If You've Ever Felt A Ghost In The Room, Science Explains Why | Dr. Baland Jalal
Sep 1, 2025
Delve into the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and spirituality. Dr. Baland Jalal reveals how he can induce sensations of ghostly presences in the lab using brain stimulation. He explores the science behind experiences like sleep paralysis, linking them to neural disruptions. In a compelling twist, he argues that understanding these mechanisms doesn't negate the reality of the spiritual world. The discussion encourages reflection on our fears and the profound human need for community and personal growth amidst the mysteries of existence.
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insights INSIGHT
Science And Spirituality Can Coexist
Dr. Baland Jalal argues science cannot definitively disprove spiritual realities and remains open to unseen dimensions.
He frames scientific explanation and personal spiritual belief as potentially complementary, not mutually exclusive.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Personal Belief And The Microscope Analogy
Dr. Baland Jalal shares that he is a devout Muslim who personally believes in a spiritual unseen world.
He uses the historical example of microscopes revealing microbes to illustrate how unseen realities can later be discovered.
insights INSIGHT
TPJ Disruption Creates A 'Ghost' Experience
Disrupting the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) can produce the sensation of a presence mimicking your movements.
Dr. Jalal links this neural disruption to why people report seeing ghosts or doubles.
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"Who says it doesn't exist? Science cannot answer whether there's actually spirituality. But I can tell you exactly what happens in your brain when you feel a ghost behind you." - Dr. Baland Jalal
Dr. Baland Jalal lives in a fascinating intersection that most people never explore - he's both a devout Muslim who believes in spiritual dimensions and a neuroscientist who can literally create the sensation of ghosts in a laboratory. When he applies electrical stimulation to a tiny region called the TPJ in your brain, you'll swear there's a presence behind you, mimicking your every movement. It's the same neural disruption that happens during sleep paralysis, when people feel demonic entities pressing down on their chests or shadowy figures lurking in their peripheral vision. Yet despite being able to manufacture these supernatural experiences with the flip of a switch, Dr. Jalal maintains something profound: just because we can explain the brain mechanisms doesn't mean the spiritual world isn't real.
What makes his perspective so compelling is the humility embedded in his science. He reminds us that 150 years ago, telling someone about the trillions of microscopic creatures living on their skin would have sounded insane - until we invented microscopes. His research offers something rare in our polarized world: the possibility that scientific explanation and spiritual reality aren't enemies, but different ways of understanding the same mysterious human experience. Whether you're a skeptic who thinks it's all brain chemistry or someone who's had encounters you can't explain, this conversation will shift how you think about the unseen forces that shape our reality.