What's your take on the paranormal?

Question

Ghosts, psychics, mediums and the like. Do you believe it, or are you skeptical? I keep being asked myself, and I don't know just yet, what do you all think?

Answer 1

It is impossible to prove a negative, so it's impossible to prove these phenomenon don't exist.  

However, the fact that there has been no incontrovertible proof that they do exist, must point us to the conclusion that there are no such things.

People find this sad, as it limits our imagination if we accept it, so they like to think that these things might be true.

Answer 2

Paranormal means something that is outside normal experience for which no ready experience is to hand.  In that sense the paranormal undoubtedly exists. However the problem comes in finding its cause.

There may or may not be an 'normal' explanation for such phenomena. If there is then they are no longer paranormal. If there isn't they remain paranormal. Paranormal phenomena exist for only as long as it takes to find a cause (which might be for ever!)

Answer 3

i believe in all of it. its a personal choice.

Answer 4

If you base your opinion on the data and evidence out there, unless you are deliberately deceiving yourself you have no choice but to be skeptical.  Of course it's impossible to prove a negative, so you have to seek evidence supporting the claim that ghosts and psychics exist.  There simply isn't any.  Sure it's possible, but then based on that line of thought, so are flying pigs.  The fact of the matter is even if it were possible it's still extremely improbable.

I used to believe in ghosts because I wanted to.  After a great deal of research I was forced to change my opinion in the matter.  I hate to be dismissive, but most true believers seem to be either wishful thinkers or fantasy-prone.

Answer 5

Ghosts are a real human experience. If they are due to misperception, hallucination (via mental disorder), hallucination (via ESP), waking dreams, or surviving spirits is still an open question. I suspect that different type of ghosts, those that appear to do the same thing not interacting with humans, those that appear only to their relatives, those that appear in sleep states (hypngogic/hypnopompic) all have different explanations.

I am more skeptical of psychics and mediums (especially ones that don't cooperate with scientific investigators by which I do not mean skeptics with an agenda). I do believe that ESP has years of evidence supporting it.

For mediums that do cooperate with scientific investigation see the first link below. For research articles on ESP see the second link below to the Parapsychological Association ( an elected affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1969)

Answer 6

Oh, it can be real, but there are sooo many people out there who fake it that it's hard for others to believe it's real.

Answer 7

Anything's possible...

Answer 8

I don't believe in any of that.

Answer 9

I look at it this way.  Does ANYTHING we know of -- scientifically, that is -- predict the existence of these things?  The answer to that is a pretty clear no. Given that, is there adequate scientific evidence to support that these things exist despite being completely at odds with our understanding of nature? Again, my survey of the scientific and paranormal literature tells me no.

Based on this, I don't believe in ghosts, psychics or mediums. That doesn't mean I believe that science says these things are impossible, but just that they are so improbable that they don't merit my belief.

Answer 10

I believe in it & find it fascinating.

Answer 11

Ghosts are a real phenomena

The thing  is you have to have experience with a haunted place if you have not this yet, then the chances are you dont believe in them.

Psychics and mediums are hard to tell but there are real ones, problem is most of them are just in it for the cash

You will know however when your path and that of the paranormal crosses

Answer 12

I beleive at the moment that it is pretty much in your mind...if you think about it,, there seems to be more paranormal activity, if you simply think and beleive that there is because i sort of did and experiment once where i went to a spooky spot outside at night. I sat there and just told myself that paranormal stuff was crazy and that there was nothing around me and stuff and i felt completely normal and fine but when i started making myself beleive that there were ghosts around me i was gettin freaked out and had to go inside but i think it is just what you put your mind to because i dont think i have ever had any real proof of paranormal activity or anything so,,,

Answer 13

Yes we are holograms and this is included.

Answer 14

There are some unexplained phenomena that fall into the category of paranormal. There are also many con artists and overactive imaginations. It would be more comfortable to dismiss it all as nonsense, and there are plenty of frauds and ripoff artists that may make that the correct choice. If, on the other hand, you don't have that option because you've experienced something undeniable, then you have the choice of trying to sift through the nonsense or to pass it off as another one of life's mysteries.

Answer 15

all con artists.

Answer 16

yes, i do believe in it! but the real question is "who" to believe in! there are many fakes out there doing a dirty job on this lucrative business, if i may say that. you don't have to see things to believe in it, it's just that it may not be time for you. by the way, you've got hunches yourself do you? or maybe stumbled on something you like and didn't expect to see it so soon! or you may hate somebody at first glance and don't know why you do, etc. now, that's already psychism for you dear! now, you believe it? it's just that there are many levels and degrees, depending on your spirituality!

Answer 17

WOOOOH scary, yeah i don't know.

I think it could just be your brain tricking yourself into thinking that theres something there, and your brain joins the dot.

