THEORIES & EVP FACTS
Stray waves, Breaking Bad, Quantum Entanglement, meteorological elements, Musical Ear Syndrome & more!
(PLENTY of talk on these subjects and similar in my Lost Voices blogs).
PLENT
Since EVP was first taken seriously in the 1960's understandably the theories about them have been flying in and around.
Here are just a few:
* The voices/anomalous sounds are in fact stray radio waves.
* They are sounds picked up from elsewhere in the building/area. The listener forgets them at the time and only remembers on playback.
* They are a result of the listener subconsciously manifesting the sounds themselves because they want to hear them so much.
It's been suggested by a large paranormal society that I even use my false vocal cords because I so badly want to hear 'voices'.
** At this point I would like to assure you that I do not, (a) I'd hear the noise at the time, and (b) I frequently experience EVPs being spoken over the top of my voice, sometimes multiple speakers. So in this instance I decline the chance to be lumped together with the famous and unfortunate victims of possession and poltergeist manifestation, (think the true case on which The Exorcist was based, and the Enfield Poltergeist case with poor Janet Hodgson) who did indeed seem to have their false cords manipulated by various malicious entities. Mine are not.**
* They are the result of hidden speakers placed by proprietors of 'haunted' locations, thereby drumming up interest & trade. I've no doubt this does happen - but never in my locations. And if this was the case then I'd hear the sounds at the time, so unless I'm lying and a very good actress in just seeming like I can't hear anything when I can (again, how would you make the voice recorder NOT pick anything up when in fact there were sounds being played?). Not the case, sorry sceptics!
* They are just normal sounds that the listener wants to believe are paranormal. Mistaken identity if you like. This cannot be ruled out. However, some captures are absolutely UNDENIABLE. If there's any doubt, count it out - but rest assured that my recordings are as real-a-deal as you're ever going to find.
* They are faked. (Not mine, sorry again sceptics)
* They are from a fourth dimension
* They are voices of the deceased.
Whilst all of these are viable possibilities for audio captures, I have firm reason to believe that the last two in the list are in my case, THE case.
I understand absolutely the dangers and pitfalls of audio pareidoilia in which the brain will automatically attempt to quantify what the ears hear by turning them into something human - usually a voice.
In some instances this is true. As an investigator you constantly have to be on the alert for not falling into this trap. I've been caught out a few times but hope that I've not given credence to a clip that is not a genuine EVP.
So yes - wishful thinking does and can play a part, and that's why the ability to listen back over and over and edit carefully, enables you to eliminate false captures.
If in doubt? Scratch it out!
QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT
Now, I am an absolute novice when it comes to quantum physics - however, let me explain what I can about this rather momentous-sounding title!
Just before Christmas 2020 I was watching the wonderful TV program QI. Host Sandi Tosvig (who by the way, was also on the receiving end of a genuine EVP conundrum when she did a show for Radio 4 at Lemp Castle) was explaining how scientists had studied quantum entanglement and what it meant. She described the theory like this:
Well, there is a rather complex theory called entanglement where you have a particle in one place and it instantly affects a paired particle however far away.
Now this was always a theoretical possibility, but Chinese scientists seem to have actually done it.
And we explained this, which is rather complicated, using a banana, a biro and a chopping board.
Basically, a particle is split, and one half was projected a great distance away. The remaining half was altered. Amazingly this alteration also appeared on the other half all that distance away!
The show went on to demonstrate this by giving each contestant a banana in its skin. Sandi wrote on her banana. Each contestant looked down and their banana also had the same word written on it when it hadn't a moment ago. Obviously this was a staged trick for the camera but it represents the theory of entanglement to a T! I was really impressed with the whole thing.
SO...
If a single particle can defy rationality and become divided yet still display the SAME differences of its split other half, then what's to say that (on an even more complicated level) that the energies of entities alive or dead, cannot do the same? Would this in some way go a little towards explaining the 'twin theory' whereby twins often experience the physical pain of the other, or are able to engage in almost telepathic tendencies?
I recall my friend's true story of the woman who, as a child was so tormented by her parents' divorce that she diverted herself by furiously colouring in her book. New owners moved into the house that this little girl lived in, and were shocked by 'the ghost' of a little girl colouring in, seen several times in their living room. It turned out that the lady who HAD been that little girl was very much alive and well - but that her tormented energy had imprinted upon that house, doing what kept her emotionally and mentally intact.
Thought provoking.
Has the personality literally SHATTERED and imparted? Is this how the theory of doppelgangers may work? How about the sightings of relatives appearing in the rooms of loved ones just moments before they die? Is the personality, the fundamental consciousness of all living breathing things, able to conduct itself in this way?
I shall be reading up on this theory...
Afterburn Theory
This is something I've long considered, but never more so since I began experiencing powerful activity in my own home.
The first bout came the very next night after I'd spent 12 hours in Shepton Mallet prison for a sleepover event, 8pm to 8am. I indulged, I got amazing results...and when I got home I absolutely crashed out.
