Electromagnetic Fields: What Are They?

Electromagnetic field detectors look for fields of energy usually generated from a power source of some type. Most often, it's electrical in nature, and in a home a higher level of EMF can be harmful to the health of children or older adults. Some folks have also been found to be sensitive to EMF and that can cause temporal disturbances. Temporal disturbances can be as simple as headaches, feelings of nausea, feelings of paranoia and sometimes what people would think of as paranormal activity.

Oddly enough, paranormal investigators use EMF as a measure of whether a spirit is among them. This is why a baseline EMF reading is taken early in a paranormal investigation so that the investigator can be sure of any man made hazards causing high EMF fields. Such examples are old house wiring, old or out of repair microwave ovens, refrigerators, stereos, poorly installed ceiling fans, you get the picture. Once a baseline is established, the paranormal investigator can then measure for changes, often believed to indicate the presence of a spirit.

A base reading of anything less than 1.0 is considered normal. A spike above that during an investigator asking questions, or trying to make contact with a spirit is believed to indicate the presence. When a reading exceeds 3.0 most investigators will consider that to be evidence of a spirit responding to them, or attempting to show their presence. In a home with any of the conditions listed above, readings over 10 are common, and as high as 100 around primary electrical boxes. Sustained contact with electromagnetic fields above 30 has been found to cause some sort of physiological response, even though that response may be minimal.

There are many versions of EMF detectors, and which one is best for you is dependent on what you intend to do with it. Professional electricians, real estate inspectors or investers and those who are do-it yourselfers will want to invest on a little bit higher end meter so that you can get a better range of electromagnetic fields. Paranormal investigators don't really need the high end, as just gaining confirmed EMF spikes are sufficient. Of course, some paranormal investigators will argue this point, highlighting their need to accurately document all the evidence collected. The field of paranormal investigation has many nuances, and the existence of EMF doesn't itself prove paranormal activity. An EMF occurrence, coupled with other evidence (electronic voice recordings, video or photographic evidence) is what is needed to fully document spirit activity. The bottom line is, how much money do you want to invest?

EMF detectors can be found and bought all over the Internet. Some as low as $26 and some as high as $200, with the lower end ones being perfectly fine for paranormal use, or personal home use to determine if an electrician should be consulted if high EMF is suspected as causing medical issues in your home.