There is no valid scientific evidence that spirits of the dead exist or can talk to the living.

Both halves of the statement hold. No evidence has established the existence of spirits or their ability to communicate with living humans, and sleep paralysis is a real and well-documented explanation for part of what people report.

No evidence has established communication with the dead

The idea that the dead can talk to the living has mainly been tested through mediums, because that is where the claim is made directly and can be checked. Researchers have run those tests since the 1880s, with mixed results and long arguments about method.

In a 2005 study by Ciarán O'Keeffe and Richard Wiseman, five professional mediums each gave readings for five sitters, who then rated statements from all 25 readings without knowing which were intended for them. On only one occasion did the intended sitter rate their own reading more highly than the other four sitters did. The experiment found no evidence of mediumistic ability.

Later research has produced different results. A 2015 study by Julie Beischel's group reported positive findings under blinded conditions. An independent Italian research group led by Patrizio Tressoldi also reported positive results in a 2022 study, and again in a study published online in 2022 and in a journal issue in 2025. In the latter experiment, sitters correctly identified 65% of 100 intended readings, against a chance expectation of 50%.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 18 experiments also reported statistically significant results. However, the findings remain contested, studies have not produced consistent results, and even apparently accurate information does not establish that it came from a deceased person rather than another source. Communication with the dead remains scientifically unproven.

Sleep paralysis is common and can produce these experiences

Sleep paralysis is a state between sleep and waking in which the body cannot move but the mind is awake. A 2024 meta-analysis estimated that around 30% of people experience it, although prevalence estimates vary considerably between studies.

Some episodes come with hallucinations, often a sensed presence in the room, sometimes with pressure on the chest and a feeling of being held down. These experiences are regularly interpreted as ghosts or supernatural attacks, and research has documented the same patterns across different cultures.

Some of the sensations described at the Xewkija farmhouse resemble those associated with sleep paralysis. There is no evidence that sleep paralysis caused the reported events in this particular case.

It is one possible explanation among several

Sleep paralysis only covers a person between sleep and waking. It does not explain people who are fully awake and moving around a house, or claims involving physical movement of appliances.

For other unusual perceptions, researchers have examined environmental explanations, including carbon monoxide from faulty heating or gas appliances, which can cause confusion and neurological symptoms. There are documented cases in which apparent hauntings were linked to carbon monoxide poisoning, although the evidence does not suggest it explains most such reports.

Another proposed explanation is infrasound, sound below the normal range of human hearing. In 1998, Vic Tandy suggested that low-frequency sound from a fan had caused him to experience an apparition in his laboratory. This link has not been conclusively demonstrated, and later research has questioned how reliably infrasound can produce such experiences.

There is stronger evidence that expectations and suggestion can influence what people perceive. In the Haunt project at Goldsmiths, a room was fitted with hidden infrasound and electromagnetic generators. Participants reported strange experiences, but the generators made no significant difference to how many sensations they reported.

The researchers considered suggestion a more plausible explanation, noting that participants had been told they might experience unusual sensations. The experiment did not separately test the effect of that suggestion.

Evaluation

The statement is accurate in its central point. It says there is no valid scientific evidence establishing the existence of spirits or their ability to communicate, rather than claiming that spirits have been disproved. It also offers sleep paralysis as an example of a natural explanation rather than as the whole answer.

Some mediumship studies have reported statistically significant findings, but these do not establish communication with deceased individuals. Sleep paralysis and other psychological phenomena can explain some experiences commonly interpreted as paranormal.