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What are ghost experiences ?
Sometimes people have reported experiencing a figure or presence when there is no physical figure or presence. There are actually many different types of "ghost" experience, with various different possible explanations. Some ghosts occur spontaneously, while others occur as a result of intention or even ritual, including the mirror gazing technique, the “psychomanteum” and the rituals associated with shamanism and mediumship. Many spontaneously occurring ghosts are experienced in older houses and correspond to the classic idea of a “haunting” where an image of a deceased individual is observed alongside experiences of a sensed presence, sounds, lights and sometimes the unusual movements of objects. This type of ghost is often unfamiliar to the observer, and may even seem to be dressed in clothing that is consistent with a historical time period. This type of ghost rarely interacts with the observer, and may even be seen to be engaged in repetitive activities such as walking down a hallway (as if in their own time).
Other “haunting” experiences have all the features of a classic haunting minus a visible ghost. Instead, people often report feeling a strong felt sense of presence - the impression that there is an unseen presence or entity that is present in a particular location. Others may simply hear a voice, or feel that they have been touched by a ghost.
Other uninvited “ghosts” that are unfamiliar to the observer are experienced during sleep paralysis. the experience whereby a person partially wakes up from REM sleep to find that their body is paralyzed but their mind is awake - see Strange nocturnal experiences.
Other ghosts are recognized by the experiencer. Some ghosts are experienced as lights and orbs in nature (e.g., mountainous areas and forests) and have been interpreted as ancestral spirits, which provide advice and healing to the world of the living. Another example is the deathbed apparition where the ghost of a loved one is seen to leave their body (as a faint image, wisp, shadow or lights) as they are dying. Other recognized ghosts also occur during death when a dying person recognizes the ghosts of deceased loved ones in the room. For other people, ghosts may be experienced following the death of a loved one, when the “ghost” of a loved one appears to visit the living person - see Experiencing contact from a deceased loved one.
Other ghosts are associated with the living include the out of body experience whereby people experience themselves as separated from their physical body (this is particularly intriguing when other witnesses observe the “double”!) see Experiencing separation from the body.
Sometimes, during the creative process, people feel as though there is a muse who is present in the room and serving to inspire the creative process. Intense creativity itself has also been associated with a type of “ghost” which is similar to the Tibetan idea of the Tulpa. If a person believes so much in something (e.g., a religious figure or deceased loved one or the character in a book they are writing) and is thinking so intensely about it, it actually manifests as a “thought form” which takes up physical space. Other experiences with ghosts occur as a result of intentions, including rituals designed to alter the state of consciousness of the person who will be interacting with the ghost or spirit. In mediumship spirits of the deceased (ghosts) appear to communicate through the medium, sometimes embodying the medium for a short while. Finally, a procedure called the “psychomanteum” (mirror gazing with the intention to see the ghost of a loved one) has been used to encourage encounters with deceased loved ones, and has been found to be associated with many psychological benefits.
How do we explain ghosts?
This may depend on the type of ghost you experienced. Many are due to expectations and psychological tendencies to see meaningful shapes (particularly faces) in shadows, to find meaning in random noises and smells, and to weave stories together (lots of random events are constructed into a story of a ghost, when people are in a location with a ghost story). Some people may report a "ghost" when they are in a location that has other invisible information in the room (e.g., very low frequency sound or electricity ). Others may report a ghost when they experience information that they may have acquired anomalously (see Anomalous acquisition of knowledge ).
Are some ghosts real?
Research indicates that there are a number of correlates of ghost experiences, including fluctuations in geomagnetic levels and lighting. These measures do not aqcutally provide evidence for the existence of a ghost as an enduring spirit, but rather indicate that there are environmental changes when people experience a ghost. Good research on this topic is rather sparse. Many ghost hunters are not trained in research methods and are not blind to the stories that are associated with given locations (if you know the story, it is very easy to notice events and experiences that are consistent with that story). Gertrude Schmeidler advocated a method in which locations were organized into a grid plan, and people who were blind to the story associated with that location were asked to note their experiences in the rooms. This way, researchers can tell if certain types of experiences cluster in similar locations and how the experiences relate to the experiences of others. Several researchers have used this method. Some find more normal explanations for ghosts Richard Wiseman's investigations of haunted locations while others note that anomalies can and do occur Michaeleen Maher's investigation
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