09-11-2003, 07:25 PM
The infamous Placebo effect in action. If you get consistant paranormal results after repeating the same ritual many times, then it may have an influence over something. Otherwise it was just your brain seeing things it was looking for. Much like the majority of ghost related experiences.
The most primal urge for a land mammal is to hide from predators. This gives rise to a constant fear that something is near (had to say it, couldnt resist) in dark and open spaces. That's the 'presence' felt during sleep paralysis, and the shark after your childhood self in the lake. The anxiety about getting out of bed and getting a glass of water after watching a (halfway decent) horror movie. It's the "flight or fight" reaction to such circumstances that create the idea that something is there, and that you know of ghosts allows your brain to assemble the stimuli into a sensical 'image'. That face in the shadow cast on the wall isn't even material, let alone alive. Don't get me wrong here, I really want ghosts to exist, mainly so I can actually experience being in the presence of one, but also to know that there is something other than life.
To get to the bottom of it, somebody has to raise their kid without giving them the knowledge of what may be lurking around that dark corner. Then they take the kid ghost hunting, and see what happens. It'll work better than asking a bunch of people if they want to try and find a ghost, and only taking the ones who say yes.
The most primal urge for a land mammal is to hide from predators. This gives rise to a constant fear that something is near (had to say it, couldnt resist) in dark and open spaces. That's the 'presence' felt during sleep paralysis, and the shark after your childhood self in the lake. The anxiety about getting out of bed and getting a glass of water after watching a (halfway decent) horror movie. It's the "flight or fight" reaction to such circumstances that create the idea that something is there, and that you know of ghosts allows your brain to assemble the stimuli into a sensical 'image'. That face in the shadow cast on the wall isn't even material, let alone alive. Don't get me wrong here, I really want ghosts to exist, mainly so I can actually experience being in the presence of one, but also to know that there is something other than life.
To get to the bottom of it, somebody has to raise their kid without giving them the knowledge of what may be lurking around that dark corner. Then they take the kid ghost hunting, and see what happens. It'll work better than asking a bunch of people if they want to try and find a ghost, and only taking the ones who say yes.