I'm a skeptic. I want to know some personal paranormal experiences.

iamhunted

very valid point. there's a lot of apparent EVPs that are either filtered so much that they end up sounding something completely different from what they are or are just low level noise that people hear things in. we once recorded one of us thumping a desk and byt he time we'd finished messing with it using audio filters such as those to 'clean' up a sound and we ended up with something that almost sounded like hullo.

On the other hand we have some clear ones that sound pretty unmistakable. theres one particular one at http://leinsterparanormal.com/v1/?page_id=17

Micky 32

Also not to forget radio waves interfering, IE 2way radios etc bleeding over.

iamhunted

thats not as common as you would think though - certainly possible, but I'd assume if radio interference was an issue then you;d get quite a lot more clear evps. In our own investigations mobiles phones are always off and the walkies are switched off during any kind of audio recording.

Plus you'd have to wonder why you get radio interference when you use a recorder in an investigation (in those very rare times you capture anything clearly) but not when you use the same recorder for any other recording purposes.

iamhunted

at the same time I dont believe EVPs *have* to be paranormal, but no matter if it is or if its some unknown environmental issue, I find it interesting.

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

Do you think it's possible that the above is pure coincidence? What about all the times when that doesn't happen? I'm sure it doesn't happen much more often than it does. If that sort of thing happened every single time you turned on a tv or radio, or opened a newspaper, then something strange is going on. But if that happens rarely... why invoke mystery and magic when it does?

Well, if they were/are coincidences,they happen more frequently than infrequently. I'm talkin several times each month,every month. The thing is, is that they are all very small scale,trivial sorts of things - nothin earth-shattering or life changing,but very real all the same (how can they not be,ffs?). one day a few years ago,I was inside n the motor taxation office and the bloke on the counter was a friendly and chatty sort. Prob because the place wasnt too jammed w/ people. He was askin me what neck of the woods I was from, so I told him and that it was near this other place, in case he hadnt heard of it,that this other place was a popular spot for people wanting to listen into overhead airplanes via two-way radios. Then he was like,'Oh yeah? Im from there and I'm up in that spot listenin in to the pilots a lot'. Me: 'Really? Cool. I think theres a 9.45 plane at night, as far as I know'. I dunno why I said that but that was the first thing that came into my head. Then he goes (wit a surprised look on his face):"I was up there last night waiting for the 9.45!". Then he thought I was completely off my game judging by the look on his face, and that was that. I was as surprised as him.

When I was younger, around 13/14 like,I used 2 hang around in our neighbourhood wit all the other kids, as u do. Around that time,there was this new fella ('Eoin') who moved into a house down the road wit his wife Francis. They hadnt been married for too long - about 2 years. She was a nurse and seemed v.nice because we'd be chatting 2 her when she was out doin gardening stuff. Thing was,I never liked Eoin or trusted him even. He invited myself and my buddy into the house one day and was showing us his new computer upstairs. Jason (buddy) thought Eoin was sound out and was like a fcukin lost puppy followin him around da place. i told him I didn't like the bloke but he didnt take any notice. But that day inside the house upstairs, Jason accidentally knocked over Eoin's big,fat computer manual on to the ground and there was a very brief flash of genuine anger from Eoin before he started acting all jokey about it. So,that was one thing that stood out.. Then he'd be 'jokingly' pushing and jostling Jason and myself around the place and slagging us,but I never saw much of a joke in it like I normally would with my mates. Everyone n our neighbourhood that had met the man seemed to think he was Captain fcuckin Fantastic

After a few months,stories started goin around about Eoin. One was where he took offence at something stupid and trivial that a neighbour had said and then pinned her 2 da wall by her neck and threatened her. So people started 2 have less to do wit him than before. Not long afterwards, Francis, Eoin's wife,seemed 2 disappear off somewhere else. A couple of months on from that, my mother got a phone call from Francis one night. Francis said she had left Eoin because he was abusive and violent towards her for the last two-three years,told my mother where she was (the general area,like),and begged her not to tell Eoin where she was. So that was that. That fcuker Eoin doesnt live there anymore and the last i heard was that he had lost his left eye in a car accident. Well,serves the bollix right for being a nasty wife beater.

If you won the lotto, would you describe that as a paranormal experience?

the lotto is just a systemised,ordered competition when it comes down to it. Like,somewhere along the line, it takes a selection of numbers from different sets of numbers and that makes up the Lotto results. Tbh,Ive only ever played the Lotto once n my life so far (but it was a quick pick!) and I got €34 out of it. Another time,I was on my break walkin around the streets when I spotted this reel/display of scratch cards inside a shop I was passing and I got a mad urge 2 go in and buy one. I hardly ever buy the things.So,in I went and bought it, went outside and scratched it, got a match and I won €50! It isnt a fortune but its nice 2 win something


[/QUOTE] Yes that has happened to me before, and I say to myself: "What a coincidence!" When this happens to you, what do you say to yourself? [/QUOTE]

At first,years ago, Id say 2 myself,"Great coincidence!" but I stopped thinkin that by da time I was n my early teens

What does that mean to you? Does that mean that you are psychic in some way?

