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ELECTRONIC VOICE PHENOMENA
A Tool for Validating Personal Survival
Published in The Journal of Religious and Psychic Research (Vol. 25, Number 4, October 2002, PO Box 614, Bloomfield, CT 06002-0614 (http://www.lightlink.com/arpr/)
copyright 2003, all rights reserved By Tom Butler
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) is briefly described with emphasis on experimental practice. A conceptual foundation is provided, on which a hypothesis is discussed describing the relationship of EVP to personal survival. A discussion of mediumship, telepathy and fraud follows, based on the relationship of EVP to mediumship.
Introduction
Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) is a form of mediumship, and as such, offers an alternative method for evaluating traditional forms of mediumship. Assuming that mediumship is relatively well understood, I will attempt to provide a survey of what is known about EVP. With this foundation of information in place, I will proceed to describe the relationship of EVP and mediumship to our understanding of personal survival and why they give us reason to believe the Survival Hypothesis is reasonable.
1. Background “Things that go bump in the night” have plagued Humankind throughout history. For the most part, these unexpected phenomena have been explained as our understanding of the nature of things has matured. However, there are many unexpected phenomena that have not been explained by our scientists. For instance, the persistent reports of unidentified objects in our sky or the presence of spectral entities in old buildings continue to defy explanation based on known science.
The advent of technology has brought the detection of a new class of unexpected phenomena leading researchers to speculate on the need for a broader view of reality in science. While many of these anomalous signals have proven to be artifacts of the technology or to originate from such mundane environmental sources as solar activity or distant lightning, many have remained unexplained. One noteworthy class of unexpected signals is what has become known as Electronic Voice Phenomena.
Early encounters with EVP have become legend. For instance, it is commonly sighted in EVP histories that Thomas Edison attempted to build a device to communicate with deceased individuals. During the time of wire audio recorders, attempts were made to record direct voice during séances. Instead, anomalous voices were recorded. Strange telephone calls were reported, during which recognizable voices of recently deceased individuals were heard.
The emergence of EVP as a formal study in the paranormal is generally attributed to the work of Swedish film producer Friedrich Juergenson (26); however, it was Konstantine Raudive’s book, Breakthrough (1) that alerted the English-speaking world to the phenomenon. Since that time, numerous researchers, both amateur and trained in science, have published books on the subject.
2. The Character of EVP By definition, EVP are unexpected voices that are collected onto recording medium and that are not explained by current theories of science. They appear to be ubiquitous in that experimenters around the world are able to collect them with just about anything that will record human voice frequencies and under just about any recording circumstance. They often vary in nature as the experimenter, recording environment and technique is changed. For instance, EVP collected in a cemetery under field recording conditions will often produce confused, distressed and angry sounding EVP that is consistent with people who are dead and who might be “stuck” in the near locale of the cemetery. People recording in laboratory conditions tend to record often helpful phrases that are relevant to questions put to the communicating entities. People tend to collect EVP phrases in their native language. People who have a strong music background will sometimes record singing phrases.
The following analysis will further illustrate the nature of EVP phrases.
a. EVP are distinctive: EVP often have a distinctive character of cadence, frequency, volume and treatment of background sound.
b. EVP are complete words or phrases: Alexander MacRae (2) has conducted considerable analysis of EVP, determining that a message is typically one to two seconds in duration and is not truncated at the beginning or end.
c. EVP are in the language of the experimenter: Again, Alexander MacRae has conducted experiments in a place that has only Spanish language radio and television stations, yet resulting EVP were in his accustomed language, English.
d. EVP are appropriate to the circumstances: There are numerous examples of EVP that are clearly direct responses to questions recorded just prior to the EVP phrase (27).
e. The voices in EVP are often recognizable: The recognizable voices of deceased loved ones in EVP that are clearly appropriate are often recorded (27).
f. Mundane voices are sometimes transfigured: It is not uncommon for a communicating entity to remodulate background sound or mundane words into EVP.
g. Party line: Some EVP sound as if they are comments intended for someone other than the experimenter. This is much like momentarily listening in on a party line telephone call, except that the phrases are complete.
h. Remodulation of background sound energy: The communicating entities appear to use sound energy as raw material to generate phrases. There is also evidence that background sound energy is “collected” prior to a phrase, as if the intelligence is being “burst” transmitted after sufficient energy has been accumulated (2). In the same way, phrases tend to trail off or become garbled near the end, as if available energy is being rapidly depleted (3).
i. Layered EVP: Experimenters often report having several layers of EVP in the same location of the recording media. This is especially common when more than one background sound source is used during the experiment.
j. The “Newness” effect: The experimenter’s excitement in trying a new detection device or recording technique often result in temporarily improved EVP collection.
k. Effective techniques unique to the experimenter: Exceptionally effective EVP collecting systems typically do not work well for other experimenters. This paradox has lead to the belief that the experimenter is part of the recording circuit. It has also reinforced the concept that the communicating entity may be specific to a certain experimenter.
3. The Technology
Interestingly, despite years of research and development conducted by numerous experimenters, no device has proven more effective than the simple tape recorder. As such, a tape recorder, external microphone and supplied background noise has become the Golden Standard for EVP.
Experiments have been conducted within the VTF (4) that seemed to decisively indicate the microphone as the detector for EVP. It is also possible to collect EVP without an input device, suggesting that the tape head, or in the case of a computer, the analog to digital converter may be the point of EVP insertion. As such, the actual input point for EVP in the recording circuit is an open question.
Some form of background sound in the human frequencies is generally provided, as the EVP is often a transfiguration of sound. This sound is easily removed with the latest generation of sound editing software such as Cool Edit (5), often leaving clear and understandable EVP.
4. The Communicating Entity
Up to this point, I have taken care to state what is known about EVP without excessive reference to the source of the phenomenal messages. While it is obvious that someone must be the origin of these utterances, just about every perspective one can take on the subject leads to controversy. It is for this reason that I am careful to maintain an open position about the nature of EVP. Despite the years of awareness of EVP and experimentation with its nature, researchers simply do not know much about these phenomena. There are working theories, however.
People who study the field tend to fall into two distinct groups. Perhaps the largest group is composed of people who come to EVP because of the loss of a loved one and the desire to find comfort in the knowledge that the newly transitioned loved ones are all right. I will refer to these people as the experimenters. There are also people who desire to understand EVP as a part of the larger question of the nature of reality. I will refer to these people as the researchers. Interestingly, some of the more determined EVP researchers have come to the field because of the loss of a loved one, but have the technical skills to devise novel theories and techniques. Both groups are mutually compatible, in that researchers need experimenters to test theory and experimenters need researchers to improve experimental techniques.
The question of who the communicating entities may be has been pretty well settled amongst the experimenters. Because of reasons I will discuss momentarily, these people have generally become convinced that they are communicating with discarnate people, some of whom are, indeed, their deceased loved ones. As a group, the researchers tend to agree that the communicating entities do seem to be discarnate people, but withhold judgment until more information has been made available.
Given that there is a communicating entity as a matter of demonstrable fact, these are the candidates for who these entities might be:
a. Discarnate people: Some EVP appear to be direct responses to questions, or appear to be situationally appropriate. For instance, messages have been received that correctly address family information. The communicating entity’s comments and the sound of their voice are often consistent with the person thought to be deceased. Discarnate people tend to fall into five types:
1. Loved ones: These entities may be recently transitioned (3, 0). However, there is an indication that people require some amount of time to adjust or perhaps recover before they communicate.
2. Friends: Messages have been received from people who were thought by the experimenter to be still alive, but who were later found to have previously transitioned (2
.3. Low Levels: Some communicating entities appear to be very angry and communicate this with profanity and rude remarks. New experimenters are most apt to contact these entities, but as they gain in recording experience, these negative messages tend to diminish.
4. Party line: EVP experimenters report that they often record EVP that sounds as if they are eavesdropping on a private conversation amongst two or more people.
