Category: Experiments

Experiments, Paranormal, The Simple Glass Divination Experiment

The Simple Glass Divination Experiment

by Ashley KnibbLeave a Comment on The Simple Glass Divination Experiment
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The Simple Glass Divination Experiment

A Little Background

So, I know what you’re thinking how can you class glass divination as an experiment given that its likely to be seen as a sceptics favourite for criticism, plus results wise its near on impossible to understand if the glass is moved by a spirit or those touching the glass! 

All very valid points and to be fair its not one of my favourite approaches. That said though it is a favourite still of many investigation teams out there and something I thought worth a little of my time. Especially as I have also used it on many occasions and experienced the odd time where this approach has yielded results which remain unexplained. 

The concept in this simple form is to create a scenario where by spirit can use our energy to communicate yes or no answers to questions that the group may ask out loud to the location they are in. When this works and communication does appear to occur presenting information beyond the knowledge of the group it can be fascinating. It also generates many a debate; such as is the spirit physically moving he glass or are they providing the information to use unconsciously so we in turn move the glass without knowing. The key in my experience is to find a way to quantify the information source, which incidentally is not an easy task. 

Still as Glass divination is an age old approach to spirit communication it’s not something we should abandon simply as it may not tick all the right boxes scientifically. Perhaps it could be adapted to be a better kind of experiment, that’s my hope anyway. 

What You Will Need

Given that this is based around the glass divination approach this experiment doesn’t really require that much. However it is always good to find the right place to setup. Personally I have found that any kind of seance or divination works in little light, this maybe because the sensory deprivation helps with focussing psychically. That said more experienced spirit communicators may feel that they can work in more light, as I have heard that some well established circles work in day light. 

For this approach you’ll need:-

  • A table for at least four people to stand or sit around. Ensure your comfortable. 
  • A relatively light glass, like a tumbler. Just not a heavy one. 
  • Yes and No indicators. This could be anything from two pieces of paper with yes on one and no on the other, to different colour lights. 
  • A digital voice recorder or camcorder.

That is pretty much it really. You can of course add in additional gadgets to monitor the  situation like EMF, Temperature, etc. 

The Method

This should be a relatively simple setup once the appropriate location is chosen. 

  1. Setup/place the table in a relatively central location within the space you have, ensuring that there is plenty of space around it to stand or sit. 
  2. Place the glass in the centre of the table. 
  3. Place your yes and no markers at opposite ends of the table. Remember if the markers aren’t obviously related to yes and no,  then you will need to ensure that their relevance is made clear during communication. 
  4. Place the digital voice recorder on the table and begin the recording. (Or Camcorder)
  5. Tag the audio with the location, date and time. Then give a brief description of what you have setup and what you are hoping to achieve. 
  6. Settle into position around the table and glass. 
  7. Place your right index finger on the top of the glass. Ensure the touch is gentle without pressure, just so you can feel it there. Tag what you are doing in the audio. 
  8. Begin your communication by introducing yourselves, its only polite. 
  9. Then you can start calling out to the room and location asking the spirits to communicate by moving the glass. Remember to keep your questions limited to yes and no answers. Identify the location a glass should go for yes or no too. 
  10. If anything occurs, glass movement, noises, etc. Ensure that you tag it in the audio recording to the best of your ability. 
  11. Once a form of communication is established continue it by asking further questions to gain as much information as possible. 
  12. When communication ends and you wish to close off the session, ensure that you thank those that have communicated. 
  13. Complete the session by closing the audio and tag the finish time. Stop the recording. 

The length of the session is dependent on how well the communication goes, but ideally I wouldn’t try to exceed 30 minutes. Clear commentary throughout the session is also important to help understand what is occurring. This maybe difficult for those around the table, so an observer maybe a good option too. 

Managing the Results

This isn’t a straight forward experiment to manage the results for really, but that said there are some things we can look at and draw conclusions from. Firstly, we can look at which questioning approaches are more successful. The circumstances that are in place when things go well and when things dont of course. 

The most important thing to review though is the audio or video footage of the session. Within this should be any information that is communicated to the group and from this you can conduct follow up research to understand if anything is supported. This can sometimes yield some interesting results so is always worth doing. 

Something else to review would be the audio for possible EVPs. This is based on the fact that as we are asking out and running a digital voice recorder, usual circumstances for EVPs. 

