Debunk Paranormal

I have studied mysterious phenomena including the possibility of an intelligent post mortem existence for well over 26 years and I'm no closer to finding any evidence whatsoever that could help me formulate a theory that would allow an accepted course of research. Yes I believe Physics may, or may not, provide an answer, more leaning to the first however there is one field of study everyone seems to forget, Neurology. Questionable data such as video, photographs, sound recordings and supposed eye witness statements will never be accepted as proof and it is proof, not evidence we seek. The problem is that "the paranormal" is a negative, a negative cannot be replicated in a fashion such as to provide proof, meaning beyond any doubt. I admit, I have had so many adventures travelling the world researching mysterious phenomena but in the end it's going to come down to whether we believe or not.

Neurology must be brought into the equation because as we know from looking at those amazing pictures that confuse the mind, the brain will interpret something in a manner which we can understand, which is why one person will hear a thump and go "Ghost!!" and another will not. I have no proof but only from my own experiences and research I believe in residual energy - there's physics, but I also believe our minds can create anything, there's the touch of Neurology. Your right, to conduct real research into the paranormal one would need a thorough understanding of many fields of science and............ philosophy. I mention philosophy because at the end of the day, beliefs also play a huge part in the existence or not of the paranormal. Wake up feeling good and you have a good day, wake up grumpy and you'll have a bad day, in the end, the type of day you had was in part created by you. So many of the reported cases of paranormal experiences I have investigated have proven to be nothing but misconception (I wont mention mental illness or attention seeking behaviour).

I apologise for writing a novel in reply but I tend to get a little carried away on this topic. Great blog, yes you do have to think outside of the box.

Thank you both for the interesting posts. I also believe the wormhole exists .... in your mind. I have studied this but just think most is confusing (maybe on purpose) I often think people are using this to make false claims. So should we study it? we should look at every aspect, keep an open mind and form our own opinions.

a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. I have often pondered the possibility that some "ghosts" that have been reported to have been seen might be from another dimension, the future or from another planetary system. Of course there are so many possibilities, some sound silly, some make sense, some seem plausible, we just don't know. Police are trained to explore all possibilities in the investigation of a crime, no matter how remote, even the smallest detail can lead to another clue and onward to a successful closure of the case. We all know from high school science that energy does not disipitate, it can change form but it will never disappear. The question we should therefore be asking is "In what form does our energy remain in after our physical bodies have ceased to function"

I personally do not believe in intelligent post mortem existence, but I do however, and this is because of the many experiences I have personally had, that in some way, residual energy can be left imprinted and it is this that might just be what some [people see as ghosts. What annoys me are those who deliberately fake data, or create a story to purposely deceive for their own personal benefit. As in other fields of recognised scientific research, there are frauds who, because of deceit, destroy any credibility of the research they are conducting.

I could quote many a case I have looked into where weekend ghosthunters or religious fanatics have created fear from something to which I have subsequently found a rational explanation for. There are only three cases I have investigated where I could find no rational, logical or natural cause whatsoever and it's those three that have interested me the most. Maybe I missed something or maybe there is something there that is beyond our understanding at this time.

I have finally left the land of the lost and am reading things that make sense!! =) I completely agree with you that neurology is a science that is often overlooked in paranormal discussions, because of course...people are going to jump to the conclusion that "crazy" is being suggested. For one thing...there might legitimately BE a mental illness and if hallucinations are occurring, medical attention is needed. But beyond that, there are normal brain misfires that take place in "normal" human beings every day. Especially if stress is a factor.

Rusty, thanks for your great posts! I really appreciate your comments and like you..residuals are part of what keeps me looking. Now in places like Gettysburg, I have to wonder if the power of suggestion isn't at play..but there are others that aren't as well known that have had claims of apparitions that seem to fit with what happened in a place before. It's not proof and it may have a logical explanation in all cases..but it's still the one type of haunting that interests me.

Debunk, thanks for this site. I think I will be contributing here a lot more often! And good point about the possibility of some of this stuff being confusing on purpose.

Last year I suffered a stroke, it was the most scariest and yet also interesting experience I have ever had. I had hallucinations for weeks after that not only baffled me, but completely fascinated me. I've always been an odd one. Anyway, the Dr came in one morning and asked me how I was feeling, I said fascinated doc and proceeded to share my latest round of hallucinations with him. It almost became a morning round of entertainment for all the Ward staff and I think I actually was seen more often by the Doctor because he liked the stories. The thing is that I know that the things I experienced during that time were hallucinations but they were realistic enough to leave me wondering what if anything I saw or experienced was true. The brain is a funny organ yet for all our knowledge we are yet to understand even a tiny bit of how it functions and what we do know, is a lot.

Many years ago I saw a program on TV, a silly show where people would stay in supposed haunted places to win a prize. Of course they were honest about rigging some things up but this episode I saw was about a place only a stones throw from where I lived. It had all the elements. A prison for convicts, then a children's reformatory, then an orphanage and then an asylum. I almost drooled when I got permission to research the place, it's history and of course spend 4 nights there, ok I really did drool.

The first two nights were uneventful and very disappointing. Apart from some false alarms there was nothing I found even remotely worth considering, until the third night. It was a perfect night for a horror movie. Storms, full moon although it was hiding in the clouds, just the stuff for a friday scare night, also some idiot had forgotten to pack the torches (me).

It was just past 2am when all three of us, cold, bored and over this whole thing suddenly saw for the briefest of a moment a girl standing in the corner of the room right at the moment there was a flash of lightening. We all saw it, it was not captured on video. I don't mind admitting that I nearly peed myself, and I know I wasnt the only one.

Since that time and in each and every "investigation" I have made notes regarding weather, atmospheric conditions and even electrical and electronic devices that are nearby, in some cases I have had all the devices in a home tested. When interviewing witnesses I go to great pains to find out what the conditions were like when they had their reported encounter.

When I go to actively "investigate" a place I will try to recreate the conditions and what was happening at the time the experience was reported, if the lights were out, they will be out, if they were on, they will be on but I must admit I rarely if ever bother to turn lights off but do so only when using special equipment.

From my own notes and reports I have noticed that in most cases of reported hauntings there is a direct correlation to atmospheric or weather conditions at the time. Not all cases but enough for me to formulate a theory that residual energy just like developing film, needs something to allow us to see it....

I served in the army. We were taught that if you look directly at something you may not see it, thats why camouflage is so effective, it's more often seen out of the corner of the eye. Our peripheral vision is stronger than we give credit for. It's what nature gave us to help us survive back when we were not so high up the food chain.

We also know the human eye can only see so many colours but there are many many more. That leaves me to wonder just what recreations of past occurrences actually are happening around us that we cannot see, or that our brain cannot interpret.

Thanks for sharing those very good points, and especially for sharing your experience with a stroke. My grandmother had one and recovered, and it sounds like your attitude about the whole thing was really good. I hope all is well for you now.