How to Treat a Ghost / A Lesson from Mike Ricksecker

Thomas Wolfe House, Asheville, haunted by the author's brother

When people experience paranormal things in their home or in a place they may be visiting or investigating (if they're ghost investigators) they need to keep in mind that these beings of energy were once human and still behave as humans.
  My friend and "Ghostorian" Mike Ricksecker said that he treats ghosts with respect when he goes into a place they may be dwelling in. I really admire him for that. Mike said that he enters a place, introduces himself and extends his hand as if to shake their hand. That is a true gentleman and that's the level of respect we need to offer to ghosts.
  Mike is also an author of several books, two books about ghosts and haunted places and two mystery novels featuring lead character and detective Chase Michael DeBarlo. I recommend all of his books. For more information go to: http://www.rrdevelopments.com/mike/

My 1st book recently updated for $7.99 paper/$2.99 ebook

   It's so easy to think of a ghost as just some "weird" or paranormal thing that wants to make someone's life difficult, or is inhabiting a space living people are in. The fact is, they were all once living, breathing people like you and me. Some may not perceive that they aren't flesh and blood anymore, but regardless of that, their behaviors are still those of humans. SO, we need to treat them as if they were breathing. They're still alive, but just as beings of energy.
  Some ghosts stay because they don't want to leave the home they knew. Others are stuck here because they lingered and can't remember how to move on. Still others continue to seek forgiveness- and for those, it's worse if the people they're trying to get it from have died and crossed into the light- because Earth-bound ghosts and spirits who have crossed can see each other, but they're on different planes of existence, and communications are apparently difficult - so a living person on Earth must act as a mediator to convey the forgiveness.

  Remember that some ghosts who know they're dead and can't remember how to cross over may be angry, just as a person would who is trapped anywhere for a long time. We should talk to them and tell them to seek sources of the light- in funeral homes, cemeteries, hospitals, and direct them as you would direct a living person.

Listen to Rob's Interview on Paranormal Review Radio from 2/8/13

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Can You Feel Someone's Presence When They're in a Coma?

Recently I was asked:  Is it possible to feel someone's presence or spirit even if they are in a coma and haven't passed yet?

 Yes, it is possible to feel someone's presence even if they are in a coma.
  Sometimes, it has been known that when people are in a coma, their spirit is able to project to another location, to contact people they love. It's called astral projection.  You can get a good idea about how it works here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection
  Please tell the person that you sensed them and that if they need to pass, its okay for them to cross into the light. Sometimes people need to hear that it's okay to move on if they want to. Otherwise, they should be encouraged to recover. It depends on the age and situation of the person's health. Use your best judgment.

It turned out that the coma patient passed a few hours later (and the person asked didn't even know the patient had been in a coma).  The person that sensed her friend's spirit said that she was very emotional that night and knew something bad had happened.  

Ghostly Energy and Headaches: Lightning and Migraines

 I always get a headache in the back left side of my head whenever the energy of a ghost or spirit is around. Now, a new scientific study links lightning (another form of energy) to headaches, helping to reinforce my theory of "electrical overload" in the brain from outside energies (like ghosts and spirits).  As a meteorologist, I find this very plausible and exciting that this research acts to confirm my theory about getting "ghostly headaches."

 Does lightning cause your headache?

Lightning tied to onset of headaches, migraines, says study A new study has found that lightning might affect the onset of headache and migraines. ARTICLE: http://earthsky.org/human-world/lightning-tied-to-onset-of-headaches-migraines-says-study?utm_source=EarthSky+News&utm_campaign=90a68c0171-EarthSky_News&utm_medium=email

Do you sometimes feel like you’re getting a headache when a thunderstorm is coming on? Turns out, it’s not the thunder – it’s the lightning. That’s according to a new study that has found that lightning might affect the onset of headache and migraines.

Photo via Shutterstock

The study, published in the January 24, 2013 online edition of the journal Cephalalgia, said there was a 31 percent increased risk of headache and 28 percent increased risk of migraine for chronic headache sufferers on days lighting struck within 25 miles of study participants’ homes.
In addition, new-onset headaches and migraines increased by 24 percent and 23 percent in participants when lightning was nearby.
Geoffrey Martin, fourth-year medical student at University of Connecticut, and his father, headache expert Vincent Martin MD, a professor at University of Connecticut, led the study. Geoffrey Martin said:

Many studies show conflicting findings on how weather, including elements like barometric pressure and humidity, affect the onset of headaches. However, this study very clearly shows a correlation between lightning, associated meteorological factors and headaches.

Arlington, Virginia, looking towards Washington DC. September 1, 2012. Photo credit: EarthSky Facebook friend Brian Allen. Thanks for posting Brian!

Vincent Martin said:

We used mathematical models to determine if the lightning itself was the cause of the increased frequency of headaches or whether it could be attributed to other weather factors encountered with thunderstorms. Our results found a 19 percent increased risk for headaches on lightning days, even after accounting for these weather factors. This suggests that lightning has its own unique effect on headache.

So why would lightning trigger a headache? Vincent Martin explained:

Electromagnetic waves emitted from lightning could trigger headaches. In addition, lightning produces increases in air pollutants like ozone and can cause release of fungal spores that might lead to migraine.

The researchers said that his study gives some insight into the tie between headaches or migraines, lightning and other meteorologic factors. However, the exact mechanisms through which lightning and/or its associated meteorologic factors trigger headache are unknown.
Bottom line: A new study, published in the January 24, 2013 online edition of the journal Cephalalgia, is the first tying lightning to headache. The study found there was a 31 percent increased risk of headache and 28 percent increased risk of migraine for chronic headache sufferers on days lighting struck within 25 miles of study participants’ homes.
Read more from the University of Cincinnati