[Discussion] The Paranormal: Fact or Faked?

[AxeyWaxyWoo]

Originally Posted by Livewire

I had a dream as a young child (Younger than 7) that I met my dead maternal Great-Grandfather at a party at my house. He died 8 years before I was born, and this dream occurred before I officially knew who he was. One of the weirder things I remember.

That's weird. Reminds me of something my friend told me about once.

She said that she had a dream, and in the dream her aunt (or someone in her family, I can't remember exactly) was pregnant and expecting a boy. I can't remember the name, but she said the boy was named. Anyways, a few days later, her aunt (or whoever) phoned the house saying she was pregnant, and she went on to have a boy and name him the name from my friends dream.

If you read my older post, the same friend also dreamt that the ghost in my house was named Mary. Which was just weird, because it was a few days earlier which the friend I mentioned in the previous post, told me about her mum's mum, called Mary.

[Jiggly_Jello]

I had something happen that a cousin and I experienced when we were younger. I won't get into it on here because the few times I've ever brought it up, people looked at me like I'm [certifiably] crazy and I'm not talking "he's wacky" but "we have a straitjacket with your name on it" crazy.

Anyway, it scared the ___ out of us and I tried really hard to renounce what we had experienced as tricks of the mind to the point were I became adamant that such things did not exist and that was how I grew up. A bit hypocritical I suppose you could say but I was young and felt the need to rationalize what had happened so I could sleep at night. I had a several precognitive occurrences in High School, calling a play by play of a PE basketball game and other things but I still tried to tell myself it wasn't real.

My wake up call came about 5 years ago when I saw "something" pass by in my bedroom in the middle of the night. I was dead terrified. I didn't even sleep that night. The next day right as I got off of work, the phone rang and I knew it was not good news. My mother had called and told me my aunt was found dead on her living room floor from alcohol poisoning....it was her birthday. I didn't sleep that night either. I really wanted to find a rational explanation for what had happened to me because it was very disturbing to think about and I did a lot of thinking about it. I spent many a sleepless night hoping I would not see what I saw again. I told my girlfriend about it and despite the fact that she says she sees ghosts herself, she was still hesitant to believe me. That is until about 5 months later when I had another viewing. This time the fear I felt was a lot more intense. I have never been so scared in my life. Have you ever been so afraid that you tried to defy the laws of physics? When this happened, my girlfriend witnessed me trying to climb up the wall behind my bed backwards, the color drained from my face. I think I was actually trying to go through it [the wall] to get away. Turns out my uncle died of a heart attack that night. I don't have any more doubts that there is "something else" out there.

You can call me crazy [not certifiably please] or try to offer up some kind of a scientific explanation but there is no changing my mind on this after that. I think that if some of the skeptics out there were to have some of these experiences of phenomenon, they would not be so quick to scoff at the ones who have legitimate claims. I'm not saying they should experience what I did, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[Livewire]

There's also that bit that paranormal expieriences are hallucinations from Carbon Monoxide, any thoughts on that?

[-ty-]

It's hard to prove that paranormal entities do not exist, although in specific cases, there may be a logical explanation that completely or partly disproves the existence of a certain entity.

However, it is almost impossible to to prove that there is not a certain thing if the term is used in a broad sense. Like, "there are no such things as giant yellow eggs that hatch into dinosaur eating pelicans". You cannot prove that such animals do not exist in the universe, it is difficult to prove that none exist in the world, but it is possible to prove that they do not exist in our own household.

Therefore, I will not say that paranormal activity does not exist; I have no idea. However, I will not claim that it is 100% real.

[Snowdrop]

I believe absolutely nothing in the paranormal, and I've had what could be classified as a paranormal experience in a sense, it wasn't dramatic or anything. But that's a different story for a different day. I'd rather not drone on about why I don't believe in it though, so I'll leave it at that.

[PikachuAddict]

I believe that there are paranormal things that go on. However, a lot of reported paranormal activity can be explained by normal means.

Once, after my grandmother died, I was alone at home and I heard someone walking upstairs. I know for a fact I was alone, but I can't account for what caused the noise.

