is better to rely on her strength, that it is enough to shield her from harm. In that way, she will never feel vulnerable if she forgets to say the prayer or have her protective item with her. I tend to agree with this, as I do the same. I rely on my power to call the shots at all times.

As I don’t use any prayers, I researched common types of religious prayers. As there is no set prayer for this, there are different options. All work well as long as you believe in them and have the power to set boundaries.

If you believe that there are energies stronger than you, you are open to attacks. I love the video below. She discusses this topic in depth.

If you want to use prayers, take inspiration from the prayers below. You can create your version of them to suit your personality and beliefs.

Opening prayer

Saint Michael the archangel, please protect us from evil and darkness. Shield our body and soul from harm. In your divine light, protect us from anyone who come at us with malicious intent.

Opening prayer

When it is time to close the investigation, it is time for the closing prayer—ward off spirits and entities that might want to follow you by setting clear boundaries.

Closing prayer

In the name Saint Michael the archangel, I command all spirits and entities to be bound to this site. No human or inhuman spirit is allowed to harm us, attach to us, or follow us. In the name of the divine light and Saint Michael the archangel, so be it.

Closing prayer

If you discover that something is off or that you are under attack by dark energy or spirit, you can resort to these emergency prayers.

Emergency prayer

“In the name of Jesus Christ and Archangel Michael (or else) we command all spirits, energy, and entities in this place to return from which they came. We ask that the Holy Spirit and Archangel Michael watch over us, cleansing us with holy light, keeping evil away. So be it. Amen”

Emergeny prayer

Another emergency prayer is a brief version of Pope Leo XIII’s prayer. Pope John XXII created it to ward off and shield us from the darkness.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell, Satan and allt he evil spirits, who roam troughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Pope John XXIII

As you notice, there are no rules on how this is done. If you belong to another religion or belief system, there might be other protective prayers you can use. Ask your spiritual leader for guidance and direction.

Sigils, amulettes, and charms

There are no rules regarding what you can use as protective amulettes or charms during a ghost hunt. It is a personal preference, and you must go with what gives you confidence and strength.

Some crystals are known for their protective properties. Smokey crystal, garnet, pyrite, and obsidian are the most commonly used for protection during ghost hunts. Crystals can be worn as amulettes or charms. You can also bring them with you in your pocket.

Be sure to leave tourmaline at home if you are about to visit a haunted place. Tourmaline is an absorbing crystal. This means that negative energy from the site can follow you home with the help of the crystal. You can read more about this in my article Cleansing and protection with tourmaline.

According to The Crystal Bible, by Judy Hall, Chlorite and Flourite are powerful protectors from psychic attacks (affiliate link – Amazon).

Sigils can be used as protection as they are thought to create a shield against psychic attacks. A sigil is engraved in an item and worn during investigations. You can also place them on the site to shy off negative entities.

When you wear a protective object, it is thought that entities and spirits have a more challenging time attaching to you, but they are by no means foolproof. The key is your mindset and belief that you are strong enough to take on whatever is thrown at you during the investigation.

Occasionally, amulettes, charms, holy water, and holy crosses have induced demonic attacks. There are two sides to the coin – it can be protective, but it can also backfire.