A portal is believed to be an entranceway from the spirit realm into our world, a door. Some ghost hunters believe that portals exist between the physical and spirit worlds, and it seemed to gain ground with the movie, 'Poltergeist.' But 'portal haunting' is widely debated among paranormal investigators as little is yet known to verify their existence, so the idea of doorways existing to allow entrance into this plane from another is merely conjecture at this point in time.
The Portal Haunting Idea
It is theorized that portals act as a door for ghosts and spirits to cross over from the other worlds unto the physical realm - that they must have such a path to gain entrance in the physical plane.
If portals exist, then it is speculated that haunting, paranormal activity, would increase near these doorways into our universe. If true, portal haunting might be indicators of invisible gateways between the earth and other dimensions - even other worlds! Yet no one knows for sure if portals actually exist, and if so, what they may be.
Visitors from Other Planes
It is quite common for paranormal investigators to believe that strange entities (beings that appear other-worldly and do not seem human) captured in ghost photography are indicators that specific areas of our world might have higher parnormal activity, and thus, are investigated as potential places where portals might exist.
Cemeteries, Graveyards and Water
It is believed by some ghost investigators that the portal haunting has a high occurrence around graveyards or near underground waterways (perhaps due to the increased energy being caused by flowing water over rock). Some have fostered the notion that graveyards may have been built, unknowingly, yet guided by the subconscious or higher powers that be, in areas that portals exist. But again, there is no proof of any of this, only theory.
Portals and the Near Death Experience
It is interesting to note that most near death experiencers recall going through a tunnel of light during their crossing over from this world to the next. Is a tunnel of light one of these real spirit portals and can it work in the opposite direction, as a two-way door for higher spirits? Is there something similar to allow ghosts, or disembodied persons, to come back to earth and visit us? And might there be other tunnels, or portals, that may explain some of the strange type of haunting people have witnessed?
Portal Beliefs and Psychics
Some psychics definitely state that they believe there are spirit passageways into our world. This idea, coupled with near death experiences' tunnel of light, Hollywood movies and various theories about ghosts may have helped create our beliefs in portals. After considering all views and evidence, still, we simply do not know if portals really exist at all. So, we'll keep an open mind.
Portals in Ghost Photos
Finally, we should note that in ghost photographs, many ghost hunters, especially novices, strongly believe in the idea of 'vortexes' as evidence of these portals. For those who believe that doorways are being photographed (we do not know, either way), a vortex will usually appear as a streak of white ectoplasm mist and can often be confused with photos of accidentally-photographed camera straps captured hanging in front of the lens. For more on this, visit Vortex Ghost Pictures.