A View From the Threshold-True ghost stories and other spirit encounters Volume 2

David Turner, a retired physical chemist, suggested that ball lightning could cause inanimate objects to move erratically. Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry wrote that there was no credible scientific evidence that any location was inhabited by spirits of the dead. Pareidolia , an innate tendency to recognize patterns in random perceptions, is what some skeptics believe causes people to believe that they have 'seen ghosts'. According to Nickell, peripheral vision can easily mislead, especially late at night when the brain is tired and more likely to misinterpret sights and sounds.

Nickell says that ghosts act the same way as "dreams, memories, and imaginings, because they too are mental creations.

Carl Gustav Jung and the Ghosts

They are evidence - not of another world, but of this real and natural one. The Scientific Search for Spirits writes that "ghost hunting is the world's most popular paranormal pursuit" yet, to date ghost hunters can't agree on what a ghost is, or offer proof that they exist "it's all speculation and guesswork".

He writes that it would be "useful and important to distinguish between types of spirits and apparitions. Until then it's merely a parlor game distracting amateur ghost hunters from the task at hand. According to research in anomalistic psychology visions of ghosts may arise from hypnagogic hallucinations "waking dreams" experienced in the transitional states to and from sleep. Some researchers, such as Michael Persinger of Laurentian University , Canada, have speculated that changes in geomagnetic fields created, e.

Richard Lord and Richard Wiseman have concluded that infrasound can cause humans to experience bizarre feelings in a room, such as anxiety, extreme sorrow, a feeling of being watched, or even the chills. People who experience sleep paralysis often report seeing ghosts during their experiences. Neuroscientists Baland Jalal and V. Ramachandran have recently proposed neurological theories for why people hallucinate ghosts during sleep paralysis. Their theories emphasize the role of the parietal lobe and mirror neurons in triggering such ghostly hallucinations.

The Hebrew Torah and the Bible contain a few references to ghosts, associating spiritism with forbidden occult activities. In the New Testament , Jesus has to persuade the Disciples that he is not a ghost following the resurrection , Luke Similarly, Jesus' followers at first believe he is a ghost spirit when they see him walking on water.

Some Christian denominations [ citation needed ] consider ghosts as beings who while tied to earth, no longer live on the material plane and linger in an intermediate state before continuing their journey to heaven.

Some ghosts are actually said to be demons in disguise, who the Church teaches, in accordance with I Timothy 4: Furthermore, they teach that in accordance with Genesis 2: Christadelphians and Jehovah's Witnesses reject the view of a living, conscious soul after death. Since it has no physical mass it is capable of transporting itself from one end of the world to the other. In Buddhism, there are a number of planes of existence into which a person can be reborn , one of which is the realm of hungry ghosts.

For the Igbo people , a man is simultaneously a physical and spiritual entity. However, it is his spirited dimension that is eternal. We have the Nipadua body , the Okra soul , Sunsum spirit , Ntoro character from father , Mogya character from mother. Umm Nyolokh often contains DMT and other psychoactive substances from plants the giraffes eat such as Acacia, and is known to cause hallucinations of giraffes, believed to be the giraffes ghosts by the Humr. Belief in ghosts in European folklore is characterized by the recurring fear of "returning" or revenant deceased who may harm the living.

This includes the Scandinavian gjenganger , the Romanian strigoi , the Serbian vampir , the Greek vrykolakas , etc. In Scandinavian and Finnish tradition, ghosts appear in corporeal form, and their supernatural nature is given away by behavior rather than appearance. In fact, in many stories they are first mistaken for the living. They may be mute, appear and disappear suddenly, or leave no footprints or other traces. English folklore is particularly notable for its numerous haunted locations.

Belief in the soul and an afterlife remained near universal until the emergence of atheism in the 18th century. Interpretations of how bhoot s come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on to transmigration , non-being, nirvana , or heaven or hell, depending on tradition. This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.

In Central and Northern India, Aojha spirit guides play a central role. It is also believed that if someone calls one from behind, never turn back and see because the spirit may catch the human to make it a spirit.

Customers who bought this item also bought

Other types of spirits in Hindu Mythology include Baital , an evil spirit who haunts cemeteries and takes demonic possession of corpses, and Pishacha , a type of flesh-eating demon. There are many kinds of ghosts and similar supernatural entities that frequently come up in Bengali culture , its folklores and form an important part in Bengali peoples' socio-cultural beliefs and superstitions.

It is believed that the spirits of those who cannot find peace in the afterlife or die unnatural deaths remain on Earth. The common word for ghosts in Bengali is bhoot or bhut Bengali: This word has an alternative meaning: Also the word Pret Sanskrit is used in Bengali to mean ghost.

