Why ghost attack: The most common reasons

Why do some ghosts lash out at the living? What angers them to the point that they feel the need to cause harm or fear in us? Let’s take a look at the most common reasons and how to avoid them from happening in the first place.

Ghosts attack when they are provoked, or their space is invaded. They might also lash out when a treasured item, person, or place is disturbed. This is why attacks often occur during renovations or when someone moves in or out of a home. Never provoke a ghost by screaming or threatening them.

The most common reason ghosts lash out, and attack is when they feel their space or a precious item has been somehow disgraced. Activity and attacks peak when buildings or homes are remodeled or renovated. Let’s take a closer look at the phenomena.

Why ghosts attack the living

There are many reasons a ghost might lash out. In most cases, it is due to territorial factors or that they feel provoked somehow. Overly emotional attachments cause most hauntings. A strong attachment to material things, sites, or loved ones anchors them to this world. When you know more about why people become ghosts, it is easier to understand why you might upset them.

If you, knowingly or unknowingly, “dishonor” their precious space or item, they might lash out in anger. If a ghost is very fond of a specific person, they might show their dislike if the person wants to move or someone the spirit does not approve of moving in. They act much like the living.

This is why hauntings spike when homes are remodeled or people move in or out of homes.

A strong attachment to material things or loved ones anchors them to this world, and they are not able (or wish to) move on. When you know more about the reason people become ghosts, it is easier to understand why you might upset them.

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Common causes of attacks

Common causes of attacks are when ghosts feel that their space or things have been invaded somehow. Sometimes the onset of attacks can be when they are talked to in a degrading or provocative way. It is easy to forget that ghosts have been humans too. Many paranormal investigators provoke activity by screaming, harassing, degrading, making fun of, or bullying ghosts.

It is not hard to understand that this kind of manner might lead to attacks. If the aim is to get evidence of their existence, it is not an ethical way to conduct the investigations in my mind. No one has the right to provoke or harass; there are other ways to get evidence of the existence of a spirit. I recommend using a psychic medium instead.

There are other more subtle onsets of attacks that are harder to pinpoint at times. It is always a great idea to try to figure out what caused the haunting in the first place. Knowing the cause, you can avoid provoking an attack or burst of anger.

Common causes for hauntings are:

• Strong emotional attachment to a place, person, or thing
• Emotional anchoring due to grief from loved ones
• Shame
• The unwillingness of fear of being judged
• Set things right
• Regret
• Forgiveness
• Sudden or violent death
• They might not know they are dead

If you provoke the ghost, they might react by attacking you or showing a force of strength. If a person died by suicide and felt shameful and regretful, you might provoke the spirit if you talk harshly about their passing. Another example might be if you are not kind to a loved one they are attached to – bam! They might strike. It is always a great thing to remember that they act as humans do to a large extent.

Be mindful of the origin of the haunting, and act compassionately at all times. This will prevent attacks and create a fruitful coexistence. Many tend to forget that you can live with a ghost in your home without having issues or troubles. Most spirits are kind and do not want to disturb us. They want to do their thing.

A rule of thumb is: what makes you angry, make them angry too. It’s critical to do a thorough investigation of the haunting history. Try to learn as much as you possibly can about the probable cause of the haunting. Try to stay away from sensitive matters and respect the issues the ghost might have.

You will never know everything, but you might be able to steer away from topics or ways of approaching the ghost that will lead to clashes. Mindfulness and respect work a long way. Spirits are not dumb. Most of them know you did your best.

Spirits can be evil too

As ghosts are like humans, there are black sheep too. These ghosts enjoy scaring and hurting people. It is said that a spirit’s personality is an amplification of the character they had in life. If a person was very evil and committed horrific crimes in life, they might be just alike or worse when dead.

In these cases, you don’t have to upset the ghost to get a reaction. They might lash out just for the fun of it. In these cases, it might be beneficial to make EVP recordings. If the EVPs don’t reveal anything they are angry about, it can be they enjoy attacking people.

If you run into negative energy, it is recommended that you contact a professional paranormal investigator or psychic for assistance. You might need to cleanse the house to get rid of the attacks. Often it is hard to settle ghosts like this, as you never did anything “wrong” in the first place. They might be over-territorial or plain destructive.

If you want to learn more about protecting yourself from ghosts following you home, I invite you to read my article Can ghosts follow you home? [Things you must know].

Demonic or dark entities

There is always a risk that the entity that lashes out is not of human origin. In these circumstances, the entity wants to restrain a person’s free will to gain more power. Demonic entities have different reasons for attacks than ghosts do. They are not “upset” by something you did; they want to scare and weaken you.

If you want to learn more about protecting yourself from demonic attacks, you will find lots of information in my article 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Demonic Attacks.

The demonic act in a different way compared to human spirits. Demonic entities want to suppress free will through fear and mental and physical exhaustion. When a person is weak, they let their guard down. This makes it easier for them to attach to, oppress, and finally possess the person.

