Part 6/15:
Vaknin discusses how many paranormal experiences can be interpreted through a psychological lens, notably misattribution of arousal. Stress, traumatic events, loneliness, and grief induce physiological responses—rising heart rate, adrenaline surges—that people often wrongly interpret as supernatural encounters, such as ghosts or telepathy.
He explains that certain experiences, like seeing apparitions or feeling connected to deceased loved ones, often reflect internal mental states—confusions between internal and external realities seen in psychotic episodes. These phenomena are transient and not necessarily pathological but are cerebral artifacts resulting from brain processes.