Thank you to everyone for your comments. I absolutely understand about the energy of place from experience, but I was really curious about the energy caused by negative (or horrible) events. Everyone's comments were so insightful - can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Nancy
You better believe this experience is real! Not only can energy attach itself to places, and spirits linger in echoes, but I also believe both can resonate from people and things. Remember the book and movie called "Fried Green Tomatoes?" It's set at The Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, Georgia. Well, the town and the café are real, and my best friend and I had lunch there one day a couple years back. Across the street is an antique shop, and after lunch we moseyed over there to take a look. Not ten feet inside the store, my heart lurched and my skin became clammy. I felt nauseated and the "fight or flight" response initiated. I high-tailed it out of there! Something dark had attached itself to an item or the place. I don't know but I do know I'm not going back!
It's the most unusual thing: I don't think I've had this experience too often, but I've had the opposite, of feeling exceptionally welcome, relaxed or at home in particular places. There's one area close to where I live where this effect is particularly strong. It's also a place where ancestors of mine have lived for much of the past 150 years, although I didn't grow up there and nor did my parents.
I feel that there is likely a subconscious psychological layer of energy we attach to places ourselves because of known history. Sort of like self fulfilling prophecies and curses. BUT I also feel that the energy of intense emotions have a tendency to linger as well. I chalk up most instances of people thinking something, whether an object or whole area, is haunted to being residual energy. Not all cases, but a lot of cases, I feel are people picking up this residual energy and don't know what to do with the sensations. While this can make people feel ill and afraid, it can also bring joy in places where there was intense happiness.
Perhaps it is self-fulfilling prophecy at times. In terms of Ft. Scott, I didn't know a thing about the place til we were there. I will say, though, the NPS grew a natural prairie grass area towards the back of the place. I LOVED being there.
Yes. It’s real. I had it happen to me at a Civil War battlefield site. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say I will never go back. I have read when souls have a violent of sudden death the experience of trauma can impact the energy of a place and sensitive and intuitive people can sense that. I can understand how these places become known as haunted.
We MUST exchange stories one day! My cousin was a Civil War reenactor and the stories HE tells would raise your hair. Thanks for sharing your experience.
When I traveled to the concentration camp at Dachau I was ill the moment I set foot on the property. I was very emotional prior to seeing the enormous photographs inside the museum. I tried to force myself to enter the gas chamber but couldn't. Now, was that because I knew the history before arriving? Or did I really feel those things? I will physically ill. I had to sit outside and do deep breathing. So I think it was both psychological and physical.
I've never been there and don't think I ever will. Even if I knew nothing about the history, I think what happened there is embedded in every inch of concrete. I really couldn't do it. And sorry you had such physical and psychological trauma there. xo
A few years ago I went to an ancient Indian mound. It was a beautiful day and I was relaxed and enjoying myself. Towards the end of the walkway I suddenly felt a great wave of grief and started sobbing. I sensed a woman standing to my left although there was no one there. After a few steps I saw a sign that this where they buried their dead.
Hi Dianne, Clearly you are an empath, else I don't think you would have had the experience. I think that's both the positive and negative side of being one. xo
I'm not certain what the source is, but it's real. When I visited Dachau, I felt the heaviness & horror 2 kilometers away. I wasn't even passing attention to where we were (the driver was). It was visceral & got worse the closer we got. Being in the "showers" was horrific. That memory will never leave me. I hope it's not "ghosts," because those spirits deserve peace.
As I said on Sheila's comment, I really can't go there. I am so open to energy of place I know it would just break me. Like you , I hope those spirits are at peace. xo
I think the book Sister of Darkness by RH Stavis may have some potential answers or explanations for you (maybe). Regardless, it's an illuminating book and I commend it to you.
Yes... I think for me I feel things more with land and place than buildings.
I grew up near the Kinzua Dam it's huge reservoir, and it has a very somber, strange energy out there. My mom and I took a drive around the perimeter of the whole reservoir during one winter drought, and it was so eerie and grief-filled for me to see old road beds and cellar holes in the revealed valley.
Johnny Cash's song 'As Long as The Grass Shall Grow' tells a lot of the story - this was 1965, '66...
When they built the dam and locked up the river, they flooded more than 9,000 acres of Seneca tribal land and forced hundreds of Seneca familes to give up their homes.
Hi Mel, I don't know the place you mentioned but am looking it up. Way back in the day, my step-father cursed the Army Corps of Engineers for changing the course of the Missouri River. Sometimes what we do for 'progress' is so uninformed/uneducated. Thanks for this - now I'm going to go look up the Dam.
It's not feasible but I would love to see some research that included people having reactions who didn't know the history of a given place. Yes, I felt overwhelming negative energy at Auschwitz but I knew about the atrocities long before I set foot there.
Amy, I think that's an excellent thought. I suspect there are places with specific energies, even if I know nothing about them. Now your comment wants to go out and find such research! xo
Thank you to everyone for your comments. I absolutely understand about the energy of place from experience, but I was really curious about the energy caused by negative (or horrible) events. Everyone's comments were so insightful - can't tell you how much I appreciate them. Nancy
You better believe this experience is real! Not only can energy attach itself to places, and spirits linger in echoes, but I also believe both can resonate from people and things. Remember the book and movie called "Fried Green Tomatoes?" It's set at The Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, Georgia. Well, the town and the café are real, and my best friend and I had lunch there one day a couple years back. Across the street is an antique shop, and after lunch we moseyed over there to take a look. Not ten feet inside the store, my heart lurched and my skin became clammy. I felt nauseated and the "fight or flight" response initiated. I high-tailed it out of there! Something dark had attached itself to an item or the place. I don't know but I do know I'm not going back!
