NIPS are constantly striving to lead the way in paranormal research in Northern Ireland. We are always looking for both new & modern methods of research and below are just some of the techniques that we at NIPS are using and the phenomenon currently under investigation..

So often we see many groups who claim to research the paranormal, and in many cases this mainly consists of only visiting allegedly haunted locations armed with basic equipment for which many don’t fully understand its proper uses. Many groups get caught up in aimlessly competing against others, whilst posting usually irrelevant images and regurgitating unreliable information from other sources. We in NIPS do not get involved in such practice and treat our work with great importance, striving to find the truth in all claims of the paranormal drawing conclusion through our own tireless research and experimentation.

All experiments carried out over the next year and beyond will be with great attention to detail and no stone will be left unturned on our quest for the truth. If anyone else who treats their research as seriously as ourselves can offer some help or would like to work with NIPS on some experiments please feel free to contact us and we will be glad to talk to you. Let’s push the bar and put an end to the trend of cutting & pasting on websites or simply having faith in what others say without first researching scientifically for ourselves.

Some of the research we will be paying particular attention to will be Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), Infrasound and it effects, Mediumship, EVP, Orbs, Spirit communication and also the part our own subconscious mind can play in fooling us. We would like to stress that we are not here to debunk all cases of the paranormal but to bring credibility to our research thus being certain before we make claims of the explanation being a paranormal one. Many of the team believe that we continue on in life after the physical death as some have had unexplained experiences over the years. However, we are also of the belief that many natural occurrences can often explain claims of seemingly paranormal activity.

NIPS have a firm belief that some of the best paranormal evidence that can be caught is that of EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena). We use the most up to date Digital Voice Recorders on the market today to capture EVP. Once captured, audio is transferred to the laptop where Adobe Audition is used for noise and hiss reduction to cut out all distortion, meaning we can listen back to EVP within minutes of capture & whilst still on investigation.

We have also discovered amazing new evidence that EVP is commonly found on a specific Hz frequency range, although at this time we are not going to disclose the Hz range to the public until more evidence is readily available.

We also use UV (Ultra Violet) light source which we believe can capture spirit entities and light anomalies where normal light sources would not pick them up. We are presently experimenting on different types of UV Lens for both Digital photography & motion picture.

We are now working with a temperature & humidity logger which enables the team to carry out an accurate reading of both temperature & humidity fluctuations. This piece of equipment can be used hands free which leaves more time to use other bits of equipment whilst on investigation. The data recorded on the temperature & humidity logger can be downloaded directly to laptop via USB. The information is displayed in graph style and is a significant piece of our new equipment & is a must whilst on investigation.

 

Temperature (Hot & Cold Spots)

Some of the most classic symptoms of a reported haunting are hot & cold spots. These are small areas (usually a lot smaller than a room) that feel significantly colder than the surrounding area, and considered by some to be a sign of a spirit presence. When a thermometer is placed in in a location where cold spots are reported they generally fail to register any drop in temperature. Furthermore, only certain people seem to feel these cold spots, whilst others can stand in the same place and feel nothing. Some people see this as a sign of a paranormal origin with some people more 'sensitive' than others. Others see it as a sign that cold spots are purely subjective. Some people suggest that the coldness of a cold spot indicates that heat has been abstracted for some paranormal process. However, there are natural phenomena that have a real physiological effect on someone without a change in the air temperature. Draughts are the obvious example but there are others...

Humidity

There is another way where you might feel cold without any measurable change in temperature. Curiously, you might feel cold and damp in warm air conditions with a low relative humidity. In this situation moisture evaporates from your skin making you feel cool and clammy.

Suggestion

Never underestimate the power of suggestion. Tell someone that they are standing in the 'cold spot' and they may start feeling it. It is best not to tell anyone where the cold spots are supposed to be and then see if anyone reports one.

Convection

Air is almost always on the move in a room, even with the door and windows closed. This is because the surfaces of some objects are at different temperatures to others. Heat will be exchanged between the objects in an attempt to equalise the temperature. This is done mainly through convection. This is an air flow whereby warm air (which is less dense) rises towards the ceiling, cools and drops back towards the floor.

There is obviously even more scope for draughts where the room connects to other areas eg. through an open door, window, hatch, fireplace or gaps in draught-proofing.

