Jock Brocas is a spiritual author and teacher with books published internationally. Jock is also the president of the charity organization assmpi and works tirelessly to he others develop spiritually and live a more rewarding life. Join Jock Brocas on a spiritual journey.
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In our serial killer series this week, we take a look at one of America’s most prolific serial killers in history. It is believed that Gacy murdered a minimum of 33 young men and boys while he was an active serial killer. Now, we attempt to delve into his dark mind from a psychological and spiritual perspective.
Childhood Indicators
The larger majority of serial killers experience a bad childhood, and this was most certainly the case for John Wayne Gacy. While he had a good bond with his two sisters and his mother, his relationship with his father was a problematic one.
According to Gacy himself, his father was physically abusive towards his wife and his children. He also claimed that his father was a violent alcoholic. His father would belittle him emotionally as well, calling him dumb and stupid. He would also favor his sisters over him, which undoubtedly had a seriously harmful effect on Gacy’s psyche. Gacy in turn would spend his life trying to obtain his dad’s approval.
Physical Abuse Of John Wayne Gacy
The physical abuse Gacy suffered could have led to changing brain chemistry. During an interview in prison, he would recall how his father hit him with a broomstick and rendered him unconscious. Therefore, it would not be unlikely to assume that Gacy’s brain function changed significantly during childhood.
To support this theory further, Gacy suffered blackout seizures during childhood. He was hospitalized numerous times throughout his childhood for these blackouts and was told to avoid all forms of sport. As a result, Gacy eventually got overweight and this drew the ire of his father further. The exact medical condition Gacy suffered from was never diagnosed.
The childhood stories told by Gacy would also be supported by one of his high school friends. His own sisters would also support the stories told by the convicted serial killer. There is no doubt in my mind that his abusive childhood contributed to the person he became. In fact, it may have desensitized him to physical and emotional abuse.
Repeat Offences
There were some serious red flags surrounding John Wayne Gacy before he became a serial killer. The killer clown did develop an incredibly charismatic personality, which undoubtedly caused him to fly under the radar for as long as he did.
In 1968, Gacy was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage boys. The seriousness of the offense would lead to a much longer sentence these days, but Gacy only received 10 years. To make matters worse, Gacy was on the streets again only two years later in 1970.
Despite his prison sentence, Gacy’s urges remained. He was arrested again only a year after his release when a teenager accused him of sexual assault. This time, the charges were dropped as the accuser did not turn up in court. In the mid-1970s, two young men would accuse Gacy of rape, which led him to be questioned by the police.
According to Gacy himself, the 1970s were his cruising years, meaning it was the time he committed most of his murders. His release from prison after only two years and the dismissal of the sexual assault is likely to have made Gacy more brazen.
Killings
Gacy came under suspicion after the disappearance of Robert Pies in late 1978. Police found out that Gacy had offered him a job just before he disappeared. Once the police started looking at Gacy, they found his previous conviction for sodomy.
Police searched Gacy’s home but found nothing more than some drivers licenses and college rings. Investigators did note upon a strange and unpleasant odor but did not think too much about it. However, Gacy’s luck would not last. One of the rings obtained from the home was linked to another missing boy called John Szyc. The police returned for a more extensive search and discovered 27 dead bodies in the crawl space underneath his house. Robert Piest’s body was eventually found in the Illinois River in April 1979.
Charismatic With A Dark Side
One of the things that stands out most about John Wayne Gacy is his charismatic personality. To most people, he was one of the most upstanding members of the community. He was involved in politics and even performed at children’s birthday parties as a clown.
The Orchid Club / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Gacy managed to create the perfect disguise as a serial killer. Even though he committed numerous rapes and sexual assaults over the years, most people around him were completely oblivious about his past.
Serial Killer Profile
One could argue that John Wayne Gacy had the typical serial killer profile, but there is more to him than that. A large portion of Gacy’s pathology is undoubtedly the fact that he was gay. Given his relationship with his father, being gay would not have been accepted. He was also desperate for his dad’s approval, causing him to suppress his sexuality. Gacy would end up marrying a woman, but his victim preference certainly points to the fact that he was a gay man. This undoubtedly left him with a lot of anger.
It is likely that Gacy started murdering to avoid being arrested again for sexual assault or rape. There is also a high chance that he murdered in order to keep up appearances to the outside world, hiding the fact he was gay.
The physical and mental abuse John Wayne Gacy suffered, and the fact he was considerably overweight for much of his childhood and suffered bullying as well undoubtedly had a profound effect on how he developed as an adult.
Gacy eventually admitted to his wife that he was bisexual, although it is believed that he was homosexual. He told his wife that they would never have sex again and started taking teenage boys home. His wife also found gay pornography and ID cards inside the home. Carole Gacy would ask her husband for a divorce in 1975. This proves a very important point, as Gacy started killing in 1972. It is likely that Gacy became more brazen between 1972 and 1975, which made it difficult for him to hide the fact he was gay.
Jock’s Malevolence Hypothesis Of John Wayne Gacy
From a paranormal or spirit intervention perspective, I find this unique and fascinating as a case. There are a few potential gateways here and that is reminiscent of the case of Anna Ecklund back in 1928. Her name was actually Emma Schmidt and Anna Ecklund was a pseudonym for her. Now in Anna’s case, it is considered that her aunt was the catalyst for the Demoniacal possession, the reality, of course, is very different. Now as I am not discussing that case, I will refrain from going into that and will ask that you wait as there is a new expose on that case.
Ok, so we can deduce from the case of John Gacy, that he went through a tumultuous childhood and suffered at the hands of his father who abused him so much that he was rendered unconscious at times. Given the fact that his father could have been under the obsessive influence of malevolent intelligence. It would make sense that in the hatred and abuse that actually was levied upon his son, and the act of rendering his son unconscious could have caused the opening of a portal to which the long term obsession could have been affected and begun the pattern of subjugation of Gacy himself.
Obsession
As my colleague, Sandra pointed out “Gacy suffered blackout seizures during childhood,” which in my opinion can also be a severe sign of spirit intrusion. Now, not all seizures are spirit intrusion, but the evidence and patterns that build and follow from it give support to a pretty good case of potential obsession. Obviously not the type of evidence that would stand up in a court of law. The blackouts and seizures could easily be the affliction imposed by an invading malevolent force. The other interesting issue here is the strange odor, which of course could easily be explained away as rotting bodies, however, strange dead body odors also are a phenomenon of demoniacal possession. We will never really know if this is the case, but one has to consider that odors could have been both and mixed with the reality of the bodies. However, it was also noted the smell that was omitted was not congruent with dead bodies.
