In search of magnetic anomalies associated with haunt-type experiences: pulses and patterns in dual time-synchronized measurements

Journal of Parapsychology, The, Fall, 2004 by Jason J. Braithwaite, Katty Perez-Aquino, Maurice Townsend

One other important factor is that prior knowledge or expectation, either alone or coupled to other factors such as context, may be crucial (Lange & Houran, 2001). Such expectation could come in two forms, either general or specific. For instance, there may have been some general and nonspecific expectation on the part of the observers due to the suggestive nature of the ancient surroundings. Again, this is certainly an important factor and may well be crucial for many reports from this location and others like it. However, as with the role of context, it is difficult to see why any general expectation held about staying in a castle should be predominantly responsible for producing these bed experiences that are specific to the TR. Therefore, it is not clear why general expectation should be higher for the TR and why this alone should induce relatively specific reports of children crying, singing, and other voices from this area. In order for expectation to be crucial here, we would expect the observer to have some form of prior knowledge or a more specific expectation for a particular type of experience related to that particular area, or both. Although this explanation will have merit for future TR reports due to the fact that these experiences are now becoming known, the association of the room to these specific experiences and sensations was not generally known about when most of the striking TR-bed experiences occurred (between the late 1960s and mid 1990s). These particular experiences had never been openly reported in any media (local or national) at the time the individuals reported them. Therefore, although it is likely that general expectation and context are contributing to experiences, and indeed may be sufficient in some circumstances (i.e., reports from day tourists; see Houran & Lange, 2001), these factors alone do not obviously explain both the predominance and intensity of reports from overnight guests staying in the TR bed, at least as they are currently proposed.

It is also important to note that many of these observers were close family friends who lived in their own ancient houses and were quite used to being surrounded by such suggestive architecture. Furthermore, as the primary experiences were often unpleasant, the family did not openly discuss the reports from the TR, at least when these particular witnesses reported their experiences and this room was being used for overnight family guests. Although always aware and somewhat perturbed by TR reports, the family typically ignored them or viewed them as little more than a curiosity.

Instead, we suggest that the similarity of accounts to many reported physiological and experiential components from laboratory studies may implicate a potential magnetic stimulatory component to these particular reports. Preliminary evidence for this suggestion has been recently provided by Braithwaite (2004), who initially reported measuring a severe "undercurrent" magnetic anomaly in the TR. In that study, two magnetic sensors were placed in the TR, one in the pillow region of the bed (approximating the position of observers' heads during the reported experience). The other sensor was placed at some proximal distance from this at an estimated area from which observers had reported the phenomena (children crying) being emitted (Baseline sensor).