The context was of a small family living in a town house. Both adults (Ronald & Penny) were in their late twenties/early thirties with two children: Mary (aged 3) and Charles (aged about 12 months). The general complaint was as follows:

(1) A pervasive sense of presence
(2) A feeling of being watched
(3) Electrical disturbances such as toys being activated
(4) Mary was waking up at 3am and complaining of an apparition of a lady in the room with her
(5) Mary would become distressed and say something like "No, I'm not going with you. I'm staying with my daddy".
(6) Sometimes the apparition would float up through the ceiling

Margaret dowsed the property, and found underground water and an unknown 'energy' source to the south-west. There was no evidence for an entity. George carried out a basic electromagnetic (low frequency radio detector [LFRD]) and ultrasonic (bat detector) assessment, as there seemed to be features from the symptoms of this case suggestive of electromagnetic involvement. He picked up strong electromagnetic and ultrasonic sources both in the older child's bedroom and in the parents' room. The child slept in a bed with a cot-side made of metal. Further discussion elicited that Ronald had been struck by lightning as a child. When he was 18 months old, he was in the arms of his father when the strike occurred. Subsequently, in his professional life he has also received two severe electric mains shocks. There seemed to be evidence that Ronald was the main focus, and the most vulnerable to this experience, which is consistent with the theories of Albert Budden (Budden 1998 1). There was a possibility that the child was being exposed to complex magnetic fields (Berger & Persinger 1991 2; Persinger 1993 3; Persinger 1995 4). There was sufficient evidence of meaningful activity to warrant a full investigation.

The Investigation
A vigil was arranged with the subject family for ten days after the initial assessment. We needed a full complement of team members including Frank Smith (Smith 2002 5) to assist in evaluating the significance of the EM fields and ultrasonic sounds that George had discovered. However before this could take place Ronald rang George several times seeking reassurance as Mary was still waking up and becoming disturbed by an apparition. George consulted his midwifery and early years' colleagues about this, and apparently it is normal for some children to wake up regularly at night. So, at this stage, the meaning was not clear. Nevertheless, Ronald felt anxious about this problem. Finally the day of the vigil arrived. Those present were Parasearch members: Carolyn Adey, George Gregg, Frank Smith, Dave Taylor, Margaret Webb, and Steve Willis.

Process
Carolyn and Dave interviewed the witnesses. Margaret carried out another dowsing review. George and Frank carried out further assessment with the EM fields and ultrasonic emissions in the bedrooms. Steve assisted as required - his role would be more relevant later on.

EM Fields
Frank connected George's low frequency radio detector to his oscilloscope and it was evident that there was significant radio and electromagnetic signals. The levels were higher than normal. On the outside of Mary's bedroom was a sky satellite dish with the cable going vertically down the outside wall past the child's cot to the living room below. There was a large signal being emitted by the cot-side, which was a concern due to the fact that the radiation was close to the child. In fact the whole of the child's bedroom was very active both with EM fields and ultrasonic sounds. George had detected ultrasonic sounds being emitting from a both free-standing wardrobes in Mary's room and her parents room.

Pre-Vigil Preparation
An infrared camera (Sony Nightcam) was set up in Mary's bedroom, with a black-and-white monitor on the landing. A tape recorder with EVP detector was set up at the top of the stairs. Mary went to bed at 9pm.

The Vigil
From 10.30pm onwards George, Frank and Steve remained with the family to observe for any phenomena during the night. We began 45 minute observation periods, with half-hour breaks. There was nothing significant until 1am during a break, when Frank went to observe the monitor. He returned to alert George, Steve and Ronald to come and look at the screen. Close inspection revealed an apparent apparition above the child's head whilst she lay asleep. It uncannily looked like an impression of the Virgin Mary and once fixed in the brain became difficult to dismiss. It later turned out to be an illusion caused by the torch-like effect on the wallpaper of the infrared light used by the camera to illuminate the site. At about 2.40am, all four were sitting on the darkened landing when a child's toy (battery operated robotic toy) started speaking 'A is for apple, B is for ball…' It was difficult to determine where this was coming from, so we carried on with our silent vigil. After another five minutes, Mary woke up (2.45am) and started crying. She did not complain about an apparition. She was taken into the parent's room to be looked after by her Mother. These were effectively the key activities of the night. We managed to confirm that the child did wake up around 3am. The fact that the toy had activated may have been coincidence, but could also be suggestive of a surge of energy. We arranged for another visit in the first week in August during the day.

Between Visits
About four days after the vigil, Margaret Webb received an urgent phone call from Ronald. He was in a state of high anxiety and complaining of increased activity. Margaret comforted him as best she could by phone. Other team members were unavailable. The situation was:

(1) There as loud banging and hammering on the ceiling
(2) The child safety gate at the top of the stairs started swinging to and fro, and opening and closing of its own accord
(3) The family felt terrorised, and hid in the parent's bedroom
(4) A bolt of lightning (electrostatic discharge?), with five arcs, discharged itself from one wall to the other

Impromptu Visit
Due to the frightening nature of this experience, George and Frank volunteered to stay with the family. Basic vigil equipment was set up. Unfortunately, despite staying from 9.30pm-5.00am, nothing further occurred. The intention was to visit the next Tuesday, assuming it was a dry day, in order to carry out a survey of as many EM sources that we could find.

The Following Week
The Tuesday arrived, and it seemed to be the wettest day so far. Margaret and George visited the family to carry out further dowsing work. Margaret found three possible underwater sources which, we later found in discussions with Peter Lovell, to be of significance. It seems that the streams could be counted as a source of EM field (Budden 1998 1). We also had an opportunity to gain access to the neighbours' house. George discovered, using a LFRD, that there were EM fields both on the landing and in the box bedroom almost mirroring the situation next door. This was true even when the mains electricity was switched off. However the residents in this house were not claiming to be experiencing any haunting phenomena. We postponed the search for EM sources until Thursday.

