What exactly is a ghost? That really is the million dollar question. No one really knows for sure. When it comes to investigating ghosts and hauntings, there are plenty of theories out there, but the hard evidence is, well, still lacking. Now, I don't want to discount in any way the personal paranormal experiences people have. Unlike some in the field of paranormal research, I do believe that people are experiencing things that are at the very least unexplanable and at most supernatural. It is not "all in your head". There is truly something "out there" worthy of exploration. What that "something" is though....well, that's the mystery now isn't it? However, as is the nature of folks to categorize, rationalize and explain the mysterious (irregardless of whether they've figured it out or not), theories on the paranormal abound! Below I've listed a few of the more common ones:
Ghosts are the disembodied spirits of the dead.
Ghosts are residual energy of a person or animal that has been "recorded" in time
Ghosts are hallucinations that are caused by high electromagnetic field fluctuations.
Ghosts are spiritual entities that have never been human (demons).
Ghosts are a manifestation of personal energy or some kind of force operating after death.
Ghosts are the essence of a deceased individual preserved as negative energy--sort of like a live person's aura (Michaeleen Maher's work talks about this)
Ghosts are recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis (RSPK)--this mainly pertains to poltergeist activity. Ghostly activity is thought to be centered around and the result of a living person unconsciously relieving stress by mentally moving objects, causing noises, etc.
