Do you think there is any veracity to claims of people who have paranormal experiences? Why or why not?

Question

As my biography suggests, I’ve been fascinated by the paranormal for as long as I can remember. I grew up reading the myths and legends, and thinking how wonderful it would be if they were true — if we really could talk to those who've passed onto the afterlife or if fairies flitted across our path on moonlit walks. Many people claim to have had just those experiences. Did they really see something? Did they make it up? Or did they only think they saw something — a trick of the light that their imaginations mistook for something fantastical? And that, then, is my question for you. Do you think there’s any truth to stories of paranormal experiences? Why or why not?

Additional Details

Yahoo! Canada Answers Staff note: Kelley Armstrong has written 9 books dealing with the paranormal. Her newest book, Living with the Dead, is available through Random House Canada. Find out more about Kelley here: http://www.randomhouse.ca/author/results…

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

While I love to try to explain everything first with science, it is fairly obvious that there is still so much we don't know about the world. While some might say that paranormal activity might be explained away by science someday, I believe that there is more to it in some cases. I even think that science could help us understand ghosts (i.e. energy left behind from traumatic events). This is a great question, and I think it is important to be open-minded and admit that we don't have all the answers.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks for your response! While it's tempting to slam the door on the possibility of paranormal phenomenon, our world would be a poorer place if we denied the existence of everything we couldn't prove, and this answer reflects that, balancing hope and logic.

This Answer chosen by Kelley Armstrong!

Answer 2

Hmmmm...well, to answer your question I would have to wait til my friend comes up with the armoured ghost army that I have asked him to find. If he comes through, I believe all the claims. If he does not..I don't. And if he's just lazy then it will skew my research claims. I sure hope he's not lazy.

Source(s):

PS: I know a man who wants to have ghost sex. Is that odd? It seemed odd to me at the time.

Answer 3

Absolutely, first I think we as humans would be naive to think that we are the only beings here. Why can't there be different plains of existance? I think that everything that is done in the present leaves some sort of signature for another person to find just on a different plain. I myself have had paranormal experiences that I cannot explain. The first being when I was around the age of 4. My parents can vouch that the house I lived in at that time I would not go upstaires alone because there was alady who came and visited me at night. Turned out that a women did die in the house and she was a woman who used to watch over children. I to this day am very in tune with the paranormal. I have had experiences in my mother in laws home that I cannot explain and I don't disbelieve anyone who states that they have come into contact with a ghost or other being.

Answer 4

Yes, it would be cool if all that stuff really existed, and if we could ride around on unicorns and cast spells. But it doesn't. Not everything you can imagine actually exists, as much as we might like it too. I love reading about the paranormal as much as anyone - I loved Buffy, Angel, and I read lots of fantasy and science fiction. But as a scientist, I also know that there's no evidence for this stuff. When I hear a noise, I don't assume 'ghost!' - I go check it out. There was always a rational explanation. So what about the people who swear by them? Some of them haven't checked it out, others outright refuse to look for rational explanations, for some it's all in their head, and others just really want to believe. It's very, very common - just look at how many people believe in gods.

Answer 5

I am sure that many or most people who have had paranormal experiences truly had an experiences that mystified, scared or puzzled them, leading them to think that perhaps the experience was paranormal in nature.

Did they really see something? Sure, they probably did see something.. but what? An illusion, a shadow, an unexpected person, animal or object doing something unexpected? Or an actual ghost?

Did they make it up? I'm sure this has happened as well, but I don't claim it explains everything.

Did they exaggerate what they saw, perhaps unintentionally or intentionally, based on the fear or adrenaline? I think this is certainly possible. Did they experience this event while they were going to sleep or waking up from sleep? This seems to be quite common actually, based on questions in Y!A. Do people who report hauntings actually get up and go investigating? Not usually, it seems. And this is a problem if you are looking for truth.

