Do You Believe in Ghosts?

[HelloAngel]

I was looking at Yahoo today and noticed that the movie adaptation of the popular Disney attraction "the Haunted Mansion" is about to be released...I'm really excited about this bc I always loved the ride, but also because I have had a lifelong obsession with all things paranormal...

Starting with the Poltergeist movies, the Exorcist and on through any ghost specials on the Discovery channel - I've always watched with equal parts fear and fascination. When I was 10, I read every book I could find about paranormal phenomena and decided I wanted to become a Paranormal Psychiatrist. (I'm not one in real life )

Anyway, I have had personal experiences with the paranormal on several occasions, and have a pretty well-developed sixth sense. It's pretty scary to me when I feel things I can't explain to people that don't believe in it or haven't experienced this sort of thing.. bc it's real touchy-feely and harps all over some religious beliefs and scientific explanations...


What do you all think of ghosts and hauntings? Do you believe in them? If not, why not - and what do you tell people who have had paranormal experiences? For those who have had experiences, do you wish to share them?


Discuss

 

[zonelistener]

my final two years at University, I was a Resident Advisor in a set of building that used to be part of the seminary school.

When I first moved in, I was prepping my room, and was walking down the hallway. I looked over into what was "the garbage room" and saw a figure. I kept on walking ofr some reason, returning a few seconds later to check it out. Nothing was there. I called the only other person I knew of to be in the building, and she wan't anywhere near my floor.

I called security, and was told about a few other "sightings" that had happened the previous year around the same tiime in our buildings.

Damn freaky priests.

 

[kariatari]

That is freaky, zone!

Supposedly there was a ghost lurking in my residence hall back at UNI. His name is Augie and he's a WWII soldier whose girlfriend died in the hospital that used to be that dorm or something...not exactly sure about the story behind it. But anyway, the roommate I had during my freshman year was from Ukraine and one night I woke up to her screaming in Russian. When I turned on my light she screamed in English, "He was here! He was right by your bed Kari!" I don't know whether she was just dreaming or if she actually did see something, but it still creeped me out. While I've never seen Augie, or any other ghost for that matter, I still believe in the possibility of their existence.

 

[cell]

yes

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

no

 

[Red Ships of Scalla-Festa]

That is freaky, zone!

Supposedly there was a ghost lurking in my residence hall back at UNI. His name is Augie and he's a WWII soldier whose girlfriend died in the hospital that used to be that dorm or something...not exactly sure about the story behind it. But anyway, the roommate I had during my freshman year was from Ukraine and one night I woke up to her screaming in Russian. When I turned on my light she screamed in English, "He was here! He was right by your bed Kari!" I don't know whether she was just dreaming or if she actually did see something, but it still creeped me out. While I've never seen Augie, or any other ghost for that matter, I still believe in the possibility of their existence.

 

[verte76]

Definitely. I'm convinced I live in a haunted house.

 

[Salome]

nope


I do believe that we do not know everything
but ghosts - no

 

[kariatari]

 

[zonelistener]

Old dorms.

 

[Cleasai]

In another thread, I already told the story about my Grandpa's spirit scaring my cousin's boyfriend heh heh. Another time shortly after his passing, he appeared in my Grandma's room. He was seen placing something in the top drawer of the Chest of Drawers. When she went to look to see what it was, it was his favorite shirt that she had been trying to find!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Ooh, the Haunted Mansion. My family went on that ride when we went to California to visit relatives (this was a few years back). Definitely a freaky ride-the elevator bit scared the crap out of me.

That being said, it's neat to find another person who's fascinated by ghosts. I'm definitely fascinated by the paranormal, particularly ghosts. I'm one of those kids who watches the "Haunted History" shows and the "Beyond Belief" shows they had on Sci-Fi, and things like that. Ghosts are an interesting subject. I definitely believe they exist-the idea of ghosts coming back to seek revenge on someone or to watch over those they left behind or finish something they couldn't finish in life or things like that...makes total sense to me.

As for personal experiences-while I've never actually seen a ghost, I remember there was this one time in my old town, it was during summer vacation. My sister and I were sitting in our bedroom late one night listening to music and just hanging out. When my sister went to change CDs, all of a sudden we heard this moan coming from a corner of the bedroom, sounding like a person moaning. And my sister and I asked each other if we'd made that noise, and neither one had, and we got scared and decided to sleep in the living room the rest of the night.

