What is Paranormal

[LadyGigiFrost]

I am interested in knowing what other's feel, see or think is paranormal?

[The Madame X]

According to Wikipedia: "Paranormal is a general term (coined c. 1915–1920) that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure. Paranormal phenomena are distinct from certain hypothetical entities, such as dark matter and dark energy, only insofar as paranormal phenomena are inconsistent with the world as already understood through empirical observation coupled with scientific methodology."

What is paranormal to me: I concur that it is the experiences that lie outside the current range of scientific explanation... but even those things that have a scientific explanation can create a certain sense of awe, fear and foreboding that may catalyze 'paranormal' responses.
Honestly I am a scientist at heart and feel that everything will one day be explained scientifically. And that is ok; scientifically explained occurrences can still strike us profoundly, can still be ominous portents and keys to unlock inner parts of our self-perception and potential.
Seriously, just because a blood tide is a natural phenomenon, does not make it any less of a potent experience.
To me examples of paranormal experiences are: Ghosts and Hauntings, Spiritual Encounters, Possessions (demonic, angelic or otherwise), mediumship and channeling, Mass hysteria/Mass visitations, ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance and other para-psychological mind-over matter experiences like telekinesis, spiritual healing, parallel universe experiences, reincarnation, out of body experiences like etheric and astral projection, bleeding/crying statues, and fringe/pseudo science.

Personally, I don't know if I would consider Cryptids, Celestial phenomenon, UFO's, alien encounters or ancient astronauts as paranormal... I know they are considered as such by most. I'm not sure if I have a good reason to exclude them... I will have to think more on that.

[The Madame X]

I thought you might enjoy a list of TV Programs that explore the Paranormal
Have you seen any of them?
Do they do a good job explaining what is Paranormal?
Do they make want to believe or conversely do they debunk aimlessly?
Which are your favorites?

A Haunting
America’s Haunted Castles
Ancient Mysteries
Åndenes Makt (Power of the Spirits)
Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe
Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World
Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers
Beyond
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
Celebrity Ghost Hunt
Celebrity Ghost Stories
Creepy Canada
Crossing Over with John Edward
Dead Famous
Derek Acorah’s Ghost Towns
Destination Truth
Encounters: The Hidden Truth
Exploring the Unknown
Extreme Ghost Stories
Extreme Paranormal
Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files
Fenómeno
Fortean TV
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Hunt
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters Academy
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Lab
Ghost Mine
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories
Ghost Story
Ghost Trackers
Ghosthunters
Ghostly Encounters
Haunted Collector
Haunted History
Haunted Homes
Haunted Hotels
Haunted Houses: Tortured Souls & Restless Spirits
Haunted Lighthouses of America
Haunted Lives: True Ghost Stories
Haunting Evidence
I’m Famous and Frightened!
In Search Of...
Investigations of the Unexplained
James Randi: Psychic Investigator
Jane Goldman Investigates
Most Haunted
Most Haunted Live!
Most Terrifying Places in America
MTV’s Fear
My Ghost Story
Mystery Hunters
Nachtwakers
One Step Beyond
Paranormal Challenge
Paranormal Cops
Paranormal State
Paranormal State: The New Class
Paranormal Witness
Paranormal?
Patrick Macnee’s Ghost Stories
Proof Positive
Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal
Psychic Detectives with Tony Stockwell
Psychic Kids
Psychic Witness
Raaz
Scare Week
Scared!
Scariest Places on Earth
Scary...But True
Scream Team
Sightings
Sixth Sense with Colin Fry
Spook School
Stranded
Strange But True?
Strange Universe
That’s Incredible!
The Antiques Ghost Show
The Dead Files
The Extraordinary
The Girly Ghosthunters
The Haunted
The Othersiders
The Othersiders
The Sleep of Reason with Steve Bell
The Unexplained
The UneXplained
Truth or Scare
UFO Abductions
Unexplained Canada
Unexplained Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Weird or What?
Weird Travels
Woh Kiya Hai
World’s Scariest Ghosts Caught on Tape

[HellaLocke]

For me paranormal is something who lacks scientific explanations. It is also something that we cannot see in our regular visual camp (although some people have a bigger spectre of vision, I'm refering to the common one). For that includes. ghosts (aka as spirits), demons,angels.. but also things like telepathy, clarivoidance... there's a huge world behind the word paranormal.