In my opinion (and we're all entitled to them), I don't think there is any truth in what is being claimed based on these experiences -- that ghosts/spirits exist and are interacting with the physical world -- though I do believe that people have had experiences that led them to believe such things. It always boils down to evidence. What hard evidence is there that can be examined, confirmed, reproduced? None. So why believe in a fantastic extraordinary claim like ghost or spirit activity unless you're really just accepting it on faith, and not evidence?

Finally, it is notable that we are in the _Science & Mathematics_ category, and Yahoo placed Pararnormal here for _scientific_ discussions of the evidence. Critical analysis of reports of the paranormal is not just allowed here, but should be expected and encouraged.

Answer 6

I personally do believe there is validity to the claims, becuase I've had my own experiences. I've come to discover, quite by accident, that I'm a medium. I'm one of those who can talk to the dead. I hear them with my ears as well as inside my mind, when I reach out and one touches my hand or my arm, I feel it, often very similar to the way I'd feel your hand touching me. Had my hair stroked just this morning by an invisible hand as I was laying in bed. I'm not crazy, in fact, I see a psychiatrist for a very different reason and have described my experiences to him. He says he sees a lot of people who have similar experiences. My childhood has helped shaped who I am, and apparently I'm not alone in this. So I'm very sane. I'm not hallucinating or imagining things, my eyesight is a perfect 20/20. I'm just different.

I've never had an experience that would out and out prove to the world that this stuff exists, nothing even remotely scientific that I could take out and show someone else, simply because I can feel and hear things most people apparently cannot (and what a bummer that is, I'd love to be able to show the world the wonders I experience) but the paranormal world has long since proved itself to me. And yeah, there are going to be times when fear gets the best of someone, making them see things that aren't really there, and even I'm willing to give it all an open-minded look, but for the most part, whenever someone says they have a paranormal experience, I prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes, because I can communicate with the other side, when someone explains a paranormal experience, I can see the spirit behind it, have passed on messages to people this way.

peace and love to you

EDIT: you'll notice around here we have a lot of different viewpoints...and a lot of heckelers. I've gotten 2 thumbs down so far just simply stating my beliefs. Please ignore the rudeness. We keep hoping they'll just go away, but alas, more and more show up every day. How I wish the world were open minded enough to give their fellow brothers and sisters the benefit of the doubt.

Answer 7

There *could* be some truths to those experiences.......even if I myself have seen something, I would still question it, but I wouldn't completely deny it either. Have you seen discovery channel's "The Conspiracy Test"? They cover topics anywhere from ghosts to bigfoot to extraterrestrial beings to near death experiences. I'll be off topic and talk about near death experiences....most people who claim to have had a NDE said that "literally" they have been to this particular place....or that it looked "SO REAL"..

.. when experiments were being done (with simulation devices on the brain), scientists concluded that, yes, these experiences are REAL to the person, but only in his/her mind. Some psychological experiences can become so real that a person would actually see or hear something. However, as we know, mental experiences can be different from separate, spiritual entities or dimensions.

There have also been explanations on "fleeting ghosts" in cemetaries...where a person thinks he sees something, but it was actually just a white owl that flutted by, and with the moon up, had reflected light and made it look like a ghost. Then there's the scientific explanation of low oxygen levels in certain places that make a person feel as though the walls are closing in on them and tend to feel a "presence".

Well, there are alot of interesting explanations....but no conclusions. I would like to no more about the paranormal....I do lean towards the fact that there is a high possibility there is another dimension...I mean the universe is so vast :)

Answer 8

Although there are some people who make stuff up for attention, money, or whatever reasons, I think the vast majority of paranormal claims are authentic experiences. I am not saying they are paranormal experiences, but the people who had them honestly believe that they saw, heard or experienced something paranormal.

I think the vast majority of those honest claims really just come from a lack of understanding whats really going on. A lot of people see or hear something and if they can not explain it any other way, they turn to the paranormal explanation.