To me,it means that theres some greater intelligence at work. Somethin far more important, far reaching and significant than msyelf. i used to roll my eyes at the "everything happens for a reason" line but im comin around to thinkin that they do. I reckon all the bad sh!t and good stuff that goes on in peoples lives or in da world is all part of a natural order. Im not tryin to sound all Cult Man but thats just wot I think. I wouldnt call myself psychic at all - Im sick of that fcukin word anyway at dis stage - but i might just be more aware of whats goin on around me sometimes. That might be a personality trait or my social conditioning. It might not have anythin to do wit psychism, but i still believe theres a greater power at work. I think every person might be able 2 influence da course of that power in a good way if their intentions are 'pure' (e.g. not motivated by greed). Gandhi wasn't talkin thru his [EMAIL="h@le"]h@le[/EMAIL] when he said that you should "be the change you want to see in the world". And shur,all of that stuff is red hot on the barometer nowadays because The Secret has been in the Top 5 of book bestsellers in Ireland for at least 2 years now.

Can those paranormal experiences be explained by common sense and science?

My particular ones? yeah,I know what youre saying. I remember reading somewhere that certain paranormal experiences can be explained away by the makeup of a person's brain chemistry. There were some studies done n Canada before that found that the level of some1's temporal lobe lability (their amount of electrical activity n the brain) might go some way 2wards explaining things like alien abduction, experiences of seeing/sensing ghosts and other paranormal stuff. I also read that its possible for a person to have a 'partial complex seizure' (a brain seizure, I think) w/o being aware of it, also goin some way 2wards explaining people experiencing unusual things. Ive used my common sense to figure out why i saw or sensed things otherwise,but I couldnt for the life of me understand how Id see a deceased relative standing n the middle of the road directly n front of me in broad daylight before disappearing right before I came to her. I was cycling along the road on my way to work when I was 17,it was a bright, clear morning, and theres my grandmother clear as day as if shes alive. No see through sh!t or feck all. Standing n the middle of the road. I thought it was some other old lady first before i got nearer to her and could make her out properly. If I was having a 'partial complex seizure'/brain seizure at the time, wouldnt u think I would have fallen off my bike?? I wasnt shocked when i saw her,funnily enough. No fear,and she didnt look threatening or even unhappy. I have no idea why she was there or HOW she was there either and i didnt think too much of it afterwards at the time. i didnt tell my mother or anyone else n our family because i thought they might be a bit spooked by it or think i was taking the p!ss

With your abilities to discern etc... can you truthfully say that when you think of enya, then three days later you see her on TV, you have had a paranormal experience that cannot be explained by science?

but how can my thought of Enya and how shes a recluse and then her appearing on a public chat show be explained by science ? Seriously? What could a scientist do 2 work that out? I honestly have no clue how that works. Id call the Enya thing a paranormal experience only because it ties into a load of other similar things over about 14/15 yrs. If it was an isolated incident id think nothing of it coz itd be pass remarkable

MrMojoRisin

iamhunted wrote: »

thats not as common as you would think though - certainly possible, but I'd assume if radio interference was an issue then you;d get quite a lot more clear evps. In our own investigations mobiles phones are always off and the walkies are switched off during any kind of audio recording.

Plus you'd have to wonder why you get radio interference when you use a recorder in an investigation (in those very rare times you capture anything clearly) but not when you use the same recorder for any other recording purposes.

what exactly is an EVP? Is it a special,tailored recording device or just an ordinary one wit a fancy,cryptic-sounding name?

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

eh?

Id say she meant the "jeez,you were busy today" because u typed a lot of info/facts in your post before

iamhunted

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

what exactly is an EVP? Is it a special,tailored recording device or just an ordinary one wit a fancy,cryptic-sounding name?

evp stands for electronic voice phenomena - its where you set up a recording device - tape recorder, digital recorder, video recorder etc and when you review it you find other voices rather than from those who where present. It doesnt really matter what you use to record as long as it records decent quality audio.

Problem is most of the 'evps' you find on the web are complete rubbish.

Overblood

iamhunted wrote: »

evp stands for electronic voice phenomena - its where you set up a recording device - tape recorder, digital recorder, video recorder etc and when you review it you find other voices rather than from those who where present. It doesnt really matter what you use to record as long as it records decent quality audio.

Problem is most of the 'evps' you find on the web are complete rubbish.

What is the best EVP on the web you know of? The ones you already linked to aren't great.

Well, if they were/are coincidences,they happen more frequently than infrequently. I'm talkin several times each month,every month.

And from this you are convinced that there is a great intelligence at work? These coincidences are all very normal.

Coincidences happen every second and I bet you don't attach a mystical label to them. A sandstone pebble being washed around on a beach may come in contact with another sandstone pebble, both of which used to be a part of the same large rock.

A raindrop may fall directly through a raindrop-sized hole in somebodies roof and land in the attic cistern with all his H2O friends. If you were a raindrop, you'd expect to be splattered on a pavement, but this time you escaped due to a perfect raindrop sized hole.

Two competing lionesses take down the same zebra in the savannah. Both are sisters, they have been separated for the past 5 years, but they bump into eachother in all of the savannah during this hunt! Wow!

My point is, only when this happens to you do you think it has some sort of greater meaning. Stories like yours happen all the time. That's the way the world works. If there is a probability of something happening, it could happen! There's nothing mystical about it!

