A scientific approach to the paranormal | Carrie Poppy

Translator: Enara Caride Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

Eight years ago, I was haunted by an evil spirit.

Hai oito anos, posuíume un espírito maligno.

I was 25 at the time,

Daquela tiña 25,

and I was living in a tiny house behind someone else's house

e vivía nunha pequena casa detrás da casa doutra persoa

in Los Angeles.

en Los Angeles.

It was this guest house, it had kind of been dilapidated,

Era unha casa de hóspedes que estaba practicamente en ruínas,

not taken care of for a long time.

non coidada por moito tempo.

And one night, I was sitting there

E unha noite, estaba sentada alí

and I got this really spooky feeling,

e chegoume unha sensación arrepiante,

kind of the feeling like you're being watched.

o tipo de sensación coma se estiveses sendo observado.

But no one was there except my two dogs,

Porén non había ninguén a excepción dos meus dous cans,

and they were just chewing their feet.

e simplemente estaban a se morder as patas.

And I looked around. No one was there.

Mirei arredor. Ninguén estaba alí.

And I thought, OK, it's just my imagination.

E pensei, está ben, é só a miña imaxinación.

But the feeling just kept getting worse,

Mais a sensación non facía máis que medrar,

and I started to feel this pressure in my chest,

e comecei a sentir unha presión no peito,

sort of like the feeling when you get bad news.

algo así como a sensación que tes cando recibes unha mala noticia.

But it started to sink lower and lower

Mais esta fíxose cada vez máis fonda

and almost hurt.

e case doía.

And over the course of that week, this feeling got worse and worse,

E ao longo de aquela semana, esta sensación non fixo máis que empeorar,

and I started to become convinced that something was there

e comecei a convencerme de que algo estaba alí

in my little guest house, haunting me.

na miña pequena casa, axexándome.

And I started to hear these sounds,

E comecei a ouvir uns sons,

this "whoosh," kind of whisper, like something passing through me.

o murmurio do tipo "whoosh", coma se algo pasase a través de min.

I called my best friend, Claire, and said,

Chamei á miña mellor amiga, Claire, e díxenlle:

"I know this is going to sound crazy,

"Sei que isto vai soar a loucura,

but, um ...

mais, um...

I think there's a ghost in my house, and I need to get rid of it."

creo que hai unha pantasma na casa, e preciso desfacerme dela."

And she said -- she's very open-minded -- and she said,

E ela dixo -- ela ten unha mentalidade moi aberta -- e ela dixo,

"I don't think you're crazy.

"Non penso que esteas tola.

I think you just need to do a cleansing ritual."

Creo que só necesitas facer un ritual de purificación"

(Laughter)

(Risas)

"So get some sage and burn it,

"Así que colle un pouco de xarxa e quéimaa,

and tell it to go away."

e dille que marche."

So I said, "OK," and I went and I bought sage.

Así que dixen, "está ben," e fun mercar xarxa.

I had never done this before, so I set the sage on fire,

Nunca fixera isto antes, así que lle prendín lume á xarxa,

waved it about, and said, "Go away! This is my house! I live here.

axiteina e dixen, "Vaite! Esta é a miña casa! Eu vivo aquí.

You don't live here!"

Ti non vives aquí!"

But the feeling stayed. Nothing got better.

Porén, a sensación permaneceu. Nada foi a mellor.

And then I started to think,

E logo comecei a pensar,

OK, well now this thing is probably just laughing at me,

Ben, é moi probable que esta cousa só está a se rir de min,

because it hasn't left,

porque non marchou,

and I probably just look like this impotent, powerless thing

e de seguro lle parezo unha impotente e indefensa

that couldn't get it to go away.

que non pode conseguir que marche.

So every day I'd come home

Así que cada día volvía a casa

and you guys, this feeling got so bad that -- I mean, I'm laughing at it now --

e sabedes, esta sensación volveuse tan insoportable que -- quero dicir, agora

but I would sit there in bed and cry every night.

ríome -- mais naquel momento sentaba na cama e choraba todas as noites.

And the feeling on my chest got worse and worse.

E a sensación do meu peito volvíase cada vez peor.

It was physically painful.

Era unha dor física.

And I even went to a psychiatrist

Incluso fun a un psiquiatra

and tried to get her to prescribe me medicine,

e tratei de que me prescribise medicación,

and she wouldn't just because I don't have schizophrenia, OK.

e ela non o fixo só porque non tiña esquizofrenia.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

So finally I got on the internet, and I Googled "hauntings."

Así que finalmente fun a internet e busquei "aparicións".

And I came upon this forum of ghost hunters.

E atopei un foro de cazadores de espíritos.

But these were a special kind of ghost hunters --

Mais eran un tipo especial de cazadores de espíritos --

they were skeptics.

eles eran escépticos.

