Parapsychologists and self-styled ghost-hunting organizations are just two examples of people who seek out the existence of ghosts. This resource, examines ghost hunting as a cultural and scientific phenomenon, sidestepping the many issues surrounding the reality of ghosts, and discussing the many and varied methods used by ghost hunters. Taking the approach that there is no such thing as the supernatural, only things we don't yet understand, the ghost experience is examined through case studies; the forms and functions that ghost hunters have taken down through history are analyzed; key historical figures and their influence on the research of ghostly phenomena are reviewed; ghost hunting in the 21st century, including the exploding phenomenon of Internet ghost-hunting organizations, is discussed; and the advances in the theory and technology of the parapsychology field are covered. For those who are skeptical about the reality of ghosts but who want to understand how so many individuals claim to have anomalous experiences, this book reviews the data, offers insight into logical explanations, and discusses why this is and has been for centuries such an important issue to humans.
1 Foreword by Richard Wiseman 2 Introduction by James Houran 3 Science in Search of Spirit by Annekatrin Puhle and Adrian Parker 4 How Shamanism Began: Human Evolution, Dissociation, and Anomalous Experience by James McClenon 5 Spirits as Human Nature and the Fundamental Structures of Consciousness by Michael Winkelman 6 Interactions with Apparitions, Ghosts, and Revenants from Ancient and Medieval Sources by Christa A. Tuczay 7 Historical Profiles in Poltergeist Research by Peter Mulacz 8 American Children's Ghost Stories: Manipulation and Mastery of a Belief System by Sylvia Grider 9 Ghost Hunting in the Twenty First Century by John Potts 10 Afterword by Loyd Auerbach 11 Further Reading 12 Index
Overview
Parapsychologists and self-styled ghost-hunting organizations are just two examples of people who seek out the existence of ghosts. This resource, examines ghost hunting as a cultural and scientific phenomenon, sidestepping the many issues surrounding the reality of ghosts, and discussing the many and varied methods used by ghost hunters. Taking the approach that there is no such thing as the supernatural, only things we don't yet understand, the ghost experience is examined through case studies; the forms and ...