I always tell the Spirit Questors: NEVER take a person's narrative of a supernatural experience literally. It has probably been edited profusely in his or her unconscious, especially to impress you.

ALWAYS:

--Read between the lines. What is the person really saying? What does the person want from you?
--Is the person bipolar or schizoid?
--Is the person under some kind of medication?

--What are the person's family problems or dysfunctions?

--What is the person's lifestyle?

--What are the person's ambitions and frustrations?

--Is the person lonely?

--Is the person searching for a father/mother figure?

--How derivative is the person's story of similar elements in horror movies or horror stories?

REMEMBER that such narratives are taken by TV programs and are HYPED. You are to do the exact OPPOSITE.

This is the reason why I always ask such persons to send me an e-mail message describing their situation. In composing the message the person is COMPELLED to organize his or her thoughts and translate the experience to a rational description, and most of the time ends up deciding that there wasn't any problem after all. This saves me a lot of trouble and gives me the time to do other, constructive things, such as creative writing and painting.