The medical professionals who tested Gacy during his trial supported the claim of insanity and noted him to be Schizophrenic, which is also a grey area when it comes to possible spirit intrusion. Consequently, the Jury dismissed this and he was convicted on all 33 counts of murder.
Gacy often went into convulsions and spoke out completely differently. When he gained conscious awareness after the event, he remembered nothing and could not recollect any event. Again this is a good supporting hypothesis of malevolent intrusion.
Conclusion
We will never really know the mind of Gacy, but one has to wonder if, in fact, his heinous evil crimes were a compulsion of evil influences that obsessed him since childhood. This of course is only a hypothesis but it does make one think about the possibilities. Furthermore, it may also make one think about the legal implications of such a hypothesis.
Original Cornell Home (photo courtesy of the New England Historical Society)
In the quiet town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island lies an old home. Known today as the Valley Inn Restaurant, it sits on the original footprint of a sight where a mysterious death took place. It isn’t so much the age of the Inn that draws people to it. Or the mysterious death that happened. It isn’t even the knowledge of a man once convicted of murder once lived there. What draws people to this old, historic structure is the fantastic story of a ghost’s testimony that led to the conviction and execution of a man.
In 1673, Rebecca (Briggs) Cornell was found in her room. Her son, Thomas Cornell Jr., lived with her and found her lying dead on the floor. It had appeared that she had fallen and hit her head. The fall landed the upper part of her body in the fireplace. She was burned from the shoulders up. What seemed to be an unfortunate accident quickly turned into a murder investigation.
A Visit From Beyond The Grave
A few days later, Rebecca’s brother, John Briggs, who also lived in Portsmouth, awoke in the middle of the night. He claimed that the apparition of his dead sister stood in his room. The frightening visit from his sister prompted Mr. Briggs to go to the authorities and demanded an investigation into the murder of Rebecca.
With it being the time of the witch trials, people were, understandably, in a frenzy over the story that John Briggs told. His nephew, Thomas, the only plausible suspect during that time, was arrested and put on trial. And remarkably, he was convicted, solely on the extraordinary testimony of his dead mother.
Thomas Briggs, Jr. was hanged a short time later. He was buried on the property in an unmarked grave. And for 35o years, it has been believed that John Briggs saw his dead sister, who told him her son was her killer. That is until a paranormal investigation team recently went in and uncovered details about the case and the family that went unnoticed for over three centuries.
Family Controversy Leads to Ulterior Motive?
Upon the paranormal investigation conducted by the Kindred Spirits Crew from the Travel Channel, it was discovered that John Briggs was an important figure in the community. Anything he said would have been believed. It was also discovered that there might have been some bad blood between Rebecca and her son, leading John and others within the community to think that he had a motive to commit murder and take his mother’s life.
However, when studying the original court transcripts, the shocking revelation of John Briggs' true statement was discovered. In his testimony, he never stated his sister named her killer. The documents only state that he had seen Rebecca in his room, where she said, “Look at how I am burned.”
Secrets And Betrayal
During the investigation of the Inn, the crew believed they were communicating with the spirits of Thomas Cornell, Jr. and John Briggs. In a surprising twist of events, it seems the spirit of Thomas outed his uncle by confirming that he was put to death by hearsay—gossip in the time of deep spiritualism and fear of the devil drove the townspeople mad with a desire for revenge. Revenge for a crime that most likely never took place.
During the same investigation, the spirit of John Briggs became angry when he was told the truth would come out. Everyone would finally know that he wrongfully aided and allowed his nephew to be hanged for a murder that never happened.
From the amount of evidence captured, it seems fair to conclude that John Briggs caught wind of tension between his sister and nephew, possibly lending credibility to a motive that Thomas wanted to get rid of Rebecca. Perhaps the spirit of Rebecca did visit John, but the fact remains, he never once stated she named her killer or even that she was murdered.
So what drove John Briggs to allow the execution of his sisters son? Could he have been afraid of backlash from the community after the rumors had already begun to spread? After all, it was not acceptable during that time to go against the status quo. Was he afraid of being implicated himself if he came to his nephew’s defense? Or was there indeed a belief hidden within all of the speculations that Thomas did commit murder? We may never know for sure, but the truth remains, Thomas Cornell, Jr. was convicted and executed on nothing more than circumstantial evidence, backed by the incredible otherworldly witness.
Visit A Three Hundred Year Old Crime Scene
There aren’t many places in the United States where you can visit a suspected crime scene over three centuries old. However, The Valley Inn in Rhode Island is a historical destination not to be missed. Although the original home of the Cornell’s burned down in the mid-1800s, it was rebuilt by the Cornell family, using the original blueprints of the first home, and it sits on the same foundation. In 1892, two hundred years after Rebecca Cornell’s death, the house was reconstructed to replicate the original.
Today, visitors can see the property and dine in the restaurant. The Cornell family cemetery is there as well, situated not far from the main house. And Thomas Cornell, Jr.’s grave is believed to have been located recently, using ground-penetrating radar.
The property owner has said that not too many paranormal events happen. Stating that, “periodically, strange things do occur.” The spirits that reside at the location seem to be pretty tame and keep to themselves. It’s evident that the captivating story linked to the home draws many people to dine at the Inn. The atmosphere alone transports people to another time. The stone walls and old wooden beams are original to the 19th-century rebuild. It’s truly a destination that should be experienced. And the striking resemblance to the Amityville House, with its arched upper floor windows, are sure to attract anyone's attention and intrigue. It’s no wonder it’s on many paranormal enthusiasts' bucket lists. After learning about it, it’s definitely at the top of mine.
The fun just never stops in Parapsychology. This is the story of a significant experiment that got published in 2011 and the absolutely enormous tsunami of skeptical idiocy that followed. It was entirely predictable. Lies, distortions, character attacks and shady attempts to discredit research is just another Tuesday for this field of science.
The Experiment By Daryl Bem
The researcher was Daryl Bem, professor emeritus at Cornell University and the landmark study was titled: Feeling the Future: Experimental Evidence for Anomalous Retroactive Influences on Cognition and Affect. It was basically a well — known psychology experiment with a couple of parameters switched so that instead of taking measurements of a subject’s physiological reactions after they were exposed to certain stimuli, the measurements were taken before the exposure. The study showed that people were subconsciously reacting to random stimuli even before they experienced it.
