The title of this article is, without question, one of the most frequently asked questions that are raised in the college parapsychology classes that I teach. There is a simple answer behind the question but more importantly within the text of this article I will be able to provide an explanation as to why I have arrived at the conclusion that I have. In this article we will utilize physics, psychology and logic to deduce a conclusion to the question posed as the title of this article.

Physics and Energy

            First, let’s begin with the question of energy. A ghost, being composed of a bioelectric field that was once part of a living, physically manifested human is still subject to the laws of physics. We know that the First Law of Thermodynamics, paraphrased, states that “energy can neither be created nor destroyed.” When the physical body dies and the biochemical breakdown of the physical structure has been initiated the energy from the human body – the 60 Hz bioelectric pulse created by the heart and distributed throughout the body by the central and peripheral nervous system – is not destroyed at the time of death. Rather, the Second Law of Thermodynamics takes over and the energy is released and redistributed into the local environment through covalent bonding. It is, however, a primary point of interest to paranormal investigators when the Second Law of Thermodynamics is circumvented. When the bioelectric field can not disperse it coagulates in the local atmosphere until such time as it then becomes self-aware again.

            This bioelectric field – a ghost – is now subject to a different set of physics laws than the living. Rather than having to adhere to the laws that govern physically manifested beings and objects the ghost must now conform to the laws of physics as they apply to energy. The first and most obvious physical limitation that is placed on a being that is comprised of a bioelectric energy field is the Law of Conservation of Energy. The basic premise of this law is that energy behaves in a manner that will allow it to conserve its charge, a self preservation instinct for the inanimate field, if you will. This unconscious self-preservation by the energy field limits the ghost’s ability to roam freely over long distances. Essentially a ghost, much like a car, can only go so far before it runs out of gas – or in terms of a ghost – energy. This is a very serious physical hindrance to the ability of a ghost to roam freely and follow people at will. If a ghost were to deplete its energies so severely in an attempt to follow someone home it would very much be akin to virtual suicide. Their energies would deplete and they would fall into a state of dormancy where their energies would continue to deplete (through the Second Law of Thermodynamics) until the bioelectric field that comprised them was completely void.

Psychology

            If a ghost is indeed a sentient being it would have to make the decision to follow a particular person home – which would be very much like following a random stranger home and just walking into their house. Generally, humans are creatures of habit and if the currently accepted theory is correct, the personality remains intact beyond physical death. If this is indeed true the ghost would have to go against the apprehensions of following a complete strange home, override the sense of security that would come from staying in a familiar place and leave their commonly accepted temporal boundaries to follow this person home. This thought, that a bioelectric anomaly would follow someone home for no reason, would unquestionably go against many tenants of human psychology.

            Additionally, ghosts need an anchor, a point of attachment as most humans do – a place to call home. Ghosts don’t tend to be nomadic, wandering from one place to the next as if they were a homeless person or a drifter. This point of attachment would be a place that they would also derive energies from to support their bioelectric field, usually a place that they invested a great deal of time and energy in – either good or bad – such as a home or other place that they would have frequently been involved with. The ideas presented in the last few sentences raise another question: that of reasoning. WHY would a ghost follow someone home? What is the motivation? Again, relying on psychology, we would find that this pattern of logic would not fall in line with the commonly accepted infrastructure of human psychology. I should interject here that I can already hear some individuals bemoaning that a ghost is no longer a person and that the rules of human psychology do not apply. Indeed, it is true that when physical death occurs the laws by which the individual or entity must abide do change from manifested matter to that which is governed by the laws of energy, however the commonly accepted belief that the mental state of the ghost, the personality and memories, survive beyond the death of the physical body. In that idea, the survival of the personality and mental faculties of an individual beyond physical death would allow the processes and methodology of psychology as it pertains to humans to legitimately apply.

            Finally, we have to take a look within ourselves. Why do we believe that a ghost would follow us home? Is it because we have a subconscious fear that we have violated some sort of natural or moral laws by crossing over an unseen boundary into the realm of the dead? Do we fear the unknown that is concealed within the darkness? Perhaps it is the belief in that which lurks on the outer fringes of our imagination in the realms of superstition, supernatural retribution and other primeval fears that have been laid upon us by both society and religion since the time when we were brought into this world. In any of these instances there are a number of extenuating variables that could explain why some individuals may believe that a ghost would want to follow them home but rather than cover those ideas in detail here, as each case should be examined on an individual basis to complete a proper assessment, I will allow the generalities presented in this paragraph to suffice as a general explanation.

