Being a teenager is such a compelling period in your life – it gives you some of your worst scars
and some of your most exhilarating moments. Of course, no one truly knows what they will do in
a particular situation until they are actually in it, but you don’t think that far ahead as a teenager.
I firmly believe that there are no coincidences in life. That everything happens for a reason.
Whether it’s paranormal or not. The people that wander in and out of your life, the situations you
find yourself in, and the good and bad choices you make were all designed to bring you to that
one moment.
When I was 19, this happened to me. Since I was old enough to remember, I always felt
incomplete. Like I was a puzzle, and a piece was missing, a part of myself that I wasn’t in tune
with. Something or someone is always watching from the periphery. Nothing terrible necessarily,
just always there.
A horrifying experience occurred to my friends and me one evening in 1992. We had a
get-together at their home and decided to use a Ouija board. By any ghost hunter’s standards,
Ouija boards are strictly taboo for obvious reasons, i.e., they create easy access (doorways) for
demons or entities to venture in and out of other dimensions. But in 1992, the problems
associated with Ouija boards weren’t common knowledge. There were no Ghost Hunter shows
on TV. Nothing with which to educate yourself unless you spend hours sitting in a library.
Nothing prepares you for something this unbelievable, this unexpected. Nothing can make you
believe it happened unless you were there. I don’t remember much from that evening once we
started playing with the board. However, I remember my friends and I starting to move the
planchette around the board, asking questions, etc. Most often, the spirits contacted through the
Ouija are those who reside on “the lower astral plane.” These spirits are often confused and
may have died a violent or sudden death; murder, suicide, demonic, etc. Therefore, as was the
case for me, many violent, hostile, and potentially dangerous conditions are present to those
using the board.
The planchette started moving erratically by itself; the flames on the candles we used were
growing tall. The room became freezing, and a strange odor permeated the room. I could hear
my friends calling my name, but I could not answer. I was unable to move my body from the
chair I was in. I cried heavily but did not make any noise as I could not move, only massive
tears. I was experiencing a nightmare during this time, but I was completely wide awake .
It all felt like a horrible dream. I was fighting for my life; only it wasn’t mine. The man I fought
with was tall, dark, and wearing the same period clothing. But something about him looked off.
His eyes were dark, his face just pure evil. His hands were on my throat, and I couldn’t breathe.
A young girl stood there, off to the side, watching like she could not move. I woke up with my
face painfully smashed against the hardwood kitchen table we had been using. My head and
neck were sore for a few days, and the bruising on both areas was impossible to deny. But there
was a story there that needed answers. I was attacked by something malevolent and evil, and I
wanted answers.
What is more terrifying – the things we imagine or the things that are real? I couldn’t think about
anything else for days. Who was this man, this demon who attacked me? I only knew how to
start getting answers was to try it again.
The problem with doing this repeatedly, other than just being plain stupid, is that whatever this
thing was, it didn’t need the board to do its dirty work any longer. It was out. We went to the
library and tried to find any information on the facts we could gather. It got to the point where I
looked horrible, lost weight, couldn’t eat, and couldn’t hide the bruises on my throat any longer.
Nothing can compare to the feeling of absolute hopelessness.
I went to my mother’s church and spoke with her pastor. Then, I read books on paranormal
happenings, possessions, and Ouija boards until I couldn’t read anymore. Ultimately, in the end,
I determined that there are some things in this world and out of it that we aren’t meant to
understand. It’s a terrifying thing in the world—taking someone on faith that all will be well in the
end. But that was precisely what I had to do.
I didn’t believe in ghosts or demons until this happened to me. Faith believes in something when
common sense tells you not to. In rare situations, we are saved by faith alone to get us through
when all else fails.
These experiences were the catalyst for my researching and investigating the paranormal. If
finally telling this story helps even one person who might have been through the same ordeal, it
will have been worth it. You only need to find one good reason you should, and I did.
About Jen Sarabia:
Jen Sarabia’s interest in the paranormal began in her teens. Since
then, she has investigated and researched for years before joining
professional teams. She has studied everything from private
residences to battlefields and hotels and various charity and
fundraising events. Jen founded Tribus Paranormal in May 2014.
In 2021, she and her husband Jason joined The Warren Legacy Foundation for Paranormal
Research.
