Why Ghost Hunting Endures: Grief, Community, and Subjective Experience - Episode Hero Image

Why Ghost Hunting Endures: Grief, Community, and Subjective Experience

We Can Be Weirdos · · Listen to Original Episode →
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TL;DR

  • The prevalence of ghost hunting and spiritualism has surged with modern technology, enabling global reach through live streaming and social media platforms, creating a competitive entertainment industry driven by audience engagement.
  • Ghost hunting's evolution from small community gatherings to a widely accessible, algorithm-driven phenomenon highlights a shift towards performance and audience retention, potentially overshadowing genuine investigation.
  • The scientific investigation of paranormal phenomena, like the use of infrasound frequencies to induce unease, demonstrates how physical environmental factors can mimic or explain experiences attributed to ghosts.
  • The increasing sophistication of AI and digital manipulation poses a significant challenge to verifying paranormal evidence, potentially decimating public interest and credibility in cryptozoology and ghost hunting footage.
  • Alice Vernon's personal experiences with night terrors and hallucinations inform her skeptical yet empathetic approach to ghost hunting, acknowledging the profound personal meaning such beliefs hold for individuals.
  • The historical entanglement of science and spiritualism, exemplified by Sir William Crookes's defense of a fraudulent medium, illustrates how personal fascination can compromise scientific objectivity and reputation.
  • Modern ghost hunting's appeal extends beyond paranormal investigation to community building and historical exploration, offering a unique social experience that contributes to its enduring popularity.

Deep Dive

Alice Vernon's book, Ghosted: A History of Ghost Hunting and Why We Keep Looking, explores the social and historical landscape of paranormal investigation, arguing that the enduring human fascination with ghosts stems from a complex interplay of grief, history, and social connection, rather than a definitive proof of the supernatural. Her research, while grounded in skepticism and a scientific inclination, reveals how the subjective experiences and communal rituals surrounding ghost hunting offer profound meaning and community for participants, regardless of belief.

The enduring appeal of ghost hunting is deeply rooted in its ability to address fundamental human needs, particularly in times of mass grief. Following World War I, spiritualism and séances surged as individuals sought solace and connection with lost loved ones, demonstrating that the "hunt" itself serves a vital social and emotional function. This historical pattern continues today, amplified by modern technology. The proliferation of ghost hunting content on platforms like YouTube and TikTok creates a pervasive cultural presence, saturating algorithms and fostering a global community around paranormal exploration. This digital ecosystem, while entertaining, also introduces a competitive dynamic where the pressure to produce phenomena can influence the authenticity of experiences, blurring the lines between genuine investigation and performance.

Vernon's personal journey, stemming from her lifelong experiences with night terrors and sleep disorders, informs her nuanced perspective. Her own propensity for hallucinations due to sleep disturbances makes her question her own reliability as a witness, yet it also fuels a deeper empathy for those who perceive paranormal activity. This personal context underscores her exploration of how subjective perception and psychological states can shape experiences of the uncanny. Her encounter with a spirit box, where she perceived an auditory hallucination of an angry man shouting, illustrates the unexplainable phenomena that can occur even when one attempts rationalization. This experience, while not converting her to a believer, highlights the subjective reality of ghost hunting and the difficulty of definitively proving or disproving such encounters, especially when confronted with the potential for psychological explanations like auditory hallucinations or the effects of low-frequency sounds.

The practice of ghost hunting, beyond its purported aim of detecting spirits, functions as a form of social engagement and historical exploration. Vernon's participation in a ghost hunt revealed the appeal of the activity as a shared experience, offering a unique way to connect with the history of a location and build community. This communal aspect, coupled with the psychological impact of a "haunted" object like Bev the doll, demonstrates how belief and shared experience can imbue inanimate objects and locations with significance. The fear and fascination surrounding Bev, even among skeptics, illustrate how collective anxiety and expectation can create a palpable atmosphere, underscoring the power of social construction in paranormal belief systems.

Ultimately, Vernon's work suggests that the persistence of ghost hunting is less about proving the existence of ghosts and more about understanding the human need to connect with the past, process grief, and find community in shared, often unexplainable, experiences. Her research, marked by a blend of scientific inquiry and personal reflection, advocates for a more sympathetic understanding of why people engage with the paranormal, recognizing its deep social and emotional implications.