What a lot of people don't realize is that every night as we fall asleep and as we wake up we go through very hallucinogenic states. People usually pass through these states too fast to experience hallucinations, but when they do, these hallucinations are interpreted as paranormal because its an experience outside of our daily understanding. However, someone with narcilepsy, or another sleeping disorder, who experience this state will have more acceptance that this is just a creation of the mind because they experience it on a regular basis and the paranormal explanation makes no sense to them.
Other things that people misunderstand is the foot step sounds that can be made from the expansion and contraction of hardwood floors in changing weather. That light bulbs sometimes blow out, and it doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that the bulb is dead.
There is another group who link long lines of unconnected events and coincidences and claim they are being haunted. There people are actually looking for evidence to support their belief, not the other way around.
Then there are other people who are just playing around with magic and summoning and things they see in movies, and their imagination gets the better of them.

Are there any legit paranormal stories and claims?
Probably not, as the term "paranormal" implies that something is not real. Think of it this way. Lets say we discovered fairies were real, and living on some island in the south pacific. We document thier society, they do an article in National Geographic and San Diego Zoo has a fairy exhibit. Are fairies still considered paranormal? No, of course not, they would just be another species.

Answer 9

I am a conservative in my politics and in my social life. In other words, I can be rather uptight about a lot of things! I tell you this, because I want to make sure that it's obvious that I am not the type to 'make stuff up'! :)

I have seen many types of spirits over the years. When I was younger, I saw (felt) more demons and dead humans than I do now. (Now a days, I see and feel angels.) I am also empathic and can read a persons feelings. (For some reason 'reading' works better on line...)

When someone relays a story of paranormal, I gage whether or not what they relay seems realistic or made up. For the most part, I think people make stuff up or get caught in a flash of odd light. The ones who honestly see things, have probably had this ability for quite some time. To them, it is normal 'seeing' things, hence, they may not share the stories.

Answer 10

No, I think ghosts are pretty slow moving. Actually.

Answer 11

No, I don't think so.

I've never had one. The first person accounts I've heard have all been really questionable stories from, ah, shall we say, individuals whose attachment is more firmamental than terrestrial.

If you look at the fantastic claims, you will find they always have very slim (anecdotal) evidence and explanation. It's always an individual or group with a self reinforcing rationale and no alternative explanation.

If you look at the debunking of the claims, it is just a matter of time before you will find very strong (empirical) evidence for alternative, simple explanations.

(And if you check out James Randi's challenge at http://www.randi.org/joom/challenge-info… you will find that not one claimant has come even close to collecting the prize in 44 years - for very good reason. Check out Randi's very lucid explanation in his FAQ.)

For example, UFO sightings in the southwest have been shown to be due to atmospheric phenomena. Car lights from below the horizon are reflected off an inversion layer and to a distant observer they appear to be "groups of flying objects moving at hypersonic speed". What is more believable - aliens visiting us, taking hostages, 50 year government cover-ups - or a mirage?

When I was a child I was given paregoric (an opiate) for a stomach ache. That night I had dreams. Dreams that I was lying on a slab (conveniently, just like the one I saw in 2001 A Space Odyssey). The slab extended to the four corners of the universe. By lying on the slab and being in contact with it, I was in touch with everything, everywhere. I knew the ultimate truth of being. A feeling of overwhelming joy and contentment washed over me. When I awoke, the knowledge was gone.

Was I really there? Did I feel God? Nope, just a hallucination.

We can have visions from vivid dreams, from drugs, from psychosis, or just a simple physiological breakdown between the wakeful state and sleep (dreaming). Every one of these stories can be traced back to one thing - seeing something initially unexplainable and having a psychological need to explain it.

It's human nature. We always need to fill in the missing pieces to create a consistent narrative. We can't live with uncertainty so we will create any story, no matter how implausible, in order to bridge the gap. The nature of death is the ultimate unknown and so it is the source of an infinite variety of made up human stories.