However, it was when I turned out the light to sleep that night, that it all started - and I blame spending such a long and intense period recording EVP on an investigation, I really do. It's as if the energy of the entities I encountered remained with me. After a few hours, days, the potent power diminished and it was a while before the next incident occurred.
After a prolonged session I have noticed that activity away from the site of investigating does occur, peak, and wane. SO that's why I refer to this idea as the afterburn theory - starts out powerfully, then like everything, the energy fades but never leaves.
This got me considering different variants that could very well affect the continuation of activity after the event itself, or even the actual event depending on many other factors, and they I'll come to shortly.
Here are some of my thoughts as to what may affect how long anomalous phenomena may 'stay with you' as an investigator.
* The location itself - its depth and strength:
Has it been immersed in powerful energies? For example, an experimental lab in a concentration camp will likely have a dark intense vibe, whereas an abandoned sock factory, perhaps not so much!
* The investigator:
Experience, empathy, mood, health. Something as small as a slight headache could affect your ability to 'project' or 'tune in' as you would normally. Had an argument with your partner? A bit tired? The same goes. I think it all adds (or detracts) from the energy you provide for communication with entities of all strengths.
* Type of entity:
Obviously we'll never know the answer, and there's probably no one category (see the page on My Paranormal Statement). Energies, twisting weaving trails of the stuff, all affected by....? Everything. Strength of entity, what they were, what they are, were they alive? Are they 'streaming' in from the fourth dimension or beyond that? Do they come and go, are they split into a thousand forms, as Quantum Entanglement Theory may suggest? Dr Anabela Cardoso has received communications suggesting heavily that when a person moves on after physical death, the self becomes shattered and does not reside in any one place or in one form.
* Length of time spent investigating:
Twelve hours is a much heavier deal than a two hour session, and the investigator will throw themselves into such a marathon, and pay the price. I find them exhausting but SO worthwhile. Zak Bagans of Ghost Adventures refers to the after effects of a lengthy session as a hangover, and that's what it feels like. You give of yourself, and it depletes you to some extent, until you can recover.
* Distance away:
When investigator leaves the location, does the distance physically travelled from the site of strong activity, affect the duration and strength of any immediate and subsequent occurrences at home? If for example I lived next door to the prison where I frequently investigate, would I experience more than where I currently live? I believe so!! How many times have I heard "Ann's back!" or similar on my recordings? It's like they know me and sometimes, miss me. That's the biggest compliment surely - a virtual hug from the beyond?!
the weather factor
"In nature nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed."
Antoine Lavosier
It's long been thought that electromagnetism plays a huge role in the occurrence of anomalous phenomena.
The biological variants that could (and I'm sure DO) affect activity are endless, and when I investigate I always note several details into my log to see if there are any patterns - and unsurprisingly, there are.
For starters I note the temperature. The humidity levels, general weather state, wind direction, time of day.
At the end of each visit and EVP session I upload, listen, log and present. And at the front of each handwritten batch of notes I put a header sheet with all details clearly listed, including EVP Quota for the say. I began to notice that the colder the temperature, the more EVPs I got.
IF THE ICE HASN'T THAWED, GET OUT AND RECORD!
I used to religiously spend 2.5hrs on site each time and approximately the same amount of time in each place within it. For example, three minutes in execution, three in the kitchens, and because it's my special place, nine minutes in the old gate lodge. There are around 30 locations within in this case, the prison, so I have to keep moving to get everywhere I need to record!
Then I calculate an average of how many EVPs per hour, and during the winter months it is around the 35 per hour range. In the summer, more like 20 or even less. I then produced all of my results over the years on a very long graph so it's easy to see - when the temperature goes up, results go down! It will be fascinating to see how this pattern continues to reveal itself. Currently from just the prison I have in excess of 5,000 EVPs, so the graph will have to be huge!
Going Solo
As I've said, personally I like to and tend to work alone. If my average number of EVPs per hour is around 30 when I'm solo, if I happen to be going around a location with a friend for example, my quota average drops to around 6 per hour. I believe this is because the focus is more on the other person than on the investigation, and because on playback, it's so hard to listen in between the human sounds that it makes much of the recording done, quite fruitless.
You can have one or the other...
There is one of my 'ghosting buddies' Chris with whom I occasionally meet at our favourite location. He favours working with cat balls & K2s, and I'm always audio girl. When the two of us do a circuit of the place we usually experience drastic 'in the moment' things (small girl chatting on the stairs but no one there, metal electrical covers leaping off walls, the nearby sound of doors squealing open despite the fact that all are either bolted or wedged open...that sort of thing) but EVPs are down. Other times if I'm with other people, nothing will happen in the moment, yet EVPs are better. Is it a case of certain combinations of energy attracting different activity?
BREAKING BAD possibilities
I absolutely LOVE the series Breaking Bad. I must have seen it at least seven times in full, and when I was watching it recently, it suddenly hit me that what Walt was saying in the classroom to uninterested students regarding ENERGY, MATTER, AND the continuation of THE CYCLE was just as applicable to the weird world of the paranormal as much as it was to what was going on in his boiling flask.
