Every year when the temperature starts dropping and the leaves begin to get crisp, many ghostly tales resurface themselves for another round of terrifying anyone who is unfortunate enough to be in earshot of their horror. Many nightmares, uneasy looks into the dark, and scary reflections could be avoided if this simple question was answered: is the existence of the paranormal just a figment of the human psyche, or is there significant evidence that proves otherwise? The answer is no. There is not any proof that any such “undead” walk among us. This can be disproved by debunking some of the bogus evidence out there, examining some of the most common “paranormal activities,” and understanding the sensory part of our brain that triggers these fears.
First off, a general understanding of how the common ghost story got started needs to be in place. It is speculated that the tale of Anne Boleyn was the first recordation of ghostly happenings. Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I and the second in a whole series of wives by King Henry VIII. She was executed after being tried and found guilty of a whole slew of charges. There are tales that Boleyn haunts the grounds in which she lived, and was ultimately executed some four-hundred years ago. It is speculated that when a person dies with “unfinished business” they haunt the place where they lived or spent their last hours, as with the story of Ms. Boleyn. Tales of ghostly happenings have circulated the world since transcontinental communication became prevalent. If given a second thought these stories can be disproved simply by following any of the preceding methods.
Notably, it is a commonly known fact that many people long to be famous. Another commonly known fact? They don’t car...
... middle of paper ...
...ence, taking a closer look what why these things could happen, and underingstanding why they happen in our brain. Although it would be a fun idea to think the undead walk among us, it is simply a silly fantasy. But who is to say the spooky tales that generation after generation of people have enjoyed have to stop just because they are untrue? Let there be ghost stories! Even if that is all they are, stories.
Works Cited
Begley, Sharon, Karen Springen, and Kurt Soller. “Why We Believe.” Newsweek 152.18 (2008):
56-60. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
Kelly, Lynne. The Skeptic’s Guide To The Paranormal. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
Philips, Helen. “Spookiness Is In The Brain Of The Beholder.” New Scientist 175.2353 (2002): 17.
Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
St. Albans Sanatorium is a destination known by serious paranormal investigators as a place where they can seek answers to the mysteries of what lies beyond death. Some of these investigators were able to find resolutions for themselves to a number of these age old riddles through their experiences at the sanatorium. The frightening and true stories found within the pages of this book are about these inquisitive investigators’ encounters with The Ghosts of St. Albans Sanatorium.
"Investigation of the Lodge." Southwest Ghost Hunters Association. 07 Aug 2001. Retrieved 5 Apr 2005 http://www.sgha.net/lodge.html.
The University of Maryland has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College. Built between 1804 and 1812, The Rossborough Inn is the oldest building on campus today (Ghost Tour, 2). With its history, it is no surprise that the Inn has been a hotspot for ghost activity. Knowing that there have been numerous reports of ghosts at Rossborough, I visited the Inn to ask current employees at the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism, located in Rossborough Inn, if they themselves had experienced anything bizarre or if they had known others who had. I entered the small office where three women were talking and with their permission asked about their experiences with ghosts at Rossborough. Upon asking my question, all three smiled, although shaking their head, they indicated they had not. However, they all had heard of the stories, and one of the women replied and told me to speak with the University Archivist. She told me that she has spoken with the archivist, and upon learning the stories, she said that she “got freaked out and really wanted to go home.”
The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories ed. Richard Dalby Carroll & Graf Publishers 1995.
Trimble, Russell, "Alchemy," in The Encyclopedia of the Paranormal edited by Gordon Stein (Buffalo, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 1996), pp. 1-8.