Why is it that the further back in time you go, the more fantastic the stories become? You can never pin people down on these things. The more distant the claim the more difficult it is to show the veracity - to the point of being impossible - so the claims become more bold. The closer you get to the source the slipperier they get. As soon as you reach out to grab it - poof! - it evaporates; the claimant evades, the excuses and rationalizations multiply. How convenient.

When you combine compelling visions with a charismatic personality and group of impressionable followers you can wind up with anything from a group of gawkers looking at the Virgin Mary in a pile of chocolate to a worldwide movement of the duped. (See Joseph Smith and the Mormons, ad infinitum.)

There are an infinite number of irrational, invented narratives; but only one truth. We need to base our reality on the knowable, the empirical. As soon as we allow any one vision to be elevated to the status of doctrine (or dogma) we are guaranteeing our discourse will become a cacophony. Many may share a vision, but that is more likely just a function of our shared physiology and psychology.

The hard truth, the real truth is that there is no alternate reality. Maybe there are extra dimensions and other universes, but we will never access them. As Arthur Clarke explained, even in our real universe the distances are so vast and the stars so countless, we will never be able to visit even the tiniest fraction of it. Alternate planes of existence, hyper-speed travel, ESP and all the rest of it are figments of our imagination created in our own minds so that we may escape the brutal reality that there is no escape from this one.

I prefer agnosticism. We will never know; we can never know. The sooner we accept this the sooner we can cast off our irrational demons and evolve out of this pseudo-scientific, pseudo-intellectual, pseudo-spiritual prison of our own making. Rather than continuing to add layer upon layer of unnecessary confusion let us truly see the infinite beauty before us and accept it for what it is.

To do otherwise is to cast our fate to the wind.

This is more than an academic exercise. There are real problems that need to be solved now, before they become unsolvable. Let go of your fantasy world and start solving problems in the real world.

Answer 12

i think it depends on the person you are talking to some people make it, some people mind were tricked by light and others actually experienced it... i very much do believe in this and i am sure it is true but people who decide to go around making it up ruin the magic there is to it

Answer 13

There is truth to some stories of paranormal experiences because I myself have had some experiences, including actually seeing a full blown ghost a few years back. But the sad thing is that many stories are probably made up. And there really no way in telling whos telling the truth, and whos just lying.

Answer 14

There is of course no HARD/PHYSICAL evidence for things that are not physical. It is impossible. That is the reason why the world has not accepted these things... which happen ALL of the time and cannot be ignored. People try to explain them using science and psychology, but it is never sufficient enough. Through my own experience, which is all one can judge by, I have seen enough evidence to where it would be completely ridiculous for me not to believe in the paranormal. Of course, I believe the word paranormal is ridiculous in and of itself. These things are more NORMAL than one might think.

Answer 15

I have a hard time believing any of it. I think people want to know there is more to the mundane life so badly they can come up with the "proof" in their minds. But since they can't verify it with other people it's highly suspicious.

Our minds are definitely funny, powerful things that can make things seem real if we want them to be.

Answer 16

I will start off by saying that I know that there is a God. The God that I speak of is the one that consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three components, but one God. Of course, many people say that I am delusional and/or stupid for saying that. If only they had discovered God for themselves.

Anyways, I believe many stories / testimonies that I have heard. A friend of mine has told me about his experiences relating to the presence of God, the power of the holy spirit, and what its like to be under attack by evil spirits. I have no doubt that there is in fact a spiritual realm, which is much different than the physical realm, which we as humans live in.

Many people refuse to believe in God, angels, demons, ghosts, etc. because they themselves have never had an experience and/or have not seen any evidence. Science has been trying to explain supernatural phenomenon for quite some time, but where has it led us?

I believe that God has ultimate authority over the entire supernatural realm. I'm willing to accept the possibility that there are spirits that are trapped on Earth after the death of the body. The reasons for this I am unaware of, but since you asked this question, it raises my curiosity on the subject matter.

