EMF, ELF and misinterpretation.

Because paranormal investigators use devices that detect electric fields (ELF), electromagnetic fields (EMF) and similar invisible effects, the misconception has arisen that these devices detect ghosts. They do not.

They detect ELF or EMF, depending on the meter. That’s all they do.

High electric fields can cause your hair to stand on end. This can be demonstrated by putting your hand on a Van der Graaf generator while someone else cranks it up. Most people, at least those who did physics at some level in school, will have experienced this. Unless the safety police have banned this demonstration, which wouldn’t surprise me.

So if you walk through an area of high ELF your hair will move. In the dark, and amid the heightened expectations of a ghost hunt, this will feel exactly as though someone touched your head. That’s one of the reasons investigators take readings before the investigation proper. If all reports of touching occur in areas known to have a high ELF, then they are probably caused by the electric field. Where the field comes from is then important to determine but it’s usually due to electrical wiring. This applies equally to EMF measurements.

Now, I know I’ve made it sound as though these meters are the tool of the sceptic, and yes, they often are. They must also be the tool of the investigator. If there is an electric field effect in an area you’re investigating, you want to know about it before you report anything. Otherwise, all a sceptic needs to do is wander around your location and hey presto, he’s debunked you. Debunk such effects yourself first. Don’t leave yourself open to the sceptic.

Where there are fluctuations in ELF or EMF, always, always look for the natural explanation first. Sometimes there isn’t one, but most times there is. Remember the story of the boy who cried ‘Wolf’. You don’t want to be an equivalent in ‘the investigator who cried Ghost’.

Investigators who repeatedly make easily-disproved claims will find that eventually, everything they say will be ignored. If such an investigator finally produces a perfect EVP, photograph or video, nobody will listen. Don’t get into that position. It’s better to report nothing for years than to report the wrong thing once a week.

Use the ELF and/or EMF meter, but don’t treat it as a ghost-meter. It’s not. It’s an instrument for measuring a specific, known, quantifiable physical phenomenon. If it comes up with an anomaly, take note of that and look for an explanation. Once in a while there won’t be a readily available natural source for the anomaly. That’s when things get interesting. However, unless you’re an electrical engineer, don’t assume that because you don’t see an explanation, there can’t be one. Note the anomaly and investigate further. There could be wires buried in the walls connected to appliances you don’t know about.

If we assume ghosts are composed of some form of energy—and to fit in with the laws of the universe, they must be—then it is reasonable to suppose that their presence will affect local electrical and electromagnetic fields. Reports of flickering or dimming lights and of spontaneously-drained batteries support this theory. I have no reason, at this time, to suppose that ghosts are exempt from the laws of nature. Rather, I consider that the spirit form is part of the natural order of the universe, and therefore subject to the same physical laws.

However, there is no absolute proof that ghosts actually do affect these fields, nor can we even guess by how much we would expect the fields to be affected. Note anomalies. Don’t crow about them too soon. They might have nothing to do with the spirits, even when you know for certain they are present.

Remember, instruments measure only what those instruments were designed to measure. There is no such thing as a ghost detector. EMF meters measure EMF, ELF meters measure ELF, thermometers measure temperature, and so on.

A blip in ELF or EMF is not proof of spirit presence. It’s proof of a blip in EMF or ELF. A temperature drop is not proof of spirit presence. It’s proof the temperature went down. Don’t jump to assumptions as to why these things happened.

There are no easy shortcuts. There is no scientific instrument that can positively detect an incorporeal human spirit. The devices we have give indications of where anomalous events occur, and thus where we should study further. Detailed, methodical study will eventually produce the proof we all seek. A quick one-night stand will never do that.

Investigations should never be one-off visits, unless the first visit finds no evidence to support a second. Before the second visit, check out those anomalies.