Why do ghosts appear? What do ghosts look like and why do they appear to people, why do many people see ghosts? At the same place, at the same time

In our age of reason, few believe in ghosts anymore. Science has come to the aid of skeptics - scientists have found seven convincing explanations for why we see ghosts.

Physicists vs mediums

In the 19th century, even the most educated people believed that there were mediums capable of communicating with afterlife. by the most in a simple way such communication was the Ouija board, covered in numbers, letters, and whole words. The participants in the session put their hands on a small board, and otherworldly forces supposedly made it move and point to the answers. This hobby did not bypass even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the literary father of the famous Sherlock Holmes, a doctor by education, arranged seances.

But there were also those among the scientists who considered mediums and spiritists to be swindlers. The physicist Michael Faraday put an end to this dispute. He proved that the movement of the hands on the Ouija board is due to the ideomotor effect. Simply put, people expected the board to start moving now, and subconsciously moved it. Most spiritists were not swindlers. Their muscles were only doing what their brains unconsciously told them to do.

ghosts in the stomach

One day, physicist Vic Tandy saw a gray shadow near his desk during an experiment. At first he was afraid that his laboratory was cursed, but then he found a rational explanation for this fact. The fact is that he worked with infrasound below 19 hertz.

The human ear is unable to hear sounds above 20,000 hertz and below 20 hertz. Anything outside this range can still be felt. This is where not only the notorious "butterflies in the stomach" come from, but also an unreasonable feeling of anxiety. It's all about high and low vibrations. Sometimes they even cause panic attacks in animals and people.

But where, then, did the ghostly figure come from? Tandi explained this as well. Low vibrations forced eyeballs scientist to hesitate, and they created images that could be mistaken for ghosts.

cold spot

Imagine: you are exploring an old mansion, of course, at night, and suddenly the air around you becomes colder. You take a few steps to the left or right and the temperature returns to normal. Parapsychologists say that to get into the world of the living, a ghost spends a lot of energy. In order to somehow replenish it, it takes heat from everything that surrounds it (including people). Ghost hunters call places where such ghosts appear "cold spots".

But the physicists and here found a rational explanation. Cold air most likely enters the room through holes in the roof, broken windows, or a chimney. If all these options do not fit, there is another scientific hypothesis. It is based on a process called convection. All objects around us conduct heat differently. Because of this, some surfaces heat up more, some less. In order for the temperature in the room to equalize, some objects give off heat to the external environment, while others, on the contrary, take it away. This is where the "cold spots" come from.

shining balls

Many paranormal investigators proudly display photographs of strange glowing objects. These are supposedly the souls of the dead who cannot find peace. Maybe they have unfinished business or they want to expose their killer. It is a pity that these strange objects can only be seen in a photograph - they are not visible to the human eye.

Skeptic Brian Dunning argues that anyone with even the slightest knowledge of photography can see where these glowing ghosts come from. Any small object, insect, or falling leaf in front of the camera during a night shot is illuminated by the flash. But the camera does not have time to focus on them. This is where these mysterious blurry spots come from. An even more common cause of blurry spots in photos can be dust or water on the lens.

So, if you often happen to photograph a ghost, here's a tip from Brian Dunning - wipe your lens!

Carbon monoxide

In 1921, ophthalmologist William Wilmer published a fascinating article in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. This article was about the curse hanging over the X family.

At first they began to hear strange sounds: someone was walking around the attic or slamming doors. Then an invisible stranger attacked one of the children. And finally, the mother of the family, waking up one night, saw a ghostly couple at the foot of her bed, which, in a second, vanished into thin air.

It turned out, however, that only their oven was cursed. When the fuel burns, it produces carbon monoxide - CO, also called carbon monoxide. Instead of releasing this gas through a pipe, she regularly supplied it to the house. Carbon monoxide poisoning is fatal, but first you will experience nausea, dizziness, and hallucinations. Here is the solution to the mysterious family curse.

And all for one...

In June 2013, 3,000 workers rioted at a textile factory in Bangladesh. They did not demand higher wages or better working conditions. All they asked of the director was to invite an exorcist to exorcise the evil spirit from the factory.

A similar story happened in one of the schools in Thailand. Twenty-two students were hospitalized after encountering the ghost of a disgusting old woman.

After the participants of these events calmed down, they were interviewed by doctors and psychologists. It turned out that none of them saw anything supernatural, someone heard about the ghost from friends, someone felt bad and attributed it to the machinations of an evil spirit.

