A Haunting Encounter
While I was in the military as a physician stationed near the border adjacent to Italy, I experienced an incident that I am about to report here. One of my job duties was to regularly visit different border outposts and check on the health of the staff and soldiers stationed there.
During one of my visits, I met the youthful commander of the outpost. He was friendly and full of positive energy right from our first greeting. He seemed dedicated to his job, which left a good impression on me. I was surprised to see him again just a few days later at the headquarters where my office was located. The unexpected encounter made me curious. I didn’t have to wait a long time before he started talking.
I was shocked by the sad story he told me. He shared the tragic and heartbreaking tale of how his fiancée died in a horrible accident, and he was getting ready to attend her funeral. Then, he revealed something incredible that seemed straight out of a ghost movie. He received the devastating news through a telegram, and it hit him hard with unbearable grief. His first impulse was to go down to the basement where the weapons were held, take out a gun, and end his life. He couldn't imagine living without his partner.
When he reached the basement, something miraculous happened. It was like a scene from another world. His fiancée appeared before him, dressed in a wedding gown. She looked so beautiful beyond anything mortal. She was smiling at him and waved her finger gently as if to say "no." At that moment, he was awestruck, and couldn’t move or proceed with his plan. He was captivated by this mysterious vision of his beloved. And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, she vanished into thin air, leaving him in a state of disbelief. Slowly he made his way back up the stairs, letting go of the terrible idea of hurting himself.
I was so fascinated by his story that I decided to record our conversation. It was the first time I had heard about a supposedly "otherworldly" encounter that resonated with authenticity and plausibility. The way he described his experience made it more real and believable that there is a ghostly world out there.
Spirits Among Us
During her time as a college student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, my wife Tina had a paranormal experience. On one occasion while walking the campus of this Catholic university, she suddenly felt an eerie presence—a chilling blast of cold air that sent shivers down her body. Though she didn't have any visions, she had an intuitive sense of a supernatural entity lingering nearby.
She told me this story when we visited the University many years later and found comfort in a peaceful monastery, where kind Catholic nuns welcomed us. She decided to talk openly about her unusual experience surrounded by a calm atmosphere that encouraged deep thinking and pondering about spiritual matters. The location, with its buildings and the peacefulness of the monastery, created an ideal setting for her to relate her “ghost” experience in great detail.
Exploring Ghost Tours
Tina's interest in ghostly tales extended beyond her college campus. Whenever we traveled to different places, she sought out ghost tours to learn about the history and supernatural legends of those locations. We explored haunted sites in St. Augustine, Martha's Vineyard, Colonial Williamsburg, and the city of Jerome in Arizona. According to popular belief, ghosts were the souls of people who were stuck between two worlds because they had unfinished business or had died under unfortunate circumstances.
Guided by these explanations, we explored the stories that suggested that ghosts were tormented by unfulfilled desires or unresolved conflicts from their lives before death. They were tied to specific places or objects, always longing for closure. It seemed as if these ghostly remnants sought redemption, desperately wanting to finish what they couldn't in life and peacefully move on.
However, not all spirits were believed to be trapped by personal attachments alone. Sometimes, the circumstances of their death might have sealed their fate, preventing them from moving on to other dimensions of the afterlife. Tragic accidents, sudden deaths, or acts of violence had disoriented them and left them trapped, unable to find peace or understanding of their position.
Ghostly Movies and Real-Life Encounters
Drawing inspiration from Tina's attraction to ghostly encounters, we enjoyed watching movies with similar themes. Some were light-hearted and comic, like "Ghostbusters," while others evoked nostalgia, such as "Ghost" starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze. I was more into dramatic movies like "Death Again," featuring Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh. These cinematic experiences allowed us to explore the paranormal world from different perspectives and added to our enchantment with the supernatural.
Furthermore, I had the privilege of hearing firsthand accounts of ghost encounters from my patients. They would share stories of moving into new households only to discover apparitions or experience unusual events in their homes. My patients would tell scary tales of waking up in the middle of the night and seeing translucent figures floating at the end of their beds or moving silently through the hallways. Some described odd things like doors suddenly slamming shut, objects mysteriously moving from one place to another, and spooky whispers heard in empty rooms. These personal stories gave me a glimpse of the variety of strange things that people come across.
When the Beyond Reaches Out
Personally, I had my own encounter with the inexplicable. Our beloved cat, Bushy, had been part of our family for an amazing 19 years. But after he passed away, some weird things started happening that seemed to suggest there was something beyond our understanding.
