| Have you ever known a situation where you don't | | | | personification of haunting that have greatly maligned |
| think about something for ages and then all of sudden | | | | the whole idea of ghosts in our western society. |
| one topic seems to crop up in different places in a | | | | The word "hurt" implies to me a malicious intention; if |
| short space of time? Take for example the question | | | | you set out to hurt someone then there is often a |
| of whether or not ghosts are capable of hurting | | | | negative emotion behind this action. Of course it is |
| physical people. In the past week I have come across | | | | possible to hurt people through omission or even by |
| that question three separate times - firstly in an article | | | | accident; it is also possible to feel remorse over an |
| by Tom Cooney, secondly as part of an investigative | | | | action that may hurt another person but do ghosts |
| paranormal television program and then as a question | | | | have these same problems despite the fact that they |
| from my own ten-year old daughter. So can ghosts | | | | operate on a separate plain of existence? Well I guess |
| hurt us? | | | | that depends on the ghost, but we are getting ahead |
| In the first instance of course there has to be an | | | | of ourselves. |
| assumption that ghosts do exist in our physical world. I | | | | Logically a ghost is not capable of physically hurting a |
| for one, am a person who not only believes in ghosts | | | | living person simply because they do operate on a |
| but I have actually seen some, and felt the presence | | | | different plain of existence. They do not have as solid |
| of others at a number of times in my life. So for me it | | | | a physical state as we do; while they may manifest |
| is perfectly normal to assume that ghosts do exist. But | | | | themselves in a way we may recognize in terms of |
| what about people who don't believe in ghosts - are | | | | dress and mannerisms, the image is one that has no |
| they capable of being hurt (assuming ghosts could hurt | | | | actual physical substance. So if you had a ghost walk |
| living people) by something they don't believe in - well | | | | up to you and slap you around the face it is unlikely |
| this is another assumption we will make - that if ghosts | | | | that you would sustain any bruising or even feel any of |
| were capable of hurting people, then they would be | | | | the expected impact from the blow. You may feel a |
| able to regardless of whether or not they were | | | | draft, you may feel a chill for a short moment as your |
| believed in or not. | | | | energies meet the energies of spirits, but that would be |
| The second consideration that has to be thought out is | | | | the extent of the physical damage. |
| a definition of hurt. Tom Cooney, who has written a | | | | The question as to whether or not a ghost might |
| number of different articles on the paranormal, asked | | | | emotionally or psychologically hurt a person is more |
| this question in one of his discussions. He noted that if | | | | difficult to address. Without being rude many negative |
| the term "hurt" included not only physical pain (which is | | | | ghost/living interactions are caused more by a living |
| often what the term is used to define) but also | | | | person who has his/her own reasons for rejecting the |
| emotional, spiritual or psychological pain then it was | | | | encounter, than being a fault of the spirit involved. |
| possible that a ghost's presence could have that | | | | Many people have a social or religious reason for |
| effect on some people, so then the answer would be | | | | rejecting the concept of ghosts, so any paranormal |
| "yes" ghosts could hurt people. | | | | activity in a family home could cause stress to the |
| For me though, I would be more interested in the intent | | | | family. There are other people who believe that any |
| behind any spiritual action, and it is my belief that true | | | | paranormal experience could only be the work of the |
| ghosts, as opposed to other spiritual entities, do not | | | | devil and so these encounters can be seen as evil - |
| intend to hurt anybody living. They simply have a | | | | and unfortunately popular movies such as the |
| different method of communication than some people | | | | Amityville horrors perpetuate this myth. |
| are used to. | | | | In both of these instances a ghostly encounter could |
| If you watch any popular television programs that deal | | | | cause emotional and psychological harm and there is |
| with ghosts there is generally some hysterical person | | | | plenty of evidence to show that major stress can |
| who is in a state because he/she has been impacted | | | | cause negative physical symptoms. Is this the ghost's |
| by unexplained phenomena and quite often the | | | | fault, I personally don't think so but of course situations |
| program goes on to show an almost textbook case | | | | involving persons who reject ghosts, can cause a |
| of mass hysteria occurring within the one building that | | | | negative reaction in a physical person so I guess the |
| is supposedly haunted by a ghost. It is this | | | | answer is relative and nothing more. |