Similar phenomena have been known to scientists since ancient times. They are called mass hysteria. When people are stressed, malnourished, ill, or extremely fatigued, any rumor, any retort, can set off a collective panic. The "symptoms" spread like a plague, and soon everyone is terrified. In the Middle Ages, mass hysteria led to witch hunts; today they make people see ghosts.

Ions are to blame

Modern researchers of the paranormal sometimes call on physics to help them. For example, an ion counter has become a common tool in their arsenal. An ion is an electrically charged particle in which the number of protons and electrons is not the same. If a particle gains an electron, it becomes a negative ion; if it loses it, it becomes a positive ion.

So the ghost hunters count the ions in the cursed houses. But how to interpret the results? Some believe that where ghosts appear, there is a normal amount of ions in the atmosphere, others argue that ghosts absorb the energy of ions at the time of their appearance.

Physicists answer both of them: the presence of ions in the atmosphere is a natural phenomenon, just like the weather or solar radiation. And you should not betray any mystical significance to this.

But it turns out that ions can still become an indirect cause of various mystical phenomena. Negatively charged ions calm us, positively charged ones, on the contrary, cause anxiety, irritation, headaches. But this is exactly how the inhabitants of the “cursed houses” describe their feelings.

In our age of reason, few believe in ghosts anymore. Science has come to the aid of skeptics - scientists have found seven convincing explanations for why we see ghosts.

Physicists vs mediums

In the 19th century, even the most educated people believed that there were mediums capable of communicating with the afterlife. The easiest way to communicate was the Ouija board, covered in numbers, letters, and whole words. The participants in the session put their hands on a small board, and otherworldly forces supposedly made it move and point to the answers. This hobby did not bypass even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - the literary father of the famous Sherlock Holmes, a doctor by education, arranged seances.

But there were also those among the scientists who considered mediums and spiritists to be swindlers. The physicist Michael Faraday put an end to this dispute. He proved that the movement of the hands on the Ouija board is due to the ideomotor effect. Simply put, people expected the board to start moving now, and subconsciously moved it. Most spiritists were not swindlers. Their muscles were only doing what their brains unconsciously told them to do.

ghosts in the stomach

One day, physicist Vic Tandy saw a gray shadow near his desk during an experiment. At first he was afraid that his laboratory was cursed, but then he found a rational explanation for this fact. The fact is that he worked with infrasound below 19 hertz.

The human ear is unable to hear sounds above 20,000 hertz and below 20 hertz. Anything outside this range can still be felt. This is where not only the notorious "butterflies in the stomach" come from, but also an unreasonable feeling of anxiety. It's all about high and low vibrations. Sometimes they even cause panic attacks in animals and people.

But where, then, did the ghostly figure come from? Tandi explained this as well. Low vibrations caused the scientist's eyeballs to vibrate, and they created images that could be mistaken for ghosts.

cold spot

Imagine: you are exploring an old mansion, of course, at night, and suddenly the air around you becomes colder. You take a few steps to the left or right and the temperature returns to normal. Parapsychologists say that to get into the world of the living, a ghost spends a lot of energy. In order to somehow replenish it, it takes heat from everything that surrounds it (including people). Ghost hunters call places where such ghosts appear "cold spots".

But the physicists and here found a rational explanation. Cold air most likely enters the room through holes in the roof, broken windows, or a chimney. If all these options do not fit, there is another scientific hypothesis. It is based on a process called convection. All objects around us conduct heat differently. Because of this, some surfaces heat up more, some less. In order for the temperature in the room to equalize, some objects give off heat to the external environment, while others, on the contrary, take it away. This is where the "cold spots" come from.

shining balls

Many paranormal investigators proudly display photographs of strange glowing objects. These are supposedly the souls of the dead who cannot find peace. Maybe they have unfinished business or they want to expose their killer. It is a pity that these strange objects can only be seen in a photograph - they are not visible to the human eye.

Skeptic Brian Dunning argues that anyone with even the slightest knowledge of photography can see where these glowing ghosts come from. Any small object, insect, or falling leaf in front of the camera during a night shot is illuminated by the flash. But the camera does not have time to focus on them. This is where these mysterious blurry spots come from. An even more common cause of blurry spots in photos can be dust or water on the lens.

