EMF: The Fear Cage Factor

The first book about ghost hunting I ever read was James M. Deem's "How to Find a Ghost." I ordered it from one of those book-order forms they send home with grade-school kids. I think I was about 8.

The book talked about different types of ghosts and presented stories of each type. Also included were techniques for verifying paranormal activity. The one that sticks in my memory is marking a chair's position in a room you believe has activity and sprinkling flour on the floor so that footprints would appear, then sealing off the room using tape with your initials written on it so you could tell if the room had been tampered with. If, however, when you went back in the room the chair had moved but no footprints appeared, then you've got yourself some interesting evidence. Of course, as an 8-year-old, it wasn't really feasible to seal off a room in my family's house and tell them not to go in, so I never got a chance to "catch" my ghost. The good news? I'm not 8 anymore, and most of the gadgets I take on investigations now are way more fun than masking tape and flour.

There are plenty of ways to attempt to disprove or, conversely, collect evidence of a haunting. You've probably at least heard of the TV shows out there: Ghost Hunters, Ghost Lab, Destination Truth, etc. Some of these are better (read: more believable) than others. Are any of them the final authority on the subject? Of course not. It's up to you to know where the paranormal ends and the sensationalism begins. My goal is to hopefully help you learn how to do that and get a better sense of how the field of paranormal investigation works.

Lots of people say they "sense a presence" or feel like someone's watching them in creepy or supposedly haunted areas. There's a chance a few of these people are having a paranormal experience. There's also a chance they're experiencing something much more down-to-Earth.

Many (most?) paranormal investigation teams include an electromagnetic field (EMF) detector in their ghost-hunting arsenal. Why? It's a good tool for debunking alleged paranormal activity.

Many household items have electromagnetic fields: Appliances, cell phones, outlets and the wiring in your walls, etc. Prolonged exposure to high electromagnetic fields can cause many symptoms commonly associated with paranormal experiences, including headaches, nausea, hallucinations, paranoia, dizziness, even skin irritation. If high EMF readings are found in areas where there's been activity reported, investigators can probably rule out anything paranormal.

I had the opportunity to do some EMF readings in a building where I had once had an experience. I had seen person sitting in a chair I knew should have been unoccupied. Sure enough, when I did a double take, the chair was empty. But I just KNEW I had seen something. I was sure enough that I was able to describe the person, what they were wearing, and the position they were sitting in.

When I went back with the EMF detector, I discovered the readings were very high throughout the building, including in the area where I'd had my experience. I had spent a long time in that spot that particular evening, and was surrounded on all sides by this high EMF. No wonder I was seeing things.

A contained area surrounded by a high field such as this is referred to in paranormal investigation as a "fear cage." The best thing a person can do is to get out of the area and into a more open space. If the odd feelings have been manifested by a fear cage, they should go away shortly after leaving the room. So next time you're someplace that gives you that creepy feeling, don't jump to the conclusion that the place is haunted.

On the flip side, there is a theory that ghosts or entities can use or

manipulate EMF in order to gain enough energy to move objects, speak, make noise, or otherwise indicate their presence. If an investigator is using the detector in an area where there is no electricity or has been nothing but a steady, low EMF reading and then suddenly the thing starts going haywire, barring operator error, they might have reason to suspect the EMF detector is being manipulated by something trying to make contact. And that is when the quest for hard evidence really can begin.

Further reading:

"How to Find a Ghost" by James M. Deem

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

EMF health risk fact sheet