As far as parapsychology experiments go, this was nothing out of the ordinary, and it was built on existing studies. In other words, Bem would have had a pretty good idea of what the results would be even before he started. (When I saw the study for the first time, I also had a pretty good idea what the results would be even before I saw it. The nature of the experiment would suggest that a relatively small, but identifiable effect would be found, and that’s what happened.) Want to dive into the weeds? Read the long description here.
Precognition Uproar
So why did this experiment generate such an uproar? It was published in a high prestige psychology journal: The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Bem, 2011) Skeptic James Alcock, who was attacking parapsychology before Luke Skywalker blew up the Death Star, wrote an article for the Skeptical Inquirer attempting to discredit the research immediately. Ever true to The Skeptical Way, he threw out any semblance of a careful inquiry in favor of a bombastic declaration:
Careful scrutiny of this report reveals serious flaws in procedure and analysis, rendering this interpretation untenable.
Yup, the skeptic thinks he’s somehow found flaws that the peer reviewers and the journal editor missed, even though they reject about 80% of submitted studies and weren’t exactly open to the idea of psychic ability in the first place. They clearly didn’t measure up to his vast intellectual powers.
The article then launches into a revisionist history of parapsychology, claiming that it is a failed science. This is a necessary preamble to convince his audience that this newest experiment is a failure as well. There were rebuttals by Dean Radin and Daryl Bem. Long story short, this particular criticism went nowhere because it was riddled with errors.
Another critic,
Ray Hyman, another critic dating back to before Star Wars, was determined to get his two cents in:
“It’s craziness, pure craziness. I can’t believe a major journal is allowing this work in,” Ray Hyman, an emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Oregon and longtime critic of ESP research, said. “I think it’s just an embarrassment for the entire field.”
All that was missing was a big “HARRUMPH!” followed by “Get off my lawn.”
The skeptics never considered the possibility that the peer reviewers and journal editor-in-chief accepted the experiment for publication because their scientific integrity outweighed their cognitive dissonance.
In an unusual move, Wagenmaker was allowed to respond as a comment on Bem’s paper. You can find it here. Wagenmaker performed a Bayesian analysis, which is different from the statistics method normally applied to psi research.
Statistical Analysis
Bayesian statistics incorporates beliefs and probabilities into the analysis. This is great for dealing with problems where evidence is either vague or when you have conflicting evidence. Did Bob shoot his neighbor? Blood samples matched, (probable guilt is implied using the frequentest statistics) but they were close friends; he had no motive, and he had an alibi. (Probably not guilty using Bayesian statistics.)
The problem with using Bayesian statistics on controversial subjects is that you’re required to plug in your biases, which can lead to garbage in, garbage out. That’s what happened here. Wagenmaker calculated the odds against psi existing at 99,999,999,999,999,999,999 to one. You also have to input the probable effect size. This is a more complicated number, but the gist of this is that Wagenmaker’s premise is that psi is absolutely impossible, but if it were to exist, it would show up in the form of superpowers. Starting with a premise like that, it’s not surprising at all that he failed to find evidence for psi. (You can find Bem’s response to Wagenmaker here.)
Wagenmaker was not finished, however. He then wrote a rebuttal, which you can find here. And here is where things went completely off the deep end. In this paper, he argues that he’s not wrong: the problem is the entire field of psychology. In other words, he’s in favor of throwing out an entire field of science to make one positive result go away.
Absurdities
The absurd premise goes like this: Psychic ability is impossible. Therefore, if Bem’s experiment showed psychic ability to be real, then the very process that demonstrated this must be broken. These are the musings of people who would never, ever consider the alternative hypothesis: They. Are. Wrong.
Bem’s experiment survived this challenge because the ultimate premise of Wagenmaker’s argument was clearly wrong. (He had other accusations, such as calling the experiments “preliminary”, but these went nowhere.)
Skeptical Enquiry
But this was far from the end of the battle. Enter Richard Wiseman, Chris French and Stuart Ritchie. The first two are fellows of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and likely skeptic lifers. Wiseman, in all his years of association with parapsychology, has never run a successful psi experiment to my knowledge. He and French have collaborated before on at least one other failed psi experiment. What’s really weird is that both of them make a point of publicizing their failures. Here and here. Wiseman publicized his supposed debunking of Sheldrake’s famous dog experiment and publicized his meta analysis of the Ganzfeld experiment which supposedly showed no effect. (The latter two do not have media links to follow. They were pre-Internet.) It’s almost as if they WANT to fail.
I was well aware of Wiseman and French before the saga of Bem’s experiment got rolling, so imagine my surprise when I read that Wiseman and French had failed to replicate Bem’s study, I was Shocked, SHOCKED I tell you. (You can find their studies here.) Of course, they publicized their failure. And here.
Skeptics everywhere breathed a sigh of relief that a crisis had been avoided. A failed replication? End of story. But as usual, things were far from that simple. Wiseman had set up a registry for experiments that ended in December 2011. It was far too short a time frame for most scientists to find time to replicate an experiment that had just been published.
More Experimentation
Also, there were six experiments in total, including Bem’s. Two studies, both having significant levels of success, had pre-registered with Wiseman yet were not included. The three studies done by Wiseman et al., amounted to the same number of trials as Bem’s original study. In other words, there was an apparent attempt to make it sound like there were more replication failures than there really were and data was deliberately excluded, apparently to reach a particular conclusion. (The description of these issues can be found in a comment at the end of Wiseman’s paper.)
All of that became a moot point, scientifically at least, in 2015 with the publication of a meta analysis of 90 experiments. In science, a few failed replications are meaningless if more are coming. In the case of Wiseman and French’s failed studies, they were simply drowned out by more studies with positive results.
There are still claims out there that there were methodological errors in Bem’s study, but here’s the thing: errors in methodology almost always produce null results. They create noise that drowns out the measurement of the effect. Also, they are not replicable. If you were looking for errors in Bem’s work, you’d focus on finding a statistical error; a wrong decimal point, a number misplaced, that sort of thing. Those types of errors, though, tend to get spotted when a lot of people start looking at the study, as was the case here. Bem’s paper was vetted by people who clearly understand statistics. In particular, past president of the American Statistical Association, Jessica Utts examined the study. In any case, that type of error was never brought up.