So, if you often happen to photograph a ghost, here's a tip from Brian Dunning - wipe your lens!

Carbon monoxide

In 1921, ophthalmologist William Wilmer published a fascinating article in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. This article was about the curse hanging over the X family.

At first they began to hear strange sounds: someone was walking around the attic or slamming doors. Then an invisible stranger attacked one of the children. And finally, the mother of the family, waking up one night, saw a ghostly couple at the foot of her bed, which, in a second, vanished into thin air.

It turned out, however, that only their oven was cursed. When the fuel burns, it produces carbon monoxide - CO, also called carbon monoxide. Instead of releasing this gas through a pipe, she regularly supplied it to the house. Carbon monoxide poisoning is fatal, but first you will experience nausea, dizziness, and hallucinations. Here is the solution to the mysterious family curse.

And all for one...

In June 2013, 3,000 workers rioted at a textile factory in Bangladesh. They did not demand higher wages or better working conditions. All they asked of the director was to invite an exorcist to exorcise the evil spirit from the factory.

A similar story happened in one of the schools in Thailand. Twenty-two students were hospitalized after encountering the ghost of a disgusting old woman.

After the participants of these events calmed down, they were interviewed by doctors and psychologists. It turned out that none of them saw anything supernatural, someone heard about the ghost from friends, someone felt bad and attributed it to the machinations of an evil spirit.

Similar phenomena have been known to scientists since ancient times. They are called mass hysteria. When people are stressed, malnourished, ill, or extremely fatigued, any rumor, any retort, can set off a collective panic. The "symptoms" spread like a plague, and soon everyone is terrified. In the Middle Ages, mass hysteria led to witch hunts; today they make people see ghosts.

Ions are to blame

Modern researchers of the paranormal sometimes call on physics to help them. For example, an ion counter has become a common tool in their arsenal. An ion is an electrically charged particle in which the number of protons and electrons is not the same. If a particle gains an electron, it becomes a negative ion; if it loses it, it becomes a positive ion.

So the ghost hunters count the ions in the cursed houses. But how to interpret the results? Some believe that where ghosts appear, there is a normal amount of ions in the atmosphere, others argue that ghosts absorb the energy of ions at the time of their appearance.

Physicists answer both of them: the presence of ions in the atmosphere is a natural phenomenon, just like the weather or solar radiation. And you should not betray any mystical significance to this.

But it turns out that ions can still become an indirect cause of various mystical phenomena. Negatively charged ions calm us, positively charged ones, on the contrary, cause anxiety, irritation, headaches. But this is exactly how the inhabitants of the “cursed houses” describe their feelings.

Who are ghosts and ghosts? Do they exist or is it a figment of human imagination? It is known that legends about ghostly phantoms were especially common in the Middle Ages. It is also known that almost all medieval castles were notorious. There were rumors that ghosts live there and interfere with the lives of the owners. What is really behind these rumors? Today there is documentary evidence that ghosts do exist.

By the way, ghosts and ghosts are synonyms, although experts say that the word “ghost” has a narrower meaning and is typical for restless human souls, and any phantom can be called a ghost.

It should be noted that in the Middle Ages, haunted castles were not something special. On the contrary, family estates, in which the spirits of ancestors lived, were considered beneficial for their owners. Most often, the spirits of suicides and those who died a violent death, as well as children, wandered around the castles. At the same time, the living heard groans, tapping, laughter, observed the movement of objects, saw human outlines. It is believed that ghosts freely pass through any objects and walls, since they are subtle entities. And in fact, according to eyewitnesses, these objects are most similar to holograms, white energy clots.

Now in the world there are hundreds of specialists who call themselves ghost hunters. They are equipped with special equipment that allows you to see ghosts indoors and outdoors. Modern cameras with increased sensitivity are able to capture the movement of these objects, as they capture the vibrations of a subtle, invisible world for us.

Why and where ghosts most often appear

What happens when a ghost appears in a house? The air becomes heavy, strange things begin to happen, objects and even people can disappear. There are ghosts who behave calmly and do not bother the living, but there are also those who are clearly trying to ruin people's lives.

Why is this happening? Apparently, every dead spirit has its own purpose on earth. Some come to their relatives in order to warn them of danger and thereby protect them from misfortune. Others appear to take revenge, to remind the living of the sins they have committed. As a rule, the restless souls of suicides, stuck between two worlds, wander through their former dwellings.