Two worms might pass eachother in the earth, both from the same mother. Haven't seen eachother in months and thay pass within millimeters of eachother! Do you think that scenario is awe inspiring? Would that make you embrace the idea of there being a greater intelligence?

Those coincidences (or "pre-cognition" is it?) are all probable, and if an event is probable (like you thinking about a friend and then they call you), why is it so mystical when it happens?

If I turn on the TV right now and find a show on probability... I'll laugh, but I won't invoke some sort of intelligent being.

one day a few years ago,I was inside n the motor taxation office and the bloke on the counter was a friendly and chatty sort. Prob because the place wasnt too jammed w/ people. He was askin me what neck of the woods I was from, so I told him and that it was near this other place, in case he hadnt heard of it,that this other place was a popular spot for people wanting to listen into overhead airplanes via two-way radios. Then he was like,'Oh yeah? Im from there and I'm up in that spot listenin in to the pilots a lot'. Me: 'Really? Cool. I think theres a 9.45 plane at night, as far as I know'. I dunno why I said that but that was the first thing that came into my head. Then he goes (wit a surprised look on his face):"I was up there last night waiting for the 9.45!". Then he thought I was completely off my game judging by the look on his face, and that was that. I was as surprised as him.

Good story, but is this really the sort of stuff that would make you believe in a higher power?

i used to roll my eyes at the "everything happens for a reason" line but im comin around to thinkin that they do.

Does absolutely everything happen for a reason?

I think every person might be able 2 influence da course of that power in a good way if their intentions are 'pure' (e.g. not motivated by greed). Gandhi wasn't talkin thru his h@le when he said that you should "be the change you want to see in the world". And shur,all of that stuff is red hot on the barometer nowadays because The Secret has been in the Top 5 of book bestsellers in Ireland for at least 2 years now.

Don't get me started on the feckin "secret"! The fact that it's called a secret should ring major alarm bells in any sane persons head. I'm all for positive thinking (I will become the best manager in my business), but something that tells gullible minds that they can sit at home and imagine Lamourghinis to their door deserves to be taken out and shot.

I remember reading somewhere that certain paranormal experiences can be explained away by the makeup of a person's brain chemistry. There were some studies done n Canada before that found that the level of some1's temporal lobe lability (their amount of electrical activity n the brain) might go some way 2wards explaining things like alien abduction, experiences of seeing/sensing ghosts and other paranormal stuff. I also read that its possible for a person to have a 'partial complex seizure' (a brain seizure, I think) w/o being aware of it, also goin some way 2wards explaining people experiencing unusual things. Ive used my common sense to figure out why i saw or sensed things otherwise,

I was in no way saying that there's something wrong with your brain chemistry! I was just saying that your encounters seemed to be mere coincidences.

I was cycling along the road on my way to work when I was 17,it was a bright, clear morning, and theres my grandmother clear as day as if shes alive. No see through sh!t or feck all. Standing n the middle of the road. I thought it was some other old lady first before i got nearer to her and could make her out properly. If I was having a 'partial complex seizure'/brain seizure at the time, wouldnt u think I would have fallen off my bike?? I wasnt shocked when i saw her,funnily enough. No fear,and she didnt look threatening or even unhappy. I have no idea why she was there or HOW she was there either and i didnt think too much of it afterwards at the time. i didnt tell my mother or anyone else n our family because i thought they might be a bit spooked by it or think i was taking the p!ss

Well jaysus if I saw the ghost of my dead grandmother in front of me on a clear sunny morning, I'd have to accept that as fact, and then start believing in ghosts. But any evidence for ghosts I can get my hands on is either crappy photos & videos, or anecdotes, like your story. I fully believe that you saw it, but do I think your granny's ghost was really standing on the road that morning? I dunno.

but how can my thought of Enya and how shes a recluse and then her appearing on a public chat show be explained by science ? Seriously? What could a scientist do 2 work that out?

You wouldn't even need to be a scientist. Common sense can tell you that this scenario is simply probable. It could happen. Even if enya called to your door looking for directions, I still wouldn't add a mystical edge to it. But of course you are free to if you want. But if something could happen, and then it does, how is that evidence of a greater intelligence?

iamhunted

i dont think you'll find a more clearer one than the second one on that linked page

MrMojoRisin

iamhunted wrote: »

evp stands for electronic voice phenomena - its where you set up a recording device - tape recorder, digital recorder, video recorder etc and when you review it you find other voices rather than from those who where present. It doesnt really matter what you use to record as long as it records decent quality audio.

Problem is most of the 'evps' you find on the web are complete rubbish.

Ah right,i see

TaxiManMartin

When i was 12 myself and a few siblings and cousins around the same age had a sleepover so decided to have a seance.

Myself and my brother had the whole house rigged up.

string going under the carpet tied to candlesticks and then to our legs.

an oscillating fan going in the upstairs bedroom you could barely hear at all downstairs.

the kettle boiling in the kitchen with the doors open and the button taped down, slowly filling the place with steam. Washing up liquid on our fingers writing "Die" on the windows.

A 60 minute tape playing upstairs on full volume with lots of banging and voices we made up which would come on at about 20 minutes.

......

So we turned off the lights and did the "is anybody there stuff for a couple of minutes." It all went quiet. You could hear the fan creaking upstairs and that scared them all.