I had a 'kind of' similar experience. It felt like the top of my head was going to come off! I got out quickly.
It's the most unusual thing: I don't think I've had this experience too often, but I've had the opposite, of feeling exceptionally welcome, relaxed or at home in particular places. There's one area close to where I live where this effect is particularly strong. It's also a place where ancestors of mine have lived for much of the past 150 years, although I didn't grow up there and nor did my parents.
I know exactly what you mean. When I visit the little town where my family settled 175 years ago or so, it feels like home. xo
I feel that there is likely a subconscious psychological layer of energy we attach to places ourselves because of known history. Sort of like self fulfilling prophecies and curses. BUT I also feel that the energy of intense emotions have a tendency to linger as well. I chalk up most instances of people thinking something, whether an object or whole area, is haunted to being residual energy. Not all cases, but a lot of cases, I feel are people picking up this residual energy and don't know what to do with the sensations. While this can make people feel ill and afraid, it can also bring joy in places where there was intense happiness.
Perhaps it is self-fulfilling prophecy at times. In terms of Ft. Scott, I didn't know a thing about the place til we were there. I will say, though, the NPS grew a natural prairie grass area towards the back of the place. I LOVED being there.
Yes. It’s real. I had it happen to me at a Civil War battlefield site. It’s a long story, but suffice it to say I will never go back. I have read when souls have a violent of sudden death the experience of trauma can impact the energy of a place and sensitive and intuitive people can sense that. I can understand how these places become known as haunted.
We MUST exchange stories one day! My cousin was a Civil War reenactor and the stories HE tells would raise your hair. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I feel like the combination of lingering energy/presence and understanding of what that energy/presence is really brings that extra sense of dread
Jeri, it definitely can be a combination of what we know and what we feel. I think, too often, it's the 'feeling' part we ignore.
When I traveled to the concentration camp at Dachau I was ill the moment I set foot on the property. I was very emotional prior to seeing the enormous photographs inside the museum. I tried to force myself to enter the gas chamber but couldn't. Now, was that because I knew the history before arriving? Or did I really feel those things? I will physically ill. I had to sit outside and do deep breathing. So I think it was both psychological and physical.
I've never been there and don't think I ever will. Even if I knew nothing about the history, I think what happened there is embedded in every inch of concrete. I really couldn't do it. And sorry you had such physical and psychological trauma there. xo
A few years ago I went to an ancient Indian mound. It was a beautiful day and I was relaxed and enjoying myself. Towards the end of the walkway I suddenly felt a great wave of grief and started sobbing. I sensed a woman standing to my left although there was no one there. After a few steps I saw a sign that this where they buried their dead.
Hi Dianne, Clearly you are an empath, else I don't think you would have had the experience. I think that's both the positive and negative side of being one. xo
I'm not certain what the source is, but it's real. When I visited Dachau, I felt the heaviness & horror 2 kilometers away. I wasn't even passing attention to where we were (the driver was). It was visceral & got worse the closer we got. Being in the "showers" was horrific. That memory will never leave me. I hope it's not "ghosts," because those spirits deserve peace.
As I said on Sheila's comment, I really can't go there. I am so open to energy of place I know it would just break me. Like you , I hope those spirits are at peace. xo
I think the book Sister of Darkness by RH Stavis may have some potential answers or explanations for you (maybe). Regardless, it's an illuminating book and I commend it to you.
Thank you Malumir. I don't know that book, but I suspect it will come to my library sooner rather than later. xo
Yes... I think for me I feel things more with land and place than buildings.
I grew up near the Kinzua Dam it's huge reservoir, and it has a very somber, strange energy out there. My mom and I took a drive around the perimeter of the whole reservoir during one winter drought, and it was so eerie and grief-filled for me to see old road beds and cellar holes in the revealed valley.
Johnny Cash's song 'As Long as The Grass Shall Grow' tells a lot of the story - this was 1965, '66...
When they built the dam and locked up the river, they flooded more than 9,000 acres of Seneca tribal land and forced hundreds of Seneca familes to give up their homes.
https://youtu.be/ni_EdsL-avU?si=5j-RmyCYICRRAyqd
Hi Mel, I don't know the place you mentioned but am looking it up. Way back in the day, my step-father cursed the Army Corps of Engineers for changing the course of the Missouri River. Sometimes what we do for 'progress' is so uninformed/uneducated. Thanks for this - now I'm going to go look up the Dam.
It's a really surreal place. I'll share a photo on my FB page too. It is alien looking to see the big reservoir uphill from it.
Some older locals still call it Lake Perfidy.
https://www.stefanbeckonline.com/main/2018/08/lake-perfidy.html
Sounds about perfect.
It's not feasible but I would love to see some research that included people having reactions who didn't know the history of a given place. Yes, I felt overwhelming negative energy at Auschwitz but I knew about the atrocities long before I set foot there.
Amy, I think that's an excellent thought. I suspect there are places with specific energies, even if I know nothing about them. Now your comment wants to go out and find such research! xo