Do you believe in ghosts? It’s a great time of the month to ask that question as we approach Halloween.
But what you may think is a ghost or a presence may be explained away pretty easily.
Local paranormal specialist Alex Matsuo is deeply involved in ghosts, ghost stories, haunted houses, and making sure that it’s not just a tree branch scratching the side of your house when the wind blows that’s freaking you out.
At a lecture Monday night in Arlington, Virginia, at the Glencarlyn Library, Matsuo laid out all the things she and her team look at when someone calls them and says their house is haunted.
“First we try to debunk” what are some of the things that may explain something weird in your neighborhood, she said, noting that a feeling of being watched can be explained by uneven floors in your house.
“Even if it’s very subtle, that feeling of being off balance can create that experience,” Matsuo said.
Matsuo said odd smells in your house can be explained by “walls and carpets that have absorbed smells and only emit them under certain conditions.”
Also on the list is faulty wiring that may explain flashing lights; an animal that’s actually the noise behind unexplained footsteps; and mental illness.
“First, I say call your doctor, then call us,” she joked.
But having experienced a paranormal presence herself, Matsuo said, “Ultimately, if we do run into something we can’t explain, then that makes it more interesting.”
While living in California, Matsuo was in a bad car accident and ended up in the emergency room with another patient who died. However, for a period of eight months, the man wearing a distinct leather jacket showed up in many places.
“I saw the man who died everywhere,” she said.
Matsuo said this went on until the Greek Orthodox Church sent a woman to anoint her. After going through a guided meditation, the ghost went away.
Matsuo will be hosting another lecture later this month on Arlington’s haunted places, including a home supposedly haunted by Jim Morrison, the famed lead singer of The Doors.