It’s my hope that by creating a standard approach to follow regarding something as simple as glass divination we can begin to look at the similarities and patterns between our experiences. 

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Experiments, Paranormal, The Triple Approach EVP Experiment

The Triple Approach EVP Experiment 

by Ashley Knibb1 Comment on The Triple Approach EVP Experiment 
The Triple Approach EVP Experiment 

A Little Background

Various EVP experiments have become almost normality now within the paranormal field with many individuals and groups trying variations on asking simple questions. Over the years as with many of these kind of experiments I have often favoured the ‘what if’ element to spice it up a little.

Interestingly enough an investigator years back initially suggested to the idea of approaching an EVP session a little differently. This approach was to run and EVP session, but with no physical person present and using recorded questions. The first time we tried this it wasn’t successful at all. However that as we all know doesn’t mean we should give up on an idea.

The concept has been something which has remained with me over the years and when I read a little on the observer effect, the idea returned making more sense than ever.

So, here’s a more detailed approach to the same EVP Experiment which may yield a little more results and certainly some more comparisons.

What You Will Need

Again I have tried to keep this experiement relatively simple so not to require too many or complex devices. Although you will need to do a little preparation prior to the experiment. So, here’s what you will need.

  • A Digital Voice Recorder
  • An MP3 Player/Laptop/Device to play an audio file
  • A Digital Camera

That is really it to be honest. Of course once you master the simple form of the experiment you can add in additional tech to help you cross reference the data you may capture.

The Method

Firstly, you’re going to need to do a little work before you start. This can either be completed prior to arriving at your investigation location using any research you may have done or you can complete it on the fly once at the location and you have a feel for the place.

Either way you will need to record around ten questions, which will also be the same questions that you will be asking during your session, so write them down in your notebook.

Secondly, pick a room/place at the location which will be ideal for this experiment. Take into account any reports of activity to find the best suited location. Also, take into account any audio contamination in the chosen location too.

Preparation

  1. Write ten questions relevant to the location down.
  2. Record those ten questions on a device for playback later (not the digital voice recorder).
  3. Pick the location for the experiment.
  4. Photograph the location.

Silent Unmanned Recording

  1. Setup the digital voice recorder in the location.
  2. Tag the experiment, location, date and time on the recording.
  3. Photograph the setup, but tag yourself doing so.
  4. Leave the location.
  5. Allow the digital voice recorder to record for the same length of time as the recording of the questions, which is likely to be roughly ten minutes.
  6. Return to the location.
  7. Photograph the location, but tag yourself doing so.
  8. Tag the time and that you’re closing the experiment on the recording before stopping the digital voice recorder.
  9. Stop the recording.

Playback Unmanned Recording

  1. Setup the digital voice recorder in the the location.
  2. Setup the player/device/laptop ready to play the pre-recorded questions.
  3. Tag the experiment, location, date and time on the recording.
  4. Photograph the setup, but tag yourself doing so.
  5. Start the pre-recording of the questions.
  6. Leave the location.
  7. Allow the experiment to run for the duration of the pre-recorded questions.
  8. Return to the location.
  9. Photograph the location, but tag yourself doing so.
  10. Tag the time and that you’re closing the experiment on the recording before stoppping the digital voice recorder.
  11. Stop the recording.

Manned Recording

  1. Setup the digital voice recorder in the location.
  2. Tag the experiment, location, date and time not the recording.
  3. Photograph the setup, but tag yourself doing so.
  4. Start asking the questions, leaving a brief gap between each question. It should be very similar to your recording.
  5. Photograph the location, but tag yourself doing so.
  6. Tag the time and that you’re closing the experiment on the recording before stopping the digital voice recorder.
  7. Stop the recording.

Managing the Results

Once you’ve completed all three versions of the experiment you should then have somewhere close to thirty minutes of audio to review. The review of the audio can be completed during the investigation on the fly or post investigaiton.

The results in this help us in a number of ways. Firstly, it helps us to understand the conditions in which EVP’s may be captured. It may also help us to see if our presence is required too.

Remember to timeline the recordings and define which questions may appear to yield responses.

As ever I will be interested to see how you get on with this experiment and if it does work well for you, please feel free to share your audio with me at info@ashleyknibb.com.

Once you’ve used this method a few times try mixing things up a little with other approaches and more gadgets to gain more information.

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Paranormal, Experiments, The Lock Off Experiment

The Lock Off Experiment 

by Ashley KnibbLeave a Comment on The Lock Off Experiment 
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A Few Pieces of an Investigators Kit

A Little Background

The Lock Off experiment has long been a standard almost classical experiment that I have personally used from the very early days of investigating. It’s by no means my experiment and given the extent of its use I think I would be hard pressed to find its first use. Please feel free to research that if you may and let me know?

However this little gem has proved quite useful over the years and poses some interesting questions. You see essentially you’re leaving a room with perhaps a trigger object and seeing what happens without anyone present in the room. Without the investigation team present, do spirits then interact with a probable trigger object?

A great example of this experiment was used during these old cases:-

Llanthony Secunda Manor

What You Will Need

This straight forward little experiment shouldn’t be approached in too much of a complex manner. So, on this occasion I’m going to outline the simplest form that I have used in the past and think is an excellent place to start from. With that in mind here are a few things you’re going to need.

  • Digital audio recorder
  • Digital camera or camcorder
  • Beam barriers or movement detectors (although these could even be left off for further simplicity)
  • A trigger object (these seem to work better when they are associated in some way to the location)

That’s really it for the basic approach. However if you wanted to increase the tech additional options are as follows:-

  • Multiple camcorders or a CCTV system
  • A Data Logger for at least EMF and Temperature
  • A device that visibly or audible shows change, like a KII or REM pod.

You can of course continue to add more as long as they are effective and relevant to the experiment.

The Method

Firstly pick an appropriate location for the experiment to be setup in. This could be a complete room (often best) or a particular area. As long as the experiment area can be contained and free from most audible and visible contamination. Hence why a single room that you can close off is best.

Its often a good idea to try this in a room that has been identified as possibly having greater physical activity in it. Although this isn’t essential, it just seems to help a bit.

So here’s what you do:-

  1. Locate the best room for the experiment, remember that access to the room will be restricted during the experiment and whilst the experiment is under way you may wish to investigate as far away as possible. This should help in reducing audio and visual contamination.
  2. Set up the trigger object ensuring that it’s not in a position where it might slip or fall over due to slight vibration of footsteps. If it moves you want to be sure that there will only be one explanation rather multiple logical ones.
  3. Now we want to cover the trigger object in order to ensure any activity is recorded by all devices. With this in mind the devices shouldn’t be too far away from the trigger object, but not too close either.
  4. Cover the trigger object with the camcorder to ensure that probable movement in any direction will be covered. If you have multiple camcorders (or CCTV) utilise them to cover the trigger object from various angles, each angle equally covering a part of the other. If you have the capacity completely cover some angles.
  5. Place the digital audio recorder close enough to the trigger object that it should pick up any audio in the immediate area of the object.
  6. At this point as the experiment in its basic form has been setup I would advise it would be a good time to photograph the area and the room as much as possible. This is a really simple way to document the initial setup of the experiment for comparisons should anything change. Although we often believe we can accurately remember things having documented proof is important.
  7. Now its time to leave the room and close it off. If you have beam barriers or movement detectors use them to cover the trigger object and access to the room. The beam barriers are great for he access doors, whilst movement detectors can be used to cover the actual trigger object.
  8. Once the room is closed off I would leave it in that state for at least a couple of hours to give it plenty of time to run. Ideally the longer the better.
  9. When you return at the end of the experiment, firstly check the trigger objects position and compare it to the documented setup of the room. If indeed there has been obvious movement then you will need to check the footage and audio for this.
  10. Break down the experiment.

Managing the Results

Once you’ve analysed any video footage and listened to tall the audio, you will then have a fair idea if you have indeed captured activity or not.

This will then be a case of time lining the experiment, documenting all the events as they have occurred throughout the session. Also, noting anything specific you hear or see, as well as changes to things like EMF or Temperature if there are devices of that nature running too.

Remember if you do pick anything up then I would be interested to see and/or hear it. Please feel free to contact me about it at info@ashleyknibb.com, I’m always happy to talk paranormal.

Once you’ve run through the experiment in this manner you can then start to mix it up a little, adding more devices, using different triggers and more.

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Experiments, Paranormal, The Simple Audio Singapore Theory Experiment

The Simple Audio Singapore Theory Experiment

by Ashley KnibbLeave a Comment on The Simple Audio Singapore Theory Experiment
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The Singapore Theory Experiment

A Little Background

Over the years I have attempted many different approaches in order to attempt to document paranormal activity, but one of the more successful methods it would seem, was that of the Singapore Theory Experiment. However rather than the full blown recreation of a particular event I have found that audible triggers work much better.