[LadyGigiFrost]

I believe that my gift's are directly related to my connections of the paranormal. I feel I work on high frequency.
Madamex, thank you for the list, that was awesome and most I have seen, but I do have my favorites is Ghost Adventures, because that I how work when doing any type of paranormal work. Part of the job I do not like, because I do not like to raise my voice and make threats, but if that's what it takes to do gather data, then for the moment that's the hat I wear.
How ever I would like to post this article, I believe it was written in 1999. SCIENCE and PARANORMAL PHENOMENA y
H. Pierre Noyes
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94309

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/47 ... b-8151.pdf

[LadyGigiFrost]

OOOPS Sorry - Here is the real link

http://www.slac.stanford.edu/cgi-wrap/g ... b-8151.pdf

[Hesperus]

Awesome link, Gigi; the author does a great job of exploring the fine line between "ordinary science" and the paranormal, particularly as it is subjected to scientific investigation. Given the common understanding of "paranormal" as that which is not readily understood in scientific terms, one might expect the great and ever quickening advancements in science to eventually eliminate or at least severely lessen paranormal experiences. I am confident that I'm not alone here in my rejection of this notion lol.

I believe in an absolutely infinite universe; as such, even once science has amassed an infinite degree of understanding, there will always still be infinitely more to discover. If this model holds true, then the paranormal will always exist. As the author of the article you linked, Gigi, says, true scientists have to be comfortable with uncertainty because it's likely never-ending.

Furthermore, I contend that many of the daily experiences that science claims to understand remain properly, at least in part, within the realm of the paranormal. Consider, for example, a common enough exchange of a lovely young lady smiling coyly at a young man as they cross paths on the street. Science understands how the light from the burning ball of gas at the center of our solar system traveled through our planet's atmosphere, collided with the parties involved, bounced off with new frequencies, and finally struck the eyes of our young subjects. Neurobiologists could no doubt speak at great length about how the resulting chemical interactions communicated patterns to each person's brain, triggering reactions thoroughly reinforced by evolutionary processes over countless generations to cause the release of more chemicals that enter the blood stream and quicken the young man's heart rate. All of this is science, and it is as fascinating as it is useful. Does any of this adequately convey the meaningfulness of that smile or its recognition, though? Whether or not our interpretations of subjectively significant events are themselves chemical reactions, the fact that we experience them as special merits their classification as paranormal. Perhaps the paranormal can be expressed as specific patterns of neurological activity that we know as feelings of transcendence, but observing the reality of such moments from a new, scientific angle doesn't diminish their meaningfulness or justify stripping them of their title as paranormal events.

As I see it, if you find an experience transformative, eerie, or uncanny, then it's paranormal for you. It's only natural that scientists should want to explore why that is, and I encourage such investigations, but the results need not be demystifying or disillusioning

[LadyGigiFrost]

Hesperus,
I love is the history of parapsychology. A history is once again repeating it's self in some forms for the better, so is the study of parapsychology. More and more well know Universities world wide seem to be on the search for something greater. Maybe, the world will see things as the Taṇhaṅkara Buddhist.
We went through a long period where the study of such things, went to side and things turned towards technology. However, at some point with the advances in technology, many are able to see what I and other like me see. By using infrared Night Vision, Full Spectrum, sonic hearing - oh the list is endless.
But, it has brought opening new doors, that were not possible 100 years ago. Now, those that go walking in the dark for such things can back up there finding in scientific format.
UGGG!!!! I GOT TO GO GHOST HUNTING (Sorry, I was having a moment)
Thinks seems to be progressing in the paranormal, spiritual and dream world, and that pleases me.

[Hesperus]

I'm definitely with you there, Gigi Discovering new realms, layers of reality, and ways of looking at our world is so exciting! The development of new technology, as you pointed out, provides a great gift to the field of paranormal research and can help those who aren't currently able to sense such things without the help of these tools. At the same time, I feel that passionate, gifted people like yourself have even more to offer. It's one thing to have a carefully calibrated sensor detect a sudden temperature drop and an electromagnetic energy spike, but someone who can directly interact with non-corporeal consciousnesses can give meaningful, human insight that numbers produced by a machine never could. Besides which, nobody would bother doing this research if not for those who already experience contact without the technology and tell others to check it out. Evolving technology is awesome, but sensitive people who grace the world with their gifted insight are infinitely more valuable in my eyes

[The Madame X]

I agree with you both.
Some do seek to plainly remove the magic from the world. Some of these shows declare a "Fake" if they can satisfactory reproduce the recorded 'evidence'. I hate it. Just because something like it can be replicated using smoke and mirrors doesn't mean 'it' wasn't a real paranormal event.