Also, these people's experiences could very be real, and not imaginative and/or made-up. The reality is, anyone who has not had the experience can argue with it all they want. Some suggest that evil spirits are pretending to be someone so that they can lure a person into a trap. Its all speculation, really.

In the end, it all comes down to what each individual is willing to believe. Some are willing to believe that there is a God and that the bible is true, but not believe in experiences with the dead. On the other hand, some might not believe in a God but believe that there are souls trapped here on Earth. Of course, there are people who believe that absolutely none of this is real. We all have the ability to choice what we want to believe.

Answer 17

ooooo time for me to share a real life ghost story xD
So. my uncle works for the RCMP but quite higher up. sometimes apparently in tough cases the government actually does officially employ the use of psychics. That's known to me because one of my uncle's positions was to personally escort one of our government psychics from case to case. I can recount one of such experiences for those of you interested.. but first i'll say that they had become friends, or aquaintances. After experiencing a few cases with this psychic my uncle asked him how the psychic came to do what he does. The psychic responded he's been able to see/hear the deceased since he was a small child... and one of them had become his closest friend, she was a dead girl in her late 20s if i remember right but I remember he said this ghost's name is Penny. she is the source of his ability to help solve these cases as she can gain information only available beyond the grave by speaking with victims from nether so to speak.... sounds pretty fantastic eh? sometimes the wealthy with ties to the government may contract the services of government psychics. my uncle had accompanied this psychic on one such contract. a wealthy individual in germany if i remember correctly. had paid special price to gain such services.. as my uncle and the psychic approached the door of this mansion in germany a guard dog was quick to answer with vicious barking but the owner of the estate was soon to appear and ordered the dog be silent with german commands.. as he welcomed in the psychic and his personal government guard (my uncle) they made small talk and drank tea in the living room while the dog quietly sat beside his master. the psychic explained what he does and how he does it just as i've explained to you. apparently the owner of the estate had commissioned an audience with the psychic, he explained, because his wife had recently passed on and needed to know that she still existed in some form. that death wasn't just nothingness. and had asked the psychic for some proof that she is still something, that a little proof is all he needed for comfort...so the psychic asked his spirit helper Penny if she could do something for him and she replied to the psychic she'd see what she could do.... after 20 seconds or so of waiting for something to happen. the dog next to his master suddenly got up and quickly left the room, it returned moments later with fuzzy slippers in its mouth. the wealthy german was beside himself saying that dog was trained to bring his wife her slippers whenever the lady of the house came home and that was certainly all the proof he needed to know his wife still exists in some form... it's not the most outrageous ghost story out there but my uncle is not one to tell tall tales. he's a military man and does not exaggerate and has a few other interesting stories regarding that psychic... because of those stories i do believe there is something... what it is exactly... is something we'll likely all find out on our own eventually

no need to be tooo eager if you ask me but some of you may find comfort in knowing at least a practical logical person such as myself could believe in something beyond popular science if only from the eye witness accounts of my equally practical, straight-cut military uncle

Answer 18

Yes I do believe people have paranormal experiences, they either come from satan or they come from God.

Answer 19

I believe my own senses, and when a rare event like a ghost or UFO comes along, I pay attention and take notes.

Answer 20

Ghost Hunters on SciFi is the biggest joke in the world.

no I don't believe in paranormal

Answer 21

My ex boyfriend always claimed that he has seen things of the paranormal state. I am skeptical. It seems to him that these "beings" follow him. I never believed it to be true until we broke up. I had seen some unusual things in our home, but never really connected them to anything more. He moved out of our home and these "noises" and "shadows" that seemed to be around, stopped. But he has since been back to our house and they have returned. I find it quiet odd, that if these things do not exist and they are only in our imagination or tricks or eyes are playing on us, then why do only certain people see or feel these experiences? Are the more intuitive or sensitive to these sort of things?
Sorry I could only answer your questions with more questions. But I believe that these people are telling the truth, whether it be in there imagination or true.