Here are the transcripts from two such thought provoking clips from Series 1...
'Chemistry. Well technically chemistry is the study of matter. But I prefer to see it as the study of change.
Now just think about this.
Electrons. Now they change their energy levels. Molecules. Molecules change their bonds. Elements. They combine and change into compounds! Well that’s all of life, right? It's the constant, it’s the cycle, it's solution, dissolution, just over and over and over. It is growth then decay, and transformation! It is.... fascinating.'
From Breaking Bad series 1, episode 1
'Chemical reactions involve change on two levels. Matter and energy. When a reaction is gradual, the change in energy is slight, I mean, you don’t even notice the reaction is happening. For example, when rust collects on the underside of a car. Right? But if a reaction happens quickly, otherwise otherwise harmless substances can interact in a way that generates enormous bursts of energy. Err who can give me an example of rapid chemical reaction?
"Like an explosion?"
Yes good. Explosions. Explosions are the results of chemical reactions happening almost instantaneously. And the faster reactants, ie explosives, and fulminate of mercury is a prime example of that, the faster they undergo change, the more violent the explosion.'
From Breaking Bad, A Crazy Handful of Nothin’
Whatever 'we' are, the consciousness within the body, the 'spirit', the 'soul', whatever you want to call it, we continue exist on a molecular level somewhere and somehow. On multiple dimensional platforms even, and there is evidence to suggest that this is the case. Isn't this what we're striving to understand to prove? So, if this is somewhere even vaguely near the mark (and we'll never know), could the quote regarding the faster the change occurs, the more violent the explosion, tie in with a violent death?
Is this why we see more anomalous phenomena and paranormal activity in places where violent death has occurred? Slow easy transition = still there but not as active. Difficult sudden or violent transition = very active.
Thought provoking!
Musical Ear Syndrome...
This is a phenomenon of which I personally hadn't heard (no pun intended!) until, after experiencing some seriously strange stuff, I went to the great god Google, and there it was in black and white.
My curiosity was on high alert after I began nightly, hearing 'things' within the white noise of my bedside fan. Yes indeed, THE bedside fan as mentioned in my Other Paranormal Experiences page, many times over! But this time it wasn't leaping off the table or turning itself on when not plugged in. I would be lying in bed, sometimes not asleep sometimes I would be, and I'd be jolted wide awake by voices, music, screams and crying. Once it was SO loud that I swore that the TV had come on downstairs. It sounded like a quiz show or something, complete with crowd laughter and jingles.
Now, depending on which website you look at, this phenomenon that is known as Musical Ear Syndrome (MES) is either a version of audio pareidoilia in which the brain latches onto vague sound and turns it into something it recognises, OR it's 'spirits' trying to grab your attention.
Of course it could be both of these, or perhaps a little of each.
Anyway it was good to hear that I wasn't going mad, and that others had experienced the same thing!
My further dwelling upon MES drew me to ask that, if in the paranormal research fraternity, SB7 spirit boxes and indeed much of ITC work is conducted USING WHITE NOISE as a medium (via which to contact further dimensions) could the fan not provide the exact substrate for this to occur without the investigator even being aware of it?
I certainly think it is a possibility.
It is widely known that close proximity to such everyday household items that generate energy such as fans, seem to have a mental effect on people who for example, sleep to close to one. I sleep with my head about 2ft from this particular fan. The theory goes that the electromagnetic energy generated by the machine directly interferes with our brainwaves, causing sensations of fear, paranoia, and 'perceptibility to paranormal experiences'. For more on this check out BRANDON MASSULLO'S 'THE GHOST STUDIES'. Amazon.co.uk: Brandon Massullo: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle
Now I fully understand that this may be highly likely, but what if and bear with me here, WHAT IF this wasn't only what is going on here? What if the electromagnetism supplied by the device actively provides substantial energy for cross-dimensional chit-chat? If it can happen with a Spirit box (and it can), what's the difference? A human is an almighty battery of energy, 'recharging' right next to something that generates white noise, motion, and energy - why not act as an aerial, a conductor if you will? There are also reports of running water and buzzing machinery acting as intermediate communication methods.
The old school way of investigating ITC (Instrumental Transcommunication) as developed by the wonderful Dr. Anabela Cardoso, is not to use a SB7 but its forerunner. This essentially involves setting up several dial radios, preferably including a LW option. The radios have their aerials deactivated (Cardoso goes into detail of how to do this) so as not to pick up actual radio stations, and then each radio is tuned to different frequencies. Cardoso gives ideal specifications in her first book. After considerable amounts of time, communications for her at least, began - long conversations from entities that she came to know as friends and collaborators. Her work is fascinating and compelling. Please see my Recommended Reads page for details. For now click this link for an idea of how Dr. Cardoso goes about her work: CardosoInterview.pdf (victorzammit.com) Electronic Voices: Contact with Another Dimension?: Amazon.co.uk: Anabela Mourato Cardoso: 9781846943638: Books
All this said, I ask again - what's to stop the fan acting as an ITC device? Answer: nothing.