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What criteria makes a good account of phenomenal experiences?

What are realistic responses one can expect from those they share with?

I personally like atmosphere information, I like to hear a little about what brought the person to the place they witnessed the phenomena.

I also like to hear how the experience was significant to them.


Expected responses.

I feel a person should welcome basic inquiry, they may be able to present their experience better the next time if they honestly consider the questions people ask.

People who are hostile of inquiry are often dismissed as fabricators.

fabricators are all about one upmanship, and stealing limelight from those who have actual experienced something peculiar.

I should say off the top that I have pretty much reached a point where I dont want to really talk about what I have experienced anymore.Not due to anything other than I would rather spend that time looking for reasons and possible explainations as to why it would happen or how it would happen at all.I have heard alot of stories,and there are many parts that always seem similar.I do however like to hear of and share experiences when we are sitting around a campfire or someting like that.

I think it all depends on the credibility of the witness themselves.

Also how well you know them, which also plays into the credibility.

and trusting the people you tell not to think you are crazy, it doesn't matter if you've known someone 20 years if you can't trust them.

I don't understand why a person would tell anyone they don't trust.

I think all a person can do is give an honest account of what they believed to have experienced . As far as the paranormal goes it's all down to an individuals testimony there's no real evidence that can be offered to validate the experience in the eyes of others . I think if your going to put your experiences out there , most people would respond with scepticism , but that's healthy . Others opinions really shouldn't impact on your belief that what you've experienced is real .

I tend to agree with moonbubble here. If you've seen something that others might question, stick to your guns. You saw it they didn't. What it may have been might be debatable but, you saw something.

I guess the key here is to trust your instincts. The first instinct is usually the correct one.

It all depends upon what testifing is....

Testifying for Phenomenal experiences means that you have to be a credible source or provide credible data. I prefer to remain a skeptic until I see better proof of what is really going on. Thats why I like watching ghost hunters on tv. Sometimes they come up with some spoofy stuff, but considering that they have hard evidence... You have to wonder.

The think is.... you have to make sure the person didn't somehow observe outside sources of the phenomena as well...

There are many people who think they have seen one thing or another when they simply have heard or seen in on the news or on television or even by word of mouth and the mind can play tricks on people... They are not lying, it is very much real to them... but sometimes your mind cannot tell the difference between reality and fiction... especially if someone is in a state of paranoia.... This opens someone up to mind games, because mentally they want to put an explanation to their unexplained fear and anxiety.

[Just looking on the psychological side of the story here]

I would say if you don't feel it in your guts then its a good sign its not relevent.


last night I was relaxing and talking with a good friend of mine, and when I tried to move away and stop talking with my friend my light table light up by itself... it happened twice as I turn it off and resum talking then I wanted to stop again... the light turn on and a chill roll along my spin, it was creepy so I figured I'd remain where I was and talk till my friend wanted to end the convo. That hit me in the guts.

"What criteria makes a good account of phenomenal experiences?"

Can't help but feel some proof would be excellent criteria. Pictures, tape recordings, etc.




"What are realistic responses one can expect from those they share with?"

Probably a lot of questions ( which there probably should be) and sometimes disbelief.

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Sorry if I seem like a pessimist with my answer here ...but....so many times it is people who have reason to profit that have these phenomenal experiences.

Thank you GoC,

A fine example Crying Myst.

I agree that recorded documentation would be good criteria, unfortunately hard to get if you aren't prepared.

Best criteria is first person stories that stay factual. As in, here is what happened. Try to keep opinion and emotions felt out of the telling unless asked, otherwise it becomes a campfire story.

Also, it's best to keep an open mind on any scientific theories of what might have been the cause, instead of immediately getting defensive. There are skeptics, as well as those that want a solid reason for the occurrence as opposed to a mystical or spiritual one. Neither belief of the cause is necessarily a bad thing, just remember in the telling that both will be present.

Sometimes, psychic phenomenon involves a great deal of emotional empathy though..and Dabs, you are correct, what better way to prove a phenomenon than with pictures and other witness accounts not related to the psychic who experienced the phenomenon?