Answer 18

I totally believe it all. I myself have had a personal experience, when a ghost was in my room. It may seem cheesy but seeing is believing.

Answer 19

The word paranormal consists of two parts: para and normal. In most definitions of the word paranormal, it is described as anything that is beyond or contrary to what is deemed scientifically possible.  The definition implies that the scientific explanation of the world around us is the 'normal' part of the word and 'para' makes up the above, beyond, contrary, or against part of the meaning.

Answer 20

I have recently remembered (again) that I was part of an experiment using children in a remote viewing program back in or around the early 70's.Unfortunately, I have been diagnosed as being delusional to discredit most or anything I say. If you believe that those who have reported to see future events were also delusional than that's your choice as well. Check out remote viewing for some interesting reading anyway.

http://www.remoteviewinghistory.com/

Her's another interesting and related site:

http://www.starchildproject.com/

Answer 21

I am a paranormal investigator and I can tell you as god as my wittness that yes spirits exist our team takes the scientific approach to paranormal investigating our evidence is gathered by all the latest technology many are skeptic and alot of reported activity can be discounted there are those that can sense spirits but the sad thing is this area has been tainted by many years of fraud

Answer 22

I am skeptical of all other psychics.  I have some psychic ability's and have experienced a lot  weird stuff in my life.  My gut felling is the some day science will be able to explain as overlapping dimensions or something like that.

You have to remember that there are two types of mediums and psychics, ones that work for money and ones that are free.   Money is more likely to bring out the fake ones.

Ghost are real I have seen them.

Answer 23

There are things out there that can't be adequately explained by science.

However, most of what is purported to be "paranormal" is readily explainable by science. Most of the time it's just trickery and can easily be duplicated by your local magician/illusionist. I don't even think you have to resort to fringe science like "ball lightning" or "low frequency sound".

Answer 24

I think 99% of them are con artists. I do believe there is something but not in the way they portray on TV. Most of it is all a load of cobblers but every once in a while you hear of something. My mum went to have a reading and she was told about a brother she had, but she had no idea she had one. She went away thinking that it was a waste of money, well that was until she told her mum (my gran) about it, only to be told that she did have a brother but he died a few days after being born.

Answer 25

I'd love someone to prove it's real, but so far all I've seen is man-made hocus pocus.

Treat it like science. Demand proof. I think that paranormal things are probably undiscovered science, but have yet to see anything that can be proven.

Answer 26

I believe humanity has gifts that go beyond our 5 senses.  Here's an example during WWI many mom's would break down crying uncontrollable for 3 hours and remember the hour and day.  Three weeks later they got the news that the crying happend at the moment their son was killed on a Battlefield in France.

Many Generals scrutinize every move and every combination all the time second guessing their opponents.

last thing I took a course called "The Silva Method" and when you are helping solve a human problem we all are kind of psychic.

I don't care about ghosts and I'd be leary of mediums.  You may hear something you want to hear but it's going to cost you.

Answer 27

I think that most paranormal experiences are generated via internal mental processes that the mind is prone to. The "mind" tries to make sense of all activity it notices and sometimes it misses out on some of the clues due to distractions or conflicting auditory and visual clues. Just look at schizoprenics and other mental problems. These people are not experiencing paranormal events, even though they believe these things are happening to them.

Answer 28

I believe in spirits but not mediums. they have tagged along and have made a joke of real paranormal activity. Police have used psychics for years so to the nay sayers. you might want to go ask the police if they helped in finding victims and perps. mediums are just there to get attention for themselves.

Answer 29

I believe in ghost and in mediums, that's why I study parapsychology just as a hobbie, because I'm from mexico city and in mexico parapsychology is an ocuppation and not a profession. In many countries parapsychology is considered as a profession.

I think that they exist because I have seen many of them.

Greetings.

Answer 30

I believe in spirits/ghost and that some mediums etc aren't fake... i don't believe in the idea of taking money from people to do 'readings' under the pretense of trying to help.

People that genuinely want to help should do it for free,it has more credibility.Its not the skepticism I get sick of its watching TV series that depict ghost as lost or looking for 'help' all the time, i laugh that I write this, I talk to deceased people and most of the time they don't want anything thing,and some are as surprised at knowing there is people that can see and hear them,and that comment is based on my own experience,I laugh because skeptics are doing there usual bullshit.

Answer 31

science cannt prove it yet, because science hasnt invented to right eqipment yet..but im sure in years to come there will be a break through, man doesnt yet know everything about the universe..if we did, then we would know everything, and there would be nothing left to explore, it would then become boring, i think we,ll never know everything, but as time goes by we will discover more and more, and so will science, technology will improve with time to help us explore things that are out of our reach for now..but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist,