Electronic voice phenomena: Encyclopedia II - Electronic voice phenomena - Theories

Electronic voice phenomena - Theories

According to the American Association - Electronic Voice Phenomena (or AA-EVP), a possible explanation for EVP is contained in the Survival Hypothesis, which states, "...we are nonphysical entities who are able to exist in the physical aspect of reality because of our physical body, but that when our physical body dies, we as Self, change our point of view to nonphysical reality. In effect, we exist before and after our current lifetime. The working hypothesis supported by AA-EVP is that these messages are, indeed, nonphysical in origin and that the Survival Hypothesis is essentially correct. However, even though the fact of these messages can be demonstrated, their origin cannot."

Others, however, doubt this hypothesis, and insist that there are more plausible explanations for EVP. The Skeptic's Dictionary summarises a number of common observations on the subject: "While it is impossible to prove that all EVPs are due to natural phenomena, skeptics maintain that they are probably due to such things as interference from a nearby CB operator or cross modulation. Some of the 'voices' are most likely people creating meaning out of random noise, a kind of auditory pareidolia or apophenia. And now that the phenomenon has a number of devoted followers [...] some hoaxers have probably entered the fray."

Another point of view is given by researchers in the USA who suggest that the sounds and images seen and heard on electronic equipment might be placed there by living human beings via a kind of telekinesis. Sometimes experimenters hear themselves (as EVP) when audio recordings are played back!

These American researchers say that the purpose of their experiment "is to determine the potential origins of EVPs. As most paranormal investigators know, EVP – Electronic Voice Phenomena – is the occurrence of sounds or voices on an audio recording which were not produced by known means. Often times these sounds or voices were not heard with the unaided physical ear of the participants during the time of the recording. This suggests the possibility that the voices or sounds were produced directly on the recording device via telekinesis, or were audible outside the range of human hearing, possibly produced by telekinetic manipulation of sound waves." http://nextstepresearch.tripod.com/id1.html

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Theories", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki