What is the Paranormal?

[Endus]

We still can't.

Well, sort of. We can explain the "what" of gravity, we just haven't gotten anything to back up the "how" and "why" answers, yet. But we don't leap to "must be supernatural eldritch forces", though.

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Our brain is capable of naturally producing hallucinogenic compounds, notably DMT, what the point of this compound is in our brain is unclear - maybe our brain simply has an, "I'm bored, let's trip" button somewhere. Maybe it's meant to ease our fears of death - and provide "afterlife / white light" experiences.

Research into DMT experiences provide an oddly consistent account of humanoid forms, "Machine-elves", "Dwarves", "Aliens" - perhaps also Ghosts. Conceivably, much of our folklore, or religious visionary experiences may also be the result of endogenous DMT.

The best explanation for virtually all paranormal activity, to my mind, is that our brain decided to inject us with an extremely potent hallucinogenic. It may also be the case that there is some kind of trigger for when DMT is to be released in our brain - in which case shared experiences may also be the result of simultaneous triggering (ex. some kind of rare spore exposure, or sleep deprivation, or fear, etc).

Even without chemical imbalances, our brain isn't a reality-measuring device. It's a virtual-reality engine. What we "see" isn't what's really there, at a fundamental level, it's the image our brain creates and extrapolates from input. That's why optical illusions work. That's why pareidolia is a "thing". Our brain is designed to identify patterns, and when that pattern-recognition wetware triggers on something it shouldn't, BAM, weird shit.

[BuckSparkles]

I've never had hallucinations. I don't believe they are real. (I guess that sounds a bit George W-ish)

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I also hate all movies/tv-series that involve a character hallucinating. It's so god damn bullshit.

Deprive yourself of sleep for at least 40 straight hours, maybe even less than that, and I assure you, you will believe.

I once purposely deprived myself of sleep for at least 36 straight hours during one long weekend in college.

I started hearing footsteps behind me, perceiving faces watching me. Kept thinking people were looking out of their windows at me. Saw shadowy figures in the corners of my eyes.

Shit got weird really fast. About 2 more hours of that and I said "experiment done f this" and fell asleep instantly for the rest of the day.

[Yvaelle]

Well, sort of. We can explain the "what" of gravity, we just haven't gotten anything to back up the "how" and "why" answers, yet. But we don't leap to "must be supernatural eldritch forces", though.

Actually - we might be far closer to the how/why very soon

LIGO apparently detected gravitational waves - physics is buzzing with the rumor - it's just too big a thing to announce yet without lots of verification and a noble prize winning white paper to back it up.

It could also be mischaracterized data - so obviously the team involved wants to be damn sure they are right before they get laughed at. Still - incredibly exciting.

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Even without chemical imbalances, our brain isn't a reality-measuring device. It's a virtual-reality engine. What we "see" isn't what's really there, at a fundamental level, it's the image our brain creates and extrapolates from input. That's why optical illusions work. That's why pareidolia is a "thing". Our brain is designed to identify patterns, and when that pattern-recognition wetware triggers on something it shouldn't, BAM, weird shit.

Good point

[Puupi]

Deprive yourself of sleep for at least 40 straight hours, maybe even less than that, and I assure you, you will believe.

I once purposely deprived myself of sleep for at least 36 straight hours during one long weekend in college.

I started hearing footsteps behind me, perceiving faces watching me. Kept thinking people were looking out of their windows at me. Saw shadowy figures in the corners of my eyes.

Shit got weird really fast. About 2 more hours of that and I said "experiment done f this" and fell asleep instantly for the rest of the day.

I've been awake for 5 consecutive days. No hallucinations whatsoever.

[Powerogue]

What is more likely; the laws of nature being suspended before your eyes for you to witness something something you've heard stories about that no one in human history has managed to produce a shred of evidence for - or that you were mistaken about what you saw?

My bet would be on the latter.

Doubly so that it's happened to your whole family. Paranoia is notoriously contagious. Like "what's that weird smell?" in a large crowd, then pretending to faint.

The thing to remember about ghosts is if they were real they'd be EVERYWHERE!!! Many, many more humans have died than have ever lived, and you'd never be able to walk anywhere without coming in contact with at least 5 ghost butts.

Deprive yourself of sleep for at least 40 straight hours, maybe even less than that, and I assure you, you will believe.

40 straight hours!? I start hearing things after 24. Moreso when I'm alone and it's dark, since that triggers the instinctive fear reflexes.

[Annoying]

I've seen stuff too. I've had hallucinations from hypothermia and from lack of sleep. I just know that it's more likely that my brain is playing tricks on me than the laws of nature being suspended before me.

I think things like these are only exaggerated by how malleable memories are, if you think back on something you believe you experienced as a kid or at least many years ago, you can easily exaggerate and even completely change those memories based on your beliefs or theories you have now.

I had one at work a few days ago. We had a huge deadline where we've been putting in massive overtime for like 2 weeks now, and I was getting more coffee from the kitchen, and swear I saw a blur of a transparent person walk by the kitchen window. Of course, I was working with something like 3 hours of sleep for multiple days in a row, so I had a real clear reason to think it was my tired brain playing tricks on me.

I've never had hallucinations. I don't believe they are real. (I guess that sounds a bit George W-ish)

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I also hate all movies/tv-series that involve a character hallucinating. It's so god damn bullshit.

There's a plant that's native to my state called "Datura" that's known locally as a "moonflower". It's highly poisonous, and is well known and documented to cause those who ingest it to experience powerful visual hallucinations. Of course, it's exceptionally hazardous to eat, as it doesn't take a whole lot of it to kill a person. Should you survive it, it also causes another side effect that some people don't believe to be real as well -- amnesia. Historically, it was used in other cultures (primarily parts of India) as a suicide drug. Famous authors have written murder fiction based on historical use of it as a poison (Agatha Christie - Sleeping Murder).

You can believe they aren't real all you want, but there's documented medical evidence (as well as a serious amount of anecdotal evidence) of hallucination being quite a real thing.

Our brain is capable of naturally producing hallucinogenic compounds, notably DMT, what the point of this compound is in our brain is unclear - maybe our brain simply has an, "I'm bored, let's trip" button somewhere. Maybe it's meant to ease our fears of death - and provide "afterlife / white light" experiences.

Research into DMT experiences provide an oddly consistent account of humanoid forms, "Machine-elves", "Dwarves", "Aliens" - perhaps also Ghosts. Conceivably, much of our folklore, or religious visionary experiences may also be the result of endogenous DMT.

The best explanation for virtually all paranormal activity, to my mind, is that our brain decided to inject us with an extremely potent hallucinogenic. It may also be the case that there is some kind of trigger for when DMT is to be released in our brain - in which case shared experiences may also be the result of simultaneous triggering (ex. some kind of rare spore exposure, or sleep deprivation, or fear, etc).

Ah yes, DMT. If you're feeling adventurous, I think Netflix has "Enter The Void" on it still, at least the US one does, not sure about Canada's Netflix.

[vindicatorx]

I must say it's a very personal experience for the people involved, Revi, and when it happens, right there, in the moment, you definitely just know.

much like mental health patients believe whatever delusion they perceive to be real as well right?

[Fasolina]

If you can prove under scientific scrutiny that something paranormal is happening that isn't so vague it is unmeasurable, you can get 1 million from the Randi Foundation's paranormal challenge.

It's been decades and no one has yet claimed the prize.

I looked it up and it seems that they are in the process of updating the criteria for 2016, but they say it should be available again "early this year."

http://web.randi.org/home/jref-status

Just sayin'

[BuckSparkles]

Just take lsd, it's quicker and far less harmful than sleep deprivation.

I feel LSD would be exceptionally bad for me given my current mental health.

[Powerogue]

If you can prove under scientific scrutiny that something paranormal is happening that isn't so vague it is unmeasurable, you can get 1 million from the Randi Foundation's paranormal challenge.

It's been decades and no one has yet claimed the prize.

I looked it up and it seems that they are in the process of updating the criteria for 2016, but they say it should be available again "early this year."

http://web.randi.org/home/jref-status

Just sayin'

Well I can promise you, if I come back as a ghost, I will haunt my favorite relative and help them get that prize.

[May90]

I think "paranormal" is just something people don't know how to explain and come up with some crazy explanation that isn't based on anything, but wild fantasies.

[zorkuus]

If you can prove under scientific scrutiny that something paranormal is happening that isn't so vague it is unmeasurable, you can get 1 million from the Randi Foundation's paranormal challenge.

It's been decades and no one has yet claimed the prize.

I looked it up and it seems that they are in the process of updating the criteria for 2016, but they say it should be available again "early this year."

http://web.randi.org/home/jref-status

Just sayin'

That's the kicker, if it can be proven with science then it's a natural phenomenon. It's a win/win for the supernaturalists, they can make it as vague as possible to prevent science from examining it.

[Fasolina]

Well I can promise you, if I come back as a ghost, I will haunt my favorite relative and help them get that prize.

Good idea, but the prize has been available for over 30 years or so... (not sure when it actually started, but I remember being a kid and hearing about it), as of yet, the only people who have even tried to claim it are a combination of delusional people whose claims were so vague they were untestable, or flim-flam artists who could not reproduce their spoon bending or whatever when subjected to actual scientific methods and environments.

:P

[Endus]

That's the kicker, if it can be proven with science then it's a natural phenomenon. It's a win/win for the supernaturalists, they can make it as vague as possible to prevent science from examining it.

It's more that con artists and fraudsters can't replicate their "results" under lab conditions. And they mostly know it, which is why so few attempts at the prize are ever made.

[zorkuus]

It's more that con artists and fraudsters can't replicate their "results" under lab conditions. And they mostly know it, which is why so few attempts at the prize are ever made.

Certainly but it also applies to the common folk who buy into the con artists. When questioned their usual non-answer is something like: "science can't explain everything", without providing an alternative methodology that works.

[Yvaelle]

Ah yes, DMT. If you're feeling adventurous, I think Netflix has "Enter The Void" on it still, at least the US one does, not sure about Canada's Netflix.

The secret to Canadian netflix is to Proxy into US/UK netflix whenever ours sucks.

[Gheld]

Social hysteria. You love your family. One person has an odd experience that they misidentify as being a supernatural phenomenon so when others in the family experience something that they are uneducated about they jack it up in their brains in order to support their loved ones. Then you get this big feedback loop of mass delusion going on until everybody has bolstered each others story to the point of absurdity even though the original event was probably just a weird sound caused by the foundation of the house shifting.

[The Stormbringer]

For the most part, I'd say it's because you can't truly trust your senses or your brain. But maybe there are some things out there that are still unexplained, real mysteries that we just can't quite understand yet. Do I think there are things out there we will never be able to comprehend or study? No, not at all. Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.

[dextersmith]

Think about it, if you were a ghost, and you had eerie powers, wouldn't you want to help someone you loved make a million bucks?

I think that's a better topic for discussion; Assuming Ghosts do exist, then why are they such selfish assholes?

They're could be confused and preoccupied with their situation.

[Orby]

real life is scary enough, I mean have you seen Victorian Post-Mortem Photos, those things freak me the hell out....