5. Groups of Entities: This is actually a rather common mode for nonphysical to physical communication. Some experimenters have been lead to believe through EVP that they are in contact with groups of entities. For instance Timestream (
(20) has reportedly communicated with by a number of experimenters and is said to be composed of many recently transitioned people.b. Living people: Experiments have been conducted (6, 7) suggesting that it is possible to “call” on a sleeping person and record comments from that person. This is a relatively untested area full of interesting implications.
c. Entities who have not existed in the physical: There are indications that some communicating entities have not previously experienced an incarnation in this physical aspect of reality. In the metaphysics, candidate explanations for these entities usually involve angelic or devic entities.
d. Extraterrestrials: Some communicating entities have indicated that they currently exist in the physical, but not in this region of our universe (21, 22). We do not know if they communicate from the physical, as in Item 4b, above or if they are temporarily outside of the physical.
You may recognize that most of these are the same entities thought to be communicating through mediums. As will become clear in subsequent sections, there is good reason to consider EVP experimentation a form of physical mediumship, and the EVP messages a form of direct voice.
5. Theory
That EVP exists can be demonstrated by anyone who is willing to take the time to learn how to make an audio recording and carefully listen to the resulting sound track. Although it may take time, and it is often necessary to learn how to “listen,” few experimenters have failed to collect EVP samples. So it is arguable that the existence of EVP is a fact. How it occurs, who the communicating entities are and why they communicate, is not as clear.
The study of EVP involves an interesting mix of physical science and metaphysics. It is well known that physical science depends on models based on empirical and mathematical evidence. Further, that the empirical evidence is restricted to observable, measurable, repeatable phenomena. It can be argued that physical science depends on the assumption that creation of Self began with the creation of life in some primordial soup billions of years ago. In physical science, Self, as in self-awareness, is a byproduct of the evolution of the human body. Reality then, consists of the physical universe alone.
Metaphysics is based on the assumption that creation of the Self occurred outside of physical reality and that the human being is a dual creature with a physical origin of the body and a nonphysical origin of the Self. Further, that death of the physical body releases the Self to some nonphysical environment. Thus, metaphysics holds that there is a greater reality, of which the physical universe is but an aspect. It recognizes that there is a definite transition in the nature of this reality between the physical and the nonphysical. Also, that the nature of nonphysical reality is sufficiently different from physical reality that a science based on physical reality principles is not able not account for this difference.
Therein lies the dilemma EVP researchers are faced with. These researchers are dealing with phenomena that seem to be nonphysical in nature. Yet, since there is no foundation in modern science for the concept of a nonphysical aspect of reality, they have no choice but to resort to the vocabulary of metaphysics. This is an approach that immediately associates EVP research with theological and philosophical thought, rather than hard science.
When orthodox scientists do attempt to explain any form of nonphysical phenomenon, they naturally do so with physical science concepts. If they do attempt to incorporate metaphysical concepts, they hold themselves open to career damaging peer ridicule. It is little wonder that the most common description of scientists who find themselves at a lecture about metaphysics is the people who are “running for the door.”
There has been progress, however. Some open-minded scientists are beginning to seriously evaluate EVP. For instance, there are members of EVP Associations around the world who have the necessary scientific background to address the issues and who are fast becoming serious EVP researchers. Other EVP experimenters are learning to describe their work in terms that are acceptable to the scientific community. As a community, EVP experimenters represent a collective laboratory ready and able to support scientific investigation.
Scientists of the University of Arizona, at Tucson (23) are conducting research concerning the validity of mediumship. Some mediums have been reliably graded at better than eighty percent accuracy in the messages they are able to deliver via mediumship. Since EVP and mediumship seem to be closely related phenomena, this research tends to validate the concepts involved in EVP as well. Teamed with EVP, this research offers a formidable method to verify the Survival Hypothesis.
The existence of a nonphysical aspect of reality is beginning to be well established through research by scientists who are not even aware of EVP or mediumship, but who have learned to look in the direction of a possible nonphysical cause for phenomena. For instance, one of the more exciting bits of news to make the rounds amongst EVP researchers is a report from the Boundary Institute (24) that they have detected a change in the output of an array of random number generators that seemed to predict the attack on the World Trade Center, September 11, 2001. Could this be evidence of consciousness influencing physical processes?
In another study, a group of doctors at the University of Southampton (25) has published a groundbreaking report providing scientific evidence of life after death.