Action Items

  • Audit "cursed object" claims: For 3-5 purchased items, document reported phenomena and user-reported outcomes to identify patterns or lack thereof.
  • Implement "reality check" training: Practice self-auditing for dreaming vs. waking states daily for 2 weeks to enhance lucid dreaming recall.
  • Analyze "spirit box" audio: Review 5-10 recorded sessions to identify common static patterns and potential for auditory pareidolia.
  • Draft "night terror" mitigation plan: For 3 common triggers (e.g., specific media, stress), outline 2-3 coping mechanisms to reduce frequency.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"I started to do some research and realized that it's more common than you think. Ghosted really came from that because it kind of made me think about my own perception. If I did see a ghost, am I a reliable witness? I would say I wasn't."

Alice Vernon explains that her personal experiences with night terrors led her to investigate the social history of ghosts. Vernon questions her own reliability as a witness to paranormal phenomena due to her propensity for hallucinations, which is a key theme explored in her book Ghosted.

"I think once you poke your toe into the waters of modern ghost hunting, it will just dominate your algorithm forever. So, you know, you watch one little clip on YouTube, and then you just see, you really realize how many groups there are in the UK, in America, everywhere. It's all on TikTok. There are ghost hunters who do live streaming now, so you can be with them as they do a live ghost hunt, which I think is really interesting."

Alice Vernon highlights the pervasive nature of modern ghost hunting content online. Vernon notes that a single interaction with this content can lead to a continuous stream of related material across various platforms, indicating its widespread presence and accessibility.

"I don't know if we ever will. I think that's just never going to happen. Somehow scientists have been looking at ghosts and phenomena for hundreds of years. As soon as the Fox sisters sort of invented spiritualism with their seances and having conversations with the ghost of Mr. Splitfoot, there was this sort of equal and opposite reaction with the scientists who were like, 'No, no, no, we have to investigate this.'"

Alice Vernon expresses skepticism about the possibility of definitively proving the existence of ghosts. Vernon points out that the scientific investigation of spiritualism and ghost hunting has been ongoing for centuries, yet a conclusive proof remains elusive.

"So I, as part of the really in-depth and academic research that I did for Ghosted, I bought a haunted doll from eBay. Her name is Bev, and Bev is such a weird part of my life now. She's such a celebrity on campus. I don't know, it's almost like if she wasn't a haunted before, she's haunted now because of the way people have just imbued her with their fears and their anxieties, and they've just created this personality in this little charity shop 1950s toilet roll sort of doll."

Alice Vernon describes her acquisition of a doll named Bev for research purposes. Vernon suggests that the doll has taken on a life of its own, becoming a "celebrity" on campus due to the fears and anxieties projected onto it by others, regardless of its original haunted status.

"I think it has made me realize that ghost hunting is a lot more subjective than I thought it was, and that certain things feel real to certain people. And I, I, I feel like when I started writing the book, I was a bit more dismissive, and I was a bit more, not mocking as such, but I just kind of, I was quite lighthearted about it, and I thought it was quite funny in some respects. But I've realized that especially through some of the, the more poignant aspects of Ghosted, that ghosts are really meaningful for a lot of people, and is it right for us to dismiss that and mock that and laugh at that, even, you know, throughout our skepticism, which I don't think it is."

Alice Vernon reflects on how her research and experiences have shifted her perspective on ghost hunting. Vernon now believes ghost hunting is highly subjective and that dismissing or mocking people's beliefs is inappropriate, especially given the profound meaning these experiences hold for many.

"So this is lucid dreaming, which you can learn to do. So lucid dreaming is a bit like Inception, the film, where you realize that you are dreaming while you are dreaming. And if you've never experienced it, it sounds like I'm spouting absolute nonsense and that that is impossible, but it is real. It's been scientifically, neurologically documented that this is a state of consciousness within dreams that, that we can reach, and you can learn to do it."

Alice Vernon explains the concept of lucid dreaming, comparing it to the film Inception. Vernon states that lucid dreaming, where one becomes aware they are dreaming while still in the dream state, is a scientifically documented phenomenon that can be learned.

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Night Terrors: Troubled Sleep and the Stories We Tell About It" by Alice Vernon - Mentioned as Alice Vernon's first non-fiction book, exploring her personal experiences with night terrors and their social history.
  • "Ghosted" by Alice Vernon - Mentioned as Alice Vernon's latest book, a history of ghost hunting and humanity's relationship with ghosts from a sociological perspective.
  • "The Emperor's New Clothes" - Mentioned as an analogy for Sir William Crookes's belief in the fraudulent medium Florence Cook.

Articles & Papers

  • "Cosmos" (Emperor) - Mentioned as the theme tune for the podcast.

