Building a better understanding of paranormal phenomena.

An individual experiencing hauntings and ghostly experiences may have haunted people phenomena

Collaborators Jim Houran and Brian Laythe, along with other colleagues, recently finished a five-year research program which culminated in 20 peer-reviewed research papers

The meaning-making or narrative created around haunting experiences is influenced by personal backgrounds, beliefs, and personality characteristics

Anxiety and distress regarding hauntings are a function of the nature, closeness, and spontaneity of anomalous experiences

Distress and unease make anomalous experiences more likely to occur. Anomalous experiences tend to be contagious

“Just like symptoms of the flu, severity is a function of the degree and rarity of symptoms and their length,” explains Laythe.

The researchers also draw attention to the pressing need to recognize and treat ghostly or paranormal experiences as real