When moving air is in contact with human skin it will generally feel cool (windchill). This is because the moving air removes heat from the skin. It also cools by causing evaporation from the skin. This cooling will NOT show up as a temperature drop with a conventional thermometer.

Radiative heat loss

When you stand directly in front of an electric fire or radiator, you will feel heat. Ppeople can LOSE heat in the same way. If you stand directly in front of a cold object, such as an uncurtained window on a cold night, you will feel colder. Your body is radiating heat in all directions. However, it will radiate more, to maintain its temperature, in the direction of cold objects. This additional loss of heat will be felt as cooling. Generally, you need to be quite close to a cool object to get the radiative loss. Like a heater, if there is anything between you and cool object, you may not feel the effect. Like convection, a conventional thermometer will not register this apparent temperature drop.

Equipment Malfunction

Within NIPS , we have found equipment, although normally reliable and recently checked to give false readings during investigations. This can be due to interference, in particular from 2-way radios. This has been seen recently to give reading fluctuations of as much as 50°C.

 

Oujia Boards, Glasswork, Table-Tipping, Dowsing & Pendulums...

What do they all have in common? Well, in our experience it is the fact that with each, direct human contact with the implement is required in order for any results to be achieved.

Now, this does not mean that we are straight away dismissing claims that these phenomena can also be attributed to paranormal causes, however it does raise many questions as to why direct human contact is necessary. Afterall, the collective energy of a group of say sitters in a Ouija board session shouldn't need a solid medium, (excuse the pun) to travel through, should it? The energy is "all around us?" Why is it also that when some movement is achieved, and contact is broken, movement immediately stops?

These are the questions we are currently asking whilst experimenting with all the classic direct communication tools. Could it be that human contact is necessary simply because it is ourselves that are subconsciously providing the physical inertia required to cause movement? This is something known as the 'Ideomotor Effect'

The ideomotor effect refers to the influence of suggestion or expectaton on involuntary and unconscious motor behavior. The term "ideomotor action" was coined by William B. Carpenter in 1852 in his explanation for the movements of rods and pendulums by dowsers, and some table turning or lifting by spirit mediums (the ones that weren't accomplished by cheating). Carpenter argued that muscular movement can be initiated by the mind independently of volition or emotions. We may not be aware of it, but suggestions can be made to the mind by others or by observations. Those suggestions can influence the mind and affect motor behavior.

Scientific tests by American psychologist William James, French chemist Michel Chevreul, English scientist Michael Faraday (Zusne and Jones 1989: 111), and American psychologist Ray Hyman have demonstrated that many phenomena attributed to spiritual or paranormal forces, or to mysterious "energies," are actually due to ideomotor action. Furthermore, these tests demonstrate that "honest, intelligent people can unconsciously engage in muscular activity that is consistent with their expectations" (Hyman 1999). They also show that suggestions that can guide behavior can be given by subtle clues (Hyman 1977).

 

Mediumship

Psychic predictions and phenomena can be traced back throughout history, but the first professional mediums date back to 1848. The Fox family of Hydesville, New York, were visited by friendly spirits eager to prove life continued even after death. The daughters realising a talent for this communication, travelled to further demonstrate their unique talents and before long similar groups sprang up across the country. This was probably the beginning of the Spiritualist movement which has become so popular today.

As a professional investigative group we employ the use of scientific equipment and methods of investigation. However, it is the nature of the field we work in that we will come across those who profess to hold the gift of psychic mediumship and can communicate directly with Spirit. In our experience there have been only a very few who have been able to demonstrate some level of ability. We have found that very often it is the lucrative enticement of financial reward and greed which draws otherwise 'ungifted' people into the business of spiritualism.

It is therefore the unfortunate truth that with the excepted few, this area of the paranormal is riddled with cases of deliberate fraud. The most common method used by charlatans is Cold Reading, a technique which entails observing the subject's body language and vocal intonation when presented with a suggestion/question, asking vague questions and then making even more vague pronouncements. The person having the reading can often remember the 'hits' or occasions when the medium provides information which seems, all be it vaguely to be true, but overlook the comments which mean nothing to them. This in itself makes the reading more believable in that person's mind.

Frauds will also often research the subjects/locations they intend to carry out readings for, and drop pieces of information into the conversation to make it seem more compelling. There have been a number of well documented cases of this. These so called mediums have been fed deliberately false information in a bid to expose their devious ways, and as expected, recite or even channel the given names etc. as though it were coming from the spirit world.