Then a bit of mad movements from me pretending i was possessed. Pulling one leg with a string and the candlestick flies off the window sill.

Then i did the voice. "Die", "Die" and the brother says "Dont break the circle".

He pulls with his leg and the curtains move. I do the same with my other leg and the lamp in the corner falls over.

He pulls his other leg and a bar attached to some wire under the fire embers jumps up, sparks everywhere.

Then the tape kicks in with banging and screaming and voices we got off the telly.

And to top it all off we break the circle and turn on the lights while they are all scared ****less. The steam is all over the windows by now and where we traced out the messages on the windows has all come up, including the name of a legendary ghost from our area. It was class.

They were terrified out of their pants. When the parents came back that night we ended up all sleeping in the same room because none of them would go anywhere on their own.

We were afraid they would kill us if we ever told them it was us. One posts on supernatural fora about his experience when he was a child. Sorry Cormac

All this and we were only 12 and 13 years old.

Imagine what someone with proper electronics could do.

There are only 3 possible explanations when supernatural things happen to you.

1 - You were mistaken.
2 - You were tricked.
3 - You are nuts.

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

And from this you are convinced that there is a great intelligence at work? These coincidences are all very normal.

Coincidences happen every second and I bet you don't attach a mystical label to them. A sandstone pebble being washed around on a beach may come in contact with another sandstone pebble, both of which used to be a part of the same large rock.

A raindrop may fall directly through a raindrop-sized hole in somebodies roof and land in the attic cistern with all his H2O friends. If you were a raindrop, you'd expect to be splattered on a pavement, but this time you escaped due to a perfect raindrop sized hole.

Two competing lionesses take down the same zebra in the savannah. Both are sisters, they have been separated for the past 5 years, but they bump into each other in all of the savannah during this hunt! Wow!

My point is, only when this happens to you do you think it has some sort of greater meaning. Stories like yours happen all the time. That's the way the world works. If there is a probability of something happening, it could happen! There's nothing mystical about it!

Two worms might pass each other in the earth, both from the same mother. Haven't seen each other in months and thay pass within millimeters of each other! Do you think that scenario is awe inspiring? Would that make you embrace the idea of there being a greater intelligence?

Those coincidences (or "pre-cognition" is it?) are all probable, and if an event is probable (like you thinking about a friend and then they call you), why is it so mystical when it happens?

If I turn on the TV right now and find a show on probability... I'll laugh, but I won't invoke some sort of intelligent being.

Yes, yes, I think Ive gotten the gist of what youre trying to say. I cant bothered tryin to sift through every single thing you said, no offence like, but it's become very clear that you have YOUR own set, fixed views on what is coincidental (all of it) and what is 'mystical' (nothing). Theres no point in me sayin i think such a thing and that that's my belief,wit a real life example attached to it, because your on a completely different wavelength. I dont need yourself to conjure up myriad, long winded examples of coincidences that might occur within the mighty animal kingdom and God knows what else for me. Seriously man. Im big enough and ugly enough 2 be able to differentiate between coincidences and 'miracles', mystical happenings, etc.

Tbh, I reckon that most people's personal belief in the paranormal and what actually is paranormal is informed by the person's family and upbringing, and their personality. And 'birds of a feather flock together', as they say. Now, you either have an openness to this stuff or you dont - if u happen to be one of those people that are open to it,that doesn't mean youre a gullible, intellectually defective twat. If anything, the people I know who most believe n this type of thing have been less likely to suffer fools gladly in life because they're the type of people 2 scratch below the surface. Im sure you're fella w/ an investigative turn of mind and all, but that tendency isn't hindered at all by following ur gut instincts from day to day as well. Well, all in all, it's pretty pointless in me saying anythin more on this particular point because you either choose to believe it or u don't.

Good story, but is this really the sort of stuff that would make you believe in a higher power?

'Good story'?? what is it, 'The Tales Of Beedle The Bard' or somethin?? No,that erm.. sort of stuff (?) alone does not make me believe n a higher power. The belief has been there since i was a small kid and has been strengthened through life experiences. And my life has been all da better for it. everyone that knows me says Im a direct,no nonsense (and 'intimidating' apparently?) sorta guy whos always clear and straightforward about things, and thats true to an extent,but I have an iron spiritual backbone to go with it. I presume youre an atheist or somethin like that,so any sense of spiritual belief or faith makes no sense to you

Does absolutely everything happen for a reason?

You can figure that out for yourself over time

Don't get me started on the feckin "secret"! The fact that it's called a secret should ring major alarm bells in any sane persons head. I'm all for positive thinking (I will become the best manager in my business), but something that tells gullible minds that they can sit at home and imagine Lamourghinis to their door deserves to be taken out and shot.

Like with any 'self-help' book, I think it should all be taken wit da tiniest pinch of salt. I wouldnt take it all as gospel. Da same as you take what you need or what serves u well from anything you do, the same would b advisable of reading anythin you get your paws on,so 2 speak! Parts of The Secret are good and weirdly empowering for a short while,but I have it on good knowledge that the author, the contributors, and all the other plebs involved in The Secret have made a fcuckin FORTUNE (and continue 2 do so) outta it all. Its a very well marketed literary franchise that peddles the advice that crosses over to all nationalities and cultures. The Secret is a handy,clever little re-packaging/re-cycling of ancient 'wisdom' that has been doin the rounds in numerous texts for yonks and yonks

I was in no way saying that there's something wrong with your brain chemistry! I was just saying that your encounters seemed to be mere coincidences.

whatever u say..

Well jaysus if I saw the ghost of my dead grandmother in front of me on a clear sunny morning, I'd have to accept that as fact, and then start believing in ghosts. But any evidence for ghosts I can get my hands on is either crappy photos & videos, or anecdotes, like your story. I fully believe that you saw it, but do I think your granny's ghost was really standing on the road that morning? I dunno.

I honestly dont care whether or not YOU think my granny's ghost was really standing on the road that morning. When you manage to see a ghost/spirit in the future, youll know immediately whether it's a hallucination or the real deal

Even if enya called to your door looking for directions, I still wouldn't add a mystical edge to it. But of course you are free to if you want. But if something could happen, and then it does, how is that evidence of a greater intelligence?

yeah, i am free to do that. Just because something odd happens doesnt mean thats evidence of a greater intelligence on its own - it's one tiny aspect of a vast, complex puzzle or whatever u want to call it. Personally, it's been the belief of something outside myself and the everyday world that was there, followed by things in my life that, IMO, corroborated that belief I already had. As I said, if ur belief n all this isnt there from childhood, it's unlikely you're going to take anything allegedly paranormal seriously. The belief is either there or it isnt. Im not tryin to convert you or anyone else. I cant be bothered,tbh w/ u. Whatever u want to believe in or disregard or incorporate into your perspective of life is your own prerogative.

MrMojoRisin

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

When i was 12 myself and a few siblings and cousins around the same age had a sleepover so decided to have a seance.

Myself and my brother had the whole house rigged up.

string going under the carpet tied to candlesticks and then to our legs.

an oscillating fan going in the upstairs bedroom you could barely hear at all downstairs.

the kettle boiling in the kitchen with the doors open and the button taped down, slowly filling the place with steam. Washing up liquid on our fingers writing "Die" on the windows.

A 60 minute tape playing upstairs on full volume with lots of banging and voices we made up which would come on at about 20 minutes.

......

So we turned off the lights and did the "is anybody there stuff for a couple of minutes." It all went quiet. You could hear the fan creaking upstairs and that scared them all.

Then a bit of mad movements from me pretending i was possessed. Pulling one leg with a string and the candlestick flies off the window sill.

Then i did the voice. "Die", "Die" and the brother says "Dont break the circle".

He pulls with his leg and the curtains move. I do the same with my other leg and the lamp in the corner falls over.

He pulls his other leg and a bar attached to some wire under the fire embers jumps up, sparks everywhere.

Then the tape kicks in with banging and screaming and voices we got off the telly.

And to top it all off we break the circle and turn on the lights while they are all scared ****less. The steam is all over the windows by now and where we traced out the messages on the windows has all come up, including the name of a legendary ghost from our area. It was class.

They were terrified out of their pants. When the parents came back that night we ended up all sleeping in the same room because none of them would go anywhere on their own.

We were afraid they would kill us if we ever told them it was us. One posts on supernatural fora about his experience when he was a child. Sorry Cormac

All this and we were only 12 and 13 years old.

Imagine what someone with proper electronics could do.

Your story is very nice and creative and all,but how in the name of fcuck is that a personal 'paranormal' experience ?

There are only 3 possible explanations when supernatural things happen to you.

1 - You were mistaken.

no, i wasnt. My eyesight is grand and I have never suffered and do not suffer from visual hallucinations.

2 - You were tricked.

Nope. When I saw my nan, I was by myself on the road with not a sinner in sight. Even if some1 had 'planted' an auld wan in the centre of the road, they would have had some tricky job trying to remove her at lightning speed again while I was still looking straight at her.

3 - You are nuts.

My mental health is and has always been fine

LCDeelite

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Tbh, I reckon that most people's personal belief in the paranormal and what actually is paranormal is informed by the person's family and upbringing, and their personality. And 'birds of a feather flock together', as they say. Now, you either have an openness to this stuff or you dont.

Well, all in all, it's pretty pointless in me saying anythin more on this particular point because you either choose to believe it or u don't.

Personally, it's been the belief of something outside myself and the everyday world that was there, followed by things in my life that, IMO, corroborated that belief I already had. As I said, if ur belief n all this isnt there from childhood, it's unlikely you're going to take anything allegedly paranormal seriously. The belief is either there or it isnt. Im not tryin to convert you or anyone else. I cant be bothered,tbh w/ u. Whatever u want to believe in or disregard or incorporate into your perspective of life is your own prerogative.

That's very true - you either possess an inherent belief in this stuff from childhood, or you don't believe in any of it at all. Personally, I believe in the existence of a higher power and the whole 'life after death' thing, but those beliefs have been there since I was a small child.

Mojo's right - you either believe it or you don't, and the people who are 'converted' to believing in this stuff through some bizarre or unexplainable experiences later on in their lives are definitely in the minority.

