Is it a ghost or is there a logical explanation?

Spirit and fairy believer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had Sherlock Holmes say in The Sign of the Four: ‘when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?’

This stands as sound advice for those looking for answer to explain the unexplainable. Before attributing every bump in the night, creaky floorboard and flash of light to paranormal activity, it is worth checking for every logical explanation first.

Flickering lights – Is the light bulb properly screwed in? Could it be faulty and need replacing? Does it happen when you turn on an electrical appliance causing an inrush current? Several lights flickering at the same time can indicate a dangerous problem with the electrics. A lack of earthing could be responsible for both flickering lights and a tingly feeling on the skin.

Hallucinations –  There are hundreds of medical conditions, some serious, some minor of which hallucination is listed as a symptom. There are many psychotic disorders – including postnatal psychosis, drug addiction, stress, high fever, accidental poisoning, or simply the side effects from prescribed medication. 

Accidentally getting high – By culinary accident or by design, nutmeg poisoning can cause visual distortions and hallucinations. As well as the usual teen testers trying to get high, an unfortunate couple were once reported to have been admitted to casualty after an innocent pasta dish was flavoured with a large amount of nutmeg by accident.

Cannabis – Teenagers and young adults using cannabis are increasing their chances of psychotic symptoms in later life, found recent medical research led by Professor Jim van Os from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Have an eye test – Charles Bonnet syndrome affects people, usually with severe sight loss. It causes visual hallucinations and the appearance of ghostly apparitions. It can be triggered in people without sight loss if they have been blindfolded for long enough.

Creaky floorboards – This could be creaking joists, loose floorboards or cheap chipboard flooring warped by the central heating.

Cold spots – Change in temperature outside, convection currents, low humidity, draughts, holes in the roof, flooring, chimney, poorly fitted windows can all create cold spots.

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