Explaining the phenomenon of seeing ghosts who died

Italian researchers found that hallucinations of dead relatives were common, but many people were afraid to reveal them because they feared that their friends had neurological problems.

According to The Telegraph, 6 out of 10 people suffer from seeing or hearing dead relatives, but most never tell. Among widows or husbands, 30 - 60% have seen dead partners sitting on chairs or hearing their partners calling their names.

In the movie Ghost, the character Molly can see and hear Sam, her deceased lover.(Photo: Rex Features).

Researchers at the University of Milan, Italy, said the experience of post-loved hallucinations (PBHE) tends to be more common in people without a history of neurological disorders. They came to a conclusion after reviewing all previous English studies on the subject.

"In general, the evidence indicates that PBHE's high popularity - between 30 and 60% - in widowed subjects, suggests there is a consistency with the phenomenon," the team concluded in the paper. The report was published in the Journal of Depression Disorder.

Since research on this topic is relatively small, the authors emphasize that it is necessary to explore further to determine the biological and pathological nature of PBHE. The hallucinations have many similarities to reminiscences that people with common post-traumatic stress disorder often have.

Jacqueline Hayes, a professor at Roehampton University, UK, has studied phenomena and interviewed people who lost their partners, parents, children, siblings, friends across the UK."People report cases of seeing, hearing, touching, sniffing ghosts and feeling that the dead are still present, a perception that is not necessarily associated with the senses , " Hayes said.

"I find these experiences can sometimes heal wounds, such as when you hear relatives apologize for the past, but at other times stir up pain and loss," Hayes said. .