Conclusion
The point I want to make here, in conclusion, is that the skeptical position in regard to Bem’s experiment is all smoke and mirrors. Once you clearly see the smoke and mirrors for what they are, you see what skepticism really is: cognitive dissonance writ large. The problem here is not the study design or the number of replications or the statistics used, the problem is people: people who refuse to accept study results because they can’t ever admit they were wrong.
The discussion isn’t about science anymore. This is about zealotry. Psi is real and there is plenty of science to back it up. The objections are insulting to any sane person’s intelligence at this point and the lengths that skeptics go to in order to maintain their narrative are fundamentally dishonest. And that’s the real problem. The skepticism is less than sane and it’s time to take a much closer look at THAT problem. You can start here.
I have seen these people go to the ends of the earth and beyond, conjuring fictional narratives so that they never, ever have to concede. I’ve seen this from garden variety skeptics on the Internet and from academics. How much longer do we have to placate their delicate egos by maintaining the fiction that psychic ability isn’t real?
Almost every person on the planet knows a great ghost story. And while you believe in ghosts or not, there are certainly some stories that are remembered for generations. From time to time, people claim to have seen a ghost and even captured it on camera. But which are the most prolific and famous ghost sightings in human history? Paranormal Daily News went delving for the truth and came up with the best ghost sightings that will send some shivers across your spine.
Ghost Sightings
1. The Ghosts Of The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is Canada was originally built in 1888. The hotel was meant to attract tourists and look over the Rocky Mountains of the Banff National Park. While the hotel may look unremarkable to some, the hotel has been a prime location for ghost sightings for many years.
When you have the privilege of visiting the hotel, you may encounter two famous ghosts in the form of “The Bride” and “Sam the Bellman”. Local legend claims that the bride ghost fell down the stairs on her wedding day in the 1920s. The fall killed the bride, but her ghost allegedly remains. People have seen The Bride in the upstairs ballroom and on the staircase of the hotel on a regular basis.
Sam, Bellman’s story is a little less tragic. According to local stories, Sam was a bellman at the hotel during the sixties and seventies. When he died, his spirit started roaming the halls. Guests claim that the helpful ghost provided a service to them, with two elderly women claiming their door was opened by Sam after they forgot their key.
2. Eastern State Penitentiary
If you’re aren’t up for international travel to spot some ghosts, no need to worry! The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is a hotspot for ghost sightings. Visitors claim to have heard and seen various paranormal goings-on, this goes from laughter and footsteps to shadow figures.
The reason for the hotbed of paranormal activity is pretty obvious considering the rather cruel history of the penitentiary. The prison was built in 1829 and put all prisoners in extreme confinement, which meant living alone at all times. Some forms of punishment included chaining an inmate’s tongue to their wrists. Many inmates are believed to have died a horrible death at the penitentiary before it was permanently closed in 1970.
3. Chateau de Brissac
When mentioning the top 10 ghost sightings in human history, we cannot forget about the Green Lady. The Green Lady haunts Chateau de Brissac in France. She is believed to be the ghost of Charlotte of France, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles VII.
Legend says that Charlotte of France was brutally murdered by her husband for having an affair. At the time she was killed, Charlotte wore a green dress. Since multiple visitors have reported a woman wearing a green dress in the tower room, the link with Charlotte of France is easily made.
4. The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel is known around the world for many reasons. Firstly, Stephen King used the hotel as an inspiration for the Overlook Hotel, which is featured in The Shining. Of course, the inspiration was not just the location, but also the many ghost sightings attributed to the Stanley Hotel over the years.
Several ghosts have been spotted by visitors over the years. The most prominent is that of inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley, who vowed to build the hotel’s reputation after a stay in the region helped him combat tuberculosis. Stanley arrived in 1903 and opened the hotel in 1909. He would eventually die in 1940 at the age of 91. Guests have spotted his ghost in the billiard’s room and the hotel bar.
Piano music can often be heard by guests as well, which seems to come out of nowhere. Witnesses claim that the piano is played by Stanley’s wife Flora. She allegedly roams the entire hotel but shows a clear preference for the piano.
And there are even more ghosts if you know where to look! In addition to Stanley and Flora, there is the ghost of Elizabeth Wilson in room 217. Elizabeth does not like unmarried couples though, so you might not want to stay in 217 if you’re unmarried and traveling with a partner.
Guests also regularly hear noises, which are often described as children playing. From a little girl to little boy ghosts, there are plenty of ghost sightings to go around at the Stanley Hotel.
5. La Recoleta Cemetery
While you would expect to find many ghost sightings at a cemetery, you will find that most cemeteries are remarkably peaceful. Of course, this is not the case for all cemeteries because La Recoleta Cemetery has made our list of top ghost sightings in history.
La Recoleta Cemetery is the home of thousands of graves, featuring beautiful mausoleums, tombstones and even the remains of the famous Eva Perón. Of course, this cemetery also has its fair share of hauntings, making it an attractive spot for anyone who wants to see a ghost.
While there are many ghosts that allegedly haunt La Recoleta Cemetery, the best-known ghost on the cemetery ground is that of David Alleno. Alleno was a caretaker on the cemetery, a duty he performed for more than thirty years. Unfortunately, David Alleno took his own life.
The story of David Alleno is tragic, to say the least. However, locals believe David returned as a ghost and is still roaming the paths in the cemetery. Visitors claim to have seen him and even heard the sound of jangling keys before he disappeared. While his story is only known by those who are proficient at visiting locations where ghosts were sighted, the cemetery is well worth visiting by anyone who wants a chance of seeing a ghost.
Why We Decided On These Locations
You may wonder, why did we choose ghost sightings in these particular locations? Well, we went with a number of sightings and statements by visitors who claim to have seen ghosts. While you may believe the Winchester House or other locations give you a fairer chance, we would not rule out the locations in this overview of top ghost sightings in history. Since many visitors have their own stories to tell about these locations, maybe you will too?
The Roswell Mill sits at the edge of Vickery Creek. A short drive north of Atlanta, it is part of the trail network in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. At its entrance, visitors can cross a covered bridge, leading them deeper into the trail where you are thrust into a forest of lush ferns and greenery.