These audible triggers must have some kind of relation to the location you’re investigating though and I have also discovered that often if possible, an emotional connection also helps greatly.

The success of this method has appeared to increase activity at certain locations or at least be instrumental in ‘stirring things up’ in order for certain changes to occur. These have included a feeling of change in the immediate atmosphere, increased audible phenomena, increased visual phenomena and on occasion increased physical phenomena too.

Although we must remain open minded and accept that these could have all occurred randomly and have no connection to the audible triggers used at the location, its hard to dismiss events that appear to occur direct after the use of a certain approach.

With this in mind I wanted to create a simple version of the Singapore Theory Experiment that could be used during a location investigation in order to capture the results and share them with the wider paranormal community.

What You Will Need

You won’t need loads of high tech kit to perform this one, but you can throw extra gadgets in if you so wish. So, here’s a basic list to get you going:-

  • Laptop/Phone/Tablet – You will need this to play the audio file at the location.
  • Speakers – These are optional if your laptop or tablet can get reasonably loud, but in my experience these do help greatly and allow the audio to reach further throughout the location.
  • EMF Meter – It doesn’t matter which, but its worth documenting if there is a change in EMF.
  • Temperature Meter – Again, it doesn’t really matter which as long as you document it in relation to the experiment.
  • Notebook and Pen – As always don’t investigate without it.
  • Digital Voice Recorder – This can be used at two points to capture audio. Remember if you record whilst the audio is playing be sure to analyse with that in mind.

Other than that you’re really good to go. If you have other gadgets that could help in gathering more data around the experiment feel free to use them too. It may be worth taking pictures (bursts of three at a time) or also filming on a camcorder, as these may just capture something stirred by the audio.

Picking Your Audio

Picking the specific piece or even pieces of audio really depends on the location you’re at and the time you’re attempting to connect with too. I’ve personally used music from specific eras in the past and that seems to work a treat. Music actually is a very good audio trigger as it can an emotional connection with an individual triggering memory and much more.

So, when picking your audio piece consider the following:

  • Who you’re attempting to connect with?
  • When they might have lived?
  • Would a selection of music from that era work well?
  • Would a speech or audio from a specific event work?
  • Would a sound effect related to the individual or location work?

At Peterborough Museum I have used music from the 1916 era in order to connect with a well known spirit there and that certainly appeared to increase activity on one occasion.

The Peterborough Museum Case
At Fort Widley we used an air raid siren along with me shouting orders to ‘stir things up’ and that lead to the capture of an EVP.

The Fort Widley Case
Check out the two case links above to see how this has worked on those occasions. Also check out the link below for a large scale Singapore Theory Experiment that I conducted too.

The Singapore Theory Victorian Seance Experiment

The Method

This method takes into consideration that you would have already selected the appropriate piece of audio, saved it to your selected device and have it ready to play.

  1. Ensure you conduct a brief baseline reading of the area before you start. Note the EMF, Temp and anything related to the environment down. Ensure you add the date for your timeline.
  2. Setup up your laptop/phone/tablet with attached speakers at a central location where you wish to investigate. The stairwell in the centre of a building or a specific part of the location where the audio may have a direct link.
  3. Play the audio file(s) ensuring that its on repeat. That way once it reaches the end it should begin again.
  4. Now settle in to the area ready to investigate.
  5. Firstly, simply allow the audio to play and just observe the environment around you taking appropriate readings and logging them with a time stamp.
  6. Then after the audio has been running for about five to ten minutes, begin to ask questions. Remember if you’re recording for an EVP or an a camcorder, then take into account your selected audio.
  7. Make notes on how the area feels too and how the audio makes you feel whilst you’re there.
  8. After at least thirty minutes (if you can run it longer do so) turn the audio off.
  9. Then repeat steps 4 to 7. Documenting as much as possible and with time stamps too.

If you find this works well, you could try repeating the experiment in other parts of the location.

Managing the Results

As ever documenting your findings and applying a timeline is imperative to this experiment. The more we can gain and understand from this simple approach the better.

I would be greatly interested in your time line results too, so feel free to email them to info@ashleyknibb.com.

