The paranormal is defined as events or phenomenons that have been described by others that cannot be explained using science or through common sense and experience. It’s not the same as a hypothetical concept, something like whether or not dark matter exists, but a paranormal phenomenon is something that cannot be proven to exist and yet seems to very clearly exist all the same. The most common paranormal experiences involve ghosts, aliens, psychic abilities, ESP and cryptids.
The Existence of Paranormal
One of the reasons the paranormal is considered paranormal is because it is so difficult to prove the existence of things like psychic abilities and ghosts. Where a scientist can, through the steps of the scientific method, prove that atoms exist, a paranormal researcher may never be able to conclusively prove that a ghost exists if for no other reason than that by definition something that is paranormal cannot conform to the conventional expectations of something that exists in the natural world. A ghost may be able to move a picture frame, but while that picture frame has mass and is made up of atoms, the ghost has neither and shouldn’t be able to affect the picture frame in the first place. Because of this inability to reconcile the paranormal with the natural world using the scientific method, most of the scientific community has written off paranormal research as pseudoscience and discredited much of it as a sham.
People actually believe?
A good number of people express some belief in the paranormal, though they may not all believe in the same things or have even had an experience with it. In fact a poll found that 71% of Americans believe in miracles! And a study done by researchers found that those who are more intuitive thinkers tended to believe more in the existence of the supernatural or paranormal than those who were less intuitive. This is understandable when one considers that psychic ability is considered to be present in everyone, and yet it is those most in tune with themselves and the world around them who are best able to connect with these abilities and open them up to a world beyond our senses. Being able to feel without the constraints of the logical mind helps us be more open to the energies beyond our senses and by using our own psychic abilities, helping us to reaffirm our belief in the paranormal!
Paranormal Activity
But what is paranormal activity exactly? Well, sadly no one can explain exactly what it is because it’s different. If it were something that happened often enough and the same way every time it could be eventually explored and explained and that would make it no longer paranormal. So, paranormal activity is anything that cannot be explained like seeing someone out of the corner of your eye in the house, or hearing knocks in the walls but being the only person home. While most paranormal activity is fairly benign and doesn’t mean that there is an entity that will cause you harm, some paranormal activity can be a sign of a malevolent energy in your home.
Paranormal Experiences: Fact vs Fiction
Separating the fact from the fiction when it comes to paranormal experiences is the only way to help dispel the mysteries surrounding them. It’s important to understand things like that ghosts can be found at any time of day, they don’t only come out at night. The reason most ghost hunters choose to hunt at night is because it’s easier to get into places where paranormal experiences have occurred after their business hours are finished and everyone has gone home for the night, not because a ghost is more likely to appear. Furthermore, a haunting isn’t limited to just old buildings. Any place where moments of intense, often traumatic, energy transfers occur can become haunted. Furthermore, often it’s not the place haunted but could simply be an object or even a person!
