most haunted...real or not real!

[Mentalman]

I know of another case which members of my girlfriends in laws family were involved...
Basically the granny of this family died...The son of the woman has a child who at the time was only about 18months old and just starting to speak.
The night of the burial the son was woken up by the child,When he looked across the child was standing up in the cot waving at the door and was saying "bye nana"
The child was never told his granny had died nor was he at any of the funeral masses or burial....

To be fair though LL babies comprehend a lot more than we give them credit for, what they lack is the ability to articulate. for instance saw a program one night about parents who were teach their children sign language? Children understand a lot of what is said to them as toddlers, but the matching ability to speak takes longer to develop. Anyway sign language allows them to communicate non verbally. One day one of these sets of parents were in the local supermarket (no doubt taking up valuable family designated parking spaces close to the door ) with their kid. As they passed through the cold food section the child start to sign "rabbit" to them they looked around, saw no rabbits, thought it was just random thought until they went to the counter and the butcher opened his mouth to reveal gigantic buck teeth Anyway not saying it was something similar in this case, just kids pick up on a lot we don't give them credit for.

[MW]

For my part I don't know if there is a "spirit world". Went out with a girl, very down to earth, not religious, who strongly believed in it, claimed to have seen ghosts of her mum & Gran, and it all seemed to give her some comfort that they were with her. She went to see our buddy Derek Acorah, and his words seemed to help her, even if I think he's taking advantage of people's loss. She found something she obviously needed after the early death of mum. What harm I say?
one of those.

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

[ONeill]

I was working on my own in a really old house near Athboy in Meath last year,I was in the front bedroom connecting a few cables into the fuseboard when all of a sudden I got this feeling there was someone there behind me,I looked around and there wasn't anyone but I became overcome with the feeling that there was something there..
I really got freaked out and I packed up my stuff and left,The next day I had to go back and I got talking to a plumber who was working there and he started telling me something of a similar story to what I experienced,He had been fitting a rad in the same room and he also said he got a little freaked and had left..
I'm not easily spooked but I really felt uneasy that day and I'm convinced there was someting or someone in the room where I was..
I said it to the owner and he said he hadn't noticed anything strange but his elderly Uncle had just died in the house a few months before hand in the same room where I had been working

It was a draft by the window.

[ONeill]

I know of another case which members of my girlfriends in laws family were involved...
Basically the granny of this family died...The son of the woman has a child who at the time was only about 18months old and just starting to speak.
The night of the burial the son was woken up by the child,When he looked across the child was standing up in the cot waving at the door and was saying "bye nana"
The child was never told his granny had died nor was he at any of the funeral masses or burial....

The poor child was looking for a banana.

[MW]

I know of another case which members of my girlfriends in laws family were involved...
Basically the granny of this family died...The son of the woman has a child who at the time was only about 18months old and just starting to speak.
The night of the burial the son was woken up by the child,When he looked across the child was standing up in the cot waving at the door and was saying "bye nana"
The child was never told his granny had died nor was he at any of the funeral masses or burial....

To be fair though LL babies comprehend a lot more than we give them credit for, what they lack is the ability to articulate. for instance saw a program one night about parents who were teach their children sign language? Children understand a lot of what is said to them as toddlers, but the matching ability to speak takes longer to develop. Anyway sign language allows them to communicate non verbally. One day one of these sets of parents were in the local supermarket (no doubt taking up valuable family designated parking spaces close to the door ) with their kid. As they passed through the cold food section the child start to sign "rabbit" to them they looked around, saw no rabbits, thought it was just random thought until they went to the counter and the butcher opened his mouth to reveal gigantic buck teeth Anyway not saying it was something similar in this case, just kids pick up on a lot we don't give them credit for.

Childhood story of my own here.

When I was a kid (like really young - under 3) I got up in the middle of the night and encountered a dog in the hallway (when you're that age, you just accept the bizarre). Don't remember seeing it, as it was dark, but can remember actually reaching down and stroking it. For a few years afterwards I swore that this actually happened - it seemed 100% real to me. Or at least looking back I think it did - do I remember the incident, or just remember remembering it? One of only a handful of memories I have from before my younger brother was born when I was 3 (I can date it as I moved bedroom when he was born). Thing is, I now know that this didn't actually happen. I must've just dreamt it - even though my memory is still of a 'real life' incident.

