Strange Event

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Glowpun said:

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Click to expand...

It's all in your memory. .. and because of circumstances, you got an olfactory hallucination.

Glowpun said:

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Click to expand...

What kind of odor? What kind of odor does one smell on ANYBODY mant times? Cologne? Body odor? A soap? Shampoo? Garlic? Curry? Not trying to be facetious or a smart ass. But people don't have individual distinctive smells...unless you're tracking hound for example.

My guess would be that whatever that odor was that you smelled on your friend many times? You smelled on or around someone or something else. Either that, or the loss of this person was very traumatic and, as Glowpun said, you were having an olfactory hallucination.

Edit...oh wait. Missed she was your best friend. My money's on Glowplow. I am sorry for our loss. We have so few best friends. It's difficult to lose them.

RAMOSS said:

It's all in your memory. .. and because of circumstances, you got an olfactory hallucination.

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Explain this then. My late uncle's footsteps on the wood floors in my house were distinctive sounding. Three days after he passed away and early in the morning while waking up, I swore i heard his footsteps. What is more my pet dog, who was with me, let out a soft growl which is a sound she would make whenever she detected someone approaching my bedroom door which was open.

Glowpun said:

Explain this then. My late uncle's footsteps on the wood floors in my house were distinctive sounding. Three days after he passed away and early in the morning while waking up, I swore i heard his footsteps. What is more my pet dog, who was with me, let out a soft growl which is a sound she would make whenever she detected someone approaching my bedroom door which was open.

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Audible hallucination, which quite often happens when waking up ... the entire brain is not active yet, and part is still in sleep mode... with the dog sensing your being disturbed.It's common enough they even have a name for it. Hypnagogia

Glowpun said:

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Click to expand...

Grief is a powerful emotion and has been known to produce the kinds of hallucinations you are talking about. Such hallucinations are actually a very common occurence. Spend any time in a grief support group (which is worth considering if you just lost your best friend) and you will hear many such stories from other people who have lost their loved ones. Some will say "I think that's my loved ones way of letting me know that he's ok" or "I think that's Gods way of letting me know..."; I don't correct them because that explanation helps bring them peace. But it's really just their brain trying to cope with such a devastating loss.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ghost-stories-visits-from-the-deceased/

scientific american said:

Our perception is so tuned to their presence that when they are not there to fill that gap, we unconsciously try to mold the world into what we have lived with for so long and so badly long for.

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RAMOSS said:

Audible hallucination, which quite often happens when waking up ... the entire brain is not active yet, and part is still in sleep mode... with the dog sensing your being disturbed.It's common enough they even have a name for it. Hypnagogia

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I've actually experienced this while my wife was awake. I could have sworn I heard a certain voice and she didn't hear it at all. When I woke up suddenly our dog also jumped a little. The voice was quite loud to me as well. I also experience during this time of awake/sleep what people have called "Sleep Paralysis" which is quite scary when it happens. When you are awake but you are unable to move your body for a while.

Before my great grandfather died my mom was at the hospital.
They had another patient that had died. they had pronounced her dead.

they were taking her to the morgue when all of a sudden she opened her eyes screamed
they are coming to get me and then that was it. they monitored her another minute and nothing.

It is not uncommon for people who have love ones pass away to hear, smell things afterward.

My mom was in her home and one day she swore she heard my grandmother singing.
she wasn't asleep she was awake and in the middle of the day.

My grandfather was in hospice he had some how gotten gang green in his abdomen.
all the nephews and cousins came in. My cousin had just lost his wife to a hereditary disease.

my grandfather as clear as day had never met her didn't know her turned to him and said so and she wanted me
to tell you that everything is fine and that she is just great.

His hospice nurse kept wondering why he hadn't passed because by all measure he should have the infection was so bad.
He told her it wasn't his time and that he was waiting on grandma to come and get him.

Praxas said:

I've actually experienced this while my wife was awake. I could have sworn I heard a certain voice and she didn't hear it at all. When I woke up suddenly our dog also jumped a little. The voice was quite loud to me as well. I also experience during this time of awake/sleep what people have called "Sleep Paralysis" which is quite scary when it happens. When you are awake but you are unable to move your body for a while.

