Ectoplasm is a substance that is taken from a mediums body and mixed with an etheric substance, which enables the spirit to control and affect physical matter. The ectoplasm is often sensitive to light and because of this many séances take place in total darkness or in red light.
The ectoplasm can emerge from different openings within the mediums body, such as the mouth, ears or nose. The ectoplasm can be used by the spirit world to create replicas of the spirits original body, which can move around the séance room and talk and touch the sitters. In this form the spirit can also converse with the sitters and many sitters who have been allowed to touch this form say that it is warm and felt very natural. In a séance that was held at Stansted Hall, ectoplasm came from the solar plexus of Gordon Higginson, which formed into two arms with hands. Ectoplasm can also be used to create a voice box through which the spirit voices are heard, and this is called direct voice and Leslie Flint was a famous direct voice medium.
Unfortunately physical phenomena that utilises ectoplasm is very rare these days, as it takes a lot of dedication and time to develop to become a physical medium. Being a physical medium can be very dangerous as Helen Duncan had her séances raided by the police, and they tried to grab the ectoplasm as it started to re-enter her body. Due to the speed that the ectoplasm entered her body it caused internal haemorrhaging and external burns to her body. Helen Duncan died of heart failure ten days after the last séances was raided.