Roswell Mill Covered Bridge
A Mother’s Day trip to the mill’s location was right up my alley. Like most historical places in Georgia, it’s nestled amongst trees right off of a busy road. A hidden waterfall and scenic trail located right in the center of downtown Roswell, it’s the perfect day trip for an easy hike. And, of course, it’s haunted.
Trail at Roswell Mill/ Vickery Creek
Sounds Of The Past
Over the years, nearby residents have reported hearing clanking noises as if metal were banging against metal. And blood-curdling screams are often reported coming from the area when no one is around. With no occupational safety measures during the days of its operation, workers were often injured, some as severe as having their limbs torn from their bodies. Could these be their sounds of agony echoing through the woods?
The site is stunning, and it was the ideal location to build the mill as the natural water source provided the power needed to operate it. With a waterfall not far from the old machine shop, the soothing ambiance and tropical-like scenery make the sight a fun and relaxing destination for all to visit. And if you're lucky, you may even have a paranormal experience.
Waterfall at Roswell Mill
Built, in 1839, like most places in the metro Atlanta area, it witnessed the horrors and tragedy of the Civil War. Constructed to be a cotton mill, it was one of many mills that lined Vickery Creek. Numerous buildings once sat along the water's edge, where they housed workers of the mill. Today, the only original building standing is the old machine shop.
During the war, all men capable of fighting were sent off to battle, leaving the women and children behind. The women of Roswell took over running the mill in order to earn a living while the men were off fighting. Many of whom brought their children along to work beside them as there were no other options for childcare during that time. The children were used as laborers and put to work just as long and hard as the adults. Because of their small and nimble fingers, the children were used to fix broken pieces of thread when they snapped in the machines. They would run between the working parts of the moving machinery, tie broken threads together and rush back out. You can only imagine the number of injuries that took place.
Roswell Mill RuinsRoswell Mill Ruins
A Fight For Survival
Union soldiers eventually took the city of Roswell. General William T. Sherman instructed his men to burn the buildings of the mill when it was discovered that the workers were manufacturing the grey uniforms for the Confederate army. In an attempt to claim neutrality, a French worker of the mill flew a French flag above the roof. But the attempt failed, and the Union army burned all of the buildings to the ground. Some residents tried to hide within the buildings when General Sherman charged all remaining workers with treason. Some reports say that it is likely there were fatalities during those fires from people trapped inside. In the end, over 400 women and children were rounded up, arrested, and put on box car trains to the North.
General Sherman received substantial backlash and outrage from the North, and the prisoners were never tried for treason. Though many had already died on the journey, and those who survived were never able to return home to Georgia.
Old Machine Shop of Roswell Mill
Today, it is not uncommon for visitors to glimpse apparitions of women and children roaming the grounds along the water's edge, or to hear screams coming from the boarded-up machine shop. Could these be the lost souls who were forced from their homes, returning to finish their work? Could the flowing waters of the creek be fueling the haunting, providing the energy needed for spirits to manifest? Or are these the residual haunts from wounded mill workers who suffered within its walls?
If you do visit, be sure to look for the signs of old foundations of buildings that once stood. Hidden beneath piles of dirt, moss and vegetation, the fallen bricks hold the stories of what took place. And, take a moment to listen carefully. You many just hear the sounds of the past echoing beside you.
In the words of the Father of Psychology William James;
“The refusal of modern enlightenment to treat obsession as a hypothesis to be spoken of as even possible, in spite of the massive human tradition, based on concrete experience in its favor, has always seemed to me a curious example of the power of fashion in things scientific. That the demon theory (not necessarily a devil theory) will have its innings again is to my mind absolutely certain. One has to be 'scientific' indeed to be blind and ignorant enough not to suspect any such possibility” William James (1909)
Battle Lines
There has been a never-ending battle that’s been waging since the dawn of time - the battle between good and evil. In every religious text and in every belief system runs a parallel line of thought. An evil malevolent force exists and wishes to bring down that which it is in opposition by using every power and trick in the book. As a consequence, bringing the fall of man to reality.
Evil Influence Belief
Whether you believe in a concept of evil or not; you can’t help but notice something that is in opposition to everything that we see as good in our lives. All around us exists something nefarious. Whether it is at a level of country leadership, within governments, personal, or mass group consciousness; One cannot deny the reality that atrocities happen globally. That cannot be at the action of a force known as love or divinity personified.
It is futile to try to grasp that concept of evil is good. Moreover,; for the new age camp that considers an atrocity to be some great divine lesson, let’s take a step back and get to grips with reality. The war between good and evil is still forging ahead. We must question our fundamental perceptions and belief in the concept. Influence of evil exists all around us, and lack of awareness affords no protection. It is not tied down to religions, beliefs or indeed locality.
Consider A New Paradigm For Evil Influence
As a Consequence, there may exist another explanation to be given consideration. Consider, if there was another hypothesis regarding these events. What if there was a greater nefarious plan in action at this moment in time that goes unnoticed by man. This exists because of our ignorance of concepts beyond the realms of scientific explanation? Therefore, what if evil influence permeated more than we know?
Allow me to lay a possible hypothesis and plant a seed that may change that perception. Consider if you will; these atrocities were at the hand of evil influence by malevolent intelligence. This means of course, influences people of power, individuals and groups? Let’s look at a new paradigm. What if an evil agency exists with a will and a plan, and above all, intelligence to influence.
A Hypothesis on Mental Illness and Evil Influence
There’s a great divide in the scientific community. One side considers there is a biological problem to mental illness, and that no other explanations exist, therefore behavior is measured by the mental balance. The other suggests that a more spiritual route or energetic imbalance is caused by outside influence. Consequently, this would include a perception of a spirit or intelligent force. This could be the common factor in many cases of Psychosis, Dissociative Identity Disorder and other forms of mental imbalances.
Malevolent Intelligence
I choose the term imbalance because I do not wish to label something as an illness, which may have malevolent intelligence and evil influence behind it. I also concur that some issues will have a physiological and biological cause responds to modern sciences and treatment. Nevertheless, ; consider if those cases — where there is no plausible explanation as to nature and of the cause and effect of a situation, person or event had another explanation. What if there was another potential that involves possible evil influence?
Could we indeed be the pawns in a chess game between these forces of polar opposites? There’s no doubt about it that we are influenced in our daily lives without even thinking. We are an emotional species and so what hits our emotions via our senses has a cause and effect. We often run our lives governed by our emotions.