Please include the name of the experiement in the email subject line and also plenty of details regarding the location, date, times, who was present, etc.

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Experiments, Paranormal, Psychic Projection Experiment

The Psychic Projection Experiment 

by Ashley Knibb2 Comments on The Psychic Projection Experiment 

A Little Background

I was lucky enough to attend Sage Paranormal’s D-Day Tour recently and meet Haunted Collectors Brian J. Cano for the second time. 

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Haunted Collectors Brian J Cano

It was during the investigation at the amazing Fort Horsted that Brian J Cano kicked things off with a particularly interesting experiment. The one in question was what Brian called the ‘Psychic Projection Experiment’ and we were lucky enough to experience what may have been a successful attempt. 

I’ll get onto the process shortly, but first off I wanted to explain my personal interest in this particular little experiment. As soon as Brian mentioned it and the method I found my full attention drawn to this interesting concept. After all often during paranormal investigations we focus on attempting to gain possible evidence of the local activity. However this was fundamentally based on the group focussing on a singular word and projecting that onto the digital voice recorder in front of Brian. Simply speaking it added another dimension to my own theories around telepathy. However on this occasion we would be transferring information telepathically onto a device as audio that could be played back. 

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Standard Digital Voice Recorder

On this occasion the group were prompted by Brian J Cano to focus on the word ‘Gollum’ as this was in direct relation to a subject a few of the group had been recently discussing. Brian advised us to focus that word onto his digital voice recorder over the course of sixty seconds. During that time we would remain quiet. 

Once the time was up we listened back and sure enough at around fifty seconds the word could be heard. 

Pondering the Concept

This for me then raises an interesting question and perhaps one that Brian was attempting to highlight too; if we can project a particular word onto a device in a method which is very similar to the way we capture EVPs, then could this be an explanation of all EVPs? The discussion on this is obviously greater than that though, as it deals with the concept of what our unconscious could be doing whilst we are trying to capture those EVPs. However it also raises a more interesting concept of how our minds may affect something physical in this way? Is it generating an audible sound or manipulating a device? In the particular instance mentioned above the recording and sound seemed localised to Brian J Cano’s digital voice recorder, which is equally interesting. 

So, what I thought I would do is add the basic method here on my website, so others could try it and then perhaps we could attempt to gather some results around how often in works and in which circumstances it works too. 

The Method

  1. Set your digital voice recorder up so it’s on a solid stable surface. A table for example. 
  2. Select a key word to use that resonates with as many of the group as possible. This could actually be the key to the success of the experiment. A word that means something or is prominent to the group is good. If there is some kind of emotional tie to it that may equally help. 
  3. Start the recording and advise the group to focus on the chosen word, psychically projecting that word onto the digital voice recorder. Tell the group to direct the thought towards the recorder.
  4. Record for sixty seconds only. During this time the group should remain quiet, but unlike normal EVP sessions noises shouldn’t be tagged. The focus should remain on the word and psychically projecting it. 
  5. At the completion of sixty seconds silent recording of psychic projection, the recorder is stopped and everyone can relax. 
  6. Listen to the sixty seconds of recording to see if the key word was captured. 
  7. Email me the brief details of your attempt.  

Managing the Results

There’s no restriction on how often this experiment can be attempted. However what would be good would be to capture its success moving forward. This could be done by means of a simple email to me at info@ashleyknibb.com with the subject ‘Psychic Projection Experiment’ detailing the following :-

  • Date & Time
  • Location
  • Number of participants 
  • The Word
  • Was the word random or one with some specific meaning ? 
  • When during the recording the word was heard, 50 seconds for example.?

I would also like to hear if it was unsuccessful as that can help understand the success rate too. 

If this goes well then every now and then I’ll post some information on my findings. 

Also, if you have any ideas to improve the experiment, please let me know and I may give them a go. 

I hope this really takes off as it’s an experiment which can be done literally anywhere at any time. 

Thank you all for your help on this one, gathering data is key to gaining more understanding of the paranormal and furthering  our knowledge. 

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Paranormal, The Ganzfield Experiment, The Metetherial Encyclopaedia, The Metetherial Project

The Metetherial Encyclopaedia – The Ganzfield Experiment 

by Ashley Knibb3 Comments on The Metetherial Encyclopaedia – The Ganzfield Experiment 
www.ashleyknibb.com
The Metetherial Encyclopaedia

The Ganzfield Experiment

What is it?

