Magnetic Field Theory

Magnetic waves consistently flow through our atmosphere and come from both natural and man-made sources.

The fields then fluctuate due to a variety of factors such as heating by the sun, tidal forces from the sun and moon, the impact of photons from outer space and localised weather conditions, for example, lightning. Stevens says, "There will be periods of greater or lesser fluctuation - there is a strong link to the 11 year cycle of activity within the sun, there is a weaker relationship to the phases of the moon and the seasons." Variations to local conditions such as magnetic minerals, tectonic stresses and equipment operating on mains power can all contribute to fluctuations.

According to the sceptics, the fluctuating magnetic fields mess with the mind, causing people to believe they have seen a ghost. According to the believers, it is the presence of a ghost that has caused the magnetic fields to fluctuate. In reality, an unconfirmed factor is generating fluctuations in the magnetic fields within haunted locations such as Hampton Court Palace and the Rivoli Cinemas and so the debate between the sceptics and the believers will not be over for a long time to come.

This is not the first time that misbehaving magnetic fields have been linked to strange visions and spiritual apparitions. At Laurentian University in Canada, Michael Persinger has for years been subjecting peoples' brains to complex magnetic field patterns and exploring the spiritual world we have created for ourselves. With an adapted motorcycle helmet fitted with stimulating solenoids, Persinger has coerced people to face their inner demons.

When the solenoids are turned on, a varying magnetic field is pumped through the participant's head, disrupting the brain's own electricity. With the right pattern of magnetic activity, a sense that a presence has entered the room (despite the fact they are entirely isolated) fills the participant's consciousness. Most participants interpret the feeling as a visit from a spiritual or heavenly being - an angel, Mohammed, Elijah - or a visit from a dead relative. Some have even believed aliens visited them during the course of the experiment.

Persinger believes that magnetic muddling of the mind could be responsible for most things considered paranormal - including ghosts. Both Persinger and Wiseman have drawn the conclusion that a person's surroundings will largely effect how they interpret the same emotions. In Persinger's experiments the participant is safely seated in a whitewashed laboratory and so little fear is present when they are subjected to the magnetic spin. A person subjected to the same feelings - that they are not alone anymore - could interpret them very differently in a small, dark vault deep under the ground.

Persinger theorises that it is merely us identifying with our inner selves. The fluctuating magnetic fields stimulate a normally unconscious activity in the brain's own electric waves, waking up our dormant inner being. In an attempt to make sense of the feeling we logically interpret the sensation not as an inner self, but as an outer someone - or something - else. In an article published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Persinger and his colleague suggest, "This sensed presence ... is a normal phenomenon that has been prevalent historically and cross-culturally."

Dr Richard Wiseman, of the University of Hertfordshire,UK, and his colleagues carried out tests on two places believed to be haunted (Hampton Court Palace in England) and asked volunteers to make a note of places in the building where they had encountered any unusual experiences.

 Almost 700 naive but brave volunteers took part in the studies, reporting any strange or eerie feelings they had while walking through the Vaults or the Palace. Many strange experiences were reported - with the location of the 'spooky' feelings often matching areas previously said to be 'haunted'.

Their studies found strongly-related environmental factors, such as the variance in local magnetic fields, size of the rooms, and lighting levels. The experiences ranged from odd odours and changes in temperature to apparitions and a sense of being watched. Even though the participants walked through many different rooms and had no knowledge of what other people had previously reported, only certain rooms were consistently found to generate the uneasy emotions, forcing the investigators to accept that these rooms may in fact be 'haunted.' The most 'haunted' rooms in the eerie buildings were also those that had the most highly fluctuating magnetic fields or subtle changes in the lighting inside and outside the room.

And they concluded that, while people were genuinely reporting strange experiences they believe to be 'ghostly', the feeling was caused by the environment and not by any haunting presence.

Summing up the work, Dr Wiseman told the Post: "These findings strongly suggest that hauntings do not represent ghostly activity, but rather people responding unwittingly to normal factors in their surroundings."

Paul Stevens, one of the researchers involved in the study, suggests that different people may respond differently to the same cues and says the mechanisms by which environmental factors can affect humans is not completely understood. He suggests that faint, unconscious changes in a person's physiology in response to subtle signals can alter their emotional interpretations of the environment.

Another explanation could be that the magnetic fields caused by the intersection of two or more “leys” in the haunted place would affect our senses and feeling in such a way.

Courtesy of monstrous.com