Category: Other Topics

The simple answer is: Nothing happens to them.

They’ve seen something that looked like a ghost.

That’s all.

I’m sorry if that’s disappointing. It happens to be the truth. After decades of paranormal research, I’m used to ghosts and things that just look like ghosts.

Seeing an apparition – or any other evidence of ghosts – may change how a person reacts to ghost stories. Aside from the emotional and cognitive impact, I don’t think anything else happens to the person.

• • No one dies from it.
  • The person isn’t cursed.
  • People who see ghosts aren’t personally haunted for the rest of their lives.

If you see a ghost, that’s usually described as an apparition.

An apparition may look like a person, or at least part of one. You might see just a torso, or just a face. The apparition might be solid, translucent (it lets light through), or nearly transparent.

Here’s a short video about what ghosts and apparitions look like:

Want to See an Apparition? #shorts

Quick tips about what ghosts might (and might not) look like.

Generally, the ghost appears as he or she wants to be remembered.

Few apparitions look gory, gruesome, or even elderly.

When someone thinks they’ve seen something really creepy… it’s rarely an actual ghost.

Seeing a ghost is like witnessing any other extraordinary (but natural) event.

It’s an unusual experience, like seeing the Aurora Borealis, or visiting an active volcano.

Maybe it’s memorable. Maybe the viewer would prefer to explain it as “an overactive imagination” or “the power of suggestion.”

I never try to convince someone that they’ve seen a ghost, even if I’m 99% sure they did.

Spiritual contexts make a difference.

• Seeing a ghost might be startling, particularly if the person had been a skeptic.
• To a believer, it affirms the idea of an afterlife.

We can’t prove anything, one way or the other. All we can say is: The person believes he (or she) saw something like a ghost.

That’s a personal, subjective experience.

For some people, seeing a ghost answers all their questions: Ghosts are real. After that, the individual may quit ghost hunting.

Or, the experience might trigger new questions. If so, the researcher may be even more enthusiastic about ghost hunting.

Meanwhile, nothing terrible happens to a person who’s seen a ghost. Real life is different from movies and TV shows.

And, to be honest, apparitions are extremely rare. Many (and perhaps most) ghost hunters never see a ghost… not one that they’re sure was a ghost, anyway.

You’re more likely to win the lottery.

Yes, but I think it depends on several things.

– Is the person vulnerable? If the person is sad, depressed, or morose, he or she may attract sympathetic ghosts. That person may also attract less benign spirits. Be very watchful if you think this has happened.

– Does the person have anything common with the ghost or entity?  That can include appearance, interests, personal history, and family connections to a particular ghost.

If you’re a ghost hunter, know your family tree. I investigated one Salem (MA) location for years before discovering I was a direct descendant of two of the ghosts.

– Is the person looking for contact with the ghost, or with spirits in general?  If you’re more open to ghosts, you might encounter more of them. 

– On the other hand, if the person fears ghosts, I think some ghosts like to torment them.

– If a skeptical critic is startled by a ghost, watch out. Poltergeist activity may follow, immediately. (The ghost might be making use of the person’s own energy. It can be very scary.)

The most receptive people may be those with the best observational skill.

Those skills often come from practice.

Can you identify normal creaking noises in a house? If so, it may be easier to identify other, unusual — and perhaps ghostly — sounds.

In other words, if you’d like to be more receptive, go on more ghost investigations. The more you know about what’s normal at creepy locations, the more sensitive you’ll become to things that are paranormal.