Mind Stimulation
What stimulates our minds has a dramatic effect on our lives. Therefore, we all dissociate at some point, though only temporary. This can be through daydreams or being distracted by thoughts that enter our mind. The reality is that we have control over that, and we can come back to the present anytime one desires.
In visualizing something or hearing something that stimulates a particular emotional response. This cause results in an effect of us carrying out that influence. It could be a simple example of being compelled to buy something or eat something. At the very basis of this is the reality, we are compelled to do something by a thought that has a stimulus in emotion. We must then question how, if we are compelled, would it be wrong to assume that one could be compelled negatively by an external evil influence.
Whether hearing voices or thoughts that influence our actions, we can all succumb to dissociation of the self from reality.
Dissociative Identity Disorder Or Multiple Personality Disorder or Evil Influence
“Who Said that,” “He Did, No — She Did.”
The above quote may be quite tart in its taste, but it does exemplify exactly what Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) is, and how a layperson can understand it. From a spiritual perspective, there exists another hypothesis. This hypothesis often goes against the belief of our scientific colleagues, Psychologists or Psychiatrists, and there is often a deep-seated hidden fear to agree to something out of the realms of scientific understanding.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
DID is a rather severe aspect of psychosis and separation from the self. It refers to the individual referring to themselves as separate entities. The individual has no control of their own thoughts. Consequently, some scientific communities would consider this to be a coping mechanism to a negative event such as abuse of some kind. One has to consider that a more mental influence exists from outside forces. A kind of telepathic mind manipulation under the agency of powerful nefarious intelligence. Even though there may be biological and genetic problems, what if the phenomena and behavior goes beyond human understanding?
Dr. Bruce Lipton suggests in his Groundbreaking book, “Biology of Belief Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, and Miracles” that your mind and thoughts influence your DNA and your perceptions. Therefore, this understanding leashes an inner power open to us all. Consequently, on the other side of the coin; should our mind and thoughts be influenced negatively, then the negative expression will ensue.
Malevolent Intelligence
I have mentioned this before, but we must understand what it means. This is not just a form of innocuous energy. It has a conscious expression, will, and judgment. It has the capacity for thought and planning, knowledge and discernment, and can separate certain aspects of its consciousness to a defined planned action. This intelligence can obsess, influence and eventually possess given the right conditions. So we can be open to obsessional influence to carry out the willful expression of malevolent Intelligence.
Obsession Rather Than Possession
Obsession is understood in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as;
‘ a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling - broadly: compelling motivation.’
When one considers the differences of possession and obsession from a spiritual stance. You have to understand that one influences, and the other is total control of one’s will, and that also means free will. In a demonic possession, a malevolent force will occupy the mind and body of the chosen host. For this hypothesis, we will look toward more of an obsessive influence with a diabolical modus operandi.
An obsession of the mind
One misjudgment that I believe is the cause of ignorance of evil is labeling something such as schizophrenia as a disease of the mind. One does not take into account that another intelligence is at work. This evil influence can be masked as differing perceptions and disorders.
DID or MPD is of course associated with the hearing of voices. That to my mind is a type of mediumship psychosis or a form of psychosis that has been brought on by spirit influence of a person of weak spiritual disposition. At this juncture; I would like to bring into this hypothesis - the existence of Demons or malevolent intelligence as the influence with nefarious intent, will, and plan. Whether you believe in this reality matters not, as the existence does not rely on your perception or belief. Just because you don’t believe in gravity, it won’t stop you falling.
Obsession, Oppression and Evil Influence
This evil influence brought on by the agency of Demonic oppression or spirit oppression. This can cause one to experience the interference of external thought that is not within the normal expression of the chosen host, this may also give cause to experiencing other phenomena within the mind. Such phenomena such as the hearing of voices, or the visualization of scenes and images within one's mind is a fundamental principle of Schizophrenia. Furthermore, the idea the phenomena may be the will of malevolent intelligence is frowned upon. As a consequence, the science community would rather err on the side of caution and claim a biological or genetic malfunction of the human condition.
Hearing Voices With Malicious Intent
Now let’s consider for a moment those voices. Those whispering intonations within the mind of one who is perceptible to spiritual influence are the influences and thoughts of a highly evolved yet malevolent intelligence. This is the beginning of a constant subtle nuance of influence in the person's life. The person is thus beginning to become suppressed by negative thoughts or identities molding the mind. It happens very slowly and deliberately over time with a hidden agenda. Perhaps the chosen host does not actually recognize this influence. It is so subtle and almost imperceptible to that individual
Hudson Tuttle in the “Arcana Of Spiritualism” Alludes to this;
“While sitting in a circle at the home of the venerable Dr. Underhill, I was for the time in an almost unconscious state, and recognized the presence of several Indian spirits. The roar of the Cayahoga River over the rapids could be heard in the still evening air, and to my sensitive ear was very distinct. Suddenly I was seized with a desire to rush away to the rapids, and throw myself into the river… someone caught hold of me, and aroused me out of the impressible state I was in, so that I gained control of myself. Had the state been more profound, and had I once started, the end might have been different. The desire remained all the evening.”
This continuation of subtle thought patterns begins to influence other aspects of the mind and body through emotional subjugation. It is comprehensible that one can be influenced or obsessed by an evil entity to carry out evil atrocities. Could it just be hearing voices with further control or obsessive action on other aspects such as emotions that translate to the body from the mind?
The following paragraph is from an article I wrote many years ago on this subject.
Perpetrator Or Innocent Host
Whilst hearing the voices over and again, the victim is consumed by the presence of the entity. It is not long before the being is guiding the soul to commit evil odious acts. During committing a murder, the murderer claims that he or she is not aware of what is going on. Only later when everything is finished do they realize that — standing with blood on their hands, they have committed a murder and taken someone’s life. This could also be a possible hypothesis for other such crimes, and acts of terror upon persons, countries and of course populations.
Occasionally though, the individual is aware of what they are doing. They know that what they are doing is wrong. Is that a case for obsessions and possessions or an answer to hearing voices as aforementioned? It most certainly is; the person concerned becomes controlled by the entity, and yet he or she knows nothing of this and though aware has no power to control. In short, he or she remains oblivious to an unnatural force that is attached and influencing the mind beyond human understanding. Therefore, it is possible that Schizophrenia can be induced by spirit entities that manipulate the energy of the body to bring about a physical change in the brain or hormones within the human condition.
