"Ghost" sightings correlated to EM fields

Dissident Dan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3046179.stm

Zero

I'm not buying it...the fields seem too weak to have an effect. However, the part about suggestability makes sense.

LogicalAtheist

From quite some time ago, perhaps 5 or more years, I have seen "ghost hunters" who did use things such as infrared, heatseeking cameras, and tools which detected all sorts of events.

Indeed they had long since found their were some sort of occurences.

However, because the groups doing this made the assumptions that the ghosts caused the changes, rather than the changes caused the "ghosts" I never put a cent into it.

In other words, they committed the common error of "correlation without causation"

Ivan Seeking

Hey Zero,
Did you miss this...? What do you think?

Weak EM fields and the brain

It is written with Schumann Resonance in mind but still seems applicable here.

FZ+

There was a Horizon documentary on this. They call it Neurotheology. Apparently, certain aligned em field can case different sensations in the brain. This sorta makes sense, as the brain primary works by electrical impulses. In the program, they tried to get Richard Dawkins a spiritual experience with such a system. As expected, he was unusually immune. [:)]

Dissident Dan

[crackpot conspiracy theory]
The powers that be have known for a long time that EM field variance causes susceptibility in the animal brain. This is why they have chosen radio and, especially, television as their means of brainwashing. It is no coincidence that most commercials have absolutely nothing to do with their products and that 4 out of 5 tooth pastes are recommended by 4 out of 5 dentists, yet products continue to sell.

The large EM variation produced by television sets causes people to enter a catatonic state of askepticism. During this state, they are open to the suggestions of manufacturers with exceptional acceptance. The viewers are then influenced to by whatever they are told to. This technique that is little known outside of secretive circles has been wildly successful, as is evident by the wide variety of crap of little or no use that every single American owns.
[/crackpot conspiracy theory]

Anyway, to be serious, obviously a person's expectations have a lot to do with "ghost sightings". Since our brains do run on electricity, EM field variation could have a subtle effect on the human brain that causes these sightings in the brains of those open to interpretation of events as ghostly.

username

My grandfather claimed he once had a brief hallucination and did not know why, he later found out a small earthquake occured at the same time. He reasoned that the hallucination was caused by EM fields generated by the quake interfering with his brain.

Ivan Seeking

While standing in line at a burger stand, I once experienced the most strange sense of change; almost like reverse déjà vu. The cause seemed very much to be some kind of external impulse, or a brief passing of something. First there was a sense of distinct change and almost a sense of motion, followed by about ten seconds of a lingering sense of strangeness. I have wondered if this may have been some sort of steep ambient pressure gradient sweeping past, or perhaps seismic pressure waves, or even some sort of EM event. Another possibility is a TIA [transient ischemic attack, a mini stroke of sorts cause by a brief blockage of blood flow in the brain], however nothing else in my health history is consistent with this explanation. I tend to think this was caused by some kind of ambient variation. I have never otherwise experienced anything like this.

megashawn

^^^Sounds like to much beer

j/k

Reverse Deja-vu???

username

Hmm not sure but is it some sort of piss take about my post lol ?
You have to realise earth quakes in the uk are about as common as my grandfather hallucinating. Then there's that thing with animals, but I guess that could just be the ground vibrating etc.

FZ+

I don't think there is much evidence for earthquakes having EM field effects. Maybe the stress of the earthquake shook him up a bit? I remember that earthquake too..

Ivan Seeking

No.[:D] I can’t even drink. I don't know what to call the thing. I said reverse deja-vu because things suddenly seemed strangely unfamiliar or different. It was really a weird sensation.

username

Possibly this was along time ago though so he would have been a young man, who knows. As for earthquakes creating EM fields I dunno, but from what I understand (very little if anything) of magnetohydrodynamics it would seem possible.

EDIT: I think I had a case of reverse deja-vu once but I had been partying all night ;)

Ivan Seeking

Supposedly, not true. Earthquake lights are often cited by scientist to explain UFO reports. By this I am assuming earthquake lights must actually exist. I understand that they are attributed to EM effects caused specifically by the piezoelectric effect. The high stresses produced in rock before or during quakes are supposed to produce the effect.

FZ+

Ah yes... forgot that.

I guess it's possible, but IMHO there are more likely explanations.

Ivan Seeking

such as...[don't stop now!]...

FZ+

Oh, the usual. Swamp gas, ball lightning, alien invasion...

Seriously though, I would think he just was shooked up after the shock of the tremors.

Didn't this quake happen at night? Maybe he was in a semi-conscious state.