Hauntings: Why Do People See Ghosts?

Sleep Paralysis

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-paralysis/

People commonly see shadow people or aliens. Maybe it's dependant on their personal beliefs?

During sleep paralysis you may feel:

• awake but cannot move, speak or open your eyes

• like someone is in your room

• like something is pushing you down

• frightened

It's not clear why sleep paralysis can happen but it has been linked with:

• insomnia

• disrupted sleeping patterns – for example, because of shift work or jet lag

• narcolepsy – a long-term condition that causes a person to suddenly fall asleep

• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

• general anxiety disorder

• panic disorder

• a family history of sleep paralysis

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

https://www.pacificheatingcooling.com/2018/12/27/carbon-monoxide-hauntings-co-furnace-safety/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7304295/#B211

http://www.ghostvillage.com/resources/2004/resources_10312004.shtml

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Confusion

• Giddiness

• Nausea

WORSENING SYMPTOMS:

• Weakness and Lack of Energy

• Blurred Vision

• Fast Heart Rate and Breathing

• Hallucinations

DANGER SIGNS:

• Heart Problems and Chest Pains

• Seizures and Convulsions

• Collapse and Loss of Consciousness

• Coma

• Death

Mould

https://airqualityassessors.com/black-mold-symptoms/#:~:text=The%20mycotoxins%20produced%20by%20black,eye%20inflammation%20and%20vision%20problems.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323419#how-dangerous-is-it

Mould is more likely to grow in damp environments, which old buildings are known for. The effects of the mould could be a reason why old buildings feel more haunted.

Black Mould can cause:

1. Feelings of brain fog

2. dizziness

3. memory loss

4. nosebleeds

5. mood swings

6. hallucinations

7. anxiety

8. depression

9. seizures

10. numbness

11. eye inflammation

12. eye problems

13. breathing problems (from coughing/wheezing to bleeding of the lungs)

14. hair loss

15. rashes

16. miscarriage

17. fetal development issues

Feeling Trapped

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/out-the-ooze/201511/what-makes-house-feel-haunted

We need more personal space when we are sitting, in a corner or in a room with low ceilings. Small rooms with low ceilings may make people feel uncomfortable/ claustrophobic. This could contribute to a place feeling haunted, especially if it's already been suggested that the place is haunted. For example, the supposedly haunted Winchester House is a building with a lot of strange architecture. Its narrow corridors and stairs to nowhere may add to its haunted feel.

Inattentional Blindness

https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/science-ghosts

http://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/17554/

People who are more likely to experience inattentional blindness may experience something such as a window opening by itself and miss sensory cues from the environment, leading them to believe it was a paranormal experience.

In a 2014 study by Christopher French (a psychologist at Goldsmiths University), it was found that people with higher levels of paranormal beliefs and higher tendencies to get absorbed are also more likely to experience inattentional blindness. They also tend to have a more limited working memory (how much you can hold in your memory at once.)

Isolation

https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-effects-of-total-isolation-an-expert-explains-109091#:~:text=People%20placed%20in%20isolation%20may,a%20lack%20of%20brain%20stimulation.

People placed in isolation may also experience hallucinations due to lack of stimuli. They may also feel that there is a ghostly presence or someone watching them. Some people who experience isolation over a long period of time will develop PTSD.