Is there any serious research on the paranormal such as ghosts?

Discussion in 'Pseudoscience Archive' started by yasmin, Sep 21, 2009.

  1. yasmin Registered Member

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    Hi guys!
    I am from the other forum on religion and spirituality, I was wondering if any of you would know about some scientific research on these subjects specifically related to ghosts, spirits and such paranormal experiences. In TV shows they use some infrared cameras and electronic voice phenomenon recorders to try to record electromagnetic fields not explained by other obvious reasons that a layman can think of. Sorry if I offend your intelligence with my ignorance, I have no clue about physics; but I thought this forum would have the right people to ask about this. Any help will be appreciated.

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    Yasmin
     
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  3. CptBork Valued Senior Member

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    Most physicists don't even bother with these types of investigations, but there are a few dedicated ones who go around with scientists from other fields, investigating paranormal claims and looking for more conventional explanations (as well as evidence that something strange is even happening in the first place). A common thing they test for are ultra low frequency sound vibrations. These occur frequently in old houses and castles and such, and can be caused by all kinds of natural sources. These types of sound vibrations tend to cause peoples' hair to stand on end and for them to report a feeling of being watched by some presence, without them consciously hearing anything. It's thought that our distant evolutionary ancestors could sense the low frequency vibrations caused by predators approaching on the horizon, so it was the first sign of possible trouble/threat, and that instinct has remained with us ever since.
     
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  5. yasmin Registered Member

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    Thank you! can you give me some names or links, i can check?
     
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  7. DRZion Theoretical Experimentalist Valued Senior Member

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    That is scary! Living in such a castle one could work up some healthy paranoia, huh?
     
  8. CptBork Valued Senior Member

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    Well there are two links off the top of my head I can give you for skeptical investigators who have had great success looking for conventional causes as well as uncovering cases of fraudulence. The Committee for Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal is one such group, the James Randi Educational Foundation is another. Now to warn you in advance, these guys tend to be VERY skeptical, and they don't have much sympathy for those who believe in the paranormal and especially the supernatural. For haunted house cases and stuff, the first link is probably best, as the people at the second link tend to specialize in busting magicians who perform tricks and then pass them off as psychic powers. Otherwise, I don't know of anyone in the scientific community who's ever supported the idea that a house is truly haunted, and not been subjected to ridicule by the mainstream for doing this, so unfortunately I don't have any good sources I could point you to for the other side of the argument.

    But think of the benefits you'd have from being able to tell all your friends that you live in a castle! The coolness factor more than compensates for the fact you'll get spooked by your own shadow every now and then

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    . I imagine in the old days, the kinds of folks who lived in castles probably weren't so scared, because they were too busy kicking other peoples' asses and lopping their heads off to worry about silly ghosts and stuff.
     
  9. John99 Banned Banned

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    my interest is with psychic ability and not so much ghosts. i love to watch shows on psychic detectives but afa ghosts and entities i think they do exist...to a point anyway but then it isnt important to me.

    aside from some harassment by malicious entities i never really experienced any ghost encounters, one time i felt a presence (actually more than once, but this is relevant to the thread) behind me an i turned around and saw a toy santa on the floor of the room. still have no idea how it got there.

    ghosts are a very british phenomenon and i think most british people believe in them. that is what i heard anyway.

    warewolves: you mentioned my two favorite warewolf movies and i dont really know many more. except for the original one w\ lon cheney (sp) but i am not sure if i ever watched that all the way through.

    Edit: wth...i guess there are two thread simultaneously, one about psychics and one about warewolfs and i mixed them up.

    Demons- yes. Ghosts- meh
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2009
  10. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Which doesn't exist.

    Um, right.

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    More nonsense.

    No and no.
     
  11. John99 Banned Banned

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    there is a good movie, think it is called white noise or something like that. i listened to white noise years before i even knew about it from anywhere else.

    what i did was take a tape recording and listened to it (with headphones, dark room, silence etc.) with nothing recorded onto the parts i was listening to. iow's the tape is recorded previously with old stuff and then the tape is kept recording but there are no real ambient noises just some electronic stuff like tape motor etc. i did this with audio tapes and vhs and you do hear stuff but it is a matter of wanting to hear things. that is my summation.

    tape, by its nature, is very organic medium. you hear things, creaking and it sounds like voices that you dont hear with digital. it is just the nature of the medium.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2009
  12. John99 Banned Banned

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    there may be something to psychic ability. this can be an unexplored area of the brains ability, you need a powerful brain to start with though. just think of deja vu and extrapolate.
     
  13. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    No there may not be.
    Any "psychic abilities" contradict known physics on at least one level, if not more.
    Unexplored areas? Do tell.
    "Powerful brain"? How are you measuring "power" of a brain?
    Deja vu is a glitch, not an ability.
     