In Bengal, ghosts are believed to be the spirit after death of an unsatisfied human being or a soul of a person who dies in unnatural or abnormal circumstances like murder, suicide or accident. Even it is believed that other animals and creatures can also be turned into ghost after their death. Ghosts in Thailand are part of local folklore and have now become part of the popular culture of the country.

Phraya Anuman Rajadhon was the first Thai scholar who seriously studied Thai folk beliefs and took notes on the nocturnal village spirits of Thailand. He established that, since such spirits were not represented in paintings or drawings, they were purely based on descriptions of popular orally transmitted traditional stories. There is widespread belief in ghosts in Tibetan culture. Ghosts are explicitly recognized in the Tibetan Buddhist religion as they were in Indian Buddhism , [] occupying a distinct but overlapping world to the human one, and feature in many traditional legends.

When a human dies, after a period of uncertainty they may enter the ghost world. A hungry ghost Tibetan: Ghosts may be killed with a ritual dagger or caught in a spirit trap and burnt, thus releasing them to be reborn. Ghosts may also be exorcised, and an annual festival is held throughout Tibet for this purpose. Some say that Dorje Shugden , the ghost of a powerful 17th-century monk, is a deity, but the Dalai Lama asserts that he is an evil spirit, which has caused a split in the Tibetan exile community.

There are many Malay ghost myths , remnants of old animist beliefs that have been shaped by later Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim influences in the modern states of Indonesia , Malaysia , and Brunei. Some ghost concepts such as the female vampires Pontianak and Penanggalan are shared throughout the region. Ghosts are a popular theme in modern Malaysian and Indonesian films.

There are also many references to ghosts in Filipino culture , ranging from ancient legendary creatures such as the Manananggal and Tiyanak to more modern urban legends and horror films. The beliefs, legends and stories are as diverse as the people of the Philippines.

There was widespread belief in ghosts in Polynesian culture , some of which persists today. After death, a person's ghost normally traveled to the sky world or the underworld, but some could stay on earth. In many Polynesian legends, ghosts were often actively involved in the affairs of the living.

Ghosts might also cause sickness or even invade the body of ordinary people, to be driven out through strong medicines. There are many references to ghosts in Chinese culture. Even Confucius said, "Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from them. The ghosts take many forms, depending on how the person died, and are often harmful. Many Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted by neighboring cultures, notably Japan and southeast Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated in Taoism.

Later beliefs were influenced by Buddhism , and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs. Many Chinese today believe it possible to contact the spirits of their ancestors through a medium, and that ancestors can help descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annual ghost festival is celebrated by Chinese around the world.

On this day, ghosts and spirits , including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts as well as modern literature and films. A recent article in the China Post stated that nearly eighty-seven percent of Chinese office workers believe in ghosts, and some fifty-two percent of workers will wear hand art, necklaces, crosses, or even place a crystal ball on their desks to keep ghosts at bay, according to the poll. Like their Chinese and Western counterparts, they are thought to be spirits kept from a peaceful afterlife.

There is extensive and varied belief in ghosts in Mexican culture. The modern state of Mexico before the Spanish conquest was inhabited by diverse peoples such as the Maya and Aztec , and their beliefs have survived and evolved, combined with the beliefs of the Spanish colonists. The Day of the Dead incorporates pre-Columbian beliefs with Christian elements. Mexican literature and films include many stories of ghosts interacting with the living.

According to the Gallup Poll News Service, belief in haunted houses, ghosts, communication with the dead, and witches had an especially steep increase over the s.

A View From The Threshold-True ghosts stories and other spirit encounters

Ghosts are prominent in story-telling of various nations. The ghost story is ubiquitous across all cultures from oral folktales to works of literature. While ghost stories are often explicitly meant to be scary, they have been written to serve all sorts of purposes, from comedy to morality tales. Ghosts often appear in the narrative as sentinels or prophets of things to come. Belief in ghosts is found in all cultures around the world, and thus ghost stories may be passed down orally or in written form.

Spirits of the dead appear in literature as early as Homer 's Odyssey , which features a journey to the underworld and the hero encountering the ghosts of the dead, [] and the Old Testament , in which the Witch of Endor summons the spirit of the prophet Samuel. In Hamlet , it is the ghost who demands that Prince Hamlet investigate his "murder most foul" and seek revenge upon his usurping uncle, King Claudius. In English Renaissance theater , ghosts were often depicted in the garb of the living and even in armor, as with the ghost of Hamlet's father.

Armor, being out-of-date by the time of the Renaissance, gave the stage ghost a sense of antiquity. Ann Jones and Peter Stallybrass, in Renaissance Clothing and the Materials of Memory , point out, "In fact, it is as laughter increasingly threatens the Ghost that he starts to be staged not in armor but in some form of 'spirit drapery'.