Used in the field of parapsychology to test people for extra-sensory perception (ESP), the Ganzfield Experiment (German for “entire field”) uses homogeneous and unpatterned sensory stimulation to produce a kind of sensory deprivation.

Parapsychologists Dean Radin and Daryl Bem have said that Ganzfield Experiments have given results which deviate to a significant degree from random results, that they present strong evidence for the existence of telepathy. However, some critics such as Susan Blackmore and Ray Hyman have stated that these results are inconclusive calling for further study before they can be scientifically accepted. Such is the norm in the paranormal field though!

Here is a Little History

Wolfgang Metzger devised the technique back in the 1930’s during his investigation into the Gestalt theory. Then later in the 1970’s Charles Honorton decided to use the Ganzfield method to achieve a state of sensory deprivation in which it is believed that psi can work.

Since Honorton and Harper published the first full experiment in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1974, the experiment remained a big part of Parapsychological research.

A Rough Outline of a Typical Method

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The Ganzfield Experiment

A ‘receiver’ is left in a room relaxed in comfort, with halved ping-pong balls (yes I am serious) over their eyes, with a red light shone on them. They also wear headphones playing white noise. In this state the ‘receiver’ is in the state of mild sensory deprivation for half an hour. At this time the ‘sender’ observes a randomly selected target (perhaps a photo) and tries to mentally send the information to the ‘receiver’. The ‘receiver’ speaks out loud during the half hour, describing what they see. This is recorded by someone who is unaware of the target. Following this the ‘receiver’ is taken out of the Ganzfield state and given a set of targets, from which they must identify the one the ‘sender’ communicated to them.

My Experience with the Ganzfield Experiment

As soon as I began overnight investigation of certain locations I wanted to bring some of my own research into these investigations. The Ganzfield Experiment was something I had been aware of for a while and had read quite a bit about, but as I began my own investigations I saw the opportunity to bring this lab based experiment out into the field somehow. Given the scenario of an overnight investigation I always knew that the success of this was limited as a key element was the ability for the ‘receiver’ to reach a relaxed state, which could be difficult in the midst of an investigation. However I continued to try it several times at various investigations with different people and approaches. The most successful of which occurred when I took a team to Royston to investigate a building there. We set up the ‘receiver’ in a room on the first floor in the sensory deprivation state outlined above, then the ‘sender’ sat in the HQ for the investigation and thought of simple things to draw. What was interesting was during this experiment I listened live to the ‘receiver’ as she said out loud the things that came to mind. At one point she said the word ‘boot’ as the ‘sender’ was half way through drawing a ‘boot’, which was remarkable. The ‘sender’ couldn’t hear what the ‘receiver’ was sending. What’s interesting is that both in this experiment were good friends and worked together, so there was a lot of time spent together building the probable telepathic connection. However the question then became which one was the true ‘sender’ or ‘receiver’.

I hope to continue to do further experiments using the Ganzfield Experiment or similar approaches.

More From The Metetherial Encyclopaedia

Hopefully it wont be long before another post to the Metetherial Encyclopaedia, but if you can’t wait that long please don’t hesitate to contact me via Facebook or Twitter with any subjects you would like to see appear in future posts.

Back to the Metetherial Encyclopaedia Contents…

Experiments, Farsight PRS Research, Research, The Ganzfield Experiment

The Ganzfield Experiment

by Ashley KnibbLeave a Comment on The Ganzfield Experiment
An Explanation

Used in the field of parapsychology to test people for extra-sensory perception (ESP), the Ganzfield Experiment (German for “entire field”) is uses homogeneous and unpatterned sensory stimulation to produce a kind of sensory deprivation.

Parapsychologists Dean Radin and Daryl Bem have said that Ganzfield Experiments have given results which deviate to a significant degree from random results, that they present strong evidence for the existence of telepathy. However, some critics such as Susan Blackmore and Ray Hyman have stated that these results are inconclusive calling for further study before they can be scientifically accepted. Such is the norm in the paranormal field though!

Little History First

Wolfgang Metzger devised the technique back in the 1930’s during his investigation into the Gestalt theory. Then later in the 1970’s Charles Honorton decided to use the Ganzfield method to achieve a state of sensory deprivation in which it is believed that psi can work.

Since Honorton and Harper published the first full experiment in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1974, the experiment remained a big part of Parapsychological research.

