Brandon Massullo - The Ghost Studies: New Perspectives on the Origins of Paranormal Experiences

Copyright 2017 by Brandon Massullo

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THE GHOST STUDIES
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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all those who seek answers to paranormal experiences. It is truly a selfless job, as the money is crap and so are the hours.

D o you remember the first time you heard about someones ghostly encounter? Not just someone on TV, but a friend or family member.

I was 14, and after my friend thrilled me with his personal encounter with a ghost, he asked me, his voice trembling slightly, Do you believe in ghosts? Are ghosts real? What causes a ghost?

I must have stared at him for 10 minutes as my brain worked overtime to come up with an intelligent response. But the only answer I could muster up was I dont know.

It turns out that my response, at age 14, is very similar to what the majority of mainstream scientists and researchers would say today.

My friends questions have bothered me for more than 20 years, and I have actively sought the answers through education and interviews with those who report interacting with a ghost. While looking for the answers, I noticed similarities among ghostly encounters, which ultimately led to developing new theories to explain ghosts and ghostly experiences presented in this book.

I havent investigated hundreds of haunted locations, nor do I own a vest with hundreds of pockets. I never understood why ghost hunters on TV always have those vests. I do not dress in all black. I dont claim to have psychic talents. And Im not part of a paranormal investigation team. What I am is extremely fascinated with reports of ghostly encounters. My passion has led to countless hours combing through the paranormal literature and speaking with people who report ghostly encounters. When someone is recalling their ghostly experience, their whole persona changes. You can physically see the rush of emotion and excitement on their faces. The people around them change as well. From staunch skeptics to steadfast believers, their ears will perk up and their eyes will widen when someone is recalling a ghostly encounter. Everyone is fascinated with ghosts.

Let me tell you a little about myself. Im a clinical therapist and parapsychologist residing in Northeast Ohio. Ive worked within the Neurological Institute for the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic, conducting behavioral health consultations. Currently, Im the director of behavioral health for a local hospital. Ive been fascinated by paranormal phenomena for 20 years, and have been a participant and featured speaker in numerous paranormal forums and events including the Parapsychological Associations 60th Anniversary Celebration. I studied psychology and parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and my research has been cited in parapsychological journals, newspaper articles, and mainstream books.

I believe that I provide a unique viewpoint of research into ghosts due to my education and experience in both clinical and research psychology. My undergraduate degree is in psychology and my graduate degree is in clinical counseling from the University of Toledo. I have 14 years of clinical experience working in the mental health field and have conducted more than 5,000 psychological evaluations. I also have an MSc (equivalent to a masters degree in America) in psychological research methods, with a specialization in parapsychology from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. My research at the University of Edinburgh centered on neurobiological correlates of ghostly encounters and I studied within the Koestler Parapsychology Unit at the University of Edinburgh under the supervision of author and international lecturer, Dr. Caroline Watt (Parapsychology: A Handbook for the 21st Century). Between my clinical and directorial positions, as well as my research, Ive interviewed and collected hundreds of real-life ghostly encounters. It was by noticing similarities amongst these hundreds of reported ghostly encounters that I developed the new theories I will present in this book.

I present my background to communicate that I have experience with assessing hallucinations brought on by mental illness or drug abuse, and in my opinion, the ghostly encounters that a majority of the millions of people have reported are definitely not the results of mental illness or substance abuse. Upon hearing of someones ghostly experience, skeptics are quick to proclaim They are crazy, or You must have been imagining things, statements that question the witnesss mental stability. This is an uneducated and irresponsible way to respond to someone who reports a ghostly experience, but unfortunately it is far too common.

With ghosts and hauntings, although an individuals experience is unique to them, overall there are some key similarities among all ghostly interactions. Through the years, I started to really listen to peoples paranormal experiences and certain similarities caught my attention and led me to write this book.

A true apparitional or ghostly experience happens on rare occasions and is only possible when several factors line up. These factors include psychological, environmental, and bioenergetic fluctuations. Much time and research has been spent on whether peoples ghostly experiences are of a natural or spiritual origin, which has simply led to scattered results. Looking for a single cause for a haunting or ghostly experience may be too simplistic. For such complicated phenomena, it is likely to be a combination of several theories or mechanisms.

In this book, we will explore popular theories on ghosts, discuss the role of energy and electricity during ghostly encounters, and finally, through real-life case examples, explore my theories on the processes that are necessary for apparitions, ghostly experiences, and hauntings.

If you are looking for more than ghost stories, and want to know what causes ghostly encounters, this book is for you. By the end of it, we will have provided answers to questions such as:

What causes ghostly experiences?

What is the catalyst to witnessing a ghost?

Why do certain people report numerous ghostly encounters and others none?

What leads to certain locations being haunted?

M y father had passed away quietly in the hospital around 3 p.m. that day. We had a very special relationship and I definitely considered myself a daddys girl. His passing was a shock to the whole family. Overwhelmed with sadness, worry, and fear, I laid down on the couch as soon as I got home that evening. It must have been around 8 p.m. when my encounter occurred. While lying on the couch, an overwhelming sense of comfort overcame me. As I sat up, I saw an image of my father. I wasnt scared, just shocked. He walked toward me and whispered, Dont be sad. He then rubbed my shoulders, which is what he would do to ease my sadness when I was a teenager. The encounter made me smile even though it only lasted seconds and then he slowly faded away.