Thursday
George, Frank and Andy had been co-opted for this part of the investigation, with Frank and George arriving at 10.30am and Andy at 5pm after work. At this stage, Frank had been considering the possibility that the main central heating system was acting as both a receiving and transmitting antenna, so he attached an oscilloscope to the hall radiator and found that it was giving off a modulated radio signal, as well as a range of signals that could not be identified. It was generating a value of 1.5-2 volt P-P. This was true for all of the radiators in the house, and when Mary's metal cot-side was tested, this also had significant radio and other signals emanating from it. Frank also decided to eliminate the possible noise from the mains electricity by switching it off. He powered the oscilloscope by running a cable from next door. Surprisingly, the amplitude of the signal increased significantly, suggesting that the mains power was having a suppressing effect. Frank then tested the radiators in the adjacent house, which also had a modulated signal but, however, had less noise than the radiators in Ronald's house.

Following consultations with a central heating engineer, Frank learned that central heating systems more than 5 years old might not have been earthed, consequently having a floating system which picks up signals from EM sources and acting as a transmitter. Following up this lead Frank, temporarily earthed the central heating system, which resulted in the cancellation of the incoming radio signals, leaving a generalised pattern of background noise level of 10-20mV P-P. At 5pm, Andy brought a signal detector with an audio output. This was used to gain audio confirmation for the previous findings by placing it against the radiators, Mary's cot-side and the bedroom wall. The result was that a radio station could be clearly heard, plus other unknown noise and associated signals. Andy also used a voltage detector and confirmed Frank's previous findings that there was a voltage/current being induced in the cot-side from an unknown source. The team made exhaustive enquiries into the location of electromagnetic signals in the area around Ronald's house, including accessing a contact in the military, but currently remain puzzled about the sources of the energy in this case (except for the radio station which was transmitting on the Medium waveband). Ronald was a witness to all these experiments and when he heard the signal being resolved into a radio station much of his fear and anxiety was abated. He said 'I haven't got a ghost have I George?', which was Ronald's acknowledgement that there may not be a supernatural explanation for his unusual experiences.

Discussion
There are number of issues that need to be explored in this case. For example, is there a relationship between the phenomena (as reported by the witnesses) and the electromagnetic fields, ultrasonic sounds and radio waves? The witnesses reported experiences, such as sense of presence, a feeling of being of watched, lightning effects, movement of toys and stair-gate, which are reminiscent of being in a strong EM field (Budden 1998 1; Berger & Persinger 1991 2; Persinger 1993 3; Persinger 1995 4). The occupants of the household believed they were experiencing a ghost (Smith 2002 5). Many of the symptoms described are those typical of a ghost found in the popular imagination. Does the central heating radiator theory account for the full range of reported symptoms? How much electromagnetic energy do you need to activate a robotic toy that is switched off? How much is required, and of what type, to open and shut a metal stair-gate? What type and level of field is required to induce an hallucination in a young child? Where was the energy stored, and what critical threshold prompted the major electrostatic discharge? Although we have found the psychical equivalent to the smoking gun, there is much that requires explanation about this case. The one interesting aspect was that of Mary, who was asleep and clearly in an ASC (Altered State of Consciousness) when she began experiencing the phenomena. This seems significant, as she was the only one who reported an apparition. There is evidence from other researchers that there is a strong link between ASC and apparitions, and there is also a relationship between EM fields and ASC (Devereux 1982 6; Devereux 1989 7; Devereux 1992 8; Persinger 1993 3; Gregg 2002 9; Gregg 2003 10).

There was a suggestion at one stage that Ronald may have been mistaken, and possibly imagined the incidents. George tested the witness's suggestibility, asking him to leave some coins on the window ledge (as a previous resident was said to have done), to see if the ghost would line them up on their edges. George felt that Ronald would have done this if there were an element of attention-seeking or histrionic behaviour. George suggested this several times and Ronald always reported a negative. On balance of probability, we think that the witnesses are being truthful in their beliefs about the whole incident. Ultimately, however, since none of the research team actually witnessed any phenomena we can only trust in the veracity of our witnesses.

The following material about a similar case was contributed by Andrew Homer and Dave Taylor from their case files, indicating parallel phenomena at another location. This demonstrates that our case is far from unique. 'During a previous case of an alleged haunting, high levels (above recognised safety limits) of EMF were found to be emanating from the mains electricity system in the house. On one occasion, the principal witness (Anna) reported a dark menacing figure at the exact time that an increase in EMF levels was recorded. Anna had no knowledge of the readings as they were taken. It also transpired that the she had started experiencing epileptic seizures only since moving to the house. She often had these fits in the bathroom, which was where the highest levels of EMF were recorded. Subsequent work by the local council to improve the wiring to the property resulted in vastly-reduced reported activity, and a gradual cessation of Anna's epileptic fits. Following this refurbishment, EMF levels recorded were perfectly normal for the type of property involved' (Homer & Taylor 2000 11).

Conclusion
On balance, it is our belief that this case is an example of a low-level, electromagnetically-induced pseudo-poltergeist that is interacting with at least two individuals (Ronald and Mary). Ronald appears to be an example of a classical Budden-type EM sensitive. The team recommended that he call in an electrician to earth the central heating system and this was done. George rang a month later to check on progress and was told the phenomena were much reduced, and the occasional odd noises that were heard could be explained. Mary is much improved and has not been complaining of any nocturnal visitations since.

References