[Mentalman]

For my part I don't know if there is a "spirit world". Went out with a girl, very down to earth, not religious, who strongly believed in it, claimed to have seen ghosts of her mum & Gran, and it all seemed to give her some comfort that they were with her. She went to see our buddy Derek Acorah, and his words seemed to help her, even if I think he's taking advantage of people's loss. She found something she obviously needed after the early death of mum. What harm I say?
one of those.

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

Tried to pick my words carefully myself, tis a litigious age we live in, even on the tinterbobble.

It's a tough situation to be in, there's a delicate line to thread between indulging a person's need for some sort of answers, and protecting them from  predators.

It's similar/identical with fortune tellers etc. These people, I feel at least, can no more read the future than you or me. What they can read though is
people, and they know how extract info, and manipulate their thoughts. On the other hand people find solace in it. Even considered going to one myself at my very lowest ebb, just for some self delusion.

[Croí na hÉireann]

I know of another case which members of my girlfriends in laws family were involved...
Basically the granny of this family died...The son of the woman has a child who at the time was only about 18months old and just starting to speak.
The night of the burial the son was woken up by the child,When he looked across the child was standing up in the cot waving at the door and was saying "bye nana"
The child was never told his granny had died nor was he at any of the funeral masses or burial....

To be fair though LL babies comprehend a lot more than we give them credit for, what they lack is the ability to articulate. for instance saw a program one night about parents who were teach their children sign language? Children understand a lot of what is said to them as toddlers, but the matching ability to speak takes longer to develop. Anyway sign language allows them to communicate non verbally. One day one of these sets of parents were in the local supermarket (no doubt taking up valuable family designated parking spaces close to the door ) with their kid. As they passed through the cold food section the child start to sign "rabbit" to them they looked around, saw no rabbits, thought it was just random thought until they went to the counter and the butcher opened his mouth to reveal gigantic buck teeth Anyway not saying it was something similar in this case, just kids pick up on a lot we don't give them credit for.

Friend of the woman has a 1 year old, just starting to talk, loves investigating, the usual shite. Anyways has a fasination with animals, or to be more precise animal sounds. Anytime they pass a black man in the park he makes a monkey sound, needless to say she is highly embarrased. She'll see the funny side one day...

[ziggysego]

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

Acorah has been exposed as a fraud, not that I ever believed him. That's why he was replaced on Most Haunted.

[MW]

For my part I don't know if there is a "spirit world". Went out with a girl, very down to earth, not religious, who strongly believed in it, claimed to have seen ghosts of her mum & Gran, and it all seemed to give her some comfort that they were with her. She went to see our buddy Derek Acorah, and his words seemed to help her, even if I think he's taking advantage of people's loss. She found something she obviously needed after the early death of mum. What harm I say?
one of those.

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

Tried to pick my words carefully myself, tis a litigious age we live in, even on the tinterbobble.

It's a tough situation to be in, there's a delicate line to thread between indulging a person's need for some sort of answers, and protecting them from  predators.

It's similar/identical with fortune tellers etc. These people, I feel at least, can no more read the future than you or me. What they can read though is
people, and they know how extract info, and manipulate their thoughts. On the other hand people find solace in it. Even considered going to one myself at my very lowest ebb, just for some self delusion.

I think it's abusive and manipulative to feed off the vulnerable. Maybe people do need to kid themselves, but I don't think "mediums" can know whether the stories they spin to them will have a benign or damaging effect.

I think you're right that mediums and fortune tellers, the successful ones anyway, are good at reading people (much like Brown, in fact).

Some of the stuff Brown has done on 'cold reading' is very interesting - seems to be a very acute form of charlatanism, and fairly easy to replicate if you've got good verbal and interpersonal skills.

In one way I'd actually like to go to one of these people to see if I could spot what they were doing.

[MW]

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

Acorah has been exposed as a fraud, not that I ever believed him. That's why he was replaced on Most Haunted.

