hubby says he has seen a ghost five times so far.

[lowresidue]

Hubby has taken our dog to a local wood, and lets the dog go for a run.
He goes at different times and different days.
He came home and told me that he has seen the same woman ghost five separate times so far. Tonight with bonnet wearing woman made him jump when she popped up in front of him. When he said 'you made me jump', she smiled nodded and walked away from him.

He was quite serious but I asked why he thought she was a dead/ ghost? He said because she is wearing a long coat and a bonnet type hat.
AIBU to suggest that this woman isn't dead, isn't a ghost and is an odd lady with a strange fashion sense?
He is quite firm she is a ghost, and walks along the path but not on it though the trees.

personally I am glad we are going on holiday soon my hubby really needs it asap.
Then again AIBU?

My mum, whilst dying, told my SIL (who was with her) that my aunt (DM's sister) and her husband were waiting in the room for her. My SIL, being a pragmatic soul, asked where my dad was (he also predeceased DM). 'Oh he's sitting in his chair in the corner,' said DM, dismissively.

Summed up my dad to a T, not wanting to get involved in family affairs! But the commonality of this experience makes me wonder. DM had no interest in woo, and maybe it was the dementia, but just why do so many people report that those who 'went before' are waiting for them? Even those with no religion or beliefs? DM had, as I said, dementia, so wouldn't have said it to comfort those left behind.

why do so many people report that those who 'went before' are waiting for them? Even those with no religion or beliefs?

I get that, if you want to believe in an afterlife, these recounts are encouraging. In the same way that when we hear testimonies from people who share other beliefs that we might also share we,find that confirms what we hope too.

But we're left thinking what about those that don't see loved ones plus the science behind the weird and wonderful things the brain does.

An elderly relative of mine has bouts of anoxia and has seen all manner of things from cowboys to ninjas in his room! We know as the body nears death the lack of oxygen effects cognitive ability. I think that's actually quite nice that often it cause some comforting hallucinations. (Although sometimes they're not so comforting and there are accounts of people having terribly upsetting visions.)

It can be a form of self-preservation - against the shock and grief of losing someone.

Even as someone without a belief in the afterlife when I visited my sister soon after death it was comforting to see that whatever 'she' was had gone. And I was looking at her body, not the essence of her. It was comforting to see that it wasn't as if she was still there but stuck in body that didn't work.

Bizarrely it's also comforting to think that she doesn't know she is dead. And while she's not able to feel anything, that means she's unable to feel anything negative. Nothing can hurt her.

But my point is head, why so many report seeing deceased loved ones? If it's purely anoxia, or the brain shutting down, then why would the reported 'visions' be so consistent? Why doesn't every dying person report seeing something different but important to 'them?' Flying horses or cowboys or Terry Wogan waiting for them?

It's fascinating. Like the cross-cultural visions in sleep paralysis, why do those reporting these things all see similar?

And I don't know where it leaves those who report nothing. But I'd really like to see a study...

I saw a modern day ghost in Superdrug once...with a dog! Saw this woman walk to the next aisle. Decided to follow her down that aisle as she had a border terrier with her (I had two border terriers at that time). I was literally seconds behind her, she didn’t double back as I would have seen her. Yet when I walked into the aisle she was nowhere to be seen, nor her dog. The aisle was a dead end...(in more ways than one! 😳) There was nowhere she could have gone but the aisle was empty apart from a slightly surprised me... I’ve often thought of it. It was a modern shop within Georgian buildings, built on a Roman city. Maybe there was residual energy from two millennia of occupation, coursing through the modern shop, animating a sort of recording of a recently deceased woman and dog. Who knows. I like the fact the universe still holds some mysteries and that a lot of us humans can experience things that aren’t modern and sanitised.

I’ve also had experience of seeing a friend at the time of her death, saving someone from serious injury or worse through (I suppose) astral projection and quite possibly manifesting a paranormal woo event that scared my ex immensely (still makes me smile 😈).

The problem is that many sceptics post with rude condescension rather than genuine interest.

Hey, lots of people post all over MN with rude condescension about everything from washing up liquid to weddings.

I like the fact the universe still holds some mysteries and that a lot of us humans can experience

Me too!

things that aren’t modern and sanitised.

Sorry, can you clarify what you mean?

But I'd really like to see a study.

There has been one about out of body experiences while they've been bought back from death during resuscitation. There have been lots of accounts of people floating above looking down while the medics work in them so researchers placed images on shelves that only someone in that situation would see.

During the study no one that was resuscitated could recall them.

I feel that way about aspects of feminism, bertrand. I'm fascinated to know how women can believe they are liberating other women by berating them, how they can really be 'for' equality when they're making so many of the mistakes men have made etc. I'm fascinated. But I'm not disingenuous enough to know this would come off unwelcome and patronising on the feminism board. What I wonder is, are you bossy and patronising in real life. I just wonder that. I wouldn't say I'm fascinated.

why so many report seeing deceased loved ones

But if we give credence to the claim due to the numbers of people having the experience we're then in a position that we need to give credence to any claims made by a group of people.

Many people believed in Zeus, ergo Zeus is probably real.

See, it doesn't/can't possibly work that way otherwise we're forced to believe anything and everything. Such as the mothmen previously mentioned.

"The problem is that many sceptics post with rude condescension rather than genuine interest."
Yes, some do. But another problem is that any post not absolutely accepting of supernatural experiences is often characterised as rude condescension. Which can make discussion difficult.

But I'm not disingenuous enough to know this would come off unwelcome and patronising on the feminism board

Then isn't it about language? If you're clear on the veracity of your position shouldn't you strive to have those much needed conversations even if you might occasionally get it wrong, or come across people who may misinterpret your point.

"What I wonder is, are you bossy and patronising in real life. I just wonder that"
Heartsease-when you have a moment maybe you could c&p a post where I have been bossy and patronising or berated anyone? Thank you.

Side note: can you tell I'm supposed to be decorating

It's the ubiquity of the experience I am interested in. Nobody believes in Zeus who has never heard of Zeus, but plenty of dying patients with no interest or belief in the afterlife report deceased relations 'coming to collect them' from their deathbed.

And I'm not really interested in the NDE report. Read it in the past, inconclusive. However I am interested in the persistence of visions during sleep paralysis and the emotions invoked!

maybe you could c&p a post where I have been bossy and patronising or berated anyone?

For me too. I can't say I've never been cheeky anywhere in MN but I don't think I've been such things?

^Patronise:
treat with an apparent kindness which betrays a feeling of superiority.^

Nobody believes in Zeus who has never heard of Zeus, but plenty of dying patients with no interest or belief in the afterlife report deceased relations 'coming to collect them' from their deathbed.

There you go. They all knew the relatives collecting them. They're not all reporting they're being greeted by an insurance broker they've never met before called Geoff from Hounslow.

soldiers on horseback but halfway thru the road as on an older road

Was this north of the border Pgs007 ? My DM said she once saw a whole battalion on horse back on a road but they looked like they had sunk because they were on an old road.

I'm completely sceptical although I'll admit to believing that I've seen a ghost-dog at my dsis house. I could see a tail and I thought it was my cat, then I realised it couldn't be my cat as we weren't at home! The 'dog' used to sleep at the bottom of the stairs and it came into the living room, jumped on the sofa between me and dh! It was bizzare!

I have a theory for ghosts that I can't explain very well but I think it's to do with the transfer of energy and time. What we see aren't ghosts but residual energy that cause particles to move in familiar patterns 🤓

I don't get it when people say ghosts don't exist. Just because there isn't currently any evidence to say they do, it doesn't mean there won't be in the future. There's so much we don't understand.

I don't get it when people say ghosts don't exist.

I'm saying there's nothing we can call evidence.

Just because there isn't currently any evidence to say they do, it doesn't mean there won't be in the future.

Would you say the same about Zeus, unicorns, pixies or the universe sitting on the back of a giant tortoise?

There's so much we don't understand.

I agree! Wonderful to know there's so much still to learn.

They're not all reporting they're being greeted by an insurance broker they've never met before called Geoff from Hounslow.

Maybe some of them are? They are the ones who don't report anything (other than 'who's that strange bloke in my room?') Unless he's introduced himself properly.

I really hope I'm met by a caseworker called Juno like the Maitlands

She's currently in a graduate training programme for a hotel chain and also training to be a volunteer at Woman's Aid. Why do you ask?

Just genuinely curious about the reasons to study theology as an atheist. I have only known Christians to do theology degrees.

Theology is a very interesting subject - and an excellent academic discipline. I'm not religious myself, but very interested in theology/philosophy/religions.

I love these threads, and have seen things that could be described as 'ghosts'. At the time, I was absolutely terrified and would think I had seen a ghost - but then when I'd calmed down and thought it through, although I know I had seen something, I couldn't, deep down, believe it really was a 'ghost'.

One example was in broad daylight where a man in old-fashioned army gear turned and looked straight at me - and I just knew he wasn't a 'normal' human. He looked so strange and kind of translucent, almost moving in slow motion.

Another time I was in a car being followed by some friends in another car on a deserted road at night. Something appeared in front of us, like a misty cloud shape hovering above the road, and it was too late for the driver to brake so we both screamed - and the thing, whatever it was, went right through the car with a horrible loud roaring noise, like the air was all being sucked out of the car. We were so shocked we stopped a little bit down the road - and the car following stopped behind us. When we got out the friends in the car behind us were freaking out too and had experienced the exact same thing. To this day I have no idea what happened but we all saw it.

However I think maybe our brains sometimes interpret things we don't understand in a weird way and that is much more likely to be the explanation, imo. Still gives me the creeps when I remember it though...