Psychics and mediums are convinced that the energy of ghosts is destructive for people, because ghosts are energy vampires that feed on the emotions of the living. This is especially true of the ghosts of children.

Haunted Contacts

Mediums call ghosts spirits and work with them on those subtle levels where these spirits are stuck. They hold séances to find out what the intruders really want.

In our world, there are many magicians who call themselves the chosen ones due to the fact that they are subject to communication with dead spirits, which they see without any devices. Spirits provide them with help and patronage in matters of magic.

There are documentary evidence of successfully conducted spiritualistic sessions. But here's the fact: everyone participating in such sessions will soon go crazy or die under unusual circumstances. According to the mediums, this is because when the subtle worlds and establishing contacts with spirits, a person gives away part of his own energy, which means that he becomes vulnerable to otherworldly reality.

Therefore, those wishing to make contact with spirits should first think very, very well. By themselves, these entities, with rare exceptions, cannot harm a living person, but the desire to visit the other world most often ends very badly. So is it worth the risk?

What do ghosts look like? In a study that is devoted to describing the main features of ghosts and was published in 1956 by Hornell Hart, an American researcher and sociologist with his collaborators, it was indicated that there were no serious differences between the ghost of a dead and a living being. That is a ghost and real person should look identical.

Sometimes ghosts seem to a living person to be quite bodily and real creatures that have clear outlines, and in some cases even clothes. But sometimes, ghosts and apparitions appear to be luminous, transparent or blurry. Occasionally, they are characterized by an indefinite form, some raggedness. If you want to see a ghost, read it, it says in detail how and where you can find otherworldly entities.

Some people who have ever seen a ghost have described it as patches of light or streaks. Ghosts in our time appear and disappear unexpectedly and suddenly. Sometimes they slowly melt into the distance. Everyone knows that ghosts can pass through various objects, and even bypass them. Many parapsychologists argue that a ghost cannot cast a shadow. But, as it turned out, this is not entirely true: they can even be reflected in the mirror!

Communication or just signs?

In some ghosts, you can see a set of movements and gestures (like a puppet in a theater). These movements are aimed at drawing the attention of a person to a wound in a ghostly body. Other ghosts are characterized by smoother movements and can even talk. As some evidence has shown, the appearance of ghosts is accompanied by sensations of cold, smells, sounds, or movements of real objects.

Why do ghosts appear?

Do they want to communicate something, or are they just scary? In the vast majority of cases (about 82%), ghosts appear with a clearly defined purpose: for example, in order to inform a living person about the impending misfortune (imminent death, serious danger) of the person in whose image the ghost appeared. Also, the cast can soothe grieving relatives, through the loss of any, especially loved one. In addition, in most cases, ghosts transmit valuable and very important information to the living.

If ghosts appear frequently

Ghosts that often appear in one place, thereby expressing a distinct emotional connection with this place. For example, with the sudden or violent death that befell them at this place. It is also believed that spirits may be associated with the land of the dead, who cannot leave because of unfinished business. given place. Many studies of the spirit world are convinced that those ghosts that regularly appear in a certain place even have a mind that allows you to establish mediumistic contact with such ghosts.

Some ghosts appear at certain specific intervals (for example, on the anniversary of death), others live in public places or houses constantly, for several centuries. However, not every person can see a ghost even in an ancient castle, which, according to numerous witnesses, is simply teeming with them. Maybe it just happens because the ghosts are not all, but those who have a certain attitude. Skeptics usually never meet ghosts.

Usually in places where ghosts are found, people do not feel very comfortable, uncomfortable, a state of depression arises, unbridled fear awakens. However, some ghosts can behave quite peacefully. Often these are phantoms of pets, for example, horses, cats, dogs, and so on, beloved during their lifetime.

Hypothesis of Frederic Myers

Until our time, scientists have not come to a common opinion regarding the cause and nature of the occurrence of ghosts. Yes, there are many theories, but they are all unproven. The closest to the truth is the hypothesis of Frederick Myers. At the end of the 19th century, he studied this phenomenon and revealed that many spirits are a kind of accumulation of residual energy that exists after the death of a person for some time. The second hypothesis shows that buildings and various premises can remember their owner, and after his death, it is the walls of the house that can reproduce something similar to the psychological portrait of the owner.

