Halloween 2010:in 1 month, 23 days, 15 hours, 0 minutes

Have you always wanted to go on a paranormal investigation but have never had the opportunity?  Well now’s your chance! The creepiness of Halloween is in the air, and it’s put us in a festive mood.  In order to help gear up for Halloween and to see just how creative and creepy our readers our, we’re holding our 1st Annual Halloween Ghost Story Contest.

So what are the rules?

• Story Can Be True or Fictional (the creepier the better!)
• Funny or Serious
• 500-700 words
• Applicants Must be 18 years of age or older
• 1st place winner must be able to provide own transportation to investigation location which is in Northern Utah on 10/29/10 (no rainchecks).
• All entries must be received by 10/1/2010 at midnight
• Entries must be in Word format with Title, Name, E-mail address and Phone Number

Here are the prizes:

3rd Place : A copy of Restless Spirits: Utah’s Small Town Ghosts

2nd Place: An official NUPS shirt

1st Place: An official NUPS shirt and a spot for you and a friend (must be 18 or older) on our 10/29/10 investigation.

The winners will be chosen by local paranormal author Linda Dunning and announced on our website on 10/08/10.  The top three stories will also be featured on our website.

So don’t be shy,  get those fingers warmed up, and email us your entries!

Anyone interested in the paranormal will have at some point heard the phrase, EMF or Electromagnetic Field. But what is it really? What does it have to do with anything paranormal? How can you use a EMF detector to help in your paranormal investigations?

EMF by its technical definition is a area of electrically charged particles. Changes in the electromagnetic field are quite common and can be caused many different things, including common things found in your house. Power outlets in your house, especially your circuit breaker can cause large fluctuations in the EMF level. Especially if your house is older and is using unshielded wires. Electronics, such as televisions, computers, microwaves, and cell phones can all cause fluctuations in the EMF level as well. There is some debate, and on going research into the possibility of harmful effects of high levels of EMF radiation. While no conclusive studies have been done, some people report effects such as headaches, anxiety, nausea, and depression. For the most part, they are not something to worry about. You don’t come across high enough levels in your average day to cause any harm.

But what do EMF levels have to do with anything in the paranormal? A common theory among paranormal researchers is that spirits tend to feed off of energy. Many times when investigators are experiencing paranormal activity, they will experience a phenomena known as battery drain. A fully charged, or mostly charged set of batteries will suddenly go dead. So what does this have to do with EMF levels? Well EMF levels and energy are directly related. A fluctuation in the residual energy of the area will also affect the level of the magnetic field. So one way to measure localized energy fields during an investigation, is to measure the local magnetic field. Sudden fluctuations in the field could potentially mean the presence of some type of paranormal activity. By using an EMF detector, we can detect real time changes in the magnetic field, and in conjunction with other experiences and evidence, can help to verify and confirm the potential presence of a ghost. EMF detectors are a relatively cheap, and very important piece of equipment used in the study of the paranormal. So the next time you are looking for some new gear to help in your studies, be sure to check out some EMF detectors!

We are contacted frequently by people who think their house or workplace is haunted.  Often times there are reasonable non-paranormal explanations for what they’re experiencing.  Here are some tips to help you figure out if you should call in paranormal investigators or not.

• Keep a log of your experiences including date, time and a brief description of what happens – This will allow you to notice any common factors such as time of day, time of year, or location of the activity.
• Try to find reasonable explanations for the activity – Do you have noisy pipes or drafty windows/doors?  Are noises you hear possibly coming from outside or through your air vents?
• Research your location – Although usually you won’t turn up anything eventful, it’s still a good idea to see what you can find and can give you useful info on previous owners.
• Examine your personal life – Are you under a lot of stress at work or home?  Are there family problems that are causing contention in the home?  Have you been ill lately?  Are you taking any new medications?

After you’ve kept a log for a given period of time, and occurrences are still happening that you can’t explain it might be worth contacting a paranormal group to see if they can help.