Renowned Neurologist & Paranormal Skeptic Addresses The Ghost Box

BOSTON, MA --- Paranormal investigators have been using the ghost box, also known as a spirit box or Frank's Box, for quite some time now, but it wasn't until recently when Phillip Brunelle, founder of ATF Paranormal Investigations, uploaded his own ghost box sessions onto his YouTube channel, Mass Most Haunted, (Visit Channel Here) that the validity of the ghost box is being called into question by renowned doctors and scientists.

Dr. Steven P. Novella, a Clinical Neurologist and Director of General Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine, wrote an article this week, (See Article Here) specifically addressing the ghost box.

The recent ghost box video produced by Phillip Brunelle, peaked the interest of Dr. Novella, who referenced the video in his article as an example supporting his opinion of the paranormal, and his impression regarding the validity of the ghost box.

Dr. Novella's article, titled "Ghost Box", will undoubtedly be debated within the paranormal community. Aside from his education and profession in medicine, Dr. Steven Novella has gained prominence for his role in the scientific skepticism movement, and as a self-proclaimed skeptic, Dr. Novella is raising the question of whether or not paranormal investigators should consider the ghost box to be an effective investigative tool in paranormal research, and a method of communicating with ghosts, or spirits of the dead.
Dr. Steven Novella believes that ghost hunters who use the ghost box are vulnerable to suggestion, or mind manipulation, and they're only hearing words and phrases transmitted through the ghost box that their minds are looking to hear. Therefore, Dr. Novella believes that ghost box communications shouldn't be considered as conclusive paranormal evidence that substantiates the existence of ghosts, or spirits.

Although Brunelle's Ghost Box Video hasn't been called into question for its authenticity, Dr. Novella has challenged people to watch the video, saying "most of the words and phrases 'heard' by the ghost hunter in this video are more imagination than anything else. I suggest you listen to the audio without the video and write down any words that you think you hear. Then watch the video and see if they match what the ghost hunter thought he heard."

There are always two sides to every story, and many opinions about a single belief, but is the answer to evidence documented for paranormal research always as simple as saying that it's fabricated, unfounded, a coincidence, misinterpreted, or only believed to be true by individuals who are susceptible to suggestion or persuasion?

The ghost box hasn't been defined by law, or otherwise, as a method of communicating with the dead, or a definitive tool that produces conclusive paranormal evidence, but neither has any other device or paranormal investigation tool currently used by ghost hunters.

Does that mean that the ghost box, and every paranormal investigation tool used to document evidence should never be taken seriously? Or is it fair to believe that ghost hunting tools are capable of producing compelling evidence that's leading to answering many unexplained questions surrounding the paranormal, including, and especially a question every person will ponder upon at some point during their life, "what is going to happen after I die?".

[technorati.com]