Hauntings are sometimes believed to be a contributing factor of people acting insane. The spirits could control what the person's mind thinks and hear and make them appear to be crazy. Haunting may make people appear to be crazy but this presence is actually there. It is real and could interact with you. Physical evidence, and others who believe could help prove a ghost is there. In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, Jane, the narrator, becomes infatuated with her yellow wallpaper. Jane is being haunted because of the things she saw in the wallpaper, like the dark figure, which becomes a woman and the fact that her husband John and Jennie, the housemade are well aware of the mysterious factors of
There are many theories as to how someone or something becomes a ghost. This is called Paranormal which means beyond normal and scientific name is parapsychology, which means study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that seem to transcend the known physical laws of nature (Britannica, 147). In 1920, Dr. William McDougall was the first scientific psychical who research about Paranormal Activity (Stefanik, 2000). According to Stefanik, Paranormal experiences often seem weird, uncanny, or unnatural. Typically they are quite rare but there are a few exceptional "stars" such as who have regular paranormal experiences and may show seemingly consistent paranormal ability (Daniel, 2004). Different types of scientists who researched about paranormal activity was spiritualists. The scientists accepted paranormal to be real. There are believers and nonbelievers about the paranormal phenomenon. Discussion about parapsychological phenomena has assumed emotional overtones, unsuitable to scientific discipline, and outspoken but contradictory opinions are still voiced (Cauz, 2010, p.147)
There have been reports of lights turning on and off at will, doors flying open by themselves, and during a period of construction when the electricity was disconnected, the lights came on at night (Embassy). The last haunted place I’ll be talking about is the Duncan Chapel Methodist Church’s Children’s Graveyard. The cemetery is older than the church, which was built in the 1850s, with some gravestones dating back to the late 1700s (Children’s). People have said that they’ve seen unexplained lights, disembodied laughing, and running footsteps and 74% of people reported this place is as haunted as everyone says
Paranormal activity better known as parapsychology is a non-fictional idea. Parapsychology is the scientific study of interactions between living organisms and their external environment that seem to transcend the known physical laws of nature. (Teresi, 2000) The Society of Psychical Research was established in London in 1882 (Teresi, 2000). Major parapsychological studies had not begun appearing in mainstream scientific journals until the sixties and early seventies (Teresi, 2000).“Furthermore, groups such as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) which publishes the Skeptical Inquirer and the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) have been formed to disseminate credible information on the paranormal. Credibility should be less of a problem in the future” (Teresi, 2000).
Imbrogno, P. J. (2008). The Paranormal: A New Science of the 21st Century. The Llewellyn, 1.
“Mankind’s imagination has always been excited by the possibilities of unknown regions” (Nickell, 109). In the article “Mysterious Entities of the Pacific Northwest Part 1”, Joe Nickell explains the possibilities of pseudoscience, a presented scientific belief that is not yet scientifically valid, as well as the possibility of hoaxes. While there have been many claimed sightings of paranormal activity such as Bigfoot, Ghosts and the Loch Ness Monster, there has not been evidence to prove these claims as real. Almost everybody has heard their share of ghosts stories and the myths behind Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. These stories are universally shared, and recently, people have provided evidence claiming to have seen such mysterious phenomena. Humans are enthralled by certain claimed sightings because the unknown is interesting. Since the claims of pseudoscience, there have been many people creating videos, claiming to have seen Bigfoot, dressing up in costumes and coming up with ways for the public to believe that their footage is real. Such footage brings forth many opportunities, such as large amounts of money or publicity from those who believe the footage is valid. The time and thought put in by those who create hoax videos shows their urge to believe what has not been proven yet. There have been many claims that have been proven false and others remain mysteries, but humans continue to believe that there is paranormal activity that exists in our world. Some people believe in phenomena such as ghosts and UFO’s because such mysteries are interesting and provide information about our world that could be very important in the future. Mysterious phenomena inspire harmless fascination and could provide important information t...
The Nelly Butler hauntings is referred to as the first recorded ghost story in American history (LiBrizzi 5), and possibly the most exciting hauntings to date as there are still many unsolved mysteries. The apparition appeared on more than 30 separate occasions to over 100 witnesses in Sullivan, Maine, just over fifteen years after the American Revolution (5-6). Although the Nelly Butler apparition is one of the most convincing ghosts of all time, it was subject to suspicions of fraud. These claims turn out to be groundless as the evidence reveals the ghost to be genuine.
Smith, Cara L., Judith L. Johnson, and William Hathaway. "Personality Contributions to Belief in Paranormal Phenomena."Individual Differences Research 7.2 (2009): 85-96. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Do not open your eyes! One thinks to themselves as you believe there is something or someone there. It is dark your breath getting heavier and heavier, faster and faster, shaking and slowly you open your eyes… No! The fear paralyzes you, something is there it is getting closer and suddenly Ah! Suspenseful right? Every once in a while we may get frightened at the supernatural events that occur to us, but we never stop to think about how it impacts our society. In the article “Vampires Never Die” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan they reveal their perspectives about why the supernatural is important in our society. The supernatural impacts our society by using the supernatural popularity to make profit, connecting the human desire to the unrealistic and using technology to keep individuals interested in the supernatural.
Miller, Brian. "The Use of Geiger Counters in Paranormal Investigations." Pacific Paranormal. Pacific Paranormal Investigations, 5 June 2009. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.