Our Haunted Society

Turn on the television any night and the incredible number of shows devoted to the paranormal may surprise you, once you start to tally them up: "Ghost Hunters", "Paranormal State", "A Haunting", "Haunted History", "Most Haunted", "Ghostly Encounters; not to mention the myriad fictional treatments of contacting the dead, like "Ghost Whisperer" and "Medium". Whether reality-based or fictional, the connoisseur of haunting has plenty of options for entertainment. It seems that the idea of 'being haunted' has gained a newfound plausibility in our cultural lexicon. When I was growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, the only options of this type were 'In Search Of" and "Unsolved Mysteries"!

What new relevance does a concept as ancient as 'haunting' have for our technology obsessed modern society? I certainly think it is no coincidence that the rise of such programming came with readily available handheld digital camcorders, and former military tech like FLIR. Most of these shows at least nod in the direction of science through the use of various forms of data capture, including night vision, infrared, video and audio recordings, and electro-magnetic registers. This use of technology along with quasi-scientific theories about 'quartz and water' or 'electromagnetic fields' help to remove the belief from the mystical/spectral plane and plant it firmly in the realm of the secular/physical universe.

I propose we look at this new found faith in ghosts as the manifestation of a form of techno-shamanism - a lexicon for dealing with the physical instantiation of emotional states. In other words, feelings made real and tactile. Watching episodes of 'A Haunting' bring this to the fore most clearly; every episode I have seen involves some type of social unit (often a family, but can also be a workplace) undergoing a transformation (acquiring a new identity such as adolescence or else members like a new baby), dealing with trauma (death, divorce, blending families), or otherwise experiencing stress (big move, career transition). Yet, instead of calling in a psychologist to counsel the group members on how to handle these transitions, the oblivious (or in denial) narrators attribute all sense of discomfort to 'the house'. The dwelling and its otherworldly inhabitants becomes the locus for emotional dysfunction.

Personally, I know that when I am upset, other people can feel it coming off of me in waves, or emanations. I have also felt a dread of coming home when I have had roommate issues, or family problems that needed working out. I think many of us have experienced something similar, akin to the sense that 'someone in a car in the next lane is looking at you' and you turn and see that they are. Spooky!

As social animals, we are more tightly knit in experiencing emotional states then we may realize; and in our fast-paced, relatively anonymous, atomized society, we don't have as many opportunities to practice our skills as reading other people's emotional states, so what comes across is a jumble of cues which we interpret as incoherent and chaotic (and scary). Further, despite a claimed belief in religion and God in the polls, few people are truly anchored and deepened in the language and narrative of their chosen faith. This leaves us with few tools at out disposal for reaching out to our community or to a trusted figure when we encounter crises as individuals or families.

Into this breach steps a belief in the paranormal, which I am arguing is a positive thing. The language of hauntings, revolving around the key concepts of belief, faith, and trust, becomes the field upon which the social unit's issues are worked out (or not). The process of exorcising the spirits, which often draws in extended family members, neighbors, priests and specialists in the paranormal, is similar to the ways in which shamanic ritual creates a strong and visible support network around a sufferer. Repeatedly, in such broadcasts, the paranormal specialists (including crew members and hangers-on) assert that they are there to help 'the family' - particularly to 'give them peace of mind'. Further, they often self-identify as taking on a role to protect children and other vulnerable members of the social unit. This gives people clear cut roles, reasons for engaging, and a vested authority to handle the situation.

The shamanization of emotional disturbance is a recurring solution in human cultural life. The rise of paranormal specialists in every region, if seen as shamanic, can be read as a remarkably functional system, quickly mobilizing resources in the community and elsewhere, as well as providing a language that is both regionally transcendent, and inter-personally non-threatening. If it helps people find 'peace of mind' then I am all for it. Long live the EVP!