The World Beyond

Thomas Edison once said:

If our personality survives, then it is strictly logical or scientific to assume that it retains memory, intellect, other faculties, and knowledge that we acquire on this Earth. Therefore, if we can evolve an instrument so delicate as to be affected by our personality as it survives in the next life, such an instrument, when made available, ought to record something (Edison).

Like much of Einstein's work, the field of Paranormal Investigation is one that has been scrutinized for many years; however, there have been innumerable advances including Electronic Voice Phenomenon, Instrumental TransCommunication, and many other developments.

There are two major ways in which to contact the other world through Audio and Video devices. They are the Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP) and Instrumental TransCommunication (ITC). Electronic Voice Phenomenon is "a process whereby unexplained snatches of voices are embedded onto magnetic recording tape by a process that is not yet fully understood" (Johnson).

Ban Johnson, Garry Herrman, Thos. Lynch -- World S...

Bryan & Gov. Johnson, Sacramento, Calif. (LOC)

[Portrait of Bunk Johnson and Maude Johnson, Stuyv...

This "ghost" sound is heard upon the playback of the tape. Instrumental TransCommunication is the process by which one receives messages from the "other side" (Butler). However, it is not strictly for audio recording purposes, as EVP is. It can appear through telephones, televisions, computers, radios, etc. These two breakthroughs may seem a great deal alike, but they are quite different. As previously stated, ITC uses both audio and video devices for research while EVP only comes about through audio electronics. Whether inspecting their differences or similarities, Electronic Voice Phenomenon and Instrumental TransCommunication are two very important aspects of Paranormal Investigation.

Contact with the deceased has been popular for several centuries. It was brought into direct fame during the nineteenth century with the rise of Spiritualism, or a philosophy which emphasizes the spiritual aspect of life (Gordon). After that, posthumous communication was essentially...