All this inevitably places a question mark over this and other areas of the paranormal and frustrates the cause of those groups, such as NIPS genuinely aiming to prove that the afterlife does indeed exist. The group's stance on the subject is not to rely on pre-conceived notions but to treat it as we would any other paranormal phenomenon, looking for evidence such as verifiable names, dates etc. We would also encourage anyone who believes they have a genuine ability, and would like to demonstrate this to NIPS, to contact the group as we are always eager to investigate all claims and would be keen to put those individuals through a series of tests to prove their authenticity.

 

Light Anomalies (Orbs)

Orb is a term coined only in recent years by the paranormal community to describe the spheres of light often caught on camera, predominantly with digital cameras with the advent of CCD and CMOS lenses and the instantaneous capture method of the photosensitive diodes used, lending further weight to the argument that they are merely a product of the lens itself.
Orbs are captured often during a paranormal investigation or where there would be perceived to be paranormal activity and some believe them to be the early manifestation of spirit.  In most cases however, they can be quickly identified as having a natural cause and can be categorised as:

• Solid orbs - Dry particulate matter such as dust, pollen, insects, etc.
• Liquid orbs - Droplets of liquid, usually water, e.g. rain.
• Foreign material on or inside the camera lens.

Combined with the above, the proximity of the camera to the object (behind the camera’s point of nearest focus, yet in front of the camera’s point of visibility), camera resolution, and light intensity from camera flash or the sun illuminating the object are all factors which play a part in determining how the orb image will appear.

The team at NIPS have seen many variations on the above, both from images taken on our own investigations and of those submitted by other groups and members of the public for analysis.  However, there have been a small number which have necessitated a closer look, particularly where there is corroborating evidence such as a significant drop in temperature, fluctuation in other equipment readings or a spiritual presence detected in the same area by a psychic medium when the photograph was taken.  Other things the group find intriguing is the size and shape of some of the orbs caught and also sometimes patterns, colours and circles within the orb itself.

Less frequently, anomalous lights are caught on video, an example of which can be viewed here. This footage was taken at a private house investigation, again where a presence was detected in precisely the same area at the same time.  Always wanting to take a balanced view based on evidence, NIPS is currently carrying out its own scientific study into Orb activity with the aim of drawing closer to a conclusion on their origin.  Further details of such to be posted in due course...

 

Infrasound

NIPS are currently carrying out research and experimentation into the phenomena that is Infrasound. Infrasound is defined as a vibration which occurs at below 20Hz, although that of up to 80Hz can be classed as Infrasound. We find those readings of between 0 - 20Hz at the lower end of the scale, outside the human hearing capability most interesting.

We are currently in the process of designing & building some new equipment, which will be capable of recording infrasound and transmitting to an audible frequency.

We will also be experimenting into the effects of infrasound and that of all frequencies on the human body & mind, to see if this on occasion could well be the reason behind seemingly paranormal experiences...

As the team discover more on Infrasound and its effects in paranormal experiences, we will publish our findings.

 

Instrumental transcommunication (ITC)

ITC is a term used to describe communication with spirit through any sort of electronic device such as tape recorders, television sets or computers etc.

The term was coined by physicist Professor Ernst Senkowski, of the Faculty of Engineering in University of Mainz, Germany.  EVP in itself is a form of ITC, though more commonly ITC is understood to define the use of the Klaus Schreiber method or Droste effect in an attempt to record spirit images.  This involves aiming a video camera at a television and feeding the output of the camera back into the TV, in order to achieve an eternal feedback loop.  The result you end up with can be described as a "picture-in-picture" effect, which continues on infinitely, similar to the effect achieved by facing two mirrors together.

It is believed by some that the same results can be achieved simply by tuning a television set out to display static/white noise and filming the images on screen, then viewing frame by frame.

As research to date has been inconclusive and many of the images are fairly ambiguous it is argued by many that the alleged images are simply a result of the human mind perceiving an otherwise meaningless, random image as a face, particularly the human face. A psychological phenomenon known as Pareidolia.  Common examples of pareidolia include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, and the ‘man on the moon.’

NIPS will aim to put these and other theories to the test through experimentation and research, publishing our findings here as we progress. The problem with using a standard television for this testing however is that as it contains a tuner, the influence of which cannot be ruled out. It is therefor our intention to test various pieces of equipment including monitors and by isolating the TV in a lead box.