About the symptoms and plan of the crimes
Could it be possible then that a probable excuse would be that, the human did not carry out the murder — it was the entity. That would make the murderer — not a murderer but an accessory to the crime.
Perception of belief
In a perfect world as with scientific movies; would it not be an ideal condition to capture the spirit and hold it accountable for the atrocious crime. Yet in the real world, it remains a fact, you cannot prove the existence of something that you are not aware of by physical sight. If we can’t see it, it is humanistic to not believe it. However, we do believe in the presence of God or another holy deity. So there is an unbalance in this perception.
Why then do we not believe that evil exists, and demons, personified in murders, mass shootings, war’s, abuse, as well as physical acts of evil, exist within the outer realms? Is it not then suitable to also consider that leaders of countries, religions, and within our governments could be influenced by a malevolent force. Therefore, making judgments and decisions that ultimately do not serve the human race, but fuel the will of an evil plan as the catalyst of control.
Insanity
Insanity as far as I believe is tantamount to possession from an unnatural force manipulating the mind. Psychologists would have you believe that there is a medical reason for everything. An imbalance here or there. Secretly though, the same professionals will also admit to the possibility of the existence of evil as a supernatural being.
We are energy in motion. Even though we manipulate other forms of energy to create an opinion, a cure, or a system of understanding — it is nothing more than vibrating atoms moving at speeds we cannot grasp. Man did not believe that atoms existed until; it was successfully split in 1911 by a British scientist named Ernest Rutherford. If vibrating atoms vibrate at such a high-speed, and we cannot see it. Does it mean that It's not there?
Thus, the same is a probable thesis for demonic possession or spirit attachment. This energy form exists and manipulates at will through its own will and intelligence. The cases above in some form or another prove the existence of this force, seen or unseen.
Understanding Diabolical Possessions
When trying to understand the difference between these states, as mentioned before, one is of influence, and the other - diabolical possession. It is taking control of mind and body. Therefore, the differences in obsession and possession are no longer questionable in regard to mental imbalance. The reason is clear. When full Diabolical Possession occurs, the phenomena is clear and distinct. It has a pattern and intelligence and can be witnessed externally by others no matter religion, belief nor creed.
Beyond Science
If someone is levitating with no possible scientific explanation. Perhaps they are changing in appearance ‘Physiognomy,’ and shouting blasphemy all whilst physical manifestations are going on around you. Emanating putrid smells or bodily fluids, and excrement, not to mention that feeling of foreboding of evil that is projected to the sensitive, or even non-sensitive individual is beyond explanation. There would also be external manifestations of phenomena that would be external to the victim. These phenomena are experienced in the immediate environment, and perhaps phenomena that is directed in a highly intelligent and deliberate way.
One must then begin to look at possible paranormal or imbalanced spiritual causation as a point of serious inquiry, needing further research and analysis. This is real Diabolical possession, and very often the individual has no control of the body or the mind, therefore evil can be carried out by the hand of the human host. There are many cases where perpetrators have memory blanks and remember nothing and having no control of body nor mind.
Global Influences By Evil Entities
Anyone, place or group can be influenced and obsessed by malevolent intelligence if active awareness and understanding do not become commonplace. There could just as well be Demonic influence at a global level with leaders of countries and governments. This also includes religions and spiritual movements. It is safe to assume, that we as divine beings would not necessarily be the perpetrators of heinous acts without such influences external to ourselves and manipulating us for malevolent entertainment and the carrying out of evil will.
Demons Roam
Personally, I know that Demons do not just roam looking for victims. Nevertheless, there is a plan and an evil will and intelligence behind that modus operandi. The plan is beyond our perception, and we will never know the reality behind it, but we can, of course, become educated to perhaps become more aware so that we can take action, personally and in mass conscious expression. Whether evil chooses one or many, it is in total opposite to that which is good. It is safe to assume that obsessive influence can be the catalyst to many atrocities and heinous acts of crime within our world.
Psychical Researcher James Hyslop had this to say about obsession and spirit Influence;
Psychical researcher James H. Hyslop in Contact with the Other World (1919), observes:
"If we believe in telepathy, we believe in a process which makes possible the invasion of a personality by someone at a distance. It is not at all likely, that sane and intelligent spirits are the only ones to exert influence from a transcendental world. If they can act on the living there is no reason why others cannot do so as well. The process, in either case, would be the same; we should have to possess adequate proof that nature puts more restrictions upon ignorance and evil in the next life than in this in order to establish the certainty that mischievous personalities do not or cannot perform nefarious deeds. The objection that such doctrine makes the world seem evil applies equally to this situation in the present life."
In Conclusion, A Psychologists Perspective
Another great parapsychologist and researcher recently said to me. “Jock any claims made have to have extraordinary evidence” and that Occam's razor will often throw perceptions and assumptions off balance. Sometimes as with the simplest reason behind something, as suggested by Occam's razor, can also mean the realms external to science and materialistic understanding. If the scientist can use the theory, then, so to, can we try to understand the Occult or that which is hidden? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that we are influenced by malevolent forces. Until science can accept that another hypothesis may actually hold the simple answer, is it not time we stopped running around in circles.
Netflix’s second installment of Unsolved Mysteries features the supernatural occurrences that ensued after the 2011 disaster that fell on Japan. An earthquake occurred, triggering a tsunami that swept the coastlands of the Japan’s northeastern region. In the fourth episode “Tsunami Spirits”, the people who lived through the natural disaster shared tsunami ghost encounters with the victims.
Onslaught of the Disaster
March 11, 2011 is one of the darkest dates in the history of Japan. On this day a magnitude-9 earthquake caused a 128-foot tsunami to ravage the Tohoku region. The tsunami caused a nuclear meltdown and flooded a total of 217 square miles. The earthquake was widely felt but residents of the coastal communities were the most affected by the tsunami’s onslaught. The deaths exceeded 18,500 and over 2500 people are still missing.
Thousands of families lost their homes to the disaster and close to a million buildings were partially destroyed. The disaster ended up being the costliest natural disaster in the world. The prime minister during this time, Naoto Kan, stated that the disaster was the “toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan” since the end of World War II.
