In Episode 115 of the Good Scribes Only Podcast, Daniel Breyer and Jeremy Streich step into the eerie, emotionally fraught world of Reddit’s r/paranormal. From dream visitations to childhood specters, the duo explores why ghost stories are so compelling, and what they reveal about our deepest fears—particularly those surrounding grief, death, and the unexplained.
As the second stop in their literary “road trip” season following Bag of Bones, this episode dives into the difference between believing in spirits and processing the emotional hauntings of our past.
Reddit’s r/paranormal is full of ghost sightings, mysterious figures, and the kind of dream sequences you wouldn’t want to wake up from. But the thread isn’t just about frights—it’s about connection. People post looking for answers, but also to share moments of loss and longing.
Jeremy dives in first:
“It’s like digital campfire stories, but instead of marshmallows, there’s just emotional damage.”
Some of the stories are vivid—like a grandfather appearing in a dream after his death, confused and asking, “Where am I?”
Daniel’s take?
“That’s a mind trying to resolve something left unsaid. That’s not a ghost—it’s grief wearing a mask.”
A recurring theme on the subreddit is the idea of dream visitations—where a dead loved one seems to return with clarity, warmth, and messages.
Jeremy, ever the skeptic, leans on science:
“If I believed every vivid dream was supernatural, I’d be a prophet by now.”
Daniel sees it more poetically:
“Maybe we’re not talking to the dead. Maybe we’re just finally listening to ourselves.”
One popular Reddit post involves a child drawing monstrous figures with too many eyes and too few explanations.
The hosts remember their own childhood imaginations and wonder how much of what we now dismiss was once just as real.
“Fear starts early,” Jeremy says. “So does storytelling.”
In classic Good Scribes Only fashion, the episode takes a left turn into philosophy and sociology.
Why do people believe in ghosts when the real world already offers so much fear?
“Give me a ghost over climate doom any day,” Jeremy jokes.
Daniel agrees, seeing ghosts less as supernatural entities and more as emotional placeholders.
“We’re haunted by the things we can’t reconcile. That’s what gives ghosts their power.”
The question that hangs over the episode: What would it take for either host to believe?
Jeremy says:
“I’d need a ghost to Venmo me. Or appear on camera and say my full name and social security number.”
Daniel counters:
“Even then, I’d probably still check my neurological scans.”
Midway through, the hosts riff on a quote from The Little Prince—“What is essential is invisible to the eye.” The quote leads to a side discussion about author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s mysterious death, and how even literary figures become ghosts in their own right.
“We’re all haunted by books,” Daniel says. “Sometimes literally.”
In the end, this episode is less about proving ghosts exist and more about why we want them to. Whether we’re looking for closure, holding onto memories, or just needing the world to feel a little more magical—ghosts fill in the emotional gaps.
“Maybe the question isn’t ‘Do you believe in ghosts?’” Daniel reflects. “Maybe it’s ‘What do you believe you’re still haunted by?’”
For creepy Reddit tales, deep thoughts on grief and the paranormal, and classic GSO humor, tune in to Episode 115 of the Good Scribes Only Podcast.
