Thread: Do you believe in ghosts?

What are your thoughts on ghosts?

I believe in ghosts. I feel like my dead sister is with me, but in the afterlife. (Yes. I have a sister who died of cancer.)

No. Not at all. Living people are the ones you have to watch out for.

no, I don't believe in ghosts! that's silly. when the dead is dead, it's dead it doesn't come back or whatever.

I think this pretty much sums it up.

It's a very complicated matter, I think. I believe there are ghosts. I don't know how, or when, or where, but I believe there are ghosts/spirits. But I also believe that they can't be seen by humans. Like Char, she asks for the first letter of his name: "Give the first letter of his name." "J." "Ow, is it Jason?" "No..." "Then it's Jack." And then they're so amazed, and she guessed his name right, so for so far I can see, Char is a complete fraud. But we have a Scot here in the Netherlands, Derek Ogilvie, which tells people how their house looked like at the time when the person who's a ghost died, which is just one of the things he does. So, I have a mixed view about mediums, not ghosts.

Originally Posted by Continent Turtle

But we have a Scot here in the Netherlands, Derek Ogilvie, which tells people how their house looked like at the time when the person who's a ghost died, which is just one of the things he does. So, I have a mixed view about mediums, not ghosts.

Originally Posted by The Guardian

This was a film about a man called Derek Ogilvie who says he can communicate telepathically with babies. And he's prepared to be tested scientifically, which is rare for people like this.

Anyway, they find that something a bit funny is going on his brain, but I reckon it's just his own self-delusion going into overdrive. Because when it comes to the tests - to determine whether he really can read babies' minds - he demonstrates, emphatically, that he can't. So he doesn't win the million dollars put up by James Randi, the world's greatest psychic sceptic.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Cold reading is a series of techniques used by mentalists, psychics, fortune-tellers, illusionists, and con artists to determine or express details about another person, often in order to convince them that the reader knows much more about a subject than they actually do.[1] Without prior knowledge of a person, a practiced cold reader can still quickly obtain a great deal of information about the subject by analyzing the person's body language, age, clothing or fashion, hairstyle, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race or ethnicity, level of education, manner of speech, place of origin, etc. Cold readers commonly employ high probability guesses about the subject, quickly picking up on signals from their subjects as to whether their guesses are in the right direction or not, and then emphasizing and reinforcing any chance connections the subjects acknowledge while quickly moving on from missed guesses.
Before starting the actual reading, the reader will typically try to elicit cooperation from the subject, saying something such as, "I often see images that are a bit unclear and which may sometimes mean more to you than to me; if you help, we can together uncover new things about you." One of the most crucial elements of a convincing cold reading is a subject eager to make connections or reinterpret vague statements in any way that will help the reader appear to make specific predictions or intuitions. While the reader will do most of the talking, it is the subject who provides the meaning.
After determining that the subject is cooperative, the reader will make a number of probing statements or questions, typically using variations of the methods noted below. The subject will then reveal further information with their replies (whether verbal or non-verbal) and the cold reader can continue from there, pursuing promising lines of inquiry and quickly abandoning or avoiding unproductive ones. In general, while revelations seem to come from the reader, most of the facts and statements come from the subject, which are then refined and restated by the reader so as to reinforce the idea that the reader got something correct.
Subtle cues such as changes in facial expression or body language can indicate whether a particular line of questioning is effective or not. Combining the techniques of cold reading with information obtained covertly (also called "hot reading") can leave a strong impression that the reader knows or has access to a great deal of information about the subject. Because the majority of time during a reading is spent dwelling on the "hits" the reader obtains, while the time spent recognizing "misses" is minimized, the effect gives an impression that the cold reader knows far more about the subject than an ordinary stranger could.

Just have to say lol...I tend to "Cold Read" a lot if I know anything slightly on a subject and want to join a conversation. Quite a few people think I know everything because I do this

Nope. Not in the slightest bit. Not sure what to make of 'Psychic' Sally or any other person who claims to see the dead either.

I believe in something along those lines because I have personal reason to.

After seeing Paranormal Activity, yes I believe in ghosts.

Originally Posted by Betsy

After seeing Paranormal Activity, yes I believe in ghosts.

What did you see?

The movie Paranormal Activity.

Originally Posted by Italy

no, I don't believe in ghosts! that's silly. when the dead is dead, it's dead it doesn't come back or whatever.

I agree on this.

I believe in ghosts, although the concept terrifies me. I don't want to keep living after I die.