EMF's

Electro Magnetic Fields

Basically these things are everywhere to very varying degrees.Humans give off EMF's but to such a slight degree that there is no meter on the planet that would ever pick it up. However, it is part of the reason for getting static shocks. But, even in people who get lots of shocks and quite severe ones the EMF coming off them is so minimum it is unrecordable.The things we think of most when we talk about EMF's are things like pylons etc because they give off a lot of power to the point where they can be heard. An EMF reading at the foot of one of these would be off the scales. But any power cables or items powered by electricity will give off a readable EMF.

However...a power cable or electric cable can give off just an EF...and electric field. This is when there is voltage but no current. sort of like voltage held in a cable but not going anywhere. Just like a hose pipe with the nozzle off but water in it. So, even when a switch is off the power cable will give an electric field reading.An item run by electricity like a television will only have EMF's because the "m" or "magnetic" part of it comes in when the power cable is switched on and there is a current pushing the voltage. like opening the nozzle on the hose. So, at the point when the cable is switched off there is nothing in the television ..once it is switched on it has an Electro Magnetic Field.When a cable that is switched off has an EMF meter put next to it then the reading is going to be very low. so low that in fact one cable on it's own won't even make the meter needle rise. However, in an area where there are very many cables even if the switches are off there could well be enough Electric field to give a decent reading. This is why people often get readings on their EMF meters in cellars of pubs etc. The problem is they get all excited because everything is switched off at the time, not realising there is still an electric field there.When a cable has power running through it, or with an item that is running off the power the readings will of course be higher on an EMF meter because electro magnetic fields are far stronger than electric fields. With the hose thing ..the water when the nozzle is off has no where to go and so just stands, it therefore has no force or power..once the nozzle is opened and the tap is turned on the water is pushed along giving it power.

EMF's can create vast changes in physiology and this can make EMF's make us feel physical sensations to varying degrees. Obviously the more EMF the more the physical feelings. But there is another thing to consider...EMF's give off sound. but the sound is so low pitched its inaudible. Even though the sound is inaudible though it can still effect us. This is why EMF's in a tunnel or very enclosed space can have more effect than in the open on the human body. basically it is giving off a sound (sound being basically a vibration) that then has nowhere to go so. Therefore in an enclosed space these ultra sonic vibrations are more constant and more intense.So....for example. on an investigation we might be in a room that has EMF readings but we might not feel a physical reaction to them. In a more confined space the same amount of EMF could cause a much bigger reaction. not necessarily because you are any closer to the objects giving off the EMF but because of the intensity of the sound vibration that comes with it.When we are talking about EMF's in terms of the physical effects they can have that make people believe spirit is about some might be due to the fields themselves and some might be down to the sound vibrations as well.

Just one thing worth mentioning. In the past there has been a lot of concern that people living near pylons etc have been more likely to get cancer or leukaemia. This led to the misconception that EMF's are like radiation and actually cause these diseases. This isn't actually the case. What EMF's do cause is a change in the bodies physiology that breaks down cells that the body uses to stop these diseases forming.Prolonged exposure to oscillating electric and magnetic fields can affect body tissue. Electric fields cause body cells to vibrate and to heat up at high frequencies and in oscillating magnetic fields, electric currents are generated in body tissue which acts as a conductor. In combination, the electric changes in body cells and tissue causes dust particles as well as charged gas molecules to be attracted to these parts. Prolonged high exposure to electromagnetic fields can impair the body’s immune system which lessens the capability of your body’s white blood cells to kill off tumours and combat disease and there is evidence to suggest that this can also have adverse effects on your central nervous system, glands and the brain which are not only connected to certain types of cancer but can also produce other problems both physically and psychologically.

HOWEVER...before you all start throwing your microwaves out and wearing rubber suits.......the sort of thing we are talking about here is when the person is exposed to very high levels of EMF for a very very long time. I guess if you were to sit under an electricity pylon for a few years you might be pushing your luck a bit. but the amount of EMF we are generally exposed to every day is not going to do the sort of harm the last few paragraphs spoke about. Even though there was never any concrete proof that living near pylons cause the diseases people had there are laws about how close to pylons houses can be built.

So. with EMF's being mentioned on investigations what is it about them that we need to consider as investigators ?

Firstly let's look at the physical effects. As has already been mentioned high levels of EMF's can make people feel physical "symptoms". Sickness, headaches, dizziness and even disorientation can occur around high or concentrated levels as can the feeling of the hairs on your body standing on end. These, as most of you will know are also what people "expect" or are led to believe they will feel when spirit is present. Therefore, rather than it being a case of feeling these things and reporting it as spirit, EMF readings and levels should be taking and recorded in the area these feelings are being reported.

Another issue with EMF readings is that many people put them down to spirit. There is a belief that spirit "creates" an energy that can be read on our EMF meters and therefore whenever a reading goes up in an area for no apparent reason it is all too easy for investigators to put it down to spirit. This is often down to investigators comparing readings during the night to those taken during base line testing. However, as has been explained previously readings can change and not necessarily because someone has physically switched something on or turned something off. If an area has a high reading where previously there was none it is essential that investigators return time and time again to this area to ascertain whether these changes are infact environmental and normal to that area of the location.

Many sceptics will suggest that EMF meters on investigations are a waste of time, refusing to accept that they in any way validate reports that spirit is present. And indeed with the degree to which environmental factors can alter EMF readings it would be difficult to use the readings to prove spirit activity or presence. However, from the point of view of the sceptical scientist readings can be used to give logical explanation for phenomenon that lead people to believe spirit is present such as physical symptoms and therefore the use of such meters is valid in paranormal investigating.

For those who believe spirit does give off an energy that can be picked up on such a meter the use of them is again valid. however readings can only be used as evidence if all other factors and explanations for such changes have been ruled out. And, once again we reiterate what we always say on such matters..should readings be impossible to explain, and if all logical and environmental explanations have been ruled out, what we are left with is not proof of spirit, but proof that something “unexplainable” has happened. This might indeed be something of a spirit nature, or could be merely something that we and science cannot explain at the present time.