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A few months ago, I took one of the most unusual patient histories that I've heard since starting my medical training over 21 years ago (I have changed some of the identifying details). I was seeing an 11 year old girl from a neighboring state who had been referred to my clinic because of difficulties sleeping that were felt to be causing excessive daytime sleepiness, behavioral problems and negatively affecting her school performance... In order to complete the sleep history, I asked her about hallucinations while falling asleep or waking up.
"Do you ever see or hear something you know isn't there as you are falling asleep or waking up?" I asked her.
"We have a ghost in our house" she answered. "His name is Simon". I looked over to her father to see his response, and was surprised to see him nodding his head in agreement. Read More
be entertained
be entertained
Hypnogogic/Hypnopompic Hallucinations
So what relationship did Hypnogogic/Hypnopompic Hallucinations play in the haunting:
* Did the hallucinations cause the family to imagine ghostly happenings in the waking world?
* Did the hallucinations offer a gateway for some actual entity to come into the waking world?
* Did a ghost cause the sleep disorder which resulted in the hallucinations?
I'm interested in hearing Dr. Rosen's conclusions about this very intriguing case. Did Dr. Rosen experience the ghost himself? Are there any similar cases available for the interested research to review?
Thanks,
Allison Jornlin
milwaukeeghosts.com
What You Believe
Having a ghost in your house is no more strange than believing you can speak to a spirit in the sky. Actually, it sounds like a lot more fun. I'll take the ghost, thank you.
I like Will's comment
Although I believe there can be spirits or apparitions or what have you on this earth, I appreciated Will's comment..So true that someone speaking to the sky to a higher power is not labeled as crazy or insane, but believe in ghosts or otherworldly spirits causes eyebrows to raise.
Ghosts
I think we should lock up in a mental hospital most wise elders, prophets, spiritual teachers, medicine men and women, holders of wisdom traditions. They don't seem to be mentally ill but yet all their silly beliefs about the world being less solid that it appears, more flexible and nuanced that academia teaches. These childlish thoughts about life being interconnected, indivisible.
Ah the self righteousness of the scientist, the skeptic, the rationalist, the church goer. The confidence we exude from intellectual knowledge and religious conviction.
Life is full of surprises, it helps if we stay open to the truth rather than decide what the truth is beforehand and then find all the facts to support it.
I have never met a logical, rational person in my life, that is impossible. We can not help but to warp our perception of reality through the colored lense of our own unique experience.
ways to get rid of the ghost
Dr. Rosen you could advise to the family to find a paranormal team, or if they are christian(not trying to offend anyone) have them go see their priest and to see if the priest will do an exorcism of the house. So in getting rid of Simon, the girl will have one less thing to worry about.
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