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Psychiatry Supernatural

Ghosts: Explained Medical Way

  • June 25, 2010
  • 3 min read
  • 957 Views
Ghosts: Explained Medical Way
Ghost Hallucination

From past till today, there has always been a clash between the ideas of the extremes of the believers and non-believers of the “existence of ghosts” which certainly is doubtful. This article is not meant to disrespect other’s views and experiences related to ghosts and demons. One claims it to have a scientific reason and the other claims that the things that can’t be proved by science are labelled as non-existing by it.

In the center of our consciousness, there lies something that is too powerful to control which can command every part of our physiological faculty to obedience. This “something” here is nothing other than the human mind.

Most ghostly encounters are not visual, but rather consist of noises, smells, sensations, voices, cold spots, electrical disturbances such as lights switching off or on, and displacement or movement of objects. While there are several theories about ghosts (electromagnetic theory, parallelism,etc.), I would just like to shed light on some medical concepts.

Stimulation of some parts of brain leads to disturbance in various perceptions like vision, hearing, etc. leading to hallucinations. Some of the medical reasons for ghostly encounters are:

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder (or a group of disorders) marked by severely impaired thinking, emotions, and behaviors. Schizophrenic patients are typically unable to filter sensory stimuli and may have enhanced perceptions of sounds, colors, and other features of their environment. Schizophrenia have relatively high prevalence compared to other mental disorders. To learn about how schizophrenia leads to ghostly hallucinations: http://medchrome.com/minor/psychiatry/schizophrenia-summarized-article/

Sleep paralysis

Medically, sleep paralysis is a neurology flaccid paralysis at sleep onset or on waking and in otherwise healthy person characterized by an inability to ‘kickstart’ the voluntary muscles, resulting in a transient ‘locked-in’ syndrome. It is associated with narcolepsy, Pickwick syndrome, sleep apnea, cataplexia and hypnagogic hallucinations. There is a high prevalence of sleep paralysis of about 40%. To learn about how sleep paralysis leads to ghostly hallucinations : http://medchrome.com/patient/sleep-problems/sleep-paralysis-alien-abduction-demon-or-physiological/

Mass hysteria

Hysteria is when someone has a very strong emotion that is unmanageable. Often, this means a very strong sense of fear. To learn about medical concept on demonic possesion and several mental disorders including hysteria: http://medchrome.com/featured/demonic-possesion-explained-medical-concept/

All of these conditions above have relatively high prevalence and are characterized by hallucinations and delusions. Also, most of the ghost reports are also the results of pranks. Besides, people have largely sold the idea of existence of ghost.

More theories about ghosts are available at: http://www.mysticalblaze.com/GhostsNature.htm

About Author

Sulabh Shrestha

Intern doctor and Medical Blogger Sulabh Shrestha

10 Comments

  • Ghost are allways said to be spirits of dead humans… Why….? Dont animal ghost exsist, if not why? Ghost incountors can be explained by the brain playing tricks on its self but when you hear storys of 2 or 3 people seeing the same sighting at the same time how can that be explained unless they are liers. Some times police officers risk there rep’s by going on t.v to share what they have exsperienced. Or people see or fill the same things in the same location but never meet. But it allways comes back to a ghost looks like a human figuer or dose humanoid things which then surgest some sort of afterlife which I find more hard to beleave. M-theroy predicts there is 11 diminsions, in these 8 other spaces we are not able to interact with might other beings live. Maybe aware of us but no more intrested in us humans as we are intrested in what a ant is doing. Or dose part of a life play out in a loop in one of these dimension uneffected by time and space as we think of it and a ghost is someone going about what it thinks is a normal day or tradgic moment. But people that have ghostly exspirences say the ghost was some times evil and wanted to intentionly cause suffering which would surgest the ghost is totaly aware of its surroundings and its intentions. All I know is things can exsist without being able to sence them. If you told some one 500 years ago electricity was real you would not be beleaved. In fact u would be burnt at the stake.

  • Very interesting article.There is something which always remains floating in the air after the spirit leaves the body.
    By spirit I mean the soul.Our body is perishable but the soul is everlasting.

  • When i was Children than i believe that. I saw ghost two time. Is is real now that is re searchable.

    • R.I.P. English

  • great post! i love it!

    i would like to share that i have more than once in this situation of seeing and hearing those so called “unknown” (you can read them in my life site if interested http://heniperrr.blogspot.com FREAKY WORLD series) but during that time believe it as others in my circle believe them to be ~ GHOSTS!

    but speaking of the issue of faith, i have changed opinion. 5 years past have i learned that these so called ghosts are the makings of the devil to test ones faith. and in relation to your medical reasoning…I BELIEVE BOTH to be hand-in-hand. That our physical well being is being affected by these evil spirits. something like that.

    my heath blog revolves around physical and spiritual health…and i would love to be linked here as you will be if so in my HEALTH RELATED list of friends. can we exchange links? 😉

    HEALTHINFO@EarthyMe

  • I don’t know about ghosts, but when I had a grand mal seizure I had a near death experience that no doctor could explain, or begin to understand…http://www.practiceofmadness.com/?p=379

    • there are many things science still can’t explain but it is always trying

      • Yes, there are many phenomenon where scientific laws are unsupportable.May be in the future we would be able to see our loved ones sitting and having dinner with us and that moment would be a great moment.Of-course that would be the greatest scientific achievement in this world.

  • Interesting articles, thanks! At one point in my life I worked as a therapist and several of my clients suffered from paranoid delusions.

    • Thank you nothingprofound. Yeah and most of these cases are psychological.

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