In 2011, I went through a horrific experience that will always remain with me. I think about it every time I walk into a dark room. It follows me into the shadowed hallways of my dreams and comes to me in quiet moments, like a whisper in the wind. I was the victim of an extreme haunting.

In many ways, I imagine it is similar to what people feel after they’ve survived an avalanche, a house fire or a near death experience. The symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress are very similar. My heart races and my self-defence mechanisms kick in. All I want to do is take flight and bolt from the room, even though I know this is something I can’t outrun.

People often ask me why I still continue to investigate the paranormal after living through something that has changed me to the very core of my being. I honestly don’t have a good answer for them. In some ways, I don’t think I have a choice.

I was born a sensitive. I can feel and hear the sounds that ghosts make when they wander into my space. It starts softly with a buzz in my ear that many dismiss as simple ear ringing. When I hear it, I’m helpless to resist it. It becomes stronger and louder, demanding my attention.

Most of the time, when I hear the sounds a ghost makes, I try to ignore it, but it’s often like trying to ignore a mosquito that buzzes near your ear. If I give it more than a few seconds of my attention, it acts as an acknowledgement. I can imagine them saying, “Oh, you can sense me!” That’s when they hover closer, often following me home to continue the one sided conversation.

Even though I practice paranormal protection, they still find a way to latch onto me. I have grounded and shielded. I have protection stones in my pocket and on my wrist. I carry religious medallions that make me feel safe. I spray my head and feet with Holy Water every time I leave the house, and  I keep a white light of protection surrounding me. I say prayers before and after investigations, and we always burn sage before we leave. While this would be enough for most people, it doesn’t work for me. They follow me no matter what I do. I’ve since learned that they can even come through the phone lines.

I was interviewing someone for the book I’m writing when I felt something drift into the room. It was dark and scary, the tone very similar to the one the Soul Collector possessed. In an instant, I was mentally back in that place in my mind. I remembered the way the Soul Collector hovered inches above me as I tried to fall asleep, and the way he caressed my hair as I lay on my side. I thought about the way he threatened to come after my daughter, holding me hostage with his demands, and the way he followed my son from his room one night. My stomach clenched as the sound moved closer. I could imagine him, licking his putrid lips as he imagined taking me over.

He could have been a serial killer in life. He had no conscious. All he had was the burning need for my soul. In that moment, I knew that I needed to do something to save myself. Thankfully, I had a savior in the wings who was eager to help.

If I’d known Michael Robishaw years ago, the Soul Collector would have been a three page book. Since meeting him, he’s helped me dozens of times in removing entities from my house. Michael is a Shaman, as well as a spiritual healer, Empath and medium. With the assistance of his Spirit Guides, he assists me remotely.

At one point, he recommended that I stop ghost hunting for a while to clear my aura, but it became abundantly clear that that didn’t make a difference. They followed me home from normal places too. I picked them up at grocery stores, movie theaters and from friend’s houses.

I excused myself from the telephone conversation as quickly as possible, promising to send the woman information that would lead her to more help, and contacted Michael. Shortly afterwards, I heard his spirit guides swoop into the room. The sound was like laser lights as they zipped around the room. I couldn’t see them, but there was no doubt they were there. The entity quickly retreated back to where he came from and the room grew quiet again. Michael had saved me once again.

Michael has helped hundreds of other people in the same way he’s helped me. One of those people was the woman I was speaking to. Unfortunately for her, the persistence of the dead will follow her through the days of her life just like it does mine. There will probably never be an escape. There will only be options.

Not all of the entities are as dark as the Soul Collector. Some of them are simply lost souls, looking for help. Those are the easy ones. I can help them cross over into the light and find their way to peace and tranquility. It’s the dark ones that bother me. They have no desire to cross over. All they want is to wrack havoc into the lives of the living. Those are the ones that make my blood run cold.

I will continue to search for answers. I won’t let the fear stop me in my pursuit of the solution to ending this madness. I will still walk into dark rooms, not allowing the entity to have power over me. I will fight it tooth and nail until it’s gone, but in the back of my mind I will never forget what it feels like to be helpless and afraid. I will carry that memory to my grave. And most of all, I will share what I’ve learned because knowledge is power.

Joni Mayhan is a paranormal investigator and the author of 13 books. To learn more about Michael Robishaw, read her chilling book Ruin of Souls.  Her other paranormal books include: Dark and Scary Things – A Sensitive’s Guide to the Paranormal World,  Devil’s Toy Box, The Soul Collector and Bones in the Basement, all available on Amazon.com, as well as Barnesandnoble.com and Smashwords. To learn more about her books, click on any of the covers below.