They believed that every case of ghosts that they had investigated so far

Crían que cada caso de pantasmas que investigaran ata o momento

had been explained away by science.

se podía explicar mediante a ciencia.

And I was like, "OK, smart guys, this is what's happening to me,

E eu estaba como, "Moi ben, tipos listos, isto é o que me está a acontecer,

and if you have an explanation for me, I would love to hear it."

e se tedes unha explicación que darme, encantaríame escoitala."

And one of them said, "OK.

E un deles dixo, "Vale.

Um, have you heard of carbon monoxide poisoning?"

Um, ouviches acerca da intoxicación por monóxido de carbono?"

And I said, "Yeah.

E eu dixen, "Si.

Like, gas poisoning?"

É algo así como a intoxicación por gas?"

Carbon monoxide poisoning is when you have a gas leak

A intoxicación por monóxido de carbono é cando tes unha fuga de

leaking into your home.

gas na túa casa.

I looked it up, and the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning

Busquei, e os síntomas de intoxicación por monóxido de carbono

include a pressure on your chest,

inclúen unha presión no peito,

auditory hallucinations -- whoosh --

alucinacións auditivas -- whoosh --

and an unexplained feeling of dread.

e unha inexplicable sensación de temor.

So that night, I called the gas company.

Así que esa noite chamei á compañía de gas.

I said, "I have an emergency. I need you to come out.

Dixen, "Teño unha emerxencia, necesito que veñades.

I don't want to get into the story now, but I need you to come out."

Non quero darlles os detalles agora, mais necesito que veñades."

(Laughter)

(Risas)

They came out. I said, "I suspect a gas leak."

Viñeron. Eu dixen, "Sospeito que sexa unha fuga de gas".

They brought their carbon monoxide detector,

Eles trouxeron o seu detector de monóxido de carbono,

and the man said,

e o home dixo,

"It's a really good thing that you called us tonight,

"Que ben que chamou esta noite,

because you could have been dead very soon."

porque podería ter morto en calquera momento".

Thirty-seven percent of Americans believe in haunted houses,

O 37% dos americanos cren en casas enmeigadas,

and I wonder how many of them have been in one

e pregúntome cantos deles estiveron nunha

and how many of them have been in danger.

e cantos deles estiveron en perigo.

So that haunting story has led me to my job.

E foi aquela historia de pantasmas a que me levou ao meu traballo.

I'm an investigator, and I'm an investigator in two senses:

Son investigadora, e sono en dous sentidos:

I'm an investigative journalist,

Son unha xornalista de investigación,

and I'm also an investigator of the claims of the paranormal

e, ademais, son unha investigadora do paranormal

and claims of the spiritual.

e espiritual.

And that means a few things.

O que significa varias cousas.

Sometimes that means that I'm pretending to need an exorcism

Ás veces isto significa que pretendo necesitar un exorcismo

so I can get -- yes, that's right! -- so I can go to an exorcist

de xeito que poida contratar -si, iso é!- de xeito que poida ir a un exorcista

and see if he's using gimmicks or psychological tricks

e ver se está a empregar aparellos ou trucos psicolóxicos

to try to convince someone that they're possessed.

para tratar de convencer a alguén de que está posuído.

Sometimes that means I'm going undercover in a fringe group

Ás veces isto quere dicir que vou de incógnito a algún grupo marxinal

which I report on for a podcast that I co-host.

e informo para unha emisión multimedia da que son coanfitrioa.

And I've done over 70 investigations like this with my co-host, Ross.

Fixen máis de 70 investigacións coma esta co meu coanfitrión Ross.

I would love to tell you that nine times out of 10, science wins,

Encantaríame dicirvos que 9 de cada 10 casos, a ciencia gaña,

saves the day, it's all explained.

salva o día, todo é explicado.

That's not true.

Iso non é certo.

The truth is, 10 times out of 10, science wins, it saves the day.

A verdade é que, 10 de 10 veces, a ciencia gaña e salva o día.

(Applause)

(Aplauso)

And that doesn't mean there's no such thing as a mystery.

E iso non quere dicir que non haxa misterios.

Of course there are mysteries, but a mystery is a mystery.

Por suposto que hai misterios, mais un misterio é un misterio.

It is not a ghost.

Non é unha pantasma.

Now, I believe there are two kinds of truth,

Agora penso que existen dous tipos de verdade,

and it's taken me a while to get to this place, but I think this is right,

e levoume un tempo chegar ata aquí, mais penso que está ben,

so hear me out.

así que escoitade.

I think there is outer truth and there's inner truth.

Penso que hai una verdade externa e unha verdade interna.

So if you say to me,

De forma que se me dis,

"There was a man named Jesus and he once existed,"

"Houbo un home chamado Xesús que unha vez existiu,"

that's outer truth, right?

