Fringe Society

In the palms of paranormal enthusiasts worldwide lies a small, unassuming, handheld device. Innocuous as it appears, still the apparatus is able to render the invisible into a physical form. In
a typical scenario, this tool is affixed to an investigator for hours
on end while the individual walks the ground of a haunted locale. At some point, the needle swings wildly to indicate an unseen force, whereupon the handler informs his or her colleagues. This is something that has played out in countless television shows and documentaries. What is often glossed over is a simple question: why?

Despite its ubiquity in the field, there is
little evidence to support the effectiveness of an EMF meter in
detecting the presence of an entity. Without conclusive evidence, why carry such an instrument along on an investigation? Because its efficacy has been thoroughly tested in what it was intended to measure: an electromagnetic field. And
while the connection between an entity and an electromagnetic field
remains dubious, the connection between an EMF and the human brain is
somewhat more established.

Let’s start with some basic physics. Every time current flows through a wire, an electromagnetic field is established. Conversely,
a time-varying electromagnetic field induces a current in a wire
proportional to the field intensity, distance, and angle. Now simply replace the wire with a brain. It may be a messy substitution, but it is a necessary one. It is when a current is induced within the brain that matters truly begin to get interesting.

TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) relies on a
single, somewhat intense electromagnetic pulse (.5 Tesla at the
affected area).  As you might have guessed from the name, by performing
tMS multiple times per second you generate the repetitive form or rtMS—a
technique that is gaining popularity in a number of different areas.
  rtMS is being utilized as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy
in severe depression and as an additional treatment in schizophrenia and
migraines.  In terms of cognitive augmentation, this technology is also
being used to induce the heightened thinking of savantism and to halve
the hours of required sleep.

Interesting as that may be, you may be questioning what tMS has to do with the paranormal. Let’s
turn our attention to the work of Michael Persinger.  One of his
numerous claims to fame is ‘The God Helmet,’ also known as the Koren
Helmet and marketed by Todd Murphy as the Shakti.  The helmet contains
pairings of magnetic coils that are connected to a computer sound card
while a computer is playing a specific sequence of pulses.  The coils
generate a weak magnetic field (on the order of one microTesla) and it
is the same rtMS result as before with one significant difference.  The
end result is the sensation of a paranormal event—the most significant
of which is the feeling of an unseen entity in the subject’s presence.

Does this invalidate the experience of innumerable people? I do not believe so. At
least no more so than applying an electrode to a brain in order to
induce the smell of roses disproves the existence of roses. However, this is precisely why an EMF meter is necessary in the arsenal of the investigator: to eliminate problems triggered by a far more mundane source.

Additional References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T4S-4NYSHDB-1&_user=10&_coverDate=12/01/2007&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=51cca1d2698db7580e7ebfd6b31900a9
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000923/bob10.asp
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20060622/pulse-away-migraine-pain?page=2
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/22/magazine/22SAVANT.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5007&en=0497e5b30fc4a9d8&ex=1371614400&partner=USERLAND
http://discovermagazine.com/2007/aug/tms-sleep
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.11/persinger.html
http://www.shaktitechnology.com/