Type of entity	The main cause to attack
Human-originated ghost or spirit	Territorial disturbances or provocation
Demonic entities	Suppress the free will and strength

A demonic attack is potent and outright terrifying. It is not uncommon to witness moving objects, bites, scratches, and pushes. The most common sign of demonic presence is a terrifying deep, growling sound. If might also call a family member’s name in a scary voice, according to Troy Taylor (Ghost-Hunting for Dummies). You might also hear three knocks from within the walls. Another common trait of a demonic presence is foul smells and family pets acting strange.

The person that is attacked might experience a total change of personality. It is not unusual for the voice to change as well. The possessed might start talking in a language not known to them before, talk backward, and react very forcefully to religious items or rituals.

An attack by a ghost is more often subtle but can be scary. Spirits are prone to knocking, tapping, feelings of being touched, negative vibes, cold winds or spots, and sounds.

If you want to learn more about different ways a ghost might hurt you, I have written an article on the subject. You will find a link to the article below.

Psychic or physical attacks

There are different types of ghost attacks – physical and psychic attacks. Physical attacks consist of pushes, bites, scratches, burns, rashes, blows, pulls, grabs, inappropriate touching, and alike. Examples of psychic attacks might be sudden unexplained emotions, fatigue, dizziness, depression, mood swings, unexplained fear or nervousness, bad dreams, stiffness, numbness, feeling cold, and confusion.

If you want to learn more about protecting yourself from psychic attacks, you will find lots of useful information in my article 9 effective ways to protect yourself from psychic attacks.

To make things easier to compare. I created a table for you. Attacks overall are more common in people that have psychic traits. One important thing to remember is that not everyone knows they are psychic.

First, consult a professional health provider to exclude other factors for your paranormal experiences. Only resort to supernatural explanations when all other causes are debunked. This is like me and my epilepsy. I have very slight abnormalities in my brain scans, so the doctor diagnosed me by excluding all other causes for my symptoms.

Physical attacks	Psychic attacks
Pushes	Unexplained strong emotions
Bites	Fatigue or tiredness
Scratches	Dizziness
Burns	Depression
Rashes	Mood swings
Blows	Unexplained fear
Inappropriate touching	Unexplained nervousness
Touching	Night terrors
Pulls (hair or clothing)	Bad dreams
Strangling (feeling of hands around the neck)	Stiffness in the body
Pressure (often against the chest)	Confusion and feeling off

Both ghosts and the demonic can attack you. Due to the famous paranormal TV shows, all attacks seem to be credited to the wicked. But it is not as simple as that. Ghosts can be evil too. In most cases, the attacks originate from a spirit – but always take attacks seriously. Demonic attacks can be hazardous. Always consult a professional if you are experiencing physical and psychic attacks.

If you are getting attacked, acting as soon as possible is essential. Start by asking the spirit in a dignified way to stop the harassment. If this doesn’t help, consult a health professional to rule out any health issues. If you can’t find any explanations for the experiences, ask a professional paranormal investigator, clergy, or trusted psychic medium for assistance.

1. Ask the spirit or entity to stop the harassment.
2. Consult a professional health professional to rule out any health issues
3. Consult a professional paranormal investigator, clergy, or psychic medium

Ways to protect yourself from ghost attacks

The first rule is never to provoke a ghost in the first place. Always treat spirits with understanding and care. If you are afraid of them, it is better to leave them alone and don’t feed their interactions with attention and emotions.

Sometimes, you might not know you had a ghost until you got attacked. In these circumstances, you might have awakened a dormant spirit. Ask yourself what you did or what happened in the house at the onset of the attacks. Maybe you started renovating a room? Perhaps you just moved into the home? Perhaps someone moved out of the home? If can be a trillion reasons, try to pinpoint what might have caused the ghost to get upset. Refer to the list of causes for hauntings if you get stuck. Did you, by mistake, invade the space or feelings of the ghost in some way?

Negative energies or evil ghosts

Negative entities are prone to attack when you are vulnerable. This means they will take advantage of any situation or period in your life where you might be more susceptible to the attacks. If you feel low, have a hard time, are addicted to alcohol or drugs, or suffer from health issues, they advantage of your weakness.

It is not uncommon for ghosts and entities to attack when you sleep. When you sleep, you cannot defend yourself the same way as when you awake. The same goes when you are alone. You get more afraid when you have no one to back you up. It is not typical for malevolent ghosts or demonic when you are by yourself.

There are ways that you can protect yourself from negative energies and attacks. One is using amulettes as religious tokens or alike. Another is with the help of crystals or other spiritual remedies. Common crystals for protection are black tourmaline, labradorite, fluorite, obsidian, and jet.

A ritual to protect the home is a house blessing. Depending on your belief system, a clergy, healer, or psychic performs the ceremony. You can also cleanse the house using different kinds of incents. If you are new to these spiritual rituals, I recommend contacting a professional. It is always best to perform these protective rituals correctly, as it otherwise might cause more activity in the home.

Protective crystals

• Tourmaline
• Labradorite
• Flourite
• Obsidian
• Jet

Herbs and Incense

• White Sage
• Fankenscens
• Myrrh
• Styrax