That house was built in 1896, so I've wondered sometimes if there was something weird going on there.

And since my family's gonna be moving to Vermont soon, there's places out there that are really old, and I'm hoping that there'll be some odd stuff there. That'd be interesting.

Angela

 

[Jack In The Box]

I don't believe
if it's not verified scientifically I don't believe in something

 

[nbcrusader]

No, no and no!

 

[HelloAngel]

Thanks for the response, ya'll...

What I'm curious is.. for the people who have said "no" - what do you say to people you meet who have had paranormal experiences? Do you believe they are lying? And would so much material exist out there in libraries if it were all lies?

 

[Kristie]

I don't believe in it, really... mainly because I've never experienced any paranormal type things. I'm willing to have my mind changed, though.

My friend Kim's house is apparently haunted, I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[tiny dancer]

Definitely. I'm convinced I live in a haunted house.

Could you please tell us about it verte76?

 

[AvsGirl41]

The one ghost experience I had was when my grandma died...my dad and I drove to her now-empty house to check it over one last time.

There was a window overlooking the driveway and whenever we drove up, she would always look out the curtain at us. I think we might have even said, (or admitted to thinking about it later) that how sad it was that we wouldn't see her do that this time.

But, we pulled up and I swear, we saw the curtain parted like someone was looking out...we went inside and the curtains were still swaying. The heat wasn't on, so it couldn't have blown them.

And it was not the only incident we had after her death. I'd have to ask my parents about the rest, because all of it happened to them.

 

[Salome]

What I'm curious is.. for the people who have said "no" - what do you say to people you meet who have had paranormal experiences?

I think there's a lot that we don't understand
personally I feel that too often something is attributed to a paranormal experience

 

[Angela Harlem]

I dont believe on ghosts per se, but I believe that spirits exist once we are gone. Some may say they are the same thing, but to clarify, I think there can be the sense of someone who has passed on, and perhaps it infringes in some ways on our physical world, but not really as in haunted houses and such. I find the stories fascinating and dont disregard anyone's accounts at all, they're just too fascinating.

Years and years ago a group of us were trying to have a bit of a party but we were all bored shitless and started talking about this cemetry in a nearby town which had this infamous grave stone. Background is the the grave was for a young baby who had died at 6 months of age from strangulation by the mother who had undiagnosed post natal depression. Reports about it had become folklore in the area, few claiming to have seen it, many just passing it off as nothing. What they were passing off was the claim that in the dark under torch or lamplight, the face of a young infant was clearly visible in the stone. Complete with a hand over the baby's mouth/lower face area.

So in our wisdom and driven by boredom, all 6 of us piled into the car and gathered as many torches as we could and were going to try to find it in the dark. Our guide, my friend's brother had seen it years previously and hoped he could find it again. We got to the cemetry and made the long hike down the back where the circa 1900 graves were located. We traipsed around for a while, in pairs when we heard someone call out they'd found it.

Now, walking around a cemetry in the dead of night sounds like fun until you actually get there. I was freaked before we even started. So once I stood in front of the headstone I can honestly say I have never been so terrified in all my life. There looking back at us was the image of a baby with a hand over it. It just about done me in and I was about to turn tail and flee when the loud crack of bush and twigs snapping nearby in the still dead night made us all jump and run as one as we got the hell out of there. I hate to say in my fear driven bolt I stepped on a few of the old graves on my way, something I find deplorable, but I was not stopping to watch my step for anything.

About an hour later when we had all calmed and downed about 2 litres of coffee each and were back in the safety and warmth of my friend's house we discussed it and still to this day cannot work out what it was in the bush that made all that sudden noise. Growing up in bushy areas you know what an animal sounds like when it is around, and this was not one I am sure. Though I am willing to accept our adrenelin perhaps clouded our judgement as seeing the image of the face was nearly enough to stop my heart beating, my friends as well.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

Thanks for the response, ya'll...

What I'm curious is.. for the people who have said "no" - what do you say to people you meet who have had paranormal experiences? Do you believe they are lying? And would so much material exist out there in libraries if it were all lies?

See, that's one reason why I do believe in ghosts...granted, yes, some of the stories I hear definitely sound so fake and you just know it's for attention and all that.