[LightningAlex]

Originally Posted by Livewire

There's also that bit that paranormal expieriences are hallucinations from Carbon Monoxide, any thoughts on that?

You'd need to inhale a lot of CO in order for it to cause hallucinations. Before hallucinations, it would cause a severe headache, dizziness, nausea, chest pain, difficulties breathing, and other minor symptoms.
So, if anyone inhaled the amount of CO to have all these symptoms + hallucinations, I don't think he's going to mistake them for anything paranormal, especially since he'll need medical help, and the doctor would explain to him that he was hallucinating.

[NcTheory]

It has been known that the more intellectual an individual, or group of individuals become, the less likely they are to believe in the paranormal, god, et cetera. It's essentially saying the less ignorant you are, the smarter, and more rational you will be.

A lot of paranormal activity is merely ignorance. Some of it is faked, and also some of it is forced willful ignorance for monetary purposes (church selling god to the masses).

[Livewire]

Originally Posted by LightningAlex

You'd need to inhale a lot of CO in order for it to cause hallucinations. Before hallucinations, it would cause a severe headache, dizziness, nausea, chest pain, difficulties breathing, and other minor symptoms.
So, if anyone inhaled the amount of CO to have all these symptoms + hallucinations, I don't think he's going to mistake them for anything paranormal, especially since he'll need medical help, and the doctor would explain to him that he was hallucinating.

You only need exposure to 667 or so PPM for it to adversely effect you, which is not a lot by any means.

[White_Arcanine]

I've had a paranormal experience myself. One time when I was at my dad's house when I went to bed, I felt a force pushing down on me. At first I thought it was just my imagination, it was a long day. Then I woke up at about one AM and felt the same thing, and then after that I was convinced something was wrong. The next morning the same thing happened again. I told my uncle and my dad and the same thing happened to them too. My dad wasn't as confused as me, 'cause it's happened to him before, several times. My dad also told me a story about something that happened in his house, one time he was just sitting in his kitchen. He has a small shot glass he keeps some bullets in. The glass is pushed back far, and it wasn't near any windows. He saw it tip over and one of the bullets rolled over and hit the floor. There was also another thing that happened to me-- One time when I took a shower there, when I got out, got dressed and everything I went to comb my hair, I looked in the mirror and saw the figure of a girl about my age standing behind me. The thing is- I don't know anyone my age at my dad's house. And the girl didn't look familiar to me at all. I turned around and she wasn't there, I looked in the mirror again and she was there.

As for the last one it could have been my mind playing tricks on me.

[Patchisou Yutohru]

I strongly believe in the paranormal as forces outside of our physical world, but unfortunately, I think people are very exploitive of the unknown and in most cases where they share a paranormal experience, I believe it to be false.

[PhantomX0990]

Yay, something I know a lot about.

So, everyone knows that there's all these ghost hunting shows now. One at the forefront is Ghost Hunters, and it's counterpart Ghost Hunters International or GHI.

Here's the thing. I'm a member of the TAPS family. TAPS itself is The Atlantic Paranormal Society, but once Ghost Hunters became big they expanded, including many other groups, societys, researchers, etc into the 'TAPS family'. Here in Minnesota I'm a member of the group TCPS, the Twin Cities Paranormal Society, which is a TAPS family member. I've also founded my former college's paranormal society. Have been running for two years now. Our main focus is supposed hauntings and 'ghosts'. We hold what's commonly called the TAPS mentality. Basically we want to debunk supposed hauntings rather than prove them. I have done extensive research into the paranormal, and have a lot of experience.

For me, I'm a skeptic. Also some who know me know I am atheist. Can atheists believe in ghosts? It's a question that's more common than you think. Here's the thing. I don't believe in ghosts/spirits. I believe there are things that are unexplained, paranormal things, and I want to find answers. I want to find evidence, supporting or not. It's more a science than anything. My group doesn't go blessing houses or holding séances. Paranormal means outside of the normal. It's something that isn't explained, or can't be disapproved. Evidence can be disapproved. Evidence can be concrete, and explaination. More often than not we disapprove supposed hauntings.