Logic

            Many of the ideas presented in this article thus far have hinged on the thought that the psychological functions and the personality of an individual survive beyond physical death. The logic behind these ideas is that the “life spark” of an individual is the regulated 60 Hz bioelectric energy pulse created by the heart each time it beats. This energy as previously stated, in accordance with the First Law of Thermodynamics “can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed.” When the physical body dies it is, in a sense, destroyed, however the energies within the body such as the bioelectric field remains in tact as the First Law of thermodynamics would demonstrate. The survival of this bioelectric field would also facilitate the survival of another integral component it would need to continue its own existence: the mind. The mind and personality, being inextricably linked, would make conscious decisions so that the “entity” would be able to exponentially increase its survival rate over the rudimentary natural survival instinct that it would possess should it not be able to keep its mental faculties functioning.

            Another point made in the previous paragraph, the rudimentary natural survival mechanism, a psychological and physiological instinct can even be witnessed in the bodily functions of someone who has been declared clinically brain dead. Even with the conscious decision making centers impacted to a point where they have been impeded to the degree of not being able to function properly the subconscious survival instinct still continues to protect the physical body and mind to the best of its ability. Both physically and mentally we are built to survive and it would not be presumptions to think that this mechanism that is such an embedded and integral part of our physical and psychological construction would continue to protect us, even if only on an instinctual level, after the physical body has ceased to exist.

            Now, to funnel down the content of the previous two paragraphs, I have made the argument for the survival of the mind, personality and bioelectric field after the death of the physical body, but how does this impact the “logic” of how a ghost could follow someone home? Upon physical death, when the individual becomes an entity that we term as a ghost, they would still retain all of the traits of a human save for a physical body. In understanding that idea we could then logically deduce that after crossing from the world of the physical to the world of energy the person who has died would not receive some sort of additional abilities or “powers” simply because they have died. Unfortunately, there is no instantaneous extrication of abilities or “powers” from either an internal or external source that makes a logical allowance for some sort of radical and profound transformation of an individuals abilities where the deceased could then perform interdimensional travel, utilize wormholes, create time warps or any of the other wildly misguided sci-fi fantasy concepts that some believe to occur when an individual dies.

            What is being suggested through the latter ideas is that a ghost, since they are dead, has received some sort of supernormal powers from an external source and could then physically track you down (that is barring the idea that they didn’t simply hitch a ride home with you in the car). How would this tracking down of someone take place? As suggested by some other paranormal researchers this action could be accomplished by any of the means within in a range of options that are left at the disposal and discretion of the dead such as utilizing wormholes, space-time folding, creating interdimensional warps, etc. These ideas are ignorant to the point of being insulting. The person(s) who have proposed these ideas must believe that everyone who reads their work is inanely stupid and would not understand that in order for a ghost to accomplish this type of action two points must be put into place first: (1) the ghost would have to possess an explicit, working knowledge of this type of concept and that they would have to have the ability to execute such an action and (2) in order to get from one place to another the ghost would a four point triangulation system of three spatial coordinates and a singular temporal coordinate in space to make this type operation effective.

            This concept however, has apparently eluded these armchair theorists because had it not, there would have been consideration given to how ludicrous these ideas actually are. It would almost seem that they are suggesting that a manual is given to the deceased upon arrival in the afterlife by some cosmic Poindexter on how to perform time and space travel so that they can get around on the cosmic subway. Yes, I allowed my sense of derision and sarcasm to momentarily escape, but now having contained that, the point I am getting at here is that these ideas are as close to impossible as one can get. This highly improbable idea, the belief that after death an individual would arrive at some sort of cosmic revelation which would make a logical allowance for the instant infusion of phenomenal cosmic knowledge is extremely implausible at best.

            To close this section of the article we will examine the only other way that a ghost could follow someone home – through tracking them down. How would this work? The deceased individual would have to have the ability to track your bioelectric signature, meaning that the ghost would have to be able to identify and follow your specific bioelectric field pattern which is, in a sense, much like a fingerprint in that it is unique to you. If a ghost were able to track an individual to their home without an invitation and a specific set of instructions (there is that sarcasm again) there would be only one way in which this could be accomplished, which would be through the afore mentioned bioelectric energy signature. Although slightly more plausible than the wormhole, interdimensional travel or space-time folding theories this idea too is at best highly implausible.

Summary

            We have now examined three areas that would be directly associated with the ability of a ghost to follow someone home: physics & energy, psychology and logic. Through the vehicle of scientific inquiry we can take the information presented in this article and make a logical deduction about the subject. By compiling, comparing and cross referencing the information presented here it will be found that the probability for a ghost to follow someone home is nearly nonexistent. In nearly a decade of paranormal investigation and research that spans over 250 cases of all types neither I nor anyone on any of my investigative teams has ever had anything follow them home. It seems that most often the question of whether or not a ghost can follow a person home is usually raised by an individual who is just starting in the field of paranormal investigation. The only danger I would caution any of these interested parties about is the disappointment that may come from expecting some sort of interaction that is beyond the scope, capacity and empirical limits of the science of parapsychology.