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I am not suprised. A lot of people have that happen to them. I have had it happen a couple of times.. but extremely rarely. The brain is an interesting organ.

ludin said:

Before my great grandfather died my mom was at the hospital.
They had another patient that had died. they had pronounced her dead.

they were taking her to the morgue when all of a sudden she opened her eyes screamed
they are coming to get me and then that was it. they monitored her another minute and nothing.

It is not uncommon for people who have love ones pass away to hear, smell things afterward.

My mom was in her home and one day she swore she heard my grandmother singing.
she wasn't asleep she was awake and in the middle of the day.

My grandfather was in hospice he had some how gotten gang green in his abdomen.
all the nephews and cousins came in. My cousin had just lost his wife to a hereditary disease.

my grandfather as clear as day had never met her didn't know her turned to him and said so and she wanted me
to tell you that everything is fine and that she is just great.

His hospice nurse kept wondering why he hadn't passed because by all measure he should have the infection was so bad.
He told her it wasn't his time and that he was waiting on grandma to come and get him.

Click to expand...

So those two "supernatural" incidences I experienced both really had natural explanations.

But what about this: A few weeks before my uncle passed away he said he had a dream in which his long dead sister told him he was "coming home soon." A couple months later he died.

It appears that in order for a supernatural phenomenon to be truly supernatural, all natural explanations have to be ruled out. yes?

I read an article written during the Middle Ages of a monk who said he "encountered a ghost." The ghost told him that he would be dead in 8 days. Well, 8 days later the monk dies. What is the natural explanation for this? There was a similar story happening a hundred years later in which a man who reported seeing a ghost died within days of this allegedly encounter. Explanations? It seems that if you encounter a ghost your death is assured shortly.

Glowpun said:

So those two "supernatural" incidences I experienced both really had natural explanations.

But what about this: A few weeks before my uncle passed away he said he had a dream in which his long dead sister told him he was "coming home soon." A couple months later he died.

It appears that in order for a supernatural phenomenon to be truly supernatural, all natural explanations have to be ruled out. yes?

I read an article written during the Middle Ages of a monk who said he "encountered a ghost." The ghost told him that he would be dead in 8 days. Well, 8 days later the monk dies. What is the natural explanation for this? There was a similar story happening a hundred years later in which a man who reported seeing a ghost died within days of this allegedly encounter. Explanations? It seems that if you encounter a ghost your death is assured shortly.

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Well, this might come as a surprise to you, but sometimes, stories are exactly that.. stories. Sometimes, things happen, but then the circumstances get exaggerated. Also, when people are sick, and their body is starting to shut down, it is not unknown for people to start to hallucinate. ,, and I am sure they can tell that they are dying, and therefore their hallucinations match their circumstances.

Glowpun said:

So those two "supernatural" incidences I experienced both really had natural explanations.

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Yes

Glowpun said:

But what about this: A few weeks before my uncle passed away he said he had a dream in which his long dead sister told him he was "coming home soon." A couple months later he died.

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Your earlier questions regarded the idea of people coming back from the dead. This new one has to do with premonitions. Those are two entirely different kinds of phenomenon. It is possible to believe in the possibility of premonitions without also believing in ghosts or vice versa.

Glowpun said:

It appears that in order for a supernatural phenomenon to be truly supernatural, all natural explanations have to be ruled out. yes?

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No. But in order for us to have reason to believe it is supernatural, it helps if it isn't easily explained using natural methods.

Glowpun said:

I read an article written during the Middle Ages of a monk who said he "encountered a ghost." The ghost told him that he would be dead in 8 days. Well, 8 days later the monk dies. What is the natural explanation for this? There was a similar story happening a hundred years later in which a man who reported seeing a ghost died within days of this allegedly encounter. Explanations? It seems that if you encounter a ghost your death is assured shortly.

Click to expand...

There's a few problems here.