é unha verdade externa, non?

And we can go and look at the historical record.

E podemos ir e mirar os documentos históricos.

We can determine whether that seems to be true.

Podemos determinar se iso parece ser verdade.

And I would argue, it does seem to be true.

E diría que, efectivamente, parece selo.

If you say, "Jesus rose from the dead," -- ooh, trickier.

Se dis, "Xesús levantouse de entre os mortos", ooh, máis complicado.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I would say that's an outer-truth claim,

Eu diría que iso é unha verdade externa,

because he physically rose or he didn't.

porque fisicamente, ergueuse ou non.

I'm not going to get into whether he rose or he didn't,

Non entrarei no feito de se se ergueu ou non,

but I would say that's an outer-truth claim.

mais diría que se trata dunha verdade externa.

It happened or it didn't happen.

Sucedeu, ou non.

But if you say, "I don't care whether he rose from the dead.

Mais se ti dis, "Non me importa se se ergueu de entre os mortos.

It's symbolically important to me,

É simbolicamente importante para min,

and that metaphor is so meaningful, so purposeful to me,

e esa metáfora é tan significativa, tan determinante para min,

and I'm not going to try to persuade you of it,"

que non vou tratar de te convencer disto,"

now you've moved it from outer truth to inner truth,

pasaches dunha verdade externa a unha interna,

from science to art.

da ciencia á arte.

And I think we have a tendency to not be clear about this,

E penso que tendemos a non ser claros sobre isto,

to try to move our inner truths to outer truths,

a tratar de facer as nosas verdades internas externas,

or to not be fair about it to each other,

a non ser xustos cos demais ao respecto,

and when people are telling us their inner truths,

e cando a xente nos di as súas verdades internas,

to try to make them defend them by outer-truth standards.

para tratar de defendelas mediante os estándares das verdades externas.

So I'm talking here about outer truth, about objective things.

Así que estou a falar de verdades externas, acerca de cousas obxectivas.

And there was an objective reality in my haunted house, right?

E había unha realidade obxectiva na miña casa encantada, verdade?

Now that I've told you about the gas leak,

Agora que vos falei acerca da fuga de gas,

I doubt a single person here would be like,

dubido que calquera persoa aquí diga:

"I still think there was a ghost, too" --

"Aínda así, sigo pensando que había pantasma"--

(Laughter)

because as soon as we have these scientific explanations,

(Risas)

porque tan pronto tivemos esas explicacións científicas,

we know to give up the ghost.

descartamos a pantasma.

We use these things as stopgaps for things that we can't explain.

Usamos estas cousas a modo de parches para o que non podemos explicar.

We don't believe them because of evidence;

Non cremos pola evidencia;

we believe them because of a lack of evidence.

cremos pola falta de evidencia.

So there is a group in Los Angeles

Hai un grupo en Los Angeles

called the Independent Investigations Group, or the IIG,

chamado o Grupo de Investigacións Independente, ou o GII,

and they do great work.

e fai un gran traballo.

They'll give a $10,000 prize

Entrega un premio de 10.000 $

to anyone who can show, under scientific conditions,

a calquera que poida probar baixo condicións científicas,

that they have a paranormal ability.

que ten unha habilidade paranormal.

No one's done it yet,

Ninguén o fixo aínda,

but they've had a couple people who claim that they were clairaudients,

mais tiveron un par persoas que dicían ser clarividentes,

which means that they can hear voices either from the great beyond

o que quere dicir que poden ouvir voces do alén

or they can read minds.

ou que poden ler mentes.

And they had one person who was very sincere,

E tiveron a unha persoa moi sincera,

who believed that he could read minds.

que pensaba que podía ler mentes.

So they set up a test with him, and this is the way it always works.

Prepararon unha proba con el, e así é como funciona.

The group says, "OK, we have a protocol,

O grupo di, "Ben, temos un protocolo,

we have a way to scientifically test this.

temos unha forma científica de comprobar isto.

Do you agree with it?"

Estás de acordo?"

The person says yes. Then they test it.

A persoa di que si. E eles compróbano.

It's very important that both sides agree.

É moi importante o acordo das dúas partes.

They did that, they tested him.

Eles fixérono, puxérono a proba.

They said, "OK, you know what?

Dixeron, "Sabes que?

You weren't able to predict what Lisa was thinking.

Non fuches capaz de predicir o que Lisa pensaba.

It matched up about the same as chance.

Foi máis ben casualidade.

Looks like you don't have the power."

Parece que non tes ese poder."

And that gave them the opportunity

E iso deulles a oportunidade

to compassionately sit down with him and have a very difficult discussion,

de sentarse compasivamente con el e ter unha discusión complicada,

which basically amounted to,

que foi algo así como,

"Hey, we know you're sincere, and what that means is,

"Mira, sabemos que es sincero, e o que iso quere dicir é que, en efecto,

you do hear something in your head."

ti si oes algo na túa cabeza."

