EVP Resource
What's that? You're changing the station on your radio when you think you hear someone speak to you! Against your common sense, you try it again. Amidst the static, you can hear the faintest voice coming through. You begin to pick out words here and there. As you continue to turn that dial, a short sentence forms...what is going on?? You just heard your first EVP.
Overview
EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) is just one form of ITC (Instrumental Transcommunication), or communicating with the afterlife. Simply put, it is the voices of spirits. The idea of EVP has been mentioned as far back as the early 1900's when Thomas Edison spoke of his idea for a machine to talk to the dead. EVP recordings are used by many to talk to loved ones who have passed, retrieve information, or for evidence on a "ghost hunt". There are many different forms of ITC involving common household appliances as well as recorders. No matter how you manage to make the voice audible, it can be considered an EVP.
Theories
Several theories exist concerning where EVP's originate. Believers in the paranormal have suggested that they may be, in essence, a memory from the past replaying itself through time. Often, these are expected to be found in an area of tragic or profound history. These same areas are often found to have high concentrations of quartz in the ground or running water, which is an increasingly popular idea among "ghost hunters" as a conductor of sorts. The subject of astral travel has also come up in regards to EVP.
The theory here is that our spiritual self may be able to travel (and speak) while our physical self is sleeping. Studies on this have come from hearing an EVP in the recognizable voice of someone still living who is not present at the time of recording. Certain experiments have been conducted in which an EVP was captured in the voice of someone sleeping in that very room. Psychokinesis (ability to alter space, time, energy at will) is also much regarded as a plausible origin as well as the notion of alien responsibility. Skeptical approaches to the explanation of EVP's include apaphenia, pareidolia, (or finding recognizable sounds in ordinary circumstances and forming words from them) and radio wave interference.
Devices
Some of the more popular approaches to recording EVP's are voice recorders, whether they be microcassette, regular caassette or digital. Often, serious "ghost hunters" will use more than one device with differing frequencies and quality to determine the validity of the evidence they record. The use of "white noise" is also widely explored. Many EVP's have been reported as showing up through household appliances such as computers, radios, televisions, and even blenders! Many seasoned EVP researchers liken the ability to hear and distinguish spirit voices to learning a new language. You develop an "ear" for it. Try some of the methods mentioned above or some of your own and then share your results with us on our EVP Forum Board.
Written by Silent Whispers
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