Overblood

Well I don't believe in this stuff so far... but thanks Mojo and others for taking the time and effort to explain your position. I'm surprised I didn't get more responses, especially from the mods of this forum. I'm sure they'd have the coolest experiences to share of them all, no?

getz

never had any experiences untill about 10 years ago, that was when i had a look at the bronte museum in haworth,from that time i often feel a that a victorian woman is sat next to me in the car,also many times i seem to know when the phone is going to ring,even to the stage i will walk over to it ,then it rings i pick it up and know even before the person speaks who it is, when i walk into old buildings i seam to feel happyness/sadness,but my biggest was in feb in a old cottage in wicklow when sitting by a very old fireplace two young girls made an appearance in victorian clothes just for a few seconds then vanished. i am now looking forward to the next one

TaxiManMartin

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Your story is very nice and creative and all,but how in the name of fcuck is that a personal 'paranormal' experience ?

It i a personal story of creating what others perceive to be a paranormal experience. I thought that was obvious.

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

no, i wasnt. My eyesight is grand and I have never suffered and do not suffer from visual hallucinations.

Often people who are mistaken, dont believe they are mistaken. Otherwise they wouldnt be mistaken, would they.

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

Nope. When I saw my nan, I was by myself on the road with not a sinner in sight. Even if some1 had 'planted' an auld wan in the centre of the road, they would have had some tricky job trying to remove her at lightning speed again while I was still looking straight at her.

Its more likely you were hallucinating than it being your nan though isnt it?

MrMojoRisin wrote: »

My mental health is and has always been fine

Very often is the case with mental health problems that the person who is sick doesnt know it until they see a doctor over it.
There is much more evidence and research to support mental illnesses than there is to support paranormal happenings. Why do you think this is?

Oryx

Overblood wrote: »

Well I don't believe in this stuff so far... but thanks Mojo and others for taking the time and effort to explain your position. I'm surprised I didn't get more responses, especially from the mods of this forum. I'm sure they'd have the coolest experiences to share of them all, no?

Of course we do.

Tbh, Im here years, and Ive been there, said it all before. Dont want to be a stuck record. Particularly with someone who wont believe me anyway.

But as for seeing ghosts, hearing noises etc, that pretty much never happens to me. And even if it did, Id look for a rational reason till Im blue in the face, before accepting it as paranormal. The more profound experiences of mine have been subtler, and could be described as more subjective I suppose. But taken as a whole, my experiences have convinced me. Like anything, its not a single episode that changes your mindset, its the building body of personal evidence.

Overblood

Oryx wrote: »

Of course we do.

Tbh, Im here years, and Ive been there, said it all before. Dont want to be a stuck record. Particularly with someone who wont believe me anyway.

Please tell me!

I won't mention if I believe it or not so. I'll just go "mm-hmmm", as if I were a psychotherapist.

Overblood

it's become very clear that you have YOUR own set, fixed views on what is coincidental (all of it) and what is 'mystical' (nothing). Theres no point in me sayin i think such a thing and that that's my belief,wit a real life example attached to it, because your on a completely different wavelength.

Tbh, I reckon that most people's personal belief in the paranormal and what actually is paranormal is informed by the person's family and upbringing, and their personality. And 'birds of a feather flock together', as they say. Now, you either have an openness to this stuff or you dont - if u happen to be one of those people that are open to it,that doesn't mean youre a gullible, intellectually defective twat. If anything, the people I know who most believe n this type of thing have been less likely to suffer fools gladly in life because they're the type of people 2 scratch below the surface.

If you have 9 minutes to spare, give this a watch. It's pretty relevant to this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI

MrMojoRisin

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

It i a personal story of creating what others perceive to be a paranormal experience. I thought that was obvious.

Yeah that was PAINFULLY OBVIOUS, but had you not read the title of this thread?? It said ".... paranormal experiences", NOT "... creating what others perceive to be a paranormal experience". Would that be any way obvious to you, no?? i think you need to find yourself another thread/home for your silly little stories about creating a paranormal pantomine and scaring the hell out of naive kids,because that talent of yours for drama isnt relevant or useful here.

Often people who are mistaken, dont believe they are mistaken. Otherwise they wouldnt be mistaken, would they.

That makes no sense at all. just because someone who was PROVEN (thats the keyword here) to be mistaken who BELIEVED they werent mistaken to begin with, does not mean that EVERYONE who believes anything (paranormal or not) IS mistaken. Who are you to say anyone is mistaken unless you have evidence to prove that mistake?

Its more likely you were hallucinating than it being your nan though isnt it?

Why is that "more likely"? ?

There are only several instances where I could have been suffering from a hallucination that morning and neither are probable.

1. Focal epilepsy

The visual hallucinations from focal epilepsy are characterized by being brief and stereotyped. They are usually localised to one part of the visual field, and last only a few seconds. Other epileptic features may present themselves between visual episodes. Consciousness is usually impaired in some way, but nevertheless, insight into the hallucination is preserved.

I have never suffered and do not suffer from the above


2. Charles Bonnet syndrome

This is the name given to visual hallucinations experienced by blind patients. The hallucinations can usually be dispersed by opening or closing the eyelids until the visual images disappear. The hallucinations usually occur during the morning or evening, but are not dependent on low light conditions. These prolonged hallucinations usually do not disturb the patients very much, as they are aware that they are hallucinating.

Nope that has not ever and does not apply to me, seeing as I am using my two goddamn eyes right now to type this !!

