Taken from the German translation, poltergeist means’ noisy ghost’ These mischievous spirit types have been reported from as far back as the first century . Very often the activity can be quiet intense and frightening for the witnesses.

Mr. Mompesson, having returned to his house, at Tedworth, from a journey he had taken to London, was informed by his wife, that during his absence they had been troubled with the most extraordinary noises. Three nights afterwards heheard the noise himself; and it appeared to him to be that of "a great knocking at his doors, and on the outside of his walls." He immediately arose, dressed himself, took down a pair of pistols, and walked valiantly forth to discover the disturber, under the impression that it must be a robber: but, as he went, the noise seemed to travel before or behind him; and, when he arrived at the door from which he thought it proceeded, he saw nothing, but still heard "a strange hollow sound

The Drummer of Tedworth is a famous supernatural story told by Joseph Glanvill in his Saducismus Triumphatus. 1668

The activity associated with a typical haunting or ghost and that of a poltergeist can often be quiet similar to begin with. Odd sounds, a witnessed apparition of a ghost, movement of objects for example but there is often a difference between a typical ghosts and a poltergeist and in the early stages of development it can be very hard to separate between the two. Normally the phenomena will start with the typical events reported as a ghost, maybe an apparition is seen or objects move or disappear. After a while the activity may increase to a climax and then quieten for a while as it begins to build up again in intensity.

It is generally accepted that the difference between a haunting and a poltergeist would be as follows:

General Ghost and Haunting Activity

A ghost appearing in the same general area at certain times.

The area being haunted may have been known to the person before death.

A typical haunting tends not to be violent by nature and in most cases there would be no indication of intelligent attempts of communication.

Residual energy haunting (recordings of the past) would have no knowledge of the present time.

A ghost that wishes to communicate will often leave once it has achieved its objective.

Typical Poltergeist Activities

It is a theory that poltergeist may in fact not be ‘ghosts’ at all but a form of PK energy that a person ( the agent) is subconsciously controlling.

Research has shown that the activities of a poltergeist can be attributed to a person’s emotional condition at the time of the events.

A poltergeist does not appear to be restricted to the same general area but can travel to any place with the ‘agent’.

At the point of climax in the energy levels poltergeist, in extreme cases, can inflict mental and physical terror on the agent and other witness to the events.

Generally poltergeist activity starts and stops abruptly. The duration of it may extend over several hours to several months.

It is a possibility that a combination of both a genuine ghost activity and a haunting and the factors of an ‘agent’ may in some way manifest the genuine haunting into that of a poltergeist case.

Typical Poltergeist Activity
Included in the most common reports of poltergeist activity are the rains of stones and other small objects, the moving or throwing of objects, including large pieces of furniture, loud noises and voices, pungent smells. They are also known to cause interference in telephones and electronic equipment, turning lights and appliances on and off. Some poltergeists are said to pinch, bite, hit, and have been reported to sexually attack the living. Although many of the activities above can often also be attributed to a ghost one of the key factors to determining if the activity is poltergeist phenomena is the indicator of an individual agent.

The Agent
Independent studies conducted on poltergeists indicate that a majority of the cases revolve around a particular individual or ‘Agent’. The poltergeist phenomenon seems to be linked to a type of subconscious psychokinesis (PK) on the part of the agent.
Studies have shown that most of the poltergeist agents are females under the age of twenty who are totally unaware that they are involuntarily directing the poltergeist energy. Activity tend be central to the individual agent and not the location.
While there is still much more research required about the way that poltergeist work, research has uncovered a link between the agents and states of poor mental, emotional or physical health. Typical emotional problems associated with agent personalities can be anxiety, hysteria, anger, obsessions and phobias