I have one such instance I've recorded in my own journal...I believe it should be one of the first entries under the Just Me section...entitled "Angels on High"...this particular experience is perhaps the one major phenomenal event I've had that can most certainly be backtracked and facts of the event established by those who were actually there in correlation to the phenomenon I experienced...and I was sent the the pictures of the event which I've posted one at the top of the entry. Check it out sometime.

While the entry is based upon what I felt and experienced...as written down the day it happened in a personal journal of mine....the facts surrounding the event did happen and the account is true...not fictional in any way, shape or form...I will never forget it, nor will any of those who were there that day to experience the phenomenon with me...take it or leave it, I'll stand by that account no matter what questions you ask me.

while evidence is helpful, I don't think I mentioned evidence here directly, this is more toward actual testimony, and I know that it is not always reasonable to expect material evidence, though I do make note personally of a well related account, and I will read your entry.

I think actually evidence will hold the testimony more credible... as even if someone is honest and someone is trustworthy, sometimes people are mistaken about what they have witnessed... Even in the court of law, witness testimony is known to have been tainted by the person who has seen or witnessed it, because along with their experiences they hold emotions and therefore they hold a point of view on how the events carried out. Only after multiple random and unrelated testimony comes to show the facts real, does it play into "evidence" in a situation. People sometimes feel one way and therefore perceived something in a way that others might see differently....

Great example-
A child falls from his bike and hurts himself. The child felt he was going very fast and flew off his bike and landed hard on the ground. While someone watching says he was going pretty slow and simply tipped and fell. The difference between these two accounts is the Child obviously held fear. Therefore his account is more dramatic and actually very different from the point of view of the viewer.

The thing is, ALL personal accounts are tainted with human emotion and can't always be taken as fact. Therefore evidence is key. No matter how that evidence is acquired.

Another factor is other people that may have (or may want others to think they had) seen the suspected event. This factor also taints what others may recall in testimony. I have seen this first hand after creating what appeared to be phenomenal experiences under semi controlled situations.

This is also the reason cops keep witnesses apart when writing on scene reports.

yup! cuz people will hear one person's story and believe it ties in to their own account and though they are not lying, they are not telling the truth either. Your mind likes to fill in the blanks that you did not see first had or understand completely. LMAO!

THE HUMAN MIND IS SO EASILY MANIPULATED...

And you know, there's no way to control it either? Because the person who is being manipulated HONESTLY believes it. With everything that they are... This is why the media does such a great job at getting morons to believe their every word. People just want and answer to why things happened... and they don't even need an answer that makes sense. This was proven with the 1/2 baked 9/11 excuses. On the 1/2 baked "lets blame Obama for our recession, even though we were in it before he was president" and everything else in the past and the future that we will see as a nation. [Not saying that the Obama administration is kick ass now, thought. lol]

Then we add phishers to the mix, people who intentionally fabricate testimony from those of others, they tend to be preemptive with their formulating against common retorts, or inquires presented during the other testimony.

I like to hear how people felt physically and emotionally at each stage of their experience. That's what's most interesting- what effect it had on them. That's what makes Stephen King such a great storyteller.

hmmm... lol...
a bit random, but interesting none the less... emotions are great and all, but it's the backbone to how stories are exaderated and eventually bent and twisted into lies when someone is testifing.... but I suppose getting their emotions out durring each stage will be interesting to know nine the less.... if people can even explain them well.

Some who listen will ignore tell tell hallmarks of a fabricated story just to maintain the illusion to others that the experience happened, and thus cementing their personal bias.

experiencing a nice hard on has always been right up there!

admiting that one pissed themselves is always TMI..

it is reasoned that the whole ANAL PROBE THING STARTED BECAUSE PEOPLE WANTing TO TOP OTHER ABDUCTION STORIES throw in what they hope to appear humiliating to make it seem like they are practicing full dis closer

Psychologically speaking, everything depend in the believe of the listener. If you experienced a paranormal activity and you tell to someone who believe in such of encounter, then , they will believe and put themselves in that situation. On the contrary, if you tell to someone who is a "mind" closed" to any experience, then, you are wasting your time. You must testify to those who are willing to hear.

Thank you markus,

Picking ones crowd is a factor as well, if one wants to test their testimony, a group t5hat includes cynical, or skeptics may not be ideal.