The day after Bushy died, I was going downstairs like I usually do. Still half-asleep, I saw something really peculiar— the TV was turned on by itself right in front of me, something that had never occurred before. It felt like there was a strange kind of energy in the air as I stood there, thinking about what this could mean. Was it possible that Bushy was still here with us, trying to communicate?
It wasn't just me who experienced these strange things. My wife Tina also had her own encounter with what she believed was Bushy's ghostly presence. The same day, while she was in the kitchen, a plate suddenly fell off the counter right in front of her eyes. That area was one where Bushy used to playfully paw at things when he was younger. It felt like his mischievous spirit briefly appeared, reminding us that he was still around even though he wasn't physically present.
Ghostly Mischief
Another memorable encounter took place during our visit to a mansion in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Within the mansion, a mischievous ghost seemed to take pleasure in playing tricks on us. Tina, for instance, couldn’t find her sunglasses, which she was certain she had left in a particular spot. She was confused when they mysteriously disappeared and later on reappeared. It seemed like the ghost took them and then put them back on the coffee table where she originally left them. Perplexed by this unusual turn of events, she shared her experience with our housekeeper, who understood exactly what she was talking about.
However, when we told the mansion owner's son about Tina's extraordinary happening, it had an unexpected effect on him. He reacted with anger, calling the ghost "Mother" with affection. He thought we were accusing “Mother” of stealing. He became unfriendly and dismissive, changing his attitude towards us and making our interactions less pleasant. The son's sudden change in behavior left us feeling puzzled. Whatever the reason, it became evident that our encounter with the mischievous ghost had stirred deep emotions in the son, causing tension in our relationship.
Parapsychology
These various brushes with the supernatural, whether through personal experiences, stories shared by patients, or tales from our travels, fueled my curiosity about the mysteries that lie beyond our everyday reality. I decided to consult the literature to see if there is science behind these reports. The discipline that has the best exploration of these phenomena was parapsychology. While often met with skepticism, the rigorous research conducted within this field offered glimpses into the workings of the supernatural, blurring the line between the ordinary and the extraordinary.
Parapsychologists use a variety of scientific methods employing a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates psychology, physics, neuroscience, and other relevant disciplines. For example, they use surveys and questionnaires, field investigations, psychological evaluations of reporters, and controlled laboratory experiments.
They have proposed several theories and explanations for ghostly phenomena based on their research and observations. For example, the survival of consciousness beyond death allows for potential interactions with the physical world as apparitions or other ghostly manifestations. Certain environments or events can leave behind residual energy or imprints that can be experienced as ghostly phenomena such as strong emotions, traumatic events, or repetitive actions. In addition, environmental conditions, such as electromagnetic fields, infrasound, or geomagnetic anomalies, may influence human perception and induce ghostly phenomena. Individuals with psychic or mediumistic abilities can project their consciousness or energy to manifest ghostly apparitions (1).
Ghostly Reflections
Personal experiences and stories about ghosts and supernatural events continue to capture people's interest and curiosity. These encounters have a strong impact on those who go through them. The scientific field of parapsychology helps us investigate and understand these mysterious phenomena. Psychic mediums also play a role by comforting and supporting people who want to connect with their deceased loved ones.
Encounters with ghosts and the supernatural raise questions about what happens after we die. Exploring these topics can help us grow personally and gain a deeper understanding, even though they can be interpreted in many different ways.
The appeal of personal experiences with the supernatural is that they evoke a range of emotions, from amazement to fear, making people reconsider what they believe about reality. The unexplainable nature of these episodes encourages us to think and reflect, expanding our perspectives and exploring what we can grasp as humans.
Parapsychology is a scientific field that allows us to study these extraordinary events in a methodical and rigorous way. By using scientific methods and analyzing data from experiments and case studies, researchers try to uncover the underlying mechanisms behind ghostly phenomena.
However, it's important to recognize that studying ghostly encounters and the supernatural is complex and subjective. These phenomena cannot be easily explained by conventional science, so there are many different interpretations. Skepticism and belief can coexist, and each personal experience adds to our interpretation of the supernatural, shaping this mysterious field.
1. Parapsychology: A Handbook for the 21st Century, by Etzel Cardeña (Editor), John Palmer (Editor), David Marcusson-Clavertz, McFarland & Company, 2015
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