Mar 14 2009
Common Paranormal Phenomena Explained: Ghosts Under a Microscope
A fellow Today.com blogger over at Sniffydog hinted that a list like this would be a good idea. This will be an on-going list, as there certainly are more phenomena out there that have an explanation. I will try to focus on two new ones each month. I’d like readers to keep in mind, I am not proposing that these are the ONLY explanations for the source of each phenomenon, but they are scientifically viable ones and as such should be considered as more logical than paranormal. Anytime you have an alternate explanation for an occurrence with supporting empirical evidence, the conclusion of “paranormal” no longer holds water.
Shadows / shadow people.
Shadow people most often appear as dark, human-like figures that bear no real distinctive features. Usually these occur in the peripheral vision and seem to disappear or move away when looked at head-on.
Explanation:
One reasonable explanation for this phenomenon is actually related to electrical functions of the area in the brain called the temporoparietal junction. This area of the brain contains and processes awareness of ’self’ and ‘other.’ Stimulation in this region can result in a sensory experience that mimics the shadow people phenomenon. It can produce visual disturbances as well as a feeling of a presence just behind you or following you. Some individuals have a more active temporoparietal region and may be more likely than others to have such experiences.
Orbs
Spherical, semi-transparent or even glowing objects that usually manifest in photographic images; believed to be energy bursts or spirits
Explanation:
Dust particles that often reflect light of either camera flash or background light. They can also be spots on camera lens as well.
Cold Spots
Pockets of air within a room with noticeably colder temperature; thought to be caused by spirits pulling heat energy out of the air in order to manifest themselves.
Explanation:
Sometimes this explanation is obvious and often overlooked: drafty doors or windows; also air currents/convection. A less thought of explanation would be reduced humidity. Dry air is more likely to have temperature fluctuations. Besides, with all of our modern day electrical appliances, wouldn’t a ghost be served much better to go for the easier, more abundant power sources?
The Old Hag
Visits from the ‘Old Hag’ or feeling of being suppressed while lying in bed. Also accompanied by visual and auditory hallucinations.
Explanation:
Sleep paralysis. See related post for explanation. Sleep Paralysis
Next time, I will look at Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVPs.
Thanks! The only one I knew off the top of my head was the subsonic heebie-jeebies (to use the technical term) and I’ve been wondering if it would be possible to train a ghost-debunking dog since they’re able to actually hear quite a bit lower than we can. Besides, it would go well with the legend that dogs can see ghosts that people can’t. The flip side — they’ll also ignore “ghosts” that we want to think are real.
Cool post!
Thanks for the idea! Are you thinking of the Low Frequency Sound Waves? I read that somewhere too….too low to be percieved by human ear but can still feel its effects.
I’ve got a “photo ghost” story for you. Years back, we snapped photos at a party at our old Victorian house. Later, going through the photos that were taken in our sitting room (a room with a cloudy mirror over the fireplace) someone noticed a shape that looked a great deal like a face in the mirror. It was definitely not a flash reflection - and it wasn’t present in any other photos taken in that room the same evening or any other evening. Twenty or thirty people who knew the room examined the picture and were frankly weirded out by it - we could not reproduce the “ghostly face” no matter how we tried. And then one day I spotted it out of the corner of my eye - in a different place in the mirror - and realized what it was and why we hadn’t been able to reproduce it. There had been a plaque with a gold plate in the shape of a shield on the wall behind the picture taker. Shortly after the party, before the photos came back, ce been moved. The flash wasn’t reflected in the mirror itself - but the reflection of the flash off the gold plaque WAS.
@chameleonsdream: Right! I can see how a plaque like that would easily be matrixed into a human face too. I’ve had my share of orbs in photos and some that were not shaped like your typical orb……turns out there was some kind of junk on the innards of the camera right near the lens, casting a sort-of shadowy effect on that portion of the lens.