Bertram Rothschild

There are times when even those who do not believe in ghosts are alarmed by seemingly mysterious ghostly activity. This happened to the author of the following selection. Confirmed skeptic and clinical psychologist Bertram Rothschild tells how one mysterious little incident almost made him reconsider his disbelief in ghosts. But when he forced himself to think about the situation rationally, he realized that he was allowing his imagination to rule his thoughts. Rothschild believes many people deceive themselves this way.

For a while, I (almost) believed a ghost occupied my house. Before I confess all, however, you need to know something about me. First, I'm approaching (not there yet) my dotage; second, I'm a clinical psychologist; and third, I was a skeptic well before I knew the word, much less its meaning. If asked about ESP...