Indeed he has, though Most Haunted is hardly cast in any better light than he is:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16303507&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=spooky-truth--tv-s-most-haunted-con-exposed-tv--n

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4500322.stmame_page.html

I think Ofcom got it right about Most Haunted though, it shouldn't be taken seriously - it's entertainment, a drama just like WWE is acting, not sport.

[tyrone86]

Friend of the woman has a 1 year old, just starting to talk, loves investigating, the usual shite. Anyways has a fasination with animals, or to be more precise animal sounds. Anytime they pass a black man in the park he makes a monkey sound, needless to say she is highly embarrased. She'll see the funny side one day...

The cub must be watching too much Eastern European soccer 

[Mentalman]

For my part I don't know if there is a "spirit world". Went out with a girl, very down to earth, not religious, who strongly believed in it, claimed to have seen ghosts of her mum & Gran, and it all seemed to give her some comfort that they were with her. She went to see our buddy Derek Acorah, and his words seemed to help her, even if I think he's taking advantage of people's loss. She found something she obviously needed after the early death of mum. What harm I say?
one of those.

I think Derren Brown was pretty much spot on in his book when he referred to "mediums" (media?) who prey on the bereaved and vulnerable as "abusive scum". (he was careful not to personalise things with Acorah though)

Tried to pick my words carefully myself, tis a litigious age we live in, even on the tinterbobble.

It's a tough situation to be in, there's a delicate line to thread between indulging a person's need for some sort of answers, and protecting them from  predators.

It's similar/identical with fortune tellers etc. These people, I feel at least, can no more read the future than you or me. What they can read though is
people, and they know how extract info, and manipulate their thoughts. On the other hand people find solace in it. Even considered going to one myself at my very lowest ebb, just for some self delusion.

I think it's abusive and manipulative to feed off the vulnerable. Maybe people do need to kid themselves, but I don't think "mediums" can know whether the stories they spin to them will have a benign or damaging effect.

I think you're right that mediums and fortune tellers, the successful ones anyway, are good at reading people (much like Brown, in fact).

Some of the stuff Brown has done on 'cold reading' is very interesting - seems to be a very acute form of charlatanism, and fairly easy to replicate if you've got good verbal and interpersonal skills.

In one way I'd actually like to go to one of these people to see if I could spot what they were doing.

On the other hand religion's, to a lesser or greater extent, have been doing this for ever. Perhaps in the absence of strong binding religious beliefs more people are turning to this stuff? That's probably another discussion.

Saw a very interesting program one night about how tarot readings were actually "invented" by the church. The particular priest talking about this gave such a reading to the presenter on a common problem people go to tarot readers for - infidelity. It was amazing how he could spin the reading out, while explaining everything he was doing, which more or less was like logic game, and he wasn't employing any interpersonal reading skills of the person presenting the problem. A real eye opener.

A few of my friends frequent fortune tellers, and I've taken it upon myself to "interview" them afterwards. When you reconstruct what's actually happened it's truely amazing. People volunteer in my estimation at least 75% of the information that they come out telling you is their future. The rest is made up of common life scenarios, and high probability prediction e.g. you say your in a trade, they tell you you are going to have an accident. another large element of it is referrals - friends and family refer friends and family by contacting tellers directly to make appointments - sure there is practically a case file ready before they even get in the door. Amazing stuff. Like I said, self delusion.

[The Real Laoislad]

Anyone ever dabbled with a Ouija board

[ziggysego]

Anyone ever dabbled with a Ouija board

No, but I've seen people use them. Consequences wasn't good either.

[Mentalman]

Anyone ever dabbled with a Ouija board

No, but I've seen people use them. Consequences wasn't good either.

Was always too scared as a young'un to tell the truth. Things like that, spirit interventions or no, can have unforseen effects on the human mind, loosening things we're not even aware of. Bit of it used to go on on the estate I was reared on and it all ended badly, one kid entering psychosis as a result, despite the fact when they got to the bottom of it the leader of the adventure was manipulating the board "for a laugh". Delicate thing the human mind.