Ghosts, paranormal visitors
Ghosts, paranormal visitors
History of ghosts
Mind, body dualism
Body is physical, mind is spirit (natural or supernatural?)
Human spirit or soul, both of the living and the deceased
Spirits can influence behavior, survive death
What are ghosts made of?
Composed of a misty, airy, or subtle material
If not physical, can't be seen
How are movement and thought now understood
Muscles driven by energy of metabolism
Mind controlled by nerve cells, ion transport
Both mind and body cease to act at death
Problems with ghost composition
Animating sprit, soul of the dead - relic of dualism
If substance then a gas
Fluids take the shape of their containers, don't form shapes on their own
Why so we see ghosts?
Suggestibility
Brain fills in missing details
How does info get from brain?
Voice, writing
Broadcast by mouth, hand
Received by eyes, ears
Languages must be learned
Doesn't get out through thought
No mechanism to broadcast
No mechanism to receive
Unconscious processes likely vary among individuals
Disembodied info
Voice - sound waves dissipate
Info can't be stored in space
Even if they could, no way to detect it
We experience emotions of the past, not the actual past
Useful experience, but no reason to take it too literally
Anecdotal evidence
Not reliable
Be especially wary of testimony from "believers"
Summary
No plausible way to physically construct a ghost
No way for voices or thoughts to pass into the future
Ghosts are good social entertainment
Organizations that promote ghosts
Society for Psychical Research, 49 Marloes Road, Kensington, London, 1882
American Society for Psychical Research, Inc., 5 West 73rd Street, New York 10023, 1885
What do you need for ghost hunting?
Basics
35mm camera
Digital camera
Flashlight and spare batteries
First aid kit
Notebook, pens pencils
Jackets, appropriate clothes
Watch
More advanced
EMF Meter
Detects magnetic fields
Spirits' ostensibly have an affinity for electromagnetic fields
EVP listener
Converts magnetc signals to audible sound
Portable motion sensor
Digital local remote thermometer
Deluxe carrying case
More
Video equipment
Night vision
Geiger counter
Smudging supplies
Crystals and stones
General tips (329K on Google)
Check out the area in daylight so you are familiar with the area
Look for no trespassing signs.
Make sure you bring you ID.
Never go alone.
Find out all you can about the history of the locale.
More tips
Keep an open mind, negative feelings may drive the spirits away
No whispering, it can taint your recording results.
Do not wear perfume, cologne or anything else with a very noticeable scent.
Never tease, threaten or dare an unseen entity
Use religious relics & symbols as a protection
Be scientifically minded, strive to prove the existence of ghosts and the afterlife.
Expect results
Where do you find ghosts?
Cemeteries
Schools - Schools and former sites of schools may have the build up of psychic energies and imprints of all the highly emotional events that have transpired there.
Theaters - The actors have run the gambit of human emotions inside the walls of a theater plus many have interesting hauntings attached to them.
Churches - There is a long history of the faithful returning to the church they worshipped at.
Hotels/Motels/Boarding houses - Many dark dealing and highly emotional events take places in these rooms.
Haunted places
Mostly in the East
Alcatraz
Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri
The Lemp Mansion in St. Louis, Missouri
The Polish Museum of America in Chicago, Illinois
The Villisca axe murders house in Villisca, Iowa
White House
Problems with places and methods
Maximize suggestibility
Favor ambiguous results
No tests for specific hypotheses
Irreproducible results