Typical Method

A ‘receiver’ is left in a room relaxed in comfort, with halved ping-pong balls (yes I am serious) over their eyes, with a red light shone on them. They also wear headphones playing white noise. In this state the ‘receiver’ is in the state of mild sensory deprivation for half an hour. At this time the ‘sender’ observes a randomly selected target and tries to mentally send the information to the ‘receiver’. The ‘receiver’ speaks out loud during the half hour, describing what they see. This is recorded by someone who is unaware of the target. Following this the ‘receiver’ is taken out of the Ganzfield state and given a set of targets, from which they must identify the one the ‘sender’ communicated to them.

Lab to Field Experiment

This is obviously a Lab based experiment built on a set environment with conditions that can be repeated to ensure it fits to the usual regime of science. However, as I am a paranormal investigator, I wish to change that slightly, probably incur some criticism and adapt it for paranormal field investigation. We are all familiar with the use of mediums on investigations or even those in your team who in your experience have tended to be slightly more sensitive to the locations you investigate. Well my aim is to adapt the Ganzfield Experiment to do just that within your investigation. Making one of your team a ‘receiver’, but this time hopefully from you and possibly spirits. Of course I am not claiming this is so, but just thought it would be an interesting experiment for paranormal teams to try. After all I could try it, but would have to repeat it many many times to assess it properly. Whereas if many teams try it an submit their results we can document it and see where it takes us. Its for us all to try !

What You Will Need

Right to ensure we are all doing this the same way you will need the following:-

  1. Halved Ping Pong Balls for your eyes, yes you will look silly and of course you can use a marker to draw pupils on the outside, so you look like that guy from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’
  2. Head phones, connected to a device like an iPod (I use one, it works well) playing White Noise.
  3. Lamp with red light bulb, use to fill the room with red light, focus it on the ‘receiver’.
  4. Two Digital Voice Recorders – ensure that the date/time stamp matches on both.
  5. Two Video Camera – again making sure the date/time stamp is matching on both.
  6. A comfortable place for the receiver within the location you are investigating. A cold dungeon probably wont do although it would be quite atmospheric!
The Farsight Field Method

This is how I want to perform this experiment in the field whilst investigating a location, use it as one of your vigils I will!

  1. The ‘receiver’ is sat alone in a room/place at the location selected by the team which is comfortable within reason. The ‘receiver’ has halved ping pong balls over their eyes, ear phones playing white noise on and a red lamp shone in their face. They should relax alone in the room.
  2. At the ‘receivers’ location a digital voice recorder records close to them and a video camera records them visually.
  3. The rest of the team setup in another room as far away from the ‘receiver’ as possible to avoid any audio seepage.
  4. The rest of the team select one individual to call and ask questions, this person is the ‘sender’.
  5. A digital voice recorder is setup close to the ‘sender’ to record what they say.
  6. A video camera covers the groups movements. If you have more than one that would help to prove all are present and correct.
  7. Once settled and ready to go, the ‘sender’ starts by asking a series of questions directed at the ‘receiver’, asking them to answer. These questions should be simple like EVP questions, but in no particular order, so the ‘receiver’ is unaware of which questions are being asked!
  8. Then the ‘sender’ should utilise a photo from a selection of photo’s and try and mentally send the image to the ‘receiver’.
  9. Lastly, the ‘sender’ should ask any spirits present to communicate their answers to some basic EVP questions (asked by ‘sender’) to the ‘receiver’.
  10. If at any time during the experiment the ‘receiver’ feels they have some information in their head, no matter how random, they should say it out loud for the digital voice recorder and video camera to record.
Looking at the Results

This part is simple, you just compare the questions to the answers as they were recorded on the devices. Hence the time stamp being so important. What we are looking for is anything that seems to match up questions and answer wise. In addition any information the ‘receiver’ may get that can be supported some how. We have to bear in mind that they may pick up on things a bit like a medium and thus must be researched for supporting evidence.

I am interested in all of your results, so please let me know how you get on good or bad, and if you do get some odd results please please let me know.

Please post your comments, thoughts or results below so we may see how you get on.We look forward to hearing from you all..

Lastly, I don’t expect overnight results on this one, so it will be ongoing now until the end of 2010. I hope for Farsight PRS to put it to the test at our next investigation in October.

Remember though, Farsight Files is not just about the paranormal, its about those that investigate it…