The "classic" ghost story arose during the Victorian period, and included authors such as M. Classic ghost stories were influenced by the gothic fiction tradition, and contain elements of folklore and psychology. Famous literary apparitions from this period are the ghosts of A Christmas Carol , in which Ebenezer Scrooge is helped to see the error of his ways by the ghost of his former colleague Jacob Marley , and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.

Professional parapsychologists and "ghosts hunters", such as Harry Price , active in the s and s, and Peter Underwood , active in the s and s, published accounts of their experiences with ostensibly true ghost stories such as Price's The Most Haunted House in England , and Underwood's Ghosts of Borley both recounting experiences at Borley Rectory. The writer Frank Edwards delved into ghost stories in his books of his, like "Stranger than Science.

Children's benevolent ghost stories became popular, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost , created in the s and appearing in comics, animated cartoons , and eventually a feature film. With the advent of motion pictures and television, screen depictions of ghosts became common, and spanned a variety of genres; the works of Shakespeare, Dickens and Wilde have all been made into cinematic versions. Novel-length tales have been difficult to adapt to cinema, although that of The Haunting of Hill House to The Haunting in is an exception.

Sentimental depictions during this period were more popular in cinema than horror, and include the film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir , which was later adapted to television with a successful —70 TV series. The s saw screen depictions of ghosts diverge into distinct genres of the romantic and horror. A common theme in the romantic genre from this period is the ghost as a benign guide or messenger, often with unfinished business, such as 's Field of Dreams , the film Ghost , and the comedy Heart and Souls. Popularised in such films as the comedy Ghostbusters , ghost hunting became a hobby for many who formed ghost hunting societies to explore reportedly haunted places.

It is also represented in children's television by such programs as The Ghost Hunter and Ghost Trackers. Ghost hunting also gave rise to multiple guidebooks to haunted locations, and ghost hunting "how-to" manuals. The s saw a return to classic "gothic" ghosts, whose dangers were more psychological than physical. Asian cinema has also produced horror films about ghosts, such as the Japanese film Ringu remade in the US as The Ring in , and the Pang brothers' film The Eye. In fictional television programming, ghosts have been explored in series such as Supernatural , Ghost Whisperer , and Medium.

In animated fictional television programming, ghosts have served as the central element in series such as Casper the Friendly Ghost , Danny Phantom , and Scooby-Doo.

Various other television shows have depicted ghosts as well. Read more Read less. Customers who bought this item also bought. Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1. The Haunting of Asylum In Search of the Paranormal: Real Haunted Hospitals and Mental Asylums. Lost in the Darkness: Haunted Asylums, Prisons, and Sanatoriums: The Haunting of Malvern Manor. See all free Kindle reading apps. Don't have a Kindle? New Page Books; 1 edition Jan. Be the first to review this item Amazon Bestsellers Rank: Review " The World's Most Haunted Hospital is an excellently written book--one that is complete with fascinating historical details, personal and anecdotal stories, and supporting photographic evidence.

Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. September 29, - Published on Amazon. Richard Estep I believe is a very good investigator. However, I just couldn't really get into the book. The stories seemed all the same in regards to the locations he visited his writing style is articulate and well edited, it is just the genre kind of blends into one BIG hospital experience.

best Hauntings & Ghost images on Pinterest in | Ghost pictures, Ghosts and Ghost pics

I would recommend you read Asylum 49 and Spirits of the Cage first, those two books provide a better picture of Richard as a thorough investigator. The bodies of the murdered children were discarded in and around the area of the playground, leaving their souls bound to the land. The hauntings seemingly began as soon as the house was built, when it was discovered that there was an ancient crypt beneath the foundation. There were multiple deaths associated with the house, including an entire family who were poisoned by their slaves. Another man staying in the house was later found hanged in the bedroom.

One visitor even felt compelled to hurl himself down and empty chimney shaft, and only resisted by falling to the ground. When wealthy guests would stay at the Inn, the owner would plot to murder and rob them. His method of killing was extremely gruesome. When guests fell asleep, their bed would tip over and drop them through a trap door. On the other side was a cauldron of boiling water, where the guests would boil alive. Visitors to the house regularly report seeing his ghost, and by all accounts, it is far friendlier than some others spirits that reside in the House of Death.

The property was also the site of the murder of a six-year-old girl at the hands of her adopted father. She summoned a medium, who vocalized multiple spirits residing in the house. Bartell moved out, but killed herself only a few years later. The hospital was overcrowded and understaffed, and many of the staff members took advantage of the mentally handicapped.