Ghosts

this happened to me when I was under surgery. I wandered around looking at all the people with some other souls who were also in surgery. I stopped breathing, apparently and it was a big deal, but it just looked interesting to me/us. I did not want to come back.

An uncle has an NDE, he had a heart attack and was unconcious, when he woke he told the hospital staff, all about what had been happening whilst he was unconcious and taking about something that was on top of a tall cupboard, the nurses didn't believe there was anything up there, but when they checked there was the thing he described.

Mark (formerly Spikey) said:

Sleep paralysis! One of the most horrible things ever.

I experienced it once, I thought I was dying or dead even. 

I hope it never happens again. 

Sleep paralysis! One of the most horrible things ever. And it would tap into the scariest ideas from my Catholic upbringing - demons, nuns. I used to get this a lot, but not as much recently since I improved my diet.

I've heard it said that sleep paralysis explains a lot of things like UFO abductions, succubus etc. I can believe this.

The worst thing about it is it's not a proper dream, but a dream thing overlaid on your actual situation in bed (your eyes are likely open so can see the room). I hate them.

I don't believe in ghosts, and personally have never had a paranormal experience. The closest was when I had sleep paralysis and saw one of these sleep paralysis demons slowly moving towards me and reaching out to touch me (and I couldn't move).

I'll be honest it was probably the most terrified I've ever been. I was certain I was going to die and it felt like my heart would burst it was beating so fast. However, there is a rational explanation for it. It's not actually a demon or succubus or anything, it's just in the state between sleeping and waking, your eyes might interpret a shadow or your own eyelashes or something as a sudden danger and it takes a while for all the brain processes to kick in.

One thing that I actually do think there might be something to is near death experiences. There are so many of them and they are so consistent, that there may be something to it. I am not sure if consciousness ends when we die, but I think it's possible that it persists in some form or may be fundamental. I have some fringe beliefs regarding consciousness and the nature of reality, things which are difficult to prove.

I do not believe in ghosts but one time soon after my mother died I was asleep and woke to a doorbell sound and saw my mum at the edge of the bed.I am afraid I screamed and never saw her vision again

I believe in spirits not ghosts. I have a robin tattoo in memory of my mum because she believed that if you see a robin it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you. 

Stone tapes are interesting and it seems that theres DNA evidence now of big cats in the British countryside, it still needs to be confirmed, but I love it.

I’ve had a couple of strange experiences and am open to more! I love going on paranormal nights, I just often struggle with the living people and the social side  

Sometimes I wonder if they’re a memory of a place...similar to the stone tape theory. I just love it though, along with aliens and cryptids. So interesting to me!  

I think many ghosts aren't the returning dead, all the famous marching Romans and White Ladies, I think are more a memory of a time and place that repeats.

I don't think many dead people get to come bsck that strongly, whoever runs these things dosen't seem to let that happen. I have met a few souls that are lost and need guiding towards their destination, most are happy to go, I've also met a few that are not. There are various ways of getting rid of unhappy souls and malicious ones, mostly a requiem mass if you're Christian, other faiths have ther own versions.

Yes theres no escape at the end of your days in this incarnation, you go elsewhere, sometimes permanently sometimes not. As most people dont remember thier previous incarnations how would you know how many previous lives you've had, or are you amoung the once born, a new sould setting out on its journey?

I often think that many people prefer the idea of oblivion, just because they don't want to take any responsibility for their actions, I've come across a few really horrible people who think that this life is all there is, so they might as well get on with exploiting others, abusing them and climbing to the top of whatever greasy pole is in front of them. It rarely occurs to them that if this is all there is, then why not be kind, why not be nice, why not help people and make thier time here shared with others a good thing, rather than a selfish and nasty one?

Iain said:

In the event that ghosts could be proven to exist - would you want to be one? What would you do with your afterlife if that were the case?

Assuming they're sentient and not an impression of the past. 

Both could exist maybe. 

TheCatWoman said:

I don't get why so many people "believe in ghosts", and then get really freaked out when they have an encounter with one?

My thoughts on this is that people now have something tangible that means they can be reached by the dead.

What about all those horrible people who are now dead? Can they come back and haunt us maliciously?

Or maybe it is just realising that there is no escape at the end of your days - existance with all its trials and tribulations is truly eternal.

Any of those would scare the heebijeebies out of me.

Here's the thing.

In the 1970's poltergeirts became "popular" if you read the more tacky newspapers r magazines they were EVERYWHERE, moving furniture around and we were NOT short of witnesses.

Fast forwards to an age were EVERYONE has a stills and movie camera in their phoen and 99% of people can use them, and where is the good "footage" of all that physical activity that poltergeists were so famous for? 

ON the other hand, the UFO people seem to be packing the internet with a steady stream of imagery from around the world. There's no shortage of UFO evidence.

Even if the UFO stuff is all fake, why would the UFO community be able to pump out the fakes, and the Noisy Ghost community not?  

Yes I've seen ghosts both of people and places, I always have so for me it's normal. I don't get why so many people "believe in ghosts", and then get really freaked out when they have an encounter with one? Not all are hostile, they're just going about their business.

I don't believe in the paranormal or supernatural, as I don't believe there can be anything outside of nature or something thats outside normality, thats just an unusual occurrance. There's a lot of stuff that science hasn't "discovered" yet and things it can't explain, unfortunately it often dosen't want to explain certain things and they become Damned Data, a scientific elephant in the room that nobodies allowed to mention.

A few weeks of, "YooOOoou woooOOoouldn't let me stim without stopping meeeee..." then I'll go peacefully to the other side.

it is a relief to be rid of a pernicious ghost if they show up.  They were very active around me when I was young. poltergeists. As I grew older I found ways to 'seal' my space from them.Twice I moved to get away from them in my 20s. As problematic as the Carlos Castaneda books are, they also helped me to develop ways of managing, directing and establishing relations with some of the more beneficent ghosts.

I discovered that some are helpers and eager to help, especially when I worked as a faith healer in the sierra Madre La Sur among the first nations people. They saved my life and guided my hands in the work. 

There are also dead loved ones that come calling if something interesting or highly charged is going on. they guide as well. Some I don't want around and my spoken desire that they depart works. Sometimes they comfort and gently guide when I need a way forward I cannot see.

Where I live here we have many classes of spirit and ghost, like in Mexico and they are a part of our heritage. Most are site specific. Some are errant - in a good way - and can be called upon for. help and  warning.

Geeky Gothic Guy said:

If I can’t source a logical explanation, I say it’s paranormal. 

This could be true if there is no cause behind the events that can be explained, but often it is a case of there being an explanation that we cannot pinpoint at the time, so a more accurate description would be "unexplained".

Science is really good at accepting things that can be proven - there does not have to be a full theory about the why and how behind it, just the ability to reproduce the phenomenon reliably and measure it.

Once a explanation can be hypothesised, tested and proven then a full adoption of it into the fold of science will be complete and no doubt be exploited commercially in some shape or form.

In the event that ghosts could be proven to exist - would you want to be one? What would you do with your afterlife if that were the case?

I now have this song by David Sylvian in my head.

I saw him sing it live and I found it very moving.

I had it on a single and played it on repeat.

One of my favourite songs ever (but very sad and too affecting for me to listen to these days):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKhyAH7POJ0

I had a lot of experiences when I was younger.

However, it's not happened much in my later years, which I'm rather relieved about.

Here's a thread for you to read, if you like:

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/31422/paranormal-experiences/377209#377209

I believe they are entertaining.  I like listening to LoopHoles podcast sometimes.