Answer 22

I saw more than 4 times in my life. If you all don't believe, you can try to "find" them with your own risks and then you'll tell the world what you experience.

First for sure you go to some village in Indonesia (try West Java) and ask people how to find ghost and you'll see it your self. For faster result, go camping over there, and kill some chicken and spatter blood all over the ground and see what happen to you. And if that is not working you'll ask the oldest person in that village to show you some ghost.

Answer 23

I tend to doubt it. Most of them go against what we know and have proven of scientific fact, are word of mouth as opposed to empirical evidence, and not consistant or widely experienced. And there are a lot of reasons people would *want* them to be true, and confirmation bias has twisted results of more stringent scientific tests in the past.

As a further note, and something I read in Derren Brown's Tricks of the Mind and thought particularly apt - if people really believed they could do these things or these things existed... why isn't there more of a push to prove them empirically, in controlled conditions. Any kind of ESP would re-write our understands of physics, neuropsychology, biology. Any kind of paranormal being would have the same or greater effect. But people don't tend to push for scientific analysis with significance testing and operationalised hypothesis. There's some, but it's been so far inconclusive. If people believe in it, they have to proove it. You can't believe something just because you were told a couple of stories. I'm pretty sure Santa's not real, but there was more evidence for him (pictures, sightings, presents!) that for ghosts, as a child.

Answer 24

Heck no, this is the real world we're living right now.

Answer 25

I do believe in spirits and entities that roam the earth. These are energy sources that accummulate over time and that we can attract.

When I was about 8 years old I would have this strange pixie-like creature sit huddled at the end of my bed. I felt more safe by it's presence. It was only the shadow on the wall. I never saw the 3 dimensional view of this pixie.

I'm sure you know all about this topic, having written 9 books. Good for you.

Very interesting fodder for thought.

Answer 26

I don't believe in any of that garbage...my mom says there are ghost in her house and crap and they attack her lmao sometimes I wonder if she is on crack.

Answer 27

I know from the amount of fiction on the paranormal and Biblical accounts that it is possible however my conclusion especially from startrek, and CS Lewis, out of the silent planet, is that the earth has been invaded by intergalactic travellers.
The subject arose between myself and my daughter that a fetus and a parasite fit the same criteria. After saying yes but a fetus contributes whereas a parasite only takes.I finally concluded that the difference between a parasite and a predator was that parasites enslave the host. Therefore the concept of demon possession or hauntings makes the paranormal like the experience of a disease.
That these travellers are profitering scientists who enslave the host, "mind control by alien parasites", and profit from their work, as most slaveowners expect to make a profit, and as CS Lewis tells kidnap creatures from other parts of the universe to entertain their children, and breed for menial labourers. Like the sex trade etc. in todays world, or wage disparity, or live porn murder films.
And of course the word heaven means home--haven,thus the cry of the enslaved --is to go home.
To be free from the oppression of the intergalactic invaders, and para-normal- or is that parasite.
To conclude and complicate the matter, the circle of life, how what goes round comes round and every civilization that practised slavery has fallen, it's like the earth and perhaps all creation sees parasites as diseases. A waste of life.

Source(s):

C.S Lewis..Perelandra, out of the Silent Planet, That Hideous Strength..A trilogy
The Bible
basic biology

Answer 28

I believe in ghosts!

Answer 29

They believe they saw something. But it was nothing......

Source(s):

Logic and facts 101

Answer 30

To be honest: no. There were many stories, but none that could be verified.

Answer 31

Well I have seen things that I can't explain so yes I am a believer. Strange things happen for a reason , you are a believer or your not that's what it comes down to. When you expierance things that you can't seem to figure out then you'll believe. You might question yourself like I did but when its so real as the nose on your face then we'll see.

Source(s):

this is from personal experiance