  14. John99 Banned Banned

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    dywyddr, what is your name? or at least tell me what that sequence means. i cant remember that letter sequence w\out some effort.

    the unexplored areas are just taking things to another level of awareness. if i stood at a piece of wood all day and hammered nails into it then can i think of an easier way to do it? can i just stand there all day and take five swings to send the nail home or can i use my brain to do it with less swings?

    here is the sequence:

    brain
    arm
    hand
    hammer
    nail
    wood

    oh...you will need to expand on that. i do find it very interesting on how that phenomenon\ability fades with age. this is an important key that is not really explored. for it is my belief that the answer lies somewhere within the age of the subject. you can bet that someone will read this and say 'wow...he may be right'. wouldnt surprise me if you read about this elsewhere now.
     
  15. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Dywyddyr IS the name.

    What "unexplored areas"?

    It fades with age?
    Personal experience or you have actual data?
    I haven't noticed any fading of deja vu, simply that with age comes the recognition that it's a "glitch" and not some portent, so it's ignored more readily.
    With age we get to realise that the mind does do funny things and that they indicative of anything special, so deja vu tends to be accepted as "one more thing in life", which is not so much the case when younger.

    It's only important if there's more to it than your personal perception.

    Oh right, like unsubstantiated belief is worth much.

    I''d be surprised if you had any actual research supporting your contention.

    Psychology/ neurology may have the answers, it's a fair bet that "psychic research" won't.
     
  16. Stryder Keeper of "good" ideas. Valued Senior Member

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    As is already stated by another member, you'll likely find that anyone doing a "Parapsychology" study will likely be from a Psychology department. In fact I don't think there are many Doctors in just Parapsychology nowadays, but more the Psychologists identifying more about Mental Health and Human behaviour through such studies.
     
  17. John99 Banned Banned

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    dwyddr,

    that isnt your name. how do you pronounce that? did your parents name you that?

    the mind does do funny things. if cannot explain deja vu with anything more than 'just a glitch' and that wont cut it.

    from my own experience i would say it does fade with age but then so does imagination, to an extent.

    i experienced one memorable episisode of deja vu where i was walking with some friends and expperienced the whole thing before. like a tape running in my mind where i was in the same exact spot, with the same people and i knew what they were going to say before they said it...weird.
     
  18. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Correct it's Dywyddyr.

    Tee-oo-ith-ir. Ever heard of Welsh?

    Really? You expect ALL the answers to EVERYTHING to be available in your lifetime?
    And "psychic abilities" is a better answer?
    Ever heard of Google for answers?

    I see, so you're imagining answers.
    So much better and more reliable than investigation and facts.

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  19. John99 Banned Banned

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    hmmm...google doesnt have anything on that name. i thought it may be welsh.

    Dywyddyr, you have to realize these things are like a hobby for many people. i dont think there was ever any hard evidence of paranormal events being real...otherwise they would not be paranormal.

    the white noise stuff is very interesting though. you can actually make out words and whispers etc. mostly they sound like grunts and moans though. like i said it seems to me to be the nature of tape recordings and that is all.

    has anyone ever explained deja vu? you said it was a glitch but that is the same as saying 'i dont know'.
     
  20. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Like stamp collecting? But with far less rationale.

    There isn't ANY hard evidence. Because it's nonsense.

    No it's the nature of the human being. We like patterns and we're used to human voices. We "fabricate" the "words".

    And you're too lazy to follow links or do any checking for yourself.
    I just gave a link to Wiki (as a start) but you'd rather just waffle on...
     
  21. Doreen Valued Senior Member

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    4,101
    I thought John's point about your saying 'it's a glitch' really means I don't know was a good one. Unless one of your links backs up this idea with some science it is as speculative as any other interpretation of deja vu.

    The Wiki link presents little hard evidence about what deja vu is. And the fact that it can be potentially recreated via hypnosis does not make it clear what it is when it is not created in this way. 'Memories' can be created in hypnosis, but this does not mean that all memories are not connected to real past events.
     
  22. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    I don't know what it is, but psychology and the mind aren't my subjects of expertise. Glitch will cut it for me.

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    But I'm damn certain it's not "psychic powers". The mind does all sorts of weird things.

    And the Wiki link also states:
    Science doesn't do "answers NOW" it does "answers as they come".

    But it DOES "prove" that the mind can have memories of things that aren't real and that false "data" can occur.
    We know next to nothing (comparatively) about the human mind and how it works (or doesn't), but we do know enough physics to know that "psychic powers" just aren't possible.
     
  23. John99 Banned Banned

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    Dywyddyr,

    i think that sometimes the criminal psychics have something going on that is just a little too real sometimes. the thing is that this power cannot be forced and they cannot have this insight just whenever someone asks.

    i am not psychic btw. i have had one or two instances that were paranormal in nature but certainly nothing to proclaim myself as having psychic ability.
     

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