These studies are important, not because they conclusively prove the Survival Hypothesis, but because they contribute to a context, in which the hypothesis can be better understood. And, it is this context that will also help us better understand the following explanations for mediumship and EVP that have been proposed as an alternative to the Survival Hypothesis.
a. EVP are electronic or acoustical cross-talk: These have been eliminated to the satisfaction of most researchers through numerous experiments (2, 10).
b. EVP are stray radio or other broadcasts in the sound source: While experimenters often inadvertently capture radio programs, the analysis provided in Section 2 should make it clear that these are seldom mistaken for EVP.
c. A telekinetic source: There is a strong argument that EVP may be telekinetically inserted into the apparatus or media by the experimenter (11). If this is true, so the argument goes, then the Survival Hypothesis can be discounted. Following metaphysical concepts, it is probably true that telekinesis is the mechanism of signal insertion. However, the experimenter, as Self, has a nonphysical aspect, which should have much the same properties as any nonphysical entity. As such, telekinesis may be a valid explanation for the “how.” But, as will be discussed in Item 5h, the survival hypothesis appears to be more appropriate to explain the origin of the EVP.
d. The experimenter using extrasensory perception as the source: The companion argument to telekinesis, used to disprove the Survival Hypothesis, is that the experimenter is able to telepathically retrieve information from his or her subconscious mind, from someone else’s mind or from a superconscious mind (11). (See Item 5f.) There is evidence supporting the idea that some EVP originate as thoughts of the living; however, this only proves that we have a nonphysical aspect. It is possible that the experimenter is telepathically accessing and telekinetically placing appropriate information into the recording media as EVP. This must be considered as an explanation for some EVP, but this explanation fails to account for very many EVP. It is something of a logical leap as an explanation when all of the characteristics of EVP are taken into consideration.
e. Holographic universe: One of the more interesting explanations for EVP is that the phrases originate from echoes of the past and not from discarnate entities at all. This is thought to be possible if reality is holographic in nature (12, 13). In a holographic universe, reality is a quantum hologram and information is “non-local” and entangled. “Entanglement” implies that once information is somehow associated, it remains associated no matter how it may be physically separated. In effect, any part of the universe contains information about the entire universe. The companion concept is that information never dies, but continues to exist, thus the reference to “echoes of the past.” Interestingly, the quantum holographic concept depends on physical principles, but is used to describe the behavior of a form of energy (thought and memory) that is increasingly understood to be nonphysical in nature. The concept that reality is holographic in nature may provide an important foundation for understanding some of the mechanisms for nonphysical information access. It also may help explain why some EVP and instances of hauntings are not responsive, yet seem full of purpose. It is my opinion that this concept is part of a larger explanation for EVP, but does not answer all of the questions.
f. Superconscious mind: This may turn out to be little more than an old way of describing the holographic universe concept. The superconscious mind concept has many variations. In general, the human consciousness comes from and returns to a field of energy that might be thought of as a thought form. Depending on the system of belief, this thought form may or may not have super intelligence. As an explanation for EVP, some maintain that, what cannot be telepathically known from other people, must be accessible from the superconscious mind (11).
g. Parallel realities: This explanation is an extrapolation of the Uncertainty Principle in Quantum Physics (11, 14). In this concept, a particle of matter such as an electron is changed when it is examined, thus the examiner cannot know the true nature of the particle with any certainty. The particle is thought to retreat into a different state that is thought to represent a different reality. As the argument goes, if one particle has multiple states, then every particle must, and therefore, humans simultaneously exist in numerous parallel realities. This concept is used to argue that those EVP that seem to change after they have been recorded, have in fact, been changed by the version of the experimenter who exists in a parallel reality. While there may be a quantum influence in EVP, there is little supporting evidence for this explanation as the source of information. In fact, the parallel realities explanation remains incomplete without a mechanism for intelligently controlled cross-reality influences. Also, no explanation has been offered to explain a drift in behavior from one version of reality to another, that must occur if a person in another reality is to do something that a person in this reality does not.
h. Survival hypothesis: A substantial number of EVP experimenters have come to believe that EVP originates from entities who exist in the nonphysical aspects of reality. This concept depends on what has become a Standard Cosmology (15), which is a consensus view of information collected as revealed knowledge in religious systems of belief, current information gained mediumistically and principles of physical science. This cosmology is further discussed in Section 6.