Image: Eduardo Drapier - Unsplash
The earthquake was so strong that it even caused the main island of Honshu to move eastward by 2.4 meters. Its global effects were also felt. The Pacific Plate slid by 24 meters near the epicenter, fjords in Norway sloshed back and forth, and 110,000 nesting seabirds were killed by a 1.5 meter-high wave as the tsunami traveled across the Pacific Ocean. In Antarctica alone, the Whillans Ice Stream sped up at around 0.5 meters and the icebergs in the Sulzberger Ice Shelf were broken off.
Even in the following years, tsunami debris such as household items and ships from Japan ended up washing on US and Canadian shores. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency reported that about 5 million tons of debris was carried by the water surge to the sea.
Tsunami Ghosts, The Rise in Supernatural Events
Reconstruction to rebuild communities is ongoing, while nightmares of the disaster linger on. The Times of London’s Asia editor and author Richard Lloyd Parry has lived in Japan for more than two decades. He penned Ghosts Of The Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan's Disaster Zone, a non-fiction book that recounts how the tsunami survivors and coastal communities struggled six years after the earthquake and tsunami.
Three years before completing the book, Parry published an article entitled “Ghosts Of The Tsunami” under Vol. 36 of the London Review of Books on February 6, 2014. He was later interviewed by National Public Radio (NPR) host Rachel Martin about the incidents covered in his article.
Parry discussed the phenomenon of the rise in reported cases of people seeing tsunami ghosts of the people who died during the 2011 disaster. He mentioned how the phenomenon almost seemed like an epidemic because of the rising number of stories of haunting and supernatural events that were related to the tsunami.
The Tsunami Ghosts Phenomenon
Image: Layers, Pixabay
Many are aware of the physical and economical aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami but many other extraordinary consequences never made it to the limelight. Among these consequences are significant supernatural events that spread like wildfire through affected communities. Increasing numbers of survivors claimed to be possessed by the spirits of those who died during the tsunami while others recounted how they saw ghosts of their neighbors in their houses and even sitting down in water puddles.
The majority of reports about ghost apparitions involved those who died during the tsunami and many people also said they had dreams about lost loved ones, ranging from comforting to disturbing. Others claimed to see mysterious figures on the beach or be repeatedly possessed by spirits of the fallen, and there was even a man who kept seeing eyes in puddles every time he ventured outside his home.
Banishing Spirits Away
Parry traveled to Tohoku numerous times to meet people who encountered the supernatural. One of the people he met was Reverend Taio Kaneda, a Buddhist monk who was often sought by people for his services in both exorcisms and funerals. Reverend Kaneda is the chief priest in a temple in Kurihara, an inland town in the northern part of Japan. The coastline is 30 miles away from the Zen temple, yet people still rush to Reverend Kaneda and ask for his help.
One of the people featured in Parry’s book was disguised under the name Takashi Ono who lives in an inland town that is miles away from the coastline. He was at work when the earthquake struck but not directly affected by the tsunami. Ten days after the disaster, he visited the tsunami zone with his mother and his wife and were surprised at the extensive damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
Ono and his family went home and a few moments after having dinner, he started acting up. He was making guttural noises, crawling on all fours, licking and squirming on the futon and tatami mats. He then ran out into the field and rolled in the mud. His mother and his wife were perplexed at what they witnessed. Ono woke up the next morning not remembering anything unusual from the night before. It didn’t stop there, as he spent three nights talking about the dead, speaking in a guttural manner, and even threatening violence. Ono’s family advised him to see a priest to drive the spirits away and he agreed to see one. He felt much better after the Buddhist sutras were recited.
Study on Ghost Encounters
Image: Ving N, Unsplash
In January 2016, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported a study conducted by sociology graduate student Yuka Kudo about ghost passenger encounters in one of the cities that greatly suffered from the tsunami. The Tohokue Gakuin University student traveled to Ishinomaki in the Miyagi Prefecture.
She approached more than 100 taxi drivers but many showed a reluctance to talk. Out of everyone she asked, Kudo managed to encourage seven volunteers to share their experiences. Yuka Kudo’s professor, Dr. Kiyoshi Kanebishi, noted that the physical records were in sync with the stories of the taxi drivers. Since the taxi meters were turned on and the trips were recorded, the drivers’ stories were able to be verified.
Tales of Tsunami Ghost Passengers
One taxi driver’s account was in 2001, just a few months after the tsunami. The driver was driving along a hard-hit area and surprised to see a woman hailing for a ride. It was summer, yet the young woman donned a heavy winter coat, looking drenched. She climbed into the back seat and gave instructions to be dropped off to the Minamihama district, which is mostly abandoned. While turning the meter on, the driver remarked on how the area was mostly empty. He asked the passenger if she was sure going there and a long silence ensued. The woman responded in a shivering voice, “Have I died?” Terrified, the driver turned around only to find out that no one was sitting on the back seat.
Another driver had a passenger in his 20s who took a long time to request his drop-off location. Looking confused, the young man kept pointing forward. It took some time before he finally answered in one word—Hiyoriyama, which is a mountain park near Ishinomaki. Upon arriving at the destination, being a plateau close to the summit, the driver turned around for payment. But no one was in his car.
Dealing With the Loss
Onlookers and the media perceived Tohoku survivors as uncomplaining and resilient. The country saw how survivors queue for rationed food, take care of the wounded, and live in makeshift evacuation centers. Tohoku seemed to be coping well.
Over the years, the coastal communities have found different means to express their grief. For those who never recovered the bodies, mediums have been their means to try to locate the remains of loved ones. In the town of Otsuchi, a phone booth was set up on top of a hill that overlooks the ocean. This allows people to visit and send messages to loved ones who passed away.
One thing that Parry learned through these encounters is the indirect expression of trauma and grief. He said that he has met people and they look fine, but the raw and awful pain is evident in their anecdotes. One woman that Parry interviewed said that on top of the changed lifestyles of the people after the disaster, “everyone has something wrong with them.”
Parry saw first-hand how everyone’s grief varies in small and subtle ways. The survivors’ grief was influenced by multiple factors, one of which is the span of time taken to recover missing bodies of loved ones.
In the Netflix episode, Professor Kanebishi theorized that the survivors’ PTSD resulted in the increased ghost sightings. Parry seems to share the same sentiments, and wrote in his book how grief isn’t a solution, and that “it compounds stress and complication” and “multiplies anxiety and tension”.
According to Reverend Kaneda, ghosts appear because of their love and longing for the ones they left behind. With these words, we are reminded that whatever we do, we can not bring our dead loved ones back to life. The best way is to move forward despite the loneliness and suffering.