3. Migraine coma

This type of hallucination is usually experienced during the recovery from a comatose state. The migraine coma can last for up to two days, and a state of depression is sometimes comorbid. The hallucinations occur during states of full consciousness, and insight into the hallucinatory nature of the images is preserved.

I wasnt in a coma at any point in my life so that rules out that one

4. Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia

Parkinson's disease is linked with Lewy body dementia for their similar hallucinatory symptoms. The symptoms strike during the evening in any part of the visual field. The beginning of the hallucination may begin with illusions where sensory perception is greatly distorted, but no novel sensory information is present. These typically last for several minutes, during which time the subject may be either conscious and normal or drowsy/inaccessible.

I have never and do not suffer from either of the above diseases.

5. Delirium tremens

One of the more enigmatic forms of visual hallucination is the highly variable, possibly polymodal delirium tremens. Individuals suffering from delirium tremens may be agitated and confused, especially in the later stages of this disease. Insight is gradually reduced with the progression of this disorder. Sleep is disturbed and occurs for a shorter period of time, with REM overflow.

No crazy disturbances in my sleep patterns at the time and certainly no agitation or confusion that would probably result in me being given the sack from my job at the time.

6. Peduncular hallucinosis

Peduncular means pertaining to the peduncle, which is a neural tract running to and from the pons on the brain stem. These hallucinations usually occur in the evenings, but not during drowsiness, as in the case of hypnagogic hallucination. The subject is usually fully conscious and can interact with the hallucinatory characters for extended periods of time. As in the case of hypnagogic halluncinations, insight into the nature of the images remains intact. The false images can occur in any part of the visual field.

Well if that condition above 'usually occurs in the evenings', christ ive really broken the mould

7. Hypnagogic hallucination

These hallucinations occur just before falling asleep, and affect a surprisingly high proportion of the population. The hallucinations can last from seconds to minutes, all the while the subject usually remains aware of the true nature of the images. These are usually associated with narcolepsy, but can also affect normal minds.

I was cycling along sometime before 8 in the morning so Id be hesitant to say I was just about to fall asleep :pac:


And there we have the full list of the most common conditions/diseases related to havin hallucinations (cheers Wikipedia)! The only remotely likely one is 'Penduncular hallucinosis' but if thats the case, i know over a dozen people suffering from this thing! :rolleyes: Thing is, its a rare neurological syndrome. Funny that. And the visual hallucinations of that are usually suggestive of brain damage,so i must know a lot of people walkin around bein oblivious to the fact that they are brain damaged!

Very often is the case with mental health problems that the person who is sick doesnt know it until they see a doctor over it.
There is much more evidence and research to support mental illnesses than there is to support paranormal happenings. Why do you think this is?

Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting here? Youre treading a very fine line here,so watch it.

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

If you have 9 minutes to spare, give this a watch. It's pretty relevant to this thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI

i cant be bothered wasting 9 minutes of my life watching that vid because i already know where it's going.

It's funny how u managed 2 come on here wit this thread basically sayin you were goin to be open minded about peoples paranormal experiences (that you have never had once),yet ur tune wasnt long changing

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

Well I don't believe in this stuff so far... but thanks Mojo and others for taking the time and effort to explain your position. I'm surprised I didn't get more responses, especially from the mods of this forum. I'm sure they'd have the coolest experiences to share of them all, no?

The overwhelming majority of people in the Paranormal forum are 'lurkers' - people who observe da paranormal soap opera unfolding while sitting back comfortably w/o contributing any of their own (relevant) thoughts,experiences, ideas, etc. It's like spending a week at Butlin's - a lovely, little holiday where you go 2 nightly shows featuring people busting a gut prancing around the place and singing for you, and all you need to do is watch.

Oryx

TaxiManMartin please be careful not to stray into inferring anything about the mental status of posters here.

MrMojoRisin

TaxiManMartin wrote: »

Very often is the case with mental health problems that the person who is sick doesnt know it until they see a doctor over it.
There is much more evidence and research to support mental illnesses than there is to support paranormal happenings. Why do you think this is?

Come 2 think of it now, its funny how I would feel any way compelled to defend the balance of my mental health against some fella callin himself 'TaxiManMartin'. Just thought about that now. :pac: :pac:

A bit like tryin to get an Alsatian dog to bleat. Pointless

Oryx

MrMojoRising please stay on topic.

MrMojoRisin

I'd say these folks are all fcucked n the head as well...

Hollywood's scream queen Neve Campbell hasn't been able to avoid the ghouls since she starred in horror flick Scream.
Campbell believes it is living with a ghost in her own house in Hollywood that adds to her paranoia about the paranormal. She says, "Someone was murdered in my house six years ago before I bought it. I had friends round and I left them in the living room to go in the kitchen and they both thought I had just walked back in again.
"But I hadn't, so what they saw was the woman who was murdered. The previous owner had a exorcist come in, but I don't think it worked."


British musician Sting was lying in bed one night in 2003, when he was surprised to see a woman and child enter the room. He sleepily assumed it was one of his children accompanied by his wife Trudie Styler.
Until”, he later recalled, “I reached over and I realised she was still in bed with me!” “It was quite something”, Sting said. “I was absolutely terrified. My wife saw it, too. I now believe those things are out there but I have no explanation for them.”

