http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=20509
EVP Electronic Voice Phenomenon Voices from the Dead
David Slone
Electronic voice phenomenon, if true, seems to exceed the bounds of what
is physically possible; thus, it is of paranormal origin. Colin Smith
invented the term to describe speech or sounds resembling speech on
recording media that has never been used.
You may hear actual examples of EVP recordings here. -
http://www.trueghosttales.com/evp.php
Some researchers speculate that its origins rest in psychokenisis or the
voices of spirits. Psychokenisis connotes the ability to move objects
with your mind. It concerns the manipulation of matter and energy with
just the mind.
Other researchers, more skeptical, point to pareidolia or radio
interference. Pareidolia means that you mistakenly perceive images and
sounds as being recognizable. A man in the moon, a face in ripples of
glass windows, or hearing messages on records played in reverse are keen
examples of pareidolia.
Most EVP sounds are in short, abrupt segments, usually the length of a
word or phrase; sentences are uncommon, but not unheard of. The segments
are frequently heard in the language of the listener.
A psychologist, Konstantin Raudive, conducted over 100,000 recordings
under different conditions. His research amassed some conclusions about
elements that all EVP sounds share. They used an altered rhythm compared
to customary speech, were short in duration and resembled telegram-like
speech, did not follow grammatical guidelines and rules, and several
languages were heard over the space of a single recording.
Possible explanations, paranormal and non-paranormal, have been proposed
and scrutinized by researchers and laymen.
A paranormal explanation, for example, is the idea that bodiless,
ethereal spirits, in the absence of their own vocal cords, imprint their
messages on recording media through some elusive method. Another is that
extraterrestrials communicate, intentionally or accidentally, through
some blip in space-time. The third most common idea is psychokenisis in
which the subject is said to possess influence over matter with his
mind. This term is popular in parapsychology.
Non-paranormal and scientific explanations include interference,
pareidolia, capture errors, processing artifacts, and hoaxes.
Interference is common when EVP phenomenon is recorded on devices that
contain RLC circuitry. The sounds are, evidently, voices and sounds from
broadcast radio sources. Capture errors are anomalies created by the
overamplification of a signal at the time when it was initially
recorded. A plethora of odd noises can result from it. A processing
artifact is a sound that results from attempts to boost the clarity of
an existing signal. I.e., frequency isolation, re-sampling, and noise
reduction and enhancement can all conspire to create a sound that is
artificially unique in comparison to the original.
Important researchers of the past and present are notable in the course
of your further studies in electronic voice phenomenon. Some names to
remember are Attila von Szalay, Raymond Bayless, Alexander MacRae,
Judith Chisholm, Konstantin Raudive, Friedrich Jurgenson, Hans Bender,
William O'Neil, and Sarah Estep. Many of these researchers made strides
in exploring and popularizing EVP, but they don't represent a good
sample of current researchers. This is because there are very few
researchers today. There are scant articles in peer-reviewed journals,
but EVP continues to be ignored by scientists at large. Experiments have
produced mixed results. Despite this, there are several organizations
that collect research, articles, photographs, and other media that
support the legitimacy of EVP.
In the end it is up to you to decide whether or not electronic voice
phenomenon recordings are of paranormal origin or if they have a more
mundane explanation.
To learn more about the paranormal world visit the Paranormal and Ghost
Forum where you can chat with others and post your paranormal questions
and comments. To read more about EVP's and to hear some examples visit
EVP's - Electronic Voice Phenomenon at True Ghost Tales.
David Slone
