Are you into the Paranormal?

[Wilko]

On the subject of a paranormal, i've had a number of experiences that make me feel there is something. I understand there are possible explanations but i've yet to hear any convincing enough.

In my experience, people are often given the rational explanation and choose to reject it.

Lots of ghost claims are that people woke up in the middle of the night and there was a ghost standing at the end of their bed. The obvious, rational explanation for this is they were dreaming, in fact it is pretty obvious to most people that this is the case. However, many people refuse to accept the blindly obvious.

 

[Seagull27]

I'm sure its pretty commonly known that changes in air temperature and air pressure are known physical effects when in situations where there is also a paranormal phenomena taking place.

Really? I'd love to see a source from a peer-reviewed journal if you know of one. And not just people's experience of the temperature, but real measurements of a momentary fluctuation of temperature that couldn't be explained by something else.

 

[Wilko]

Really? I'd love to see a source from a peer-reviewed journal if you know of one. And not just people's experience of the temperature, but real measurements of a momentary fluctuation of temperature that couldn't be explained by something else.

I'd like to see that too. Scientific evidence of dropping in temperature in 'haunted' houses.......and I mean proper evidence, not the usual hokum you see on Ghosthunters and long island medium. In fact, it is actually winding me up that people give even an ounce of credit to such utter crap. Mind you, if people are willing to pay through the nose for such drivel then what a market for business.

 

[Goldstone1976]

what a market for business.

Yep.

 

[sydney]

no ....

 

[Normal Rob]

As has been mentioned by others. Its all gubbins and can be 100% explained by sleep paralysis.

I've had episodes of SP, and it is scary, but ultimately it's a uber realistic dream where you think you are awake but you are confined to your actual position (bed, sofa etc) and unable to move/breath etc. What you see in your dream you perceive to be real due to it happening at your actual location of the time.

 

[synavm]

Wouldn't say I've seen an actual ghost, but I've experienced weird things.

Probably the most unexplained instance would be when a school friend died in a car crash whilst I was at college, I had a dream where he appeared in the door way to my room and said 'don't worry, death is not the end' and I woke up with a tremendous feeling of reassurance. What was remarkable was the lack evidence of any injury, all that was notable was a cut under his right eye and a bruise on his left cheek. Fast forward a few days, I bump into one of his friends and said 'sorry to hear about so and so' and he responded, he'd just been to see him in the funeral home. He said 'it's remarkable how he didn't look badly injured, he just had a cut under his left eye and a bruise on his right cheek', so what he told me was his appearance was exactly the same as in my dream, but mirrored from what I saw. I cannot explain this for the life of me- every other experience I've had could be rationalised quite easily.

 

[beorhthelm]

How else do you interpret that apparition of a person standing there and then disappearing without a trace?

For three different sets of eyes at different positions and angles to each other seeing the same thing whatever they are seeing has to be there.

you are starting from the flawed assumption that they saw something, or that they all saw the same thing, and that this thing wasn't explainable by some other means (trick of the light, image in something, cat moving a bush whatever). they claim to have seen an apparition, its quite possible one saw somthing, another saw something else and said "yes i see it" the third can make out something that isnt there, then as they discuss and share thier experience it morphs into the same story. happens all the time, like football matches where we'll see a different game from opposition or the neutral.

 

[Seagull27]

I'd like to see that too. Scientific evidence of dropping in temperature in 'haunted' houses.......and I mean proper evidence, not the usual hokum you see on Ghosthunters and long island medium. In fact, it is actually winding me up that people give even an ounce of credit to such utter crap. Mind you, if people are willing to pay through the nose for such drivel then what a market for business.

Exactly, if something like that was so easily detectable then scientists would be going mad to find out what was going on. There would be so much potential for a completely new branch of science, fundamentals in a whole new standard model of physics, and potentially help us develop vast amounts of new technologies. Research councils would be throwing money at it.

 

[seagully]

A lecturer of mine at Uni had a theory that 'ghost' sightings were caused by vibrations in the air/ground causing people to hallucinate. Pretty sure he was on telly a couple of times trying to prove this theory with a rather Ghostbusters-looking device to measure vibrations

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

Ended up chatting to a few mates about this thread last night.

Probably about 10 years ago a group of us were out for a drive at night. We were out in a bit of countryside and decided to turn around, there is a place called Downe House so my friend pulled into their car park which was completely empty and started to do a big taxi style turn. Halfway round Chris slammed on the breaks and we all (slightly ashamed to say) screamed/shouted What the F*ck. As there, At 1amish stood directly in front of the car was a kid that can't have been more than about 5/6 dressed in old style clothing (WW2 era sort of thing). He just looked really grey as well which was a bit odd.

