Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog

The question of whether or not Ouija boards are "dangerous" has caused some recent debate on our paranormal forums that was based around a US group that are trying to have them banned for sale as a children's toy.

My thoughts on the matter are this....I have never personally received a "feel good" report where one of these boards were used. In other words I never hear from people saying I had a heart warming chat with my deceased Mom etc. Maybe those people just don't contact us????

The fact remains though, every time someone contacts us to date in regards to Ouija boards its because they perceive a negative experience has occurred to them because of the board, even if in the beginning it is only seen as just harmless fun.

In my opinion even if it is only psychological and/or a RSPK effect that is causing the experience obtained through using these boards, if the person believes it is demonic or evil or bad then they will most likely experience it that way.

We also know through medical studies that other occult rituals such as exorcism do have a demonstrated negative effect on people suffering mental disorders. So the leap to say that Ouija usage may have the same effect on others with fragile or impressionable minds is not a big one.

I do not like saying Ouija boards are "dangerous" simply because millions are sold around the globe every year, and even more homemade ones are out there, and if they proved a serious health & safety risk here in North America, and certainly Europe, public health & safety, plus consumer groups would have been on this long ago. I think that lobbying for their outright ban is a bit too much.

With that said, I will still caution people who ask my opinion on using or purchasing one that Ouija board use can produce a perceived negative experience, emotional distress, and anxiety in some people. And of course as a child's toy it is up to the parent to make decisions on what they believe is an appropriate item for their child's use, and to monitor what they are doing no matter what the toy is.

What do you think?