| EMF's. Ghostly fluctuations? Hallucinations? |
[25 Mar 2008|10:52pm] |
With almost all the paranormal groups, you see it. People running around with EMF meters to measure the Electro Magnetic Field. Now basically, these people fall into two groups when using it looking for answers:
1.) The Believer: 'Ghosts cause EMF fluctuations, so if you get a fluctuation, it might be a ghost!'.
2.) The Skeptic: 'High EMF's can cause hallucinations, so if you find a high EMF, it might be the cause for the weird feelings/sightings".
I don't really fall into either of these categories of thinking, as neither has really been totally proven.
Ghostly Fluctuations
Ghosts causing fluctuations in an EMF field? Well, it's not even proven that ghosts exist in the first place. So that EMF idea can be shot down easily before it even takes flight. But, I am a 'skeptical believer', so I'll give some leeway here. Even if you look past the 'ghosts aren't proven to exist yet', and look at the EMF fluctuations, there's SO MANY things that can cause that. We live in a world surrounded by EMF's. It's generated by the wires in the walls, the microwave ovens, the cordless phones, WiFi routers, cell phone towers, TV and radio stations, etc. Are you qualified to say what could be causing the EMF? Sure, it's easy to look around and say "there's a computer here and there's a lamp there", but there's so much more then that. What's behind the walls. What's outside the house. What's passing by the house. Is there a solar flare going on? There's so much that can cause an EMF. Just because you get a fluctuation and YOU can't explain it, doesn't mean it's unexplainable.
EMF Causing Hallucinations
Then we get to whether or not it's been proven that EMF's can effect us. Some think it does. Some think it doesn't. If it does, how much isn't really known. There's lots of tests out there on cell phone usage (and other EMF devices) and your heath. And it goes both ways. Lots of results say it does. And lots say it doesn't. But as far as a definite "your body exposed to this amount of EMF for this amount of time produces these effects", I haven't seen anything published that like.
One article I've read mentions:
"Quite obviously, people in many countries around the world have been using electricity for over a century. And, in poorer regions like parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, there are populations who (even today) use no electricity at all. If normal levels of electromagnetic radiation were indeed harmful to the body, then we would see correlation on a massive scale between such physiological damage and geography. There is no such correlation, and no cases of observed physiological damage caused by electromagnetic radiation even in the most industrialized regions. Thus, there is very good reason for science to not simply accept this self-diagnosis without inquiry."
The above is interesting to think about, but of course, we're not looking at long term effects here, we're looking at short, "sometimes I feel this" effects.
Another site mentions:
"The national and international scientific communities remain somewhat unclear on the exact effects of EMF exposure and what levels of exposure might be unsafe. EMF is thought by many to be capable of causing or helping to trigger headaches, fatigue, dizziness, skin rashes, miscarriages, leukemia, cancer, weakness, increased anxiety, decreased mental function, impaired vision, emotional imbalances, reduced melatonin levels, and magnification of the "fight or flight" response."
Notice it says "EMF is thought by many". Thought. There's no real evidence. On the other hand though, I can attest to the idea though. Every time I'm near a fluorescent light, I feel "weird". Off balance, dizzy, etc.. I hate being around them. The frequencies they give off can aggravate brain waves. The fact that something around me is causing me to experience those feelings, I can see where the idea of high EMF's effecting a person can come from.
The 'God Helmet'
In the 1980's there was a man named Michael Persinger (who was actually born in Jacksonville, FL. Same as me!) who did tests on magnetic fields and how they effected peoples temporal lobes. Some called this device a "God Helmet" (pictured above), as wearing it produced the sensation of "an ethereal presence in the room". He used a modified snowmobile helmet with magnets placed over the brain's right-hemisphere / temporal lobes. At least 80% of his participants experienced a presence beside them in the room while wearing the helmet, which they variously say feels like someone they knew who had died. Lately there has been controversy though on his testings. People claim that no one has been able to replicate the studies, and he failed to do double blind methodology. Double Blind means to be totally in the dark knowledge wise. But for Persinger's studies, they knew when the magnets were there, just not what to expect (instead of not knowing what to expect AND not knowing when the magnets would be placed there). So instead of being double blinded, it's more like they had a blindfold on but were peeking. So because of this, some think the results were effected by that. But even though they knew when the magnets were there, the fact that most of the people experienced the same effect says alot also.
So according to this study, if you accept the results as valid, it would seem that the magnetic field effected the people.
EMF's and the Paranormal
So in the paranormal world, people go in, and find a high EMF area, and say it could be the cause of the feelings. And if I had to choose an answer, I'm more comfortable saying this may be the case, then saying that an EMF spike is a ghost and the place is haunted. But still, I think more tests would need to be done then just saying "Oh, an EMF spike. That's probably the problem". It's still kind of iffy to me to say that. The people who experience hauntings aren't wearing helmets with magnets attached to them. So then the question becomes, can the EMF's in the location cause the same effect as the helmet (if the helmet experiments are valid)? That's where I'm kind of iffy on the subject and think more study needs to be done before I'm comfortable saying it can. We need to know how much EMF's are needed for the effect to happen. How long the person has to be exposed to it. What effects happen, if any. etc. Right now, it's all "High EMF's _may_ cause this and that". Nothing definite.
But then you have a study by Yale [http://www.yale.edu/opa/v31.n17/story13.html] where they use EMF fields to REDUCE hallucinations in people. So wait, EMF fields can cause hallucinations, but they can also reduce them? Arg! Maybe the results depend on the location on the brain that's exposed to it, how much EMF's they're exposed to and how long they're exposed to it. I think more study needs to be done.
Conclusion
So, I'm still on the fence about EMF's and 'haunted locations'. Too many causes of EMF are out there for me to say that a fluctuation is "odd", and too little is known about it to say that EMF's effect us / could be the cause of 'haunting' feelings. And then you have the reports saying EMF's can reduce hallucinations, etc.
But then I have the experience with the frequencies of fluorescent lights and how they effect me, so I believe that things can effect us. So, do I think EMF's could effect us? Sure, I'm open to that idea. But to go all out and jump to saying that a high EMF in an area is the cause of a haunting is just as bad as jumping to saying that a EMF spike is a ghost. Neither is really proven. Both need more study.
It seems that, in the paranormal field, alot of people just follow another persons lead. Not much is known on the subject, so that's the easiest way to go, right? Follow what another person is doing / saying. One person says "Hey, in this haunted place we get EMF fluctuations, so since the place is haunted, ghosts might be causing the fluctuations!" and loads of others run with it and follow that way of thinking. And in the same way, another person says "Hey, it's thought that high EMF's effect us, and there's a high EMF in this area, so maybe it's causing the hauntings!", and others run with it and do/say the same. Neither is really proven, but both are popular for an answer to hauntings. Usually who runs with what answer depends on if they're more a believer or a skeptic.
Would I carry an EMF meter around in a supposed haunted area? Sure, I'm all for using and learning equipment and testing things. But don't expect me to jump at every fluctuation, or even to see a high EMF and deem it as the cause for a haunting.
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Further reading:
EMF's effect on people:
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index.html
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4072
http://skepdic.com/emf.html
Fluorescent Light Exposure:
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200505/ea20050527.html
The God Helmet:
http://www.shaktitechnology.com/god_helmet.htm
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