But can all accounts of paranormal encounters be wrong? At some point and time, I think someone had to experience something odd. I feel there's some truth there somewhere.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I dont believe on ghosts per se, but I believe that spirits exist once we are gone. Some may say they are the same thing, but to clarify, I think there can be the sense of someone who has passed on, and perhaps it infringes in some ways on our physical world, but not really as in haunted houses and such.

Hmmm...that's a really interesting way of looking at it. That makes sense.

Originally posted by Angela Harlem
I find the stories fascinating and dont disregard anyone's accounts at all, they're just too fascinating.

Indeed they are. Such as your story (very freaky).

And since you speak of cemetaries, for the record, I will say this-while the idea of ghosts fascinates me, I have absolutely no desire to be in a cemetary, a morgue, or a funeral home late at night. Those are three areas that would creep me out to no end. I think it's the idea of zombies coming to life or something, you know, a whole "Night of the Living Dead" ordeal.

Yes, that's totally unlikely to happen, but let's face it, if you're in one of those three places late at night, especially if you're by yourself, your imagination's bound to go wild and you'll most likely wind up scaring the hell out of yourself.

The thing with funeral homes-I honestly don't know how a person can stand having their home right above an area where dead bodies are stored in coffins. Or how people can live near a cemetary. Halloween night's just gotta be a blast for the people living next to those places.

Angela

 

[cujo]

No.

But fairies yes. They visit me and leave me money.

 

[Chizip]

what does mofo pay you for?

 

[Cleasai]

*sigh*

 

[meegannie]

Yes, though more in the way Angela Harlem described, as sort of an infringement on the physical world. My friends in college and I used to go out at night to the old Civil War battlefields and graveyards in that area of Kentucky and had some bizarre experiences that I can find no rational explanation for.

 

[mad1]

For now, I personally dont.

LOL One time over the Titanic week me and my mum, just for the sake of it, went on the tour bus round to the old site where Titanic was built, and JUST for the fecking sake of it videoed it (though I was embarrassed cause I keep tinkin pple are lookin and going 'Look at 'em stupit eejit!' and so on, and so forth but, what the heck......got some of the old old old Designer buildings and some of the 'Seven Minute Man story and old 'Clocking In' wall and old gate where they walked through and stuff....but in actual fact the place never felt 'eerie' or anything and no ghosties where caught on camera.................



LOL we werent allowed out to walk about which was a pity cause I woulda liked to have nosied into the giant Grey designer building where Thomas Andrew worked.............

anyhow, no no experience or anything.....the only oddish thing we have come across was when mum discovered 6 really old (gosh - possibly early 40s) giant paintings and photos in the roofspace - esp an oval shaped painting of a handsome young man in like a red 'Cavalry' type uniform.....I wanted to keep IT, but she threw them all out.............even now Im unhappy she did that......................ah well........

still..............naaaaaah...its hard to know.....what is interesting is at the moment there is supposed to be an old Belfast Mill (Flaxworks) which is now a Printers somewhere thats haunted by a young girl who worked there 1915 or something and fell to her death and they have two cameras set up via live link and pple get to write in on any strange happenings...........have any of u heard of this........I know the link, thing is....I think its power of the image......its not clear image and perhaps some things look weird on how the light catches it or how its focused which I think make pple think they see/saw something........

You could go to these 'haunted' places and get nothing.........

I dunno, I just dunno.

 

[pub crawler]

I truly believe that pub crawler is a rather frightening ghost that would scare the bejebus out of anyone!

 

[U2girl91289]

My house was built in around 1912, and I'm convinced it's haunted. When I was 4, I was sitting on my seawall , just playing, when I turned & saw this woman all in white, and her hair/skin/face was white. I blinked, and she was gone.I know I was only 4, but I still think it was true. My friend and I were looking for something in the guest room when we saw the light switch(on the other side of the room) go down, and of course, the lights went off. I'm afraid to turn to the left when I'm in bed because I sense something behind me. When I'm alone in the house, and downstairs, I wil distinctly hear the floorboards upstairs creak, like someone is walking on them. Needless to say, I don't go upstairs until someone is home with me. My house is just plain scary, and I'm going to stop b/c I'm getting creeped out again.

 

[U2girl91289]

I know these aren't exactly hauntings, but I still get scared in my house b/c of them.

 

[gherman]

Eventhough I do not believe in ghosts, I would pay good money to see one. That would change the way I see the world a whole lot.