The supernatural forces we call demons are just difficult spirits, writes EMMA SAUNDERS of Ghostly Gatherings
People sometimes ask me, “Do you believe in demons?” and I just say, “No, I don’t.”
I honestly think they’re something that’s been created through religion to keep us all under control.
That’s how it feels to me – like a story that’s been handed down for centuries to make people behave in certain ways.
Now, that’s not me saying there’s nothing nasty out there.
You absolutely do get negative spirits. I’ve come across plenty. People who, when they were alive, were violent, cruel, selfish – and when they’ve passed, they’re still like that.
Death doesn’t suddenly make you a nice person. Those traits stick. They can still cause trouble, make you feel uncomfortable, even interfere with you physically.
But I don’t look at that and think “demon”. I just think, “Yep – that’s someone who was unpleasant in life, still being unpleasant now.”
The word “demon” gets used far too much in paranormal research. You see it on TV all the time.
Someone gets scratched, or there’s a growl on a spirit box, and it’s instantly “demonic activity.”
It makes good telly, I suppose, but in real life it’s not like that. I’ve seen scratches happen – only a couple of times in all the years I’ve been doing this – and most of the time there’s a perfectly normal explanation.
And even when there isn’t, my gut still says it’s human.
The trouble is, once you say “demon” in a room, that’s it – you’ve put fear into people straight away. I’ve seen guests change completely because of that word.
Every creak, every flicker, every tap suddenly becomes terrifying. And fear like that kills a good investigation. You stop thinking clearly, you miss what’s really happening, because you’re too busy worrying about what might happen.
When I go into a place, I treat spirits like I’d treat anyone who’s alive – with respect, but with boundaries.
At the start of an event, I’ll always do a protection prayer. I tell them, “We come with respect, and we expect that in return, please.”
I don’t allow shouting, swearing, or trying to provoke a reaction. It’s pointless. If you’re nasty to someone, in life or after, they’re not going to give you anything back.
And if you keep pushing them, they’ll just shut down completely.
If I do get a negative spirit, I deal with it as I would a negative person.
I’m looking at the behaviour, not some label. Are they trying to scare someone?
Dominate the space? Fine – I’ll address that, set some boundaries, and get on with it. I don’t need to think they’re from another realm to handle the situation.
I’ve been doing this a long time, and to me, the spirit world is just a continuation of the human one.
People are people, alive or dead.
You get the kind ones, the funny ones, the quiet ones – and yes, the ones who cause problems. But I’ve never met anything with horns and hooves, and until I do, I’m sticking with what I’ve seen: human spirits.
Some good, some bad, most somewhere in between.
It’s not as dramatic as shouting “demon” every time something happens, I know. But I’m not here to make things bigger than they are.
I’m here to find out who’s there, what their story is, and give guests a real experience without putting fear into them for no reason.
Because when you take away that big scary label, you’re left with something you can actually work with – and that’s where you start to learn something real.
Have you experienced something that others called demonic but felt human to you? Share your story in the comments below!