i. Numerous others: Very good work is being done by such researchers as Dr. Matti Pitkänen (17), who is working with number theory to model reality and Dr. E. C. (1
, who has proposed a new model for the evolution of Self. Most of this research is directed toward providing a scientific foundation for the survival hypothesis based on physical science. Although these may propose important variations to the above concepts, they do not substantially affect the underlying arguments concerning the survival hypothesis.Close examination of the body of knowledge concerning EVP and the nature of reality indicates a multifaceted solution to the EVP puzzle. The goal is to recognize that metaphysics is concerned with the same reality that physical science addresses. As such, the differences between the two disciplines are more one of scope than one of fact. The breakthrough that seems to be necessary for these differences to be erased is the discovery of an interface between nonphysical and physical aspects of reality.
Those of you who are familiar with mediumship will note that these theories can be used to explain the attendant phenomena of mediumship, as well.
6. A working hypothesis for EVP
It should be clear that EVP has not been explained to the satisfaction of most researchers. Of the working theories, the one most often considered is the argument that the majority of EVP are nonphysical to physical communication by entities who exist in nonphysical reality. In general application, this is considered a direct corollary to the Survival Hypothesis.
In brief, the Survival Hypothesis holds that there are levels of reality differentiated by changes in characteristics of energy. As such, this energy is the raw material for the creation of every object of reality, including human beings. Physical death is when a Self transitions out of a physical lifetime and into a nonphysical lifetime. The personality of that human continues in a different aspect of reality. There is some form of, as yet, undefined veil separating aspects or levels of reality that is difficult to penetrate for reason that also remain undefined, although it is clear that those reasons are actualized through knowable principles. EVP and mediumship are thought to be evidence that nonphysical entities can occasionally penetrate that veil.
The EVP corollary to the Survival Hypothesis would be extended to account for the many different types of EVP and the varying circumstances under which they are typically collected. A comprehensive statement is still being developed by such groups as the Hypothesis Forum (19) and by various independent researchers around the world.
7. The relationship of EVP to mediumship
According to the National Spiritualist Association of Churches (16), “A Medium is one whose organism is sensitive to vibrations from the spirit world and through whose instrumentality, intelligences in that world are able to convey messages and produce the phenomena of Spiritualism.” There are three key phrases in this definition that need to be acknowledged. First, “vibrations from the spirit world” correlates with nonphysical energy in this document. Second, “through whose instrumentality” correctly paraphrases the widely held concept of metaphysics that Self is the vehicle of differentiation that enables nonphysical energy to manifest as physical phenomena. And third, “the phenomena of Spiritualism” are spiritual healing (known in academia as noncontact therapeutic touch), spirit messages (also known as channeling or mediumship) and general nonphysical phenomena, such as direct voice and apportations (referred to as “physical phenomena” in Spiritualism).
Those of you who are familiar with mediumship will recognize that EVP is essentially electronic mediumship. While EVP experimenters do not experience the same set of phenomena as mediums, the EVP messages are comparable to direct voice and the remodulation of background sound can be described as audio transfiguration. This is not necessarily a widely held view amongst EVP experimenters. What is widely accepted though, is that the experimenter plays an important part in the experiment. For instance high enthusiasm for a recording session will more likely produce good results.
8. Mediumship: Direct Connection to a Level of the Afterlife, Telepathy or Fraud?
I have approached this question via EVP because of the clear relationship between EVP and mediumship, and because EVP does not require another person to interpret the message, as in traditional mediumship. If you will accept this comparison, and that EVP represent real phenomena that can be easily tested, you will also see that it offers an alternative way of evaluating mediumship. In fact, the evidence is mounting that mediumship, either personal or technology augmented, is in truth, a direct connection to a level of the afterlife.
Yes, telepathy may be involved to some extent. Telepathy is mind-to-mind communication. Self, which is our nonphysical aspect and which is separate from our physical body, is thought to be qualitatively the same as the communicating entities. Mediumship is mind-to-mind communication, and it is therefore, telepathy. As noted in Item 5c, d, it is possible that messages are also being telepathically communicated in EVP. Further, it has been noted in Item 4b, that EVP messages sometime come from living people. Extending the hypothesis that EVP is a form of mediumship, then it must be assumed that some messages delivered via mediumship are also telepathically received from living people. Again, it is mind-to-mind communication.
