Monthly Mysteries: Are Ghosts Real?

For this episode, Jacey Sola dives into the mystery of ghosts, seeing if they actually are real or not.

Monthly Mysteries: Are Ghosts Real?

By Jacey Sola

Millions of people all over the world believe in the paranormal aspect of life and that ghosts exist in the world today. Ghosts have been referenced throughout history and literature, such as in the Bible, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” and William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” 

Footage or photos of perceived ghosts have also surfaced throughout the years. Despite all of this, scientists and researchers have not come up with a single, concrete explanation of the paranormal. So this begs the question: are ghosts truly real?

There have been many famous cases and stories of the paranormal, which seem to prove the existence of ghosts. One of them is the true story of Roland Hunkeler, who was referred to as Roland Doe.

Hunkeler was born and lived his childhood in Cottage City, Maryland. After the death of his grandmother, he used an ouija board as a way to possibly contact her spirit. After this, however, strange occurrences happened to him, like hearing scratching sounds or his mattress suddenly moving. The hauntings got to the point where he became possessed and would have to be exercised by Father E. Albert Hughes, a local priest. The book and movie “The Exorcist” were based on Hunkeler’s real-life story.

Many other famous movies, such as “The Conjuring” and “Annabelle” were also based on real-life paranormal investigations.

With all these supposedly true stories of ghosts, science continues to speculate about the existence of the paranormal. There has still never been evidence of ghosts in controlled conditions.

Some scientists believe that sightings of ghosts could just be hallucinations caused by mental illnesses, lack of sleep, or extreme levels of stress or anxiety. 

Another explanation is that unusual electromagnetic fields can be the cause of the disruptions in technology and other electrical problems that some may believe were caused by a ghost. 

Infrasound also serves as a possible explanation. Infrasounds are sound waves that go below the limit of human audibility. Research has been done that when people are subjected to infrasound, they can experience anxiety, and paranoia, which explains the feeling of a chill down your spine. 

So are ghosts real? This question has never been truly answered and no evidence has come up outright proving the existence of the paranormal. It remains one of the biggest mysteries of the world today.