You hear heavy footsteps in the hallway, although you know for sure that no one is there. Doors slam for no apparent reason. Frequently used items disappear and reappear out of nowhere. The kitchen light turns on by itself. There is a strange smell in the air.
All these may be signs that otherworldly tenants have wound up in your house. True ghosts are rare and it can be quite difficult to determine if the strange phenomena that you notice in your house are related to ghosts. On the one hand, no one can know exactly what makes them settle in certain places. But if you think your home has been spared, is there anything you can do about it?
Common Signs of a Ghost Appearance
First, you need to determine, and no one can do it better than you, whether you have had cases noteworthy. Not all ghosts behave the same, they can create many unexplained phenomena. Some ghosts produce a single phenomenon - for example, a peculiar slamming of a closed door that occurs repeatedly - while other ghosts in full bloom create many many different phenomena, ranging from barely audible noises to constant appearances.
Here is a list of the most common phenomena that may indicate that ghosts are interested in your home:
- unexplained noises - steps; blows, knocking, tapping; scratching; falling sounds. Sometimes these noises can be barely audible and infrequent, at times they can be quite loud.
– opening and closing of doors, cupboards and sideboards – most often, these phenomena are usually not noticed. Anyone can hear the characteristic sounds of opening or closing doors (homeowners will recognize the sounds of opening doors in their own home), but the evidence of the appearance of ghosts will be indisputable only if you remember that you left an open door closed. Sometimes furniture, such as kitchen chairs, can be moved from one place to another. Very rarely, such phenomena occur in front of witnesses.
- turning the light on and off - as in the previous paragraph, it is very rare to pay attention to such phenomena, but if the light is on, and you know for sure that it was turned off, this can also be a clear sign of intruders. The same can happen with televisions, radios, and other household appliances.
- disappearance of objects and their subsequent reappearance is a phenomenon that we called the “LPO Effect” (Appearance of a Missing Object. This phenomenon is also called “borrowing”, and this is a familiar situation when you cannot find what you often use - for example , car keys - you think you put them where you usually put them. But they are gone, and you waste time looking for them unsuccessfully. And then, the keys are found - exactly in the place where you usually put them. Like a thing someone took it for a while and then put it back in. Sometimes things disappear for several days or even weeks, but then they appear in the exact place that you cannot miss when looking for them.
- inexplicable shadows - random shadows, usually seen with peripheral vision. The frequent appearance of shadows with obvious human forms, sometimes good, sometimes not very distinguishable.
– strange animal behavior – dogs, cats or other pets behave strangely. Dogs may bark at something invisible to the human eye, cower for no apparent reason, or refuse to enter the room for unexplained reasons. Cats can "watch" something cross the room. Animals have more developed senses than humans, and many researchers believe that their psychic abilities can be better tuned.
- the feeling that you are being watched - this unusual feeling can be caused by anything, but it has an inexplicable source if this feeling occurs in a certain part of the house at a certain time.
Here are some of the most common events that can happen in any haunted house. But sometimes even more inexplicable things happen...
Stronger Evidence
The following phenomena are rare, but they become serious evidence of the appearance of a ghost:
- psychokinetic phenomena - the sound of an opening door or something like that is an example of such phenomena. In fact, this time it's happening in front of you. Switching on and off the light, which can be repeated or is a single phenomenon, becomes evidence that something inexplicable is happening. Do you see the television or radio turning on by itself? Or perhaps you're in the nursery and you see your child's clockwork toy starting to work on its own. Doors and windows are closed or opened. Some people report that when they are in bed, they can feel and/or hear someone sitting up on the bed.
- the feeling that you have been touched - if you feel being watched, this is one thing, and quite another if you feel that something has touched you. Some people feel that something has swept past them, something has touched their hair, they feel a “hand” on their shoulder. Sometimes something can gently nudge or push you.
- screams and whispers
- muffled voices, whispers and screams that can be heard. Sometimes, music is heard from nowhere. People hear their names spoken by someone. This phenomenon, like all the above, gains more weight if several people hear or see the same thing at the same time.
- cold or hot objects - unexplained coldness is a classic sign of a cast, but, in principle, any case of a significant increase or decrease in temperature for no reason can be evidence of the appearance of a ghost.
– inexplicable smells – the smell of perfume or cologne that you have never had. This phenomenon occurs for no apparent reason and may be accompanied by other phenomena such as shadows, voices, or psychokinetic phenomena. In addition, various repulsive odors may occur.