As for the question of fraud, the fact of mediumship has been proven (23). However, anyone wishing to questions the validity of mediumship should consider learning how to be a medium first. For instance, NSAC Spiritualist churches (16) offer ample opportunity for members of the congregation to develop their mediumistic ability. Alternatively, they can prove the reality of EVP by learning to record for themselves. It has been demonstrated that fraud can be eliminated if the third party can be removed between the investigator and the communicating entity.
We have a new understanding of mediumship based on information that simply has not been available to the pioneers in the field. Poorly lit séances have given way to training techniques and technology that makes mediumship available to anyone who is willing to do the work. The real questions today are not if, but how and why. Self is mediumistic by nature. That is the real message.
References
(0) Experimenters in general-aaevp.com (http://dreamwater.com/aaevp/voices.html, specifically Lisa Butler--“I miss you Lisa” and Carol Barron-Karajohn, “I’m Alive”) and Internet in general for examples.Raudive, Konstantine-Breakthrough, New York: Taplinger, 1971 (1) MacRae, Alexander-The Mystery of the Voices, Self published CD, 2000, Portree Skye, Scotland. (2) Butler, Lisa-private recording, 2001 (3) German EVP Association, Vereins Fur Tonbandstimmenforschung, www.vtf.de (4) Cool Edit- Syntrillium, http://www.syntrillium.com/cooledit/index.html (5) Butler, Lisa-experiment conducted with Sarah Estep concerning prearranged sleeping and recording times. (6) Jacque Blanc-Garin-Co-director of French EVP association, Infinitude. Conducted experiments with prearranged sleep and recording times. Results appear to affirm that some EVP may be thoughts of living people. www.chez.com/infinitude/Garde/EN_Garde.htm (7) Timestream was apparently first communicated with by the Luxembourg group headed by the Harsh-Fishbacks. See Cercle d’Etudes sur la Transcommunication-Luxembourg (CETL) (English translation now out of print.) CETL, PO Box 02, L-5881, Hesperange, Luxembourg. (
Roberts, Jane-Seth Speaks, Bantam Books 1981, New York, New York. (9) Weisensale, Bill-The Spirit Voice, April-May 1981, self published newsletter, Sandy Valley, Nevada. (10) Connelly, Gerry-EVP: the Cinderella Science, Domra Publications, 2001, Corby Northamptonshire, UK. (11) Holographic: In the literature, but see www.edmitchellapollo14.com/articles.htm for example. (12) Talbot, Michael-The Holographic Universe, HarperPerennial, 1991, New York, New York. (13) Folger, Tim-Quantum Shmantum, Discover Magazine, September 2001. (14) Butler, Tom-Essays, http://ethericreality.tripod.com (15) National Spiritualist Association of Churches - PO Box 217 Lily Dale, NY 14752 www.nsac.org. (16) Pitkänen, Matti-www.physics.helsinki.fi/~matpitka. (17) C., E.-Theory of the Emotons, 25th Annual Conference of the United States Psychotronics Association, www.psychotronics.org. (1 Hypothesis Forum-an email centered group of EVP researchers and interested scientists. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hypotheses (19) Cardoso, Anabela-Portuguese EVP experimenter reporting to be in contact with a group of communicating entities calling themselves “Timestream.” Anabela publishes a newsletter called ITC Journal. http://eureka.ya.com/cadernostci/fontana.htm (20) Liebmann, Jutta-On the board of Vereins Fur Tonbandstimmenforschung (VTF) www.vtf.de (21) Estep, Sarah-Founder of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena, aaevp.com (22) Schwartz, Gary, Dr.-Human Energy Systems Laboratory in the University of Arizona, at Tucson, www.livingenergyuniverse.com (23) Boundary Institute-www.boundaryinstitute.org (24) Parnia, Sam, Dr.-University of Southampton, www.soton.ac.uk/~pubaffrs/0128.htm (25) EVP History-General Internet, specifically www.xs4all.nl/~wichm/dirvoic3.html (26) EVP Examples- www.dreamwater.com/aaevp/voices.html, Specifically, Sarah Estep--"I found the link," Bill Weber--"I live in spirit" and Carol Barron-Karajohn--“I’m Alive.”
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