Rock star Sting admits he has always attracted the spirits -- ever since he was a child. He swears supernatural Roman centurions walked the rooms of his childhood home in Station Road, Newcastle, England. And he called in the ghost hunters when he discovered his home in Highgate, north London, was haunted.
The hitmaker still owns the historic house, and feels the spook chasers did their job -- because he can have a quiet night's sleep there these days. He admits, "Ever since I moved there, people said things happened -- they were lying in bed and people started talking to them, or things went missing. I was very sceptical until the night after my daughter Mickey was born. She was disturbed and I went to see her. Her room is full of mobiles and they were going berserk. I thought a window must be open, but they were all shut. I was terrified."

Keanu Reeves is also haunted by the memory of a spook from many years ago.
The Matrix star was woken by a vision when he was a child -- and what made the experience even more real for him was the fact that his sister and nanny also witnessed the phantom.
Reeves explains, "I was living in New Jersey when I saw and felt this ghost. I remember just staring at this suit which had no body or legs in it as it came into the room before disappearing. It was a double-breasted suit in white, and I looked at my nanny who was just as shocked as me. I just couldn't get back to sleep afterwards, and I still see the figure in my dreams and nightmares."

The Who rocker John Entwistle is sadly no longer with us, but the bassist was convinced there was an after-life following a supernatural encounter at his 188-year-old Gloucestershire, England, estate. The Pinball Wizard star was convinced he had supernatural help from a spectre while he was creating the album for a now defunct American TV show called Van-Pires.

And his friendly spirit not only helped him with his musical career, it also kept unwelcome paparazzi away.
Speaking in 2001, Entwistle revealed, "A lot of weird things have happened in the 22 years I've been here. Among them are sightings of a lady in 19th century clothes walking the grounds, and the camera of an uninvited photographer falling apart.

Most recently I was having trouble locating a recording of Keith Moon pounding out a never-used Who song, and so I asked my friendly ghost for a helping hand. A few hours later when I was about to give up the search, the tapes spontaneously fell off a shelf behind me revealing the Moon recording which had been hidden behind them. I used it."

Foo Fighter Dave Grohl also had a terrifying experience at the hands of a ghost -- but he feels he brought it on himself by dabbling with the spirits. He discovered his Seattle, Washington, house is haunted by the ghost of a native American woman, who murdered her baby more than a century ago, after holding a seance.

It was his ex-wife Jennifer's idea to make contact with the spirit world through a Ouija board after the couple had witnessed some strange goings-on in their home.
Grohl says, "Jennifer asked if there were any spirits in the house. The glass on the Ouija board spelled out, 'Y-E-S'. I was just looking at Jennifer and she wasn't moving at all. The glass was travelling without her pushing it.[/FONT][/COLOR] Jennifer then asked, 'What happened here?' The glass spelled out, 'M-U-R-D-E-R-E-D'. I asked who was murdered and got the reply 'M-Y-B-A-B-Y'." [/I]
Grohl has since found out that, according to local legend, a native American baby was murdered there during the late 19th century by its mother and buried in a well. The mother is said to haunt the area, waiting for her child to be given a proper burial.

And the mischievous spirit of murdered John Lennon is always present when The Beatles get together -- like they did for the recording of the eerie Free As A Bird in 1995, which featured Lennon's voice.
Sir Paul McCartney always maintains that Lennon was in the studio with them throughout the recording -- fooling around. He recalls, "There were a lot of strange goings-on in the studio -- noises that shouldn't have been there and equipment doing all manner of weird things. There was just an overall feeling that John was around."

Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan had a near-death experience when he saw his life flash in front of his eyes following a speedball (cocaine+heroin) overdose in 1996.

He reveals, “Oh yeah. I saw Jennifer, who is my wife now, and she was calling me back. I had this feeling that she was a light, a good thing in my life. I also heard a voice really loud that was saying, ‘This is wrong! You don’t get to decide!’ I could see myself surrounded by the paramedics and I was screaming down: ‘I’m here, I’m here!’

I felt like, oh my God, I made a big mistake! This is not what I wanted! And all of a sudden I felt that surge coming back to life. I found out later that Jennifer, who was in New York, felt at the time, 4 A.M., an overwhelming feeling that something terrible had happened to me."

MrMojoRisin

Overblood wrote: »

Well I don't believe in this stuff so far... but thanks Mojo and others for taking the time and effort to explain your position. I'm surprised I didn't get more responses, especially from the mods of this forum. I'm sure they'd have the coolest experiences to share of them all, no?

I think LCD meant that u either have believed in this stuff from childhood OR you have an experience later in life that 'converts' u. Of the feck all number of people (includin myself) who have bothered 2 type our experiences here, none of it was some desperate attempt to 'make you believe'.It seems 2 me like u think that all things 'allegedly' paranormal are really cool and a great laugh altogether. Sure if youre lookin for a bit of mindless paranormal entertainment,why not take urself off 2 your nearest cinema and see 'Drag Me To Hell' instead?

LCDeelite

Overblood wrote: »

Well I don't believe in this stuff so far...

Erm... nobody ASKED you to "believe" in this... um... 'stuff'! In fact, I don't think anybody cares whether or not some cyber signore they've never met (and will never meet) BeLiEvEs; and the same indifference applies to the other charming 'paranormal experts/mental health experts' that have graced this thread with their lacklustre 'insights'.