1. I read something, also from the middle ages, that describes how St. George rescued a princess and slayed a dragon. I didn't believe it. Why do you believe this story?
2. There are stories of people encountering ghosts and then NOT dying. There are thousands of such stories. I just listened to one today on NPR in the show "Snap Judgment" here it is: The Boy Named Thomas - Snap 728 | Snap Judgment Why did you pick two where the person died and ignore the thousands where they didn't?

The grandfather of my husband lived in a retirement home, and had wanted me to bring a dish that he liked. So we visited and brought some for him. I was following behind my husband as he entered his room, and he greeted his grandfather. Grandpa asked "who's that lady?" My husband replied, "That's my wife." Grandpa said, "I know she's your wife. I mean who's that lady behind her?" We looked behind me. There's no one there.

A couple of days later, Grandpa died.


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When I was in my teens, I had a very spooky encounter with something unexplainable. It just started happening. Whenever I went to my parents' room, I would get goose bumps and feel my hair stirring up (you know that kind of feeling).....and sometimes, the door would slam shut (even when the windows are closed). I never did put much into those until that day when I went to use their washroom. I was was lathering my face at the sink (my eyes were closed because of the soap), when I heard someone whispering in my ear. I couldn't make out what was being said, but I could feel that tickling sensation when someone talks very close to your ear. I thought it was my niece or nephew playing a joke on me, so I swung my arm. There was no one there. You bet, I ran out of there!

I told my older brother of the incident, and he laughingly advised me: talk to it. Maybe it's one of our ancestors trying to tell you about buried treasures.

There were no more incidents after that. Everything stopped.

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I took my friend (a lady) visiting with my rich relatives who live in this large new home in a new subdivision. We were in a semi-darkened room, on the big bed with the napping children (drapes were closed), and I was lying down on one side of the kids trying to nap. I happened to open my eyes and saw my friend (who's semi-reclining on the other side of the kids) looking straight ahead......then I fell asleep. When we woke up, one of the kid went straight to the ensuite washroom. I was straightening the beddings when my friend asked me: don't you see her? I replied: see who? She said there's a lady standing by the door to the washroom. She said she couldn't see her face since this mysterious lady has her face averted, but she had short hair. My friend said that she was afraid to say something a while ago (that's why she was just staring up ahead) because she was afraid the lady would turn to look at her. Then she said the lady's gone now.
We talked to my aunt, and she said that she also saw a woman with short hair walking towards the baby's room in the middle of the night, as my aunt was rocking the baby to sleep. She thought it was her daughter (who also had short hair) coming to the baby's room, but the lady never did enter. The next morning my aunt found out it was not her daughter at all.
Everyone of us in the house prayed together that day, hoping that the ghostly apparition would cease. I never followed up if the sightings continued or not

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Glowpun said:

So those two "supernatural" incidences I experienced both really had natural explanations.

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Mostly, yes. If one looks into it, it's usually natural explanations or coincidence. The brain likes to make connections, even if two events are uncorrelated. Problem solving and puzzles happen to be what our brain is best at. People can convince themselves that something had to be paranormal, and once they are in that mindset, you're not really going to be able to convince them otherwise. Richard Feynman was said to like to tell an anecdote similar to the following.

I was sitting at home one day, when I got this just terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew, I just knew, that something was wrong. Then suddenly the phone rang, apprehensively I answered it. Nothing bad had happened.

The point of this being that there are plenty of times that one may have a bad feeling, but nothing comes of it. We don't remember those occasions, because the brain hadn't assigned any significance to it. However, if you feel bad and then something bad does happen, the brain says "Ahh HA! These two things are connected!" You're way more likely to remember something that was actually coincidental if you assign significance to it. But it doesn't mean it was anything other than coincidence because you'll never remember all those occasions when you thought something bad would happen and nothing bad happened, or you didn't know something bad would happen and something bad happens.

I think a lot of the "paranormal" and ghost stories comes down to things like this. Ascribed significance between uncorrelated events. And if you really take the time to look it through, there are generally natural explanations. And even if you come across something that you, for the life of you, cannot put reason to, it doesn't mean it was paranormal or magical or spiritual, or whatever. It just may be that you don't know.

