The scenario: a person dies and a perceived cause/effect is a haunting. Inherently, this could include the idea of non-local consciousness.
The non-local consciousness hypothesis implies that consciousness isn’t confined solely to a physical body. Therefore, severing the brain’s connection upon bodily death would not necessarily disrupt continued consciousness outside of the body. This means transcending physical limitations, where physical body death would only disrupt that specific brain/consciousness connection, leaving the rest of the connections intact. If consciousness exists beyond the physical, its interactions might not align with our conventional understanding of haunting.
Not being tied to a physical body also means not being tied to a physical location, precluding popular notions of physical hauntings. It would be logical to assume that non-local consciousness resides in states of existence beyond our current understanding. The complexity of interaction would require a methodology for accessing any kind of bridge between our physical realm and that beyond it. Attempted communication would necessitate a database of accumulated scientific knowledge to provide the means for creating access. Even if communication occurs, it might be subjective and difficult to verify objectively. Cultural beliefs, folklore, and individual expectations could further cloud our ability to discern the influence of genuine communication.
There are numerous accounts of out-of-body experiences reported by people during various medical emergencies. These accounts often involve contact with friends and relatives who have already passed away, although they are not exclusive to individuals familiar to the experiencer. These near-death experiences (NDEs) have occurred even when a person’s heart has stopped, but their brain was still functioning. However, what happens when the brain is no longer functioning?
A relatively recent medical event sheds light on this question. A neurologist experienced a rare attack of bacterial meningitis, which left him with no signs of a functioning brain cortex. Remarkably, he survived after spending one week in a coma and later reported an NDE-type experience. The mystery lies in how this was possible if his brain was no longer active.
Where does this leave us? Unfortunately, only opinions can be given. Mine is as follows:
There are no ghosts. Why? A lack of empirical evidence and a cosmic rule that cannot be broken, preventing such contact. Taking this thought a step further, if contact is not allowed, do those who have moved on retain any memory of their previous bodily existence? Would that be necessary, or does it simply evolve in their new situation? Having passed on and existing with the knowledge that something inevitably wonderful awaits all who will follow, there might be less need to attempt contact with relatives and friends. Alternatively, perhaps we lose all sense of our former selves and become part of life in the greater cosmos.
Perhaps life is much simpler than we give it credit for—standing apart yet unable to perceive, in plain view despite the pseudoscience generated by today’s popular ghost-hunting claims. Just as a funeral serves as a coping mechanism for the survivors, not the deceased, an alleged afterlife requires no need for proof from the perspective of the deceased experiencing it.
Summation: The physical brain facilitates sight, hearing, touch, smell, and other sensory experiences. However, in the absence of an occipital lobe, how does a spirit perceive us visually? Without a temporal lobe, how does it hear our questions and respond? And in the absence of a frontal lobe responsible for body movement, how can we explain encounters with shadow people, claims of emotional attacks by alleged spirits, EVP (electronic voice phenomena), and the detection of fragrances left by them?
How can we tell if our brains are working? There are two major theories on how our ‘minds’ are generated by our brains, and they both involve electric currents. It has been generally accepted by neuroscience that our thoughts are electrical impulses. Measuring electrical activity in the brain is usually done with electrodes physically attached to a person’s skin on and around the head, after which brainwave activity is recorded. Can you name a ghost-hunting tech device involving electromagnetic detection that can do that, not only on a living person but also on a ghost? I’ll wait.
Non-local consciousness makes more sense than any electronic ghost-hunting device or technique ever could. In my humble opinion, here on Earth, we are more than just our physical bodies.
- Moonjoey
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