Chris sped around him and drove off. I had pretty much forgotten about it until now and it wasn;t until last night that we wondered why the gates to the car park were open!

It definitely happened and 4 of us in the car all saw it yet it doesn't make me believe in ghosts. I guess I just have to have explanation and as such just assume that there was some form of school trip that was having a sleep over there or something and one of the kids had got out of bed

 

[gregbrighton]

A lecturer of mine at Uni had a theory that 'ghost' sightings were caused by vibrations in the air/ground causing people to hallucinate. Pretty sure he was on telly a couple of times trying to prove this theory with a rather Ghostbusters-looking device to measure vibrations

Was he on that ghost hunting programme with Yvette Fielding and Derek Acorah?

 

[symyjym]

Ended up chatting to a few mates about this thread last night.

Probably about 10 years ago a group of us were out for a drive at night. We were out in a bit of countryside and decided to turn around, there is a place called Downe House so my friend pulled into their car park which was completely empty and started to do a big taxi style turn. Halfway round Chris slammed on the breaks and we all (slightly ashamed to say) screamed/shouted What the F*ck. As there, At 1amish stood directly in front of the car was a kid that can't have been more than about 5/6 dressed in old style clothing (WW2 era sort of thing). He just looked really grey as well which was a bit odd.

Chris sped around him and drove off. I had pretty much forgotten about it until now and it wasn;t until last night that we wondered why the gates to the car park were open!

It definitely happened and 4 of us in the car all saw it yet it doesn't make me believe in ghosts. I guess I just have to have explanation and as such just assume that there was some form of school trip that was having a sleep over there or something and one of the kids had got out of bed

I'm not surprised, you almost ran him over.

 

[Paul Reids Sock]

I'm not surprised, you almost ran him over.

I didn't...my friend did! And he wasn't there when we entered the car park or started the turn. Honestly your honour

 

[The Clamp]

So then for the paranormal to exist it doesn't actualy have to be a solid physical entity. It can be a great many things and be experienced in a great many ways.

Such as my grandparents and neighbours experience. Three independent witnesses to something that was visible to three different peoples visual recognition for 5 seconds and then it vanished before their eyes.

One person you can try explain away their experience with various reasonings, three however does not allow for the same reasoning of discreditation of what they saw.

Your love analogy doesn't hold water. It's a pseudo intellectual argument that was over used and discredited decades ago.
Do ghosts exist? Hard to say. Do people experience phenomena that is inexplicable them or others that may have been with them at the time? Yes, of course they do.
Mediums on the other hand are full of shit. They con people, they know they do and they have conned many a council estate mother of eight out of her benefit money/my taxes.

 

[seagully]

Was he on that ghost hunting programme with Yvette Fielding and Derek Acorah?

Haha no, something slightly more cerebral than that!

Found his Wikipedia page which has some info

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Tandy

 

[symyjym]

We needed an overactive imagination to survive so when we hear things or think we have seen something move, we tend to fill in the blanks to get a picture of what we may have to deal with immanently.

It's the same sense as when, prehistorically, we used to feel that a lion, or any animal that can kill, might be lurking somewhere near us. We have just replaced the fear of wild animals with the fear of the paranormal.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

No one knows the absolute truth of reality. Let me go back to my original point I was trying to make. Why would 3 people telling you they had seen a ghost hold any validity of proof in ghosts whatsover?

There are thousands of people around the world who say they have been spoken to by god, this holds absolutely no weight of evidence whatsoever in my mind.

You're comparing apple to oranges there.

Seeing and hearing are two different things.

You're also making a call based on not knowing the people involed. My grandfather wasn't a religious person and was a very no nonsense matter of fact kind of person. Not the kind olf person to think up let alone talk about some fanciful tales. If he said he saw an apparition he did. No tricks of light or mistaken identity, it was a ghost sighting.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It's the same sense as when, prehistorically, we used to feel that a lion, or any animal that can kill, might be lurking somewhere near us. We have just replaced the fear of wild animals with the fear of the paranormal.

So what of sightings where zero fear is a factor?

 

[Hillian1]

I Posted this earlier in the thread, nobody has explained it:

As much as I don’t believe, this particular incident still gives me the shivers:

My father died suddenly in 2001 aged 64, I was on my way home from the Hospital and thought I’d better go and see my Grandfather (Dads dad) who was in a care home at the time to tell him.

I’d been there for about 30 minutes when he suddenly said “You’d best go now” I was a bit surprised by this and asked him if he was OK.

“I’ll be fine” he said “Your dads here”

He passed away a few hours later.