There are several different theories of what ghosts might be. In an effort to be fair and balanced, we'll also be examining the skeptic's point of view. Interestingly, even those folks that agree that there is a strong case for the existence of ghosts, tend to keep their distance

from total acceptance. Some of the current theories used to "explain" ghosts involve hallucinations, the creative power of the mind, dreams, telepathy, glitches in the fabric of time, and ghosts as energy.

Are Ghosts a Bundle of Energy?

The energy theory, while somewhat similar to the "creative power of the mind" theory, seems to be the most common, and generally agreed upon. This theory a to define what a ghost is comprised how it goes about manifesting itself.

According to this theory, a ghost is a disembodied cloud of intelligent energy that has somehow discovered a means of manifesting itself within the physical realm of the living.

Ghosts have often been know to pull power from the batteries of research equipment during
paranormal investigations and cause electrical disturbances.

Energy theory suggests that ghosts may be able to utilize ions, the byproducts of electrically unbalanced atoms (which exist all around us in abundance) to form visible plasma. A candle flame consists of plasma.

Do ghosts then employ this most common state of matter, to achieve manifestation?

While this theory is the most widely accepted by most researchers, it W still cannot provide the exact details of how, or by what mechanism a ghost is able to accumulate energy.

Are Ghosts a Dream?

In an attempt to explain away something that just can't be pinned down, some scientists have put forth the dream theory which suggests that ghosts are nothing more than a product of the subconscious imagination.

The term for this is hypnagogia. This theory suggests that ghosts only exist as a type of hallucination that occurs when a person is in between deep sleep and full consciousness.

Many people have reported having had ghostly encounters "just before they woke up" but were quite adamant that they were not dreaming.

The theory of hypnagogia does not explain how complete strangers have had almost identical encounters with the same entity many months, or even years apart. Can people share a dream?

If so, perhaps that can explain those instances when an entity appears to more than one person at a time. Lastly, if ghosts are all dreams, does that mean that during all ghostly encounters, the living must be asleep?

Are Ghosts Telepathic Images?

Parapsychologists are increasingly beginning to believe that ghosts are capable of communicating with us through telepathy.

The telepathy theory claims that ghosts may be able to produce an image of themselves in our minds. It is our senses that mistakenly believe that what we perceive in our mind's eye is physical reality.

One problem with this theory is that if a ghost only exists in our minds, how then is it able to be caught on film?

When two people see the same ghost, is that ghost in both individuals' minds simultaneously?

If ghosts can actually "get into our heads", why are they experienced so rarely? One reason may be that most ghosts are unaware that they possess this ability. Another reason for the rarity of this situation may be that many ghost simply have no desire to communicate with us.


Are Ghosts a "Glitch in Time?"

The time glitch theory relies on the premise that time is fluid and not linear, as most of us currently believe it to be.

This theory suggests...

That the person in the American colonial garb that is walking through a wall in your dining room may not be a ghost at all, but a living person from a "past" time period simply going about his or her daily routine.

This situation differs from an imprint (which we'll discuss later), as this person is not just remnant energy imbedded in the environment, but a living person from a different time, and perhaps a different plane of existence.

Why this person typically does not interact with those in the present as it would if this were a time warp is not understood, but the concept of one plane (or time period) overlapping onto another has been tossed about.

Are Ghosts a Hallucination?

The hallucination theory contends that people are only able to see ghosts because they have a need to see them and thus simply hallucinate them.

It is the converse of seeing-is-believing -- they believe and so they see. Proponents of this theory cite cases where a person has a need to see ghosts to comfort themselves that a deceased loved one is well, or to convince themselves of their own desired immortality.

The intense pain of losing a loved one or the overwhelming fear caused by the realization of one's own mortality could very likely provoke hallucinations.

However, this theory does not explain the fact that the majority of the people who have reported having ghostly encounters were neither grieving nor pondering the afterlife.

The majority of people who have these encounters are typically considered to be quite sober and balanced with no real interest in seeing anything supernatural.

Are Ghosts the Creation of a Discarnate Mind?

According to the power-of-the-discarnate-mind theory, the mind can survive the death of the physical body and is able to manifest itself through its sheer power of will.

The combination of a disembodied mind and the ability to manufacture plasma from an ambient energy source then results in a ghost that is visible to the living.