Ghosts: Are they real?
 

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I've never seen a ghost (and hope I never see one) but I have known too many reliable people who swear that they have seen ghosts. My guess is that their minds were just playing tricks on them. Maybe they were mentally fatigued, or maybe on medication. Has anyone here had any experience with ghosts? Ghost stories are common worldwide. Is it possible that they really are real?

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

Yes, but I am a firm believer in leaving dead people alone. I don't bother them and they don't bother me.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

No.

~D

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

LOL
This is what my Grandfather told my Mom when she was afraid of graveyards as a child....
"Don't be afraid of dead people, honey...it's those LIVE SOBs you need to worry about" [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

Hi Men,

Actually, there's been a fair bit of research on this, both by "paranormal" scientists (people who go to "haunted" places and measure radiation, EM fields, IR patterns, etc., etc.) and psychologists who try to replicate the experience under laboratory conditions.

The most reasonable theory that seems to fit is that there are places where there are unusual EM field patterns, and for some individuals, this will induce the sensation of a "presence." This has been replicated in laboratory studies where the EM fields are generated artificially; again, some of the subjects sensed a "presence" while the field generator was active. So there appears to be (or at least may be) a measurable physical phenomenon involved.

Keep in mind that the brain is a very complex organism which functions pretty well in the absence of interference, but which can misfire very convincingly (to the experient) when it's interfered with. For example, when scientists were first "mapping" the brain, in the days before EEG and CCT scanning, they did so by applying electrodes to various areas of the exposed brain on pre-surgical subjects. For example, applying an electrode to certain areas of the brain will give you the sensation of smelling something ... and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between that sensation and the actual presence of the scent.

So, for the person who is experiencing the "presence" (ghost), the sensation is very real. That doesn't mean there is really a ghost present. But the sensation is real. Some people are more sensitive to variations in EM fields than others -- in the same way that some people have better hearing, or a more acute sense of smell -- and those people are more likely to experience sensations based on abnormal EM fields.

There are some who speculate that what is currently scoffed at as "psychic phenomena" may eventually be shown to be measurable physical phenomena, probably along the lines of abnormal EM fields, etc. Many police agencies have turned to "psychics" to help them solve difficult cases, and there is some evidence that "psychics" were used in intelligence work back in the 70s and 80s.

The research is still in its infancy, and I for one would like to see it receive further study.

Cris

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

What's an EM field?

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

Hi Men,

EM field == electromagnetic field

Cris

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

Yes they are real. I lived in a very old house for two years and an early owner had died in the house. My roomates and I all saw strange things happen; books falling from shelves, items being moved around, sudden gusts of wind, noises, etc.. I had my blinds open in my bedroom at night when I was in the bathroom next door and the only one in the house. Also we all felt the "presence" of some one at one point and one of my roomates claimed to have seen the man once late at night and then he dissappeared. I ran into the the previous occupant of the house at a party and he had the exact same things happen when he lived there. I've heard similiar stories from reliable sources so I believe ghosts are real.

DL

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

I dont't believe in ghosts, witches, vampires, imps, ogers, fairies, trolls, werwolves, gouls, or zombies.

I am not so sure about leprechauns.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

by the way, you are all people I would love to play poker with.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

[ QUOTE ]
My roomates and I all saw strange things happen; books falling from shelves, items being moved around, sudden gusts of wind, noises, etc..

[/ QUOTE ]

I never realized these things were the tell tale signs of the undead.

Every place I have ever lived was haunted. Eeeep!

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

Okay. I am probably the worst player here and I am not worried.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yes they are real. I lived in a very old house for two years...

[/ QUOTE ]
Don Lapre? I thought you lived in a tiny one-room apartment and sold stuff via classified ads until you got rich and then decided to sell your system via late-night informercials.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

I tend toward yes. I've heard some amazing stories from my family members and friends (too long to get into). Either their brain was playing tricks on them, the laws of physics were defied, or there was paranormal activity. I've never seen anything out of the ordinary in my life. However, I've thought about going to some of the most famous "haunted" houses to see for myself. I would consider my experience with these things, the strongest (only) evidence lending toward an afterlife.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

I have never had an experience with a ghost, but one of my brothers is certain that he did. My father, who is not particularly superstitious, believes he had an experience with the same ghost.
I'm not sure what to make of it. I suppose I have to consider the possibility that their perceptions were accurate.

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

[ QUOTE ]
LOL
This is what my Grandfather told my Mom when she was afraid of graveyards as a child....
"Don't be afraid of dead people, honey...it's those LIVE SOBs you need to worry about" [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

my mother to me and my siblings: "no such thing as ghosts, now go to bed!"

mom never lied.

cheers!

Re: Ghosts: Are they real?
 

I don’t believe in ghosts but I believe ghosts are as real as you let them to be. If you give them credence then common everyday phenomena will be credited to your ghost. Consequently, simply believing causes you to become more acutely aware of anything weird that happens and the ghost becomes a more powerful presence in your life.

The following is my true ghost story, which I will title the evil toy story. I live in a 100-year-old house and I know for a fact both the original owners were waked in my front parlor. My wife and mother in law both feel the presence of a ghost by the front of the house. They are also pretty gullible by the way. Recently my wife is telling me about all the money we need to spend on various items (this happens to be a major bone of contention in our household) when my daughter’s cash register which was a hand me down from a neighbor starts to malfunction and repeatedly makes the cha-ching cha-ching sound.[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] What’s weird is not only the timing of the sound but especially the fact that it chose that sound out of around 15 different sounds. A week or so afterward my wife and I had an argument. After the argument I walked into my daughter’s room and the toy starts saying "the cheese" "the Cheese". Hmmm what could this mean? I decided at that point that I had 2 choices
1) I was going to write it off as a malfunction and keep the toy or 2) throw away the haunted cheese in my refrigerator and give the toy away to my most hated neighbor. After very little thought I chose #1 because I believe that odd things happen from time. Ghosts make for great stories but they do not exist. IMHO