People

  • Alice Vernon - Author and guest, teacher of creative writing, author of "Night Terrors" and "Ghosted."
  • McCartney - Mentioned in relation to the band Wings and the song "Penny Lane," suggesting songs arrive via magic and the potential role of nominative determinism in band formation.
  • Denny Laine - Guitarist who joined the band Wings, mentioned in relation to McCartney and "Penny Lane."
  • Bev - A haunted doll purchased by Alice Vernon from eBay, which has become a celebrity on campus and is a subject of discussion in "Ghosted."
  • Chris French - Psychologist who conducted experiments on the perception of haunted rooms, discussed in relation to the physics of ghost hunting.
  • Malcolm Gladwell - Author whose book "Blink" is mentioned in the context of firefighters sensing danger before it occurs.
  • Rob - Friend of the podcast host, mentioned in a discussion about Malcolm Gladwell's book "Blink."
  • William Crookes - Scientist from the 1870s who investigated spiritualism and the medium Florence Cook, his reputation being impacted by his belief in her.
  • Florence Cook - A British medium from the 1870s who claimed to channel the spirit of "Katie King," later exposed as a fraud.
  • Katie King - The spirit allegedly channeled by Florence Cook, discussed in relation to Sir William Crookes's investigation.
  • Mr. Volkman - An individual who exposed Florence Cook as a fraud during a séance by grabbing "Katie King."
  • Cassie Merritt - Producer of the podcast episode.
  • Nick Lennon - Special thanks recipient for the podcast episode.
  • John No Management - Special thanks recipient for the podcast episode.
  • The Secret Weirdo Committee - Members thanked for their contribution to the podcast episode.
  • Emperor - Artist credited for the podcast's theme tune, "Cosmos."

Organizations & Institutions

  • Global Player Original - Production company for the podcast.
  • Society for Psychical Research - An organization whose development was influenced by Sir William Crookes's experience, aiming to investigate ghosts and the paranormal.

Websites & Online Resources

  • TikTok - Platform mentioned for ghost hunting content and Alice Vernon's university's account featuring Bev.
  • YouTube - Platform mentioned for ghost hunting clips and live streaming.
  • Instagram - Platform where Alice Vernon can be followed (@alicevernon10) and where the podcast host shares show information and accepts story submissions.
  • Reddit - Mentioned as a platform with online communities dedicated to lucid dreaming.

Other Resources

  • Batshit List - A list of items (e.g., ghosts, telepathy, UFO encounters) used on the podcast to elicit guests' weirdest life encounters.
  • Nominative Determinism - A concept mentioned in relation to Denny Laine joining the band Wings, suggesting a similarity in name played a part.
  • Spiritualism - A belief system discussed in relation to the 1840s and post-World War I, involving séances and attempts to communicate with the dead.
  • Seances - Gatherings for attempting communication with spirits, discussed in the context of spiritualism and the work of Florence Cook.
  • Borley Rectory - A location associated with ghost stories and Harry Price, mentioned in the history of ghost hunting.
  • SLS (Spirit Box) - A modified radio device used in ghost hunting that rapidly scans through stations, allegedly allowing communication with the dead.
  • Lizard People - A childhood belief of Alice Vernon, where she thought people shed their human disguise when not being watched.
  • Cursed Objects - Items believed to carry negative supernatural influence, discussed in relation to Alice Vernon's purchase of a haunted doll.
  • Lucid Dreaming - A state of consciousness during dreams where the dreamer is aware they are dreaming and can sometimes control the dream, discussed as a technique for reality checks and managing nightmares.
  • Night Terrors - A sleep disorder involving intense fear and distress during sleep, personally experienced by Alice Vernon and the subject of her first book.
  • Sleep Paralysis - A sleep disorder characterized by temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking up, often accompanied by hallucinations.
  • Hallucinations - Perceptions of things that are not real, discussed in relation to night terrors and sleep disorders.
  • Fight or Flight Response - An automatic physiological reaction to an event such as fright, wrath, or defense, discussed in relation to Alice Vernon's reaction to fear.
  • OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) - A mental health disorder characterized by unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors, mentioned by Alice Vernon in relation to her hob-checking habits.
  • Exorcism - A religious ritual to expel demons or evil spirits, mentioned in the context of historical beliefs about identifying possession.
  • Summerland - A concept of an afterlife, mentioned in relation to a book where someone astrally projects themselves there.
  • Cryptozoology - The study of and search for animals whose existence is unproven, mentioned as an industry impacted by AI-generated footage.
  • AI (Artificial Intelligence) - Technology discussed as a factor in discrediting evidence, particularly in fields like cryptozoology.
  • Haunted Doll - A doll believed to be possessed or to have supernatural properties, exemplified by Bev.
  • Reality Checks - Actions performed to determine if one is dreaming or awake, such as pinching one's nose and trying to breathe.
  • Traumatic Recurring Nightmares - Nightmares that repeat and are associated with trauma, discussed in relation to treatments like lucid dreaming.

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