Someone mentioned carbon monoxide being a cause of hallucinations, more commonly it's EMF fields. Much of it, indeed, is in the mind. EMF is more commonly investigated/used because, unlike CO, it's not immediately dangerous, but it has the same adverse effects.

In the paranormal field, it’s largely accepted that in order to communicate or manifest, supposed spirits must gather energy from their surroundings. If this theory is possible, then the energy waves that are altered during the process can be measured. Paranormal investigators measure these changes in the electromagnetic field.

Since EMF detectors measure the strength of the electromagnetic field, investigators often find sources of electrical leakages instead of paranormal activity. Electrical leakages can result in the following symptoms: headaches, nausea, fear, paranoia, anxiety and if the leakage is severe enough, hallucinations. These symptoms more closely relate to experiences of supposed hauntings than those of CO.

Paranormal investigators can often follow high readings of electromagnetic energy to the source of the electrical leakage. When investigating, it’s very important to look for these non-paranormal causes of fluctuations in the electromagnetic field. Not only are leakages dangerous for the above reasons, most home owners are highly relieved to discover that a fixable solution exists for what they mistook for signs of a haunting. When the electrical issue is repaired, the symptoms often disappear.

The thing is with the supernatural or paranormal, once there's a true explaination, it's no longer paranormal.

[ShinyUmbreon189]

I believe there could be paranormal but some people take it too seriously and make dumb videos and movies about it. Stuff like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Activity. That stuff is fake especially Paranormal Activity. I've actually seen Paranormal with my own 2 eyes at a place called Goatmans Grave. All the people that are buried there were stoned for black magic. I actually almost had a friend get possessed there and never returned after that. I went there twice and not going there again. The first time I was there I seen headlights flickering on and off in the woods and it wasn't part of the road it was like a phantom car or something, honestly idk. My flashlight would also flicker on and off about halfway through the cemetary, the place has some weird writing on some of the tombstones. The place is in the middle of nowhere and going down the gravel road to get there seems like the Hills Have Eyes moments. So ya I've seen Paranormal stuff and if you wanna visit for yourself go ahead but don't come cryin' to me when you get possessed. My friends brother is satanic and on June 6, 2006 they got an acoustic guitar to play itself at that same place. That place is nothing but evil.

[PhantomX0990]

Originally Posted by ShinyUmbreon189

I believe there could be paranormal but some people take it too seriously and make dumb videos and movies about it. Stuff like Ghost Hunters and Paranormal Activity. That stuff is fake especially Paranormal Activity.

... Paranormal Activity is a movie. It's actors. It was never intended to be real.

Take stuff on TV with a grain of salt. Ghost Hunter's older stuff is a bit more legit that the **** they do now which is fabricated to get viewers.

Not all paranormal is possession. Nor is all paranormal based off hauntings. Aliens, time shifts, strange disappearences, many things.

What you experienced is 'apparently' a haunt of what is called a demonic sort, or what is associated with demons. Demonic haunts are called such because spiritual believers associate with the entities present as demons. But in a more broad sense, it's the sort of 'haunting' that is believed to intend to cause harm, create/generate fear, or 'possess' victims.

There are different 'degrees' of hauntings, and my group does it a little different than TAPS does. There's residual, intelligent, poltergeist, demonic, and elemental. 90% of what is shown on those tv shows is crap, but the 10% is mostly residual or poltergeist activity.

[Guillermo]

Having personally screwed around with a Ouija board, I think it's very real.

[Livewire]

Originally Posted by Patchisou Yutohru

I strongly believe in the paranormal as forces outside of our physical world, but unfortunately, I think people are very exploitive of the unknown and in most cases where they share a paranormal experience, I believe it to be false.

I'm pretty close to this. I think it's something that's all too easy to exploit for notoriety - look through the annals of history and you will find literal heaps of occurances where a person manipulates or uses a paranormal occurance to thier advantage. Christianity is a major religeon today because of one of these incidences, just ask Constantine.