When Beds Float: Examining the Poltergeist Enigma

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

Phones fly through the air, a soap dish spins, a TV turns itself to face
the wall, chairs move across the room, glasses rise up and crash to the
floor, lights turn themselves on and off, water taps open without human
aid, paintings fall from the wall, tables levitate. Clarkson, a retired
newspaper reporter, admits that there is no scientific proof that
poltergeists exist, but notes that the reports seem compelling.

As indeed they do. Reports of poltergeist activity (recurrent
spontaneous psychokinesis) have been around for centuries, in dozens of
countries, and are as prevalent today as in medieval times. Ever the
investigative reporter, Clarkson refers to the many reputable
witnesses—police officers, teachers, priests—who have been unable to
find any explainable cause for the eerie events. He enriches the picture
with reports of the numerous respected university professors involved in
validation experiments.

This look at poltergeists includes a brief history, a glossary, various
theories, personalities, and references to the literature, in addition
to case studies from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The author presents the various explanations for psyschokinesis activity
that have surfaced over the years. At various times the poltergeist
“agent” was assumed to be controlled by a ghost or demons, to be a
product of redirected sexual energy, or to be caused by electricity or
magnetism. Today the prevalent theories attribute it to anger, hatred,
and frustration.

Clarkson, who has written several books on stress and fear, suggests a
connection to fear and the fight-or-flight theory.

The work includes an introduction to the stance and activities of the
two opposing leaders on the topic, William Roll, a prominent
parapsychologist, and James Randi, the famous debunker.

Clarkson is a master writer. His style changes flawlessly from reporter
to storyteller as required to convey an objective tone or to involve the
reader in the drama of the case study. With a bibliography, list of
relevant organizations and websites, examples of frauds, and a chapter
on poltergeists in the entertainment media, the work presents a calm,
reasoned exploration of a very popular subject.