I take all ghost stories with a grain of salt, and certainly anything from long ago is more story than fact. But if ghosts were real and what people said about them were, it seems to me that we'd have a bit more evidence for them by this point. There were something like 107 billion humans to have lived on Earth over the course of our species evolution. If even 1% of folk become ghosts, that's 1 billion ghosts floating about, and we don't really get anything other than stories. Right? There's no data, no measurement, no evidence, no proof. Just "I was at home alone and this totally creepy thing happened and a door opened so it had to be a ghost." sort of thing.

Ikari said:

Mostly, yes. If one looks into it, it's usually natural explanations or coincidence. The brain likes to make connections, even if two events are uncorrelated. Problem solving and puzzles happen to be what our brain is best at. People can convince themselves that something had to be paranormal, and once they are in that mindset, you're not really going to be able to convince them otherwise. Richard Feynman was said to like to tell an anecdote similar to the following.

I was sitting at home one day, when I got this just terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew, I just knew, that something was wrong. Then suddenly the phone rang, apprehensively I answered it. Nothing bad had happened.

The point of this being that there are plenty of times that one may have a bad feeling, but nothing comes of it. We don't remember those occasions, because the brain hadn't assigned any significance to it. However, if you feel bad and then something bad does happen, the brain says "Ahh HA! These two things are connected!" You're way more likely to remember something that was actually coincidental if you assign significance to it. But it doesn't mean it was anything other than coincidence because you'll never remember all those occasions when you thought something bad would happen and nothing bad happened, or you didn't know something bad would happen and something bad happens.

I think a lot of the "paranormal" and ghost stories comes down to things like this. Ascribed significance between uncorrelated events. And if you really take the time to look it through, there are generally natural explanations. And even if you come across something that you, for the life of you, cannot put reason to, it doesn't mean it was paranormal or magical or spiritual, or whatever. It just may be that you don't know.

I take all ghost stories with a grain of salt, and certainly anything from long ago is more story than fact. But if ghosts were real and what people said about them were, it seems to me that we'd have a bit more evidence for them by this point. There were something like 107 billion humans to have lived on Earth over the course of our species evolution. If even 1% of folk become ghosts, that's 1 billion ghosts floating about, and we don't really get anything other than stories. Right? There's no data, no measurement, no evidence, no proof. Just "I was at home alone and this totally creepy thing happened and a door opened so it had to be a ghost." sort of thing.

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We have no clear evidence because science doesn't deal with the supernatural. We don't understand much, if anything at all, about the supernatural.
But on that same token, just because we do not understand, and just because science doesn't offer any explanations (for obvious reason)......we cannot dismiss the possibility of the supernatural.

True, that there are hoaxes, and there are incidents that can be explained. But we cannot dismiss them all just because there are hoaxes, and there are those that can be explained.

When we try to come up with possible reasons to explain away all supernatural experiences - unless science backs up those explanations (case by case basis) - all we have are mere speculations.

Unless science has proven that there is no such thing as supernatural - we can't rule it out.

Glowpun said:

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Click to expand...

My elementary school cafeteria was a stand-alone building that had a very distinctive smell. It always had that same smell undertone no matter what they were cooking on any given day. Sometimes the smell of it just randomly hits me and then moves on. Not sure why. I am sure that it is not visiting me from beyond the grave.

Glowpun said:

For you truly religious folks, is there an explanation for the following.

My best friend passed away last week. As I was sitting at my office desk this afternoon looking at graphs, I whiffed an odor which i had smelled on my friend many times. The odor was distinctive. I asked my desk-mate if he smelled anything. And he said no.

I visited her the evening before she died. I was not wearing the same clothes and had certainly showered and cleaned myself a few times before this unusual event. My friend had been to my house many times, but never to my office.

Any explanations natural or not?

Click to expand...

I have an even stranger thought? Why would someone use that avatar? Please don't take my question the wrong way...