The Sound of Spirits:
What is Infrasound and Why Should We Care About It?

“There is certainly a world beyond our normal consciousness from which neither space nor time divides us, but only the barrier of our sense-perceptions.... this threshold is not immovable.” ~William F. Barrett, 1918

That overwhelming feeling that you are being watched; the sensation that you are not alone although no one is in sight; that “6^th sense” that many of us have experienced at one point or another…It can cause the little hairs on our arms to stand up and our heart to beat just a little bit faster. The majority of people believe that there is a world unseen, a spiritual plane perhaps coexisting with our physical world. These feelings however, do not constitute evidence. That being said, they are also not to be ignored. These perceptions originate from something…some stimulus we cannot easily interpret. In a sense, if we cannot easily determine the origin, it may be considered “para normal’, that is, outside the normal experience. As a paranormal researcher, our jobs are to provide the physical evidence to validate these 6^th sense experiences. It is our responsibility to be well-informed of all the potential natural causes of haunted feelings.

Infrasound is sound frequency that is too low for the human ear to detect, falling below 20 hertz. Some natural causes of infrasound include earthquakes, avalanches, and waterfalls. Animals such as whales communicate via infrasound. Man-made producers of infrasound include explosions, diesel machinery, and wind turbines. Researchers who have studied infrasound posit that, although it is below our conscious perception, infrasound affects our bodies nonetheless. It can cause feelings of anxiety, dread, depression, and fear. At the right frequency it can impact our eyes, causing vibrations leading to distortions in vision and hallucinations or illusions.

So if we know that infrasound exists and that it is one potential cause of a haunting, why are we not measuring it? Measuring this low frequency requires highly specialized equipment, as readily-available sound sensors only measure in decibels and cannot account for the ultra-low frequency which constitutes infrasound. Instruments for measuring infrasound are few and far between and are typically quite expensive. However, TSPI is committed to providing the highest-quality investigations to our clients, and our ongoing desire to evaluate potential hauntings in a scientific manner will ensure that we search for a way to measure infrasound in the upcoming years.

Written by Laura Palmese

Investigator & Researcher

Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations (TSPI)

A Newbie’s First “Ghost Hunt”

After a full day of work and then a trip to the dentist to get some cavities filled, you might think that staying up until 2 am to sit in a dark auditorium would be the last thing on my to-do list. Wrong! As an Investigator-in-Training, last Friday was my very first paranormal research expedition and I was so excited! First, a tour of the investigation site which was a local theater said to be occupied by at least 2 spirits. Second, the team determined where the equipment would be set up. At this point, I primarily watched as the team members assembled everything. I was surprised by how much of it there is! Shamus, Stephanie, and Marilyn were very patient with me and my questions.

The experience of sitting by myself in the back of a large, vacant, dark auditorium was unprecedented. While I had originally worried about becoming sleepy (or worse, bored) this did not happen at all as the mental energy it takes to actively listen to the environment keeps you very much alert and interested. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the keen awareness of every little creak as the building settles around us is energizing. Then the first voice recording session began. The EVP sessions are strange at first; honestly it initially felt a little silly asking questions into a dark, empty room. The expectation of a response is palpable as I strained to hear something, anything in reply. The team was great about teaching me what to listen for and that sometimes the answers are detectable only afterwards when reviewing the recordings.

I jumped. More than once. I am not too proud to admit it. The basement of the theater was particularly creepy and I do not yet have the calm composure of the team members, which I can only assume comes along with being the experienced professionals that they are. Shamus and the others were great about it and did not make me feel badly. I expect that with time I will become less “jumpy”. After several hours of investigation, the evening concludes with the careful taking down of all the equipment, and at this point I am pretty tired out but very grateful to have had such a positive first experience. 

Being an over-zealous newbie, the first thing I did when I woke up the next morning was to listen to the EVP recordings. To hear an unaccounted for human-voice on the recording was exhilarating; my first piece of real evidence, clear and unmistakable. I can’t wait to share it with everyone. 

Written by Laura Palmese

Investigator In Training with the

Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations (TSPI)