And that guy got to make the very difficult decision,

E ese home tivo que tomar a difícil

but really the life-changing decision about whether to go get help.

mais a determinante decisión de buscar axuda.

We're actually helping people to make these connections

En realidade axudamos á xente a facer esas conexións

that maybe before seemed like otherworldly explanations,

que quizais antes semellaban explicacións fóra deste mundo,

help draw us into reality and maybe change our lives for the better.

axudámoslles a volver á realidade tal vez cambiar as súas vidas positivamente.

Now, on the other hand, maybe one time it'll turn out to be true.

Agora, por outra parte, pode ser que en algún momento resulte verdade.

Maybe we'll find out there are ghosts,

Talvez descubramos que hai pantasmas,

and holy shit, it will be the best thing!

e, carallo, iso sería o mellor!

And every time I do one of these investigations,

E cada vez que fago unha destas investigacións,

I still get so excited,

sigo a emocionarme,

and I'm like 75 into them,

e a pesar de que xa fixen como 75,

and still I swear on number 76, I'm going to be like, "This is the one!"

xúrovos que na 76 vou estar, "Esta é a boa!"

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Maybe I'm just eternally optimistic, but I hope I never lose this hope,

Quizais só sexa unha eterna optimista mais espero non perder nunca esa esperanza

and I invite you to take this same attitude

e invítovos a adoptar esta mesma actitude

when people share their outer beliefs with you.

cando a xente comparta as súas crenzas externas con vós.

When talking about testable claims,

Cando faledes de verdades comprobables,

respect them enough to ask these good questions.

respectádeas o suficiente como para facerlles esas preguntas.

Challenge and see how you can examine them together,

Desafiade e vede como examinar a situación xuntos,

because there's this idea that you can't respect a belief

porque existe esta idea de que non podes respectar unha crenza

and still challenge it, but that's not true.

e así mesmo desafiala, mais non é certa.

When we jiggle the lock, when we test the claim,

Cando forzamos a pechadura, cando poñemos isto a proba,

we're saying, OK, I respect you, I'm listening to what you're saying,

estamos a dicir, "Ben, respétote, escoito o que dis,

I'm going to test it out with you.

vou comprobalo contigo."

We've all had that experience where you're telling someone something,

Todos tivemos a experiencia de estar a contarlle algo a alguén,

and they're like, "Oh, that's really interesting, yeah,"

e este dicir, "Oh, si, iso é moi interesante,"

you know you're being had.

mais sabemos que non nos están a tomar en serio.

But when someone says, "Really? Huh.

Mais cando alguén di, "De verdade? Mmmm.

Sounds a little sketchy to me, but I'm listening,"

Soa un pouco estraño, mais seguirei escoitando,"

you at least know you're being engaged and respected.

polo menos sabemos que nos están a tratar con respecto.

And that's the kind of attitude we should have with these claims.

E ese é o tipo de actitude que deberiamos tomar neses casos.

That's showing someone that you care what they're saying.

Así demostramos que nos importa o que está a dicir.

That's respect.

Iso é respecto.

Now, yes, most of these searches will come up empty,

Agora, si, moitas destas investigacións non achegan resultados,

but that's how all of science works.

mais así funciona a ciencia.

Every cure for cancer so far has not panned out,

Cada cura contra o cáncer ata agora non deu resultado,

but we don't stop looking,

mais non deixamos de buscar,

for two reasons.

por dúas razóns.

Because number one, the answer matters.

Porque número un: a resposta importa.

Whether it's looking at the afterlife or the paranormal or the cure for cancer,

Xa se trate da vida despois da morte, do paranormal ou da cura contra o cáncer,

it all amounts to the same question:

todo queda resumido á mesma pregunta:

How long will we be here?

Canto tempo estaremos aquí?

And two, because looking for the truth,

E número dous: porque buscar a verdade,

being open-minded,

ter unha mente aberta,

and being willing to be wrong and to change your whole worldview

e estar disposto a equivocarse e a cambiar toda a túa visión do mundo

is awe-inspiring.

é tremendamente inspirador.

I still get excited at ghost stories every single time.

Aínda seguen a emocionarme as historias de pantasmas.

I still consider that every group I join might be right,

E sigo a pensar que cada grupo a que me incorporo pode ter razón,

and I hope I never lose that hope.

e espero nunca perder esa esperanza.

Let's all never lose that hope,

Non perdamos nunca esa esperanza,

because searching for what's out there

porque descubrir o que hai alá fóra

helps us understand what's in here.

axúdanos a entender que hai aquí dentro.

And also, please have a carbon monoxide detector in your home.

E, ademais, facede o favor de ter un detector de monóxido de carbono na casa.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplauso)