All in your head?

When I was doing novel revisions, one of my tasks was to study the psychological profile of my antagonist. Of course, while doing this, I pored over other psychological reports, unable to believe that I was able to understand the jargon spread through these reports. (I suppose that's a result of my reading so many psychology books and Web sites!)

But one thing surfaced in these reports and articles I read, one thing which was even MORE unbelievable: The claim that anyone witnessing paranormal activity has some kind of psychological defect or malfunction at work.

Essentially, what psychologists and experts in the field were saying was that ghosts aren't real, only people with a mental defect think they are real.

I can just hear a chorus of "bullshit!" now.

Indeed. I myself have seen many ghosts. I've even lived in a haunted house, for crying out loud! And I'm not the only one who saw lights flickering, faucets running, pictures turning around and doors locking. With experts claiming that there must be something psychologically wrong with a person who can see ghosts or witness paranormal activity, they better be prepared to add to, and support, that claim that such a defect is genetic!

While I always try to find the LOGICAL reason for activity first, I have no way of explaining the times I have seen ghosts or how doors have slammed shut all by themselves. I am certainly not going to think, "Gee, I must be nuts." While I have indeed considered the possibility that there was something emotionally and psychologically "wrong" with me during that time Jonathan visited my dreams for all those years, I truly believe I was of sound mind and sound heart at the time the other things happened.

Some things, I suppose, are just "unexplained." My reading of those reports hasn't changed my opinion that ghosts are real. Oh, it has brought new insight to my research of paranormal phenomena. But it hasn't convinced me that such phenomena is bogus. On the contrary, I feel this argument requires a lot more research and experimentation than a good old fashioned ghost story calls for believability.