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Can Magnetic Hallucinations Explain Ghosts?

Started by PPI Brian, August 29, 2008, 03:45:54 PM

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PPI Brian

Here's a link to a very interesting article from ASSAP regarding weak electromagnetic fields and a theoretical phenomena they describe as EIF - Experience Inducing Fields. Could this form of electromagnetic sensitivity explain some types of paranormal activity?

http://www.assap.org/newsite/htmlfiles/MADS.html
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

Kristen

This may just be me putting two random things together (or maybe it's because I just read a threat about it), but the strong distortion of the magnetic field made me think of feng shui and the flow of energies.
Nothing in life is to be feared.  It is only to be understood.  ~Marie Curie

PPI Tim

Both ideas have interesting considerations. I believe that this could be a good topic of discussion.
Based on these two ideas I have just read about, Do you think that residual haunts are a form
of Magnetic Hallucination?

Tim
Sounds interesting...Go on.

PPI Brian

I'm not entirely sure, because there are investigators who claim residual paranormal activity has been photographed or captured on digital audio recorders. How can a classic hallucination be captured on any type of recording media?
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tracy


johnny

that's an interesting article but I'm sure that studies with magnets and the human body have been done in the past. I would take a gander at what the iron, copper and other magnetically charged mineral content in each person's body and see if its relevant and what sort of magnetic field could possible cause such symptoms.

I agree with Brian, it definitely doesn't explain recorded evidence if it is truly a hallucination.
Heaven won't take me and hell's afraid I'll take over.

PPI Tracy

can you hallucinate a hallucination?

i'm hallucinating that the above even remotely makes any sense at all.....

PPI Brian

Quote from: johnny on September 02, 2008, 02:09:36 PM
that's an interesting article but I'm sure that studies with magnets and the human body have been done in the past. I would take a gander at what the iron, copper and other magnetically charged mineral content in each person's body and see if its relevant and what sort of magnetic field could possible cause such symptoms.

I agree with Brian, it definitely doesn't explain recorded evidence if it is truly a hallucination.

I would like to see the results of studies such as these. Everybody's metabolism is different. Perhaps the mineral concentrations in some people's bodies makes them more electromagnetically sensitive? 
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Brian

Quote from: TAPS Tracy on September 02, 2008, 02:11:09 PM
can you hallucinate a hallucination?

i'm hallucinating that the above even remotely makes any sense at all.....

Hi Tracy,

Yes I've often wondered that myself. People have been batting the "hallucination" theory around for as long as I can remember, but I have never beleived it was the "catch-all" theory behind paranormal activity. Some investigators have cited expamples of only one person in a room seeing an apparition while others in the room did not. I don't buy that. I can sit outside on a clear night with a friend and see a meteor streaking across the sky and ask my friend if they saw it too. Most of the time they will say "no". Does that mean I hallucianted the meteor?  ;D
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

johnny

#9
Quote from: PPI Brian M on September 02, 2008, 02:17:53 PM
Quote from: johnny on September 02, 2008, 02:09:36 PM
that's an interesting article but I'm sure that studies with magnets and the human body have been done in the past. I would take a gander at what the iron, copper and other magnetically charged mineral content in each person's body and see if its relevant and what sort of magnetic field could possible cause such symptoms.

I agree with Brian, it definitely doesn't explain recorded evidence if it is truly a hallucination.

I would like to see the results of studies such as these. Everybody's metabolism is different. Perhaps the mineral concentrations in some people's bodies makes them more electromagnetically sensitive? 

An old article, but informattive, lots of stuff on health and magnets but nothing like this one from 1983:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950CE1D9123BF931A15751C0A965948260

Quoted:
**Magnetism is not felt by the human senses in any obvious way, nor is there any substantial evidence that it is harmful. Yet it does have subtle effects on vision and heart performance. Consequently, researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory of the University of California are conducting a long-term study of magnetic influences on body functions.

Probably the best-known sensory effect of magnetism is shown in total darkness, when the head of a person whose eyes are fully adapted to the dark is put between the poles of an alternating current magnet. As the field strength is increased, the person will begin to see a faint glow around the visual periphery. When the field is reduced, the glow vanishes.**



I've found an a IEEE page publishing in 1992: Magnetic materials were found in the human brain, magnetite:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?tp=&arnumber=149651&isnumber=3953



Heaven won't take me and hell's afraid I'll take over.

PPI Tim

#10
"Magnetism is not felt by the human senses in any obvious way" What?
How about someone who has a metal plate in thier skull?
You get them near a strong enough magnet and CLINK!
They are going to feel magnetism upside the head.

And what about Cat scans?
Humans can feel magnetic fields.
It is just a question of how strong the magnetic field vs. How sensitive is the person to magnetic fields?
Sounds interesting...Go on.

johnny

LOL Tim, I would hope that having a metal plate fall under the "DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THE GIANT MAGNET" criteria.

Heaven won't take me and hell's afraid I'll take over.

PPI Brian

LOL! I almost choked on my coffee when I read that! That's funny, but I feel compelled to point out that most metal plates surgically implanted in human beings are either titanium or stainless steel, neither of which are magnetic.

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/largest181.html
"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."--Carl Sagan

PPI Tim

Tell that to my brother John.
He doesn't have a metal plate in his head but he does have a plate in his arm.
You can stick refrigerator magnets on his arm.
Tim
Sounds interesting...Go on.

Shellshock

#14
Wasn't there an epi. on Paranormal State, where they had the lead investigator wearing some sort of head gear.  I thought it  had something to do with what you're talking about - hmmm ???   I cant find the epi anymore, but he used it as an experiment to see if it would help him "feel" and experience what the little girl had been going through. It was the "vampire lady" epi.  I dunno. Maybe im trippin'.
XoXo

johnny

Quote from: Shells on September 04, 2008, 01:48:43 AM
Wasn't there an epi. on Paranormal State, where they had the lead investigator wearing some sort of head gear.  I thought it  had something to do with what you're talking about - hmmm ???   I cant find the epi anymore, but he used it as an experiment to see if it would help him "feel" and experience what the little girl had been going through. It was the "vampire lady" epi.  I dunno. Maybe im trippin'.


No you're right. I was going to bring that up but you beat me to it, I might have mentioned it in the PRS thread. :) The episode was a couple weeks ago.  They use some sort of skullcap type device.  There are a few nodes on each side of the cap that emits an EMF pulse in ranging frequencies and alternating between the nodes, stimulating the frontal lobes of the brain... they claim that it has been useful in trying to experience some of the paranormal activity a client may have been experiencing in the room. They also mention that one has to be in complete sensory deprivation for it to work.
Heaven won't take me and hell's afraid I'll take over.

Shellshock

#16
Don't you think thats odd that it uses an EMF pulse?!?!?!??!
No kidding you're going to "experience" some stuff with EMFs pulsing through your noggin' , right??.  :P :P :P
I even think I recall that guy got sick to his stomach after wearing it.  :-\

I cant find info on it. Anyone found any links on this device???
=)
XoXo

johnny

yeah, i thought it defeated the purpose as well since it's well known that high EMF levels could have all sorts of effects on people, including alleged paranormal experiences so it would be artificially causing an experience.  How real is it and how true would it be related to paranormal investigation, I'm not quite sure.
Heaven won't take me and hell's afraid I'll take over.

bellalaghoste

head gear funny.   Who knows if this true.  I do not think so.