Julia Lowell was a lady of the evening in Bisbee, Ariz., who used to entertain male clients at the Copper Queen Hotel. She eventually fell in love with one of these clients. Unfortunately, once she made her feelings known, the man decided he no longer wanted anything to do with her. She was so overcome by grief at his rejection that she took her own life.

Seems that even now Ms. Lowell likes to entertain men. Male guests of the Copper Queen report hearing a woman whispering in their ears, seeing her dance at the foot of their bed, and even feeling her play with their feet.

Julia Lowell is a good example of an intelligent haunting. In these types of haunts, the ghost is actually a person's spirit still lingering on Earth. These hauntings are much less common than residual hauntings.

Spirits can linger for many reasons. A sudden or unexpected death can sometimes trap a person's spirit here or keep them from "crossing over." In some cases it seems the person appears to not realize they have died. Spirits sometimes apparently make a conscious choice to stay, as well. Though it sounds cliche, they may stay behind because of some unfinished business they feel the need to complete. Emotional attachment to a place or loved ones left behind can also hinder a spirit's desire to move on.

The spirits involved in intelligent hauntings can be good or malevolent. Their personality generally reflects the person's when they were alive. If a person was a kind, grandmotherly type, chances are that if their spirit remains, it will also be kind. If a person was bitter and angry, their spirit will likely retain that bitterness.

Intelligent haunts differ from residual haunts in that the spirit is able to acknowledge the presence of the living or even try to get their attention or communicate with them. Because of this, the ghost often ends up scaring the person they're trying to contact.

It's possible the spirit may feel threatened because their home is being "invaded," and may therefore try to scare the home's inhabitants away. If it is a case where the spirit doesn't realize it is no longer alive, they might try to do a little investigating themselves into why strangers (the new homeowners) are sleeping where their bed was, eating in their kitchen, etc.

Dealing with an intelligent haunt

The best way to handle intelligent haunts, if they are bothersome, is to tell them firmly but nicely that it is no longer their house and that they are not welcome there. Don't be hesitant; say it out loud and with conviction. Another alternative is to tell the spirit it may stay, but that it is to leave the family alone.

If a property owner has the time and energy, they can do some research on the history of their property and find out about any tragedy or deaths that may have occurred there, thereby determining the possible identity of their guest. If they are able to do this, they might also be able to determine what the "unfinished business" is, and possibly help the spirit be able to move on. There is little else that can be done to remove the spirit from the building.

Intelligent haunts are not as limited as a residual haunt. Because they are more than just a recorded memory, they can move about a bit more freely. These ghosts have been known to move small objects. Also, their intelligence allows them to respond to questioning during EVP (electronic voice phenomena) sessions. A residual haunt can create EVPs as well, but an intelligent spirit can understand and actually reply to questions. Sometimes the voice can be heard at the time of questioning, but more typically the voice is heard on the recording upon reviewing evidence. (I'll talk more about EVPs in another entry.)

These spirits are also able to interact with investigators in other ways. For example, when asked to give a sign of their presence, the spirit might knock on something or move a nearby object.

When I've run across this type of spirit while investigating, I've tried to remember that the spirit was once a person, just like the rest of us. There's a chance that I'm invading what they consider their space or home. We assure whatever spirit may be present that we mean no harm, but if at any time a member of my team feels like the spirit doesn't want us there, we move on.

Feeling drained?

Unfortunately, there is little in the way of science that specifically addresses intelligent hauntings, but one theory is that these spirits can draw energy from things in their environment in order to mainfest. Many times investigators report fresh batteries drained within minutes or cold spots where it seems all the heat has been drained from an area. Do these occurrences offer proof? Hardly. Possibilites? Definitely. (They'll also teach you to always carry extra batteries.)

My husband speculates that spirits can interact with people because they can manipulate them using electromagnetic fields. If fields with high readings can cause hallucinations, perhaps the spirit can manipulate those fields to show you what they want you see. He believes everything has a basis in science and doesn't really believe these types of goings-on are truly supernatural. So he tries to explain it using science he understands. I'm not 100 percent convinced of his theory. But I tend to think he's right at least on one level: The presence of ghosts probably does have its basis in science. I just don't believe we have all science yet that it will take to fully understand.

Further reading

(Disclaimer: The following links are intended as a sampling of ideas about intelligent hauntings. I do not necessarily support the claims made by the authors of these sites.)

The Copper Queen Hotel

Intelligent Haunting Theory, Partial (A religious perspective)

Ghost Eyes: How Do Ghosts Manifest?