Hello,

I would like to pick up a subject, which was already discussed here, but hasn't got its own Thread. The Ouija-Board.
I thought I'd open one, due to the comments I read on the Paranormal Investigations Live site on facebook. So many of the users frequently seem to play with a board, most of them seeing it as a game with a certain kick. Quite shocking really.

I would like to post a video, that I found online:



Now, it can be discussed if this video is a fake or not. I don't think it really matters, because even if it was just set up, it does show some effects that a board can have on the people taking part on such a seance.
This video shows how a session can take the wrong turn in a drastic way.

All my team colleagues will probably agree, that we DO have a lot of cases coming in that seem to be related to Ouija-Boards. In all cases the reported activities are drastic, sometimes people were hurt or injured or dangerous things happened.

Of course it is essential not to jump to conclusions, too many other factors have to be considered and debunked first.

But i think that I can speak out a general warning about those Boards. They are no toys!!!! Once you start using them you cannot control what is coming through and one has to be a very strong and experienced medium to avoid damage that can be caused. The spirit world cannot be controlled by us. Every single spirit is a unique character. human spirits still have the character of the living person they used to be, may it be friendly and loving, choleric, pedophile, jealous, generally mean etc. They do keep their character.
Then there are non-human spirits, of which i don't know any non-malevolent. They like to lie, pretend that they are someone else and also like to do harm. which also counts for some human spirits. They are the ones that respond first, they are first in line when you call out for a spirit. They may not cause harm, but the definitely love to pretend they are someone else, preferably a high ranking person.

Sure, non of this is proven so far, but, to me, the best way of protecting yourself from those spirits is not to touch a Ouija-Board at all. it is like playing Russian roulette.

Just wanted to share an experience I had whilst using a communication board in a circle of trained mediums.

The glass spelled out the name of a young woman I knew. She passed away whilst in police custody on the way to hospital. I had first met this lass when she was 13 and had looked out for her for quite a few years through her teens.

I saw this name and immediately took my finger off the glass in case I was subconsciously influencing its direction. None of the other mediums in the circle would know this girl, or her name or anything about her. I wanted to see if this was really her and not a figment of my imagination. I sat back in my chair and moved away from the table. I watched.

The glass continued to spell out words. Somebody wrote them down. I could not believe the accuracy of the information that was coming through. So precise and personal to me, secrets we had shared with NO ONE except each other.

When the glass finally stopped moving I sat with my mouth open.

The power of this communication made me know for sure i would definitely NOT be taking part in the session if I hadn't spent many years training in the discipline of spiritual mediumship.

Take care out there.

That's an interesting story, B.
And also a good example of a very positive board session.

But you are an experienced medium. You know the dangers and you also know what measures you have to take if things start to go wrong.

It's the inexperienced people that should leave their hand of those things, especially when their natural psychic ability is not trained and well developed.

My opinion is, that if one really wants to try out the Ouija-Board, at least one trained medium should be present, someone who knows what to do if things should go pear shape.

Absolutely right Arwen.

I would like to add that I would not take part in any session using a ouija board unless ALL sitters were trained and developed mediums with long experience.

That Video is scary and would like to think its real but you just never though these days as everyone seems to out do each other on viral internet videos.

As for playing a Ouija Board its not for me, i always remember from School back in around 1997 people done one at lunch at someones house and poltergeist activity apparently started to happen not straight away but over the next few weeks got worse and worse and they were to scared to stay there had to get the house blessed and when they returned it all stopped.

I remember tying to make one when i was about 12 and my dad catching me and destroying it. Real or not they have a bad reputation.

Matt

There's several sure fire ways to test the validity of the Ouija board as a tool for spirit communication.

1. Blindfold the sitters (properly)

2. Have the letters randomised and turned face down with only numbers face up.

3. Attach metal threads to the glass that the sitters hold (with slack).

Film the tests. I guarantee the film will not show the glass moving simply because no fingers are either
consciously or subconsciously moving it. The ideomotor effect needs direct contact with the glass in order for the sitters
to move it or for someone to push it.

If on the other hand it is spirits then none of the above measures should affect their ability to pass on coherent messages.

Occam's Monkey

You have a point there, Phil.

But on the other hand there is the quite plausible possibility that the person who is moving the glass subconsciously is under the influence of the spirit, channelling the energy to the glass .... provided that ghosts/spirits exist, of course
I am a believer in spirits, but I also know about many natural factors that can create seemingly paranormal occurrences.

But coming back to the dangers of Ouija- Boards.... never mind if the results of a session were caused by one of the persons present in the session or by a spiritual being... it can be dangerous in either way.

We don't know enough about the spiritual world to minimize any risks. In the best case it is unpredictable, in the worst it's highly dangerous.

You can never really control with what you are dealing from the other side and I was told that even a top of the range experienced medium can have his/her problems.

To me the negative psychological effect, a Ouija-Board session can have, is even more dangerous. The human mind is extremely easy to be tricked ... which is a side effect of superior intelligence and imagination, something that most other animals lack.

So where is the truth about Ouija-Boards???? I'd say somewhere in the middle.

But on the other hand there is the quite plausible possibility that the person who is moving the glass subconsciously is under the influence of the spirit, channelling the energy to the glass ARWEN

Quite true Arwen but if we take away anyones ability to move the glass (as per my suggestions) and the glass still moves then that would indeed be proof of spirit as opposed to human. In order to
conclusively prove that the Ouija Board is entirely a spirit communication device where the glass is moved by spirits we need to take the human element out of it.

I agree that the Ouija is dangerous but the danger lies in the perception of the board and the consequences of its use. I did many Ouija boards as a pre-teen, teen and into my very early twenties. My opinion, my experiences
changed over that time until I got to the point where I realised (having read many many books) that the Ouija Board is no more dangerous than a Monopoly Board - the danger is in the belief and perception.

Occam's Monkey

Makes me wonder how these other "Ghost Hunting" groups get away with just letting anybody use the ouija boards on their Hunting nights..From my experience on a few its that they dont really give a monkeys about it,as long as something has happened on the night fact or not..i tryed it with a few others and felt it was being "helped" along by a few who where running the night..Personally i wouldnt bother doing it again,I dint enjoy it and if what was happening was true,you just dont know what could happen..I think it spoils a good Ghost hunt night,well it did for me anyway..

I think most commercial ghost hunting groups will include a ouija board session as part of the investigation simply because they know that invariably it will get results.
This will in most cases be due to expectancy bias in the sitters, the ideomotor effect or a blatant plant moving the glass/planchette. This is both unprofessional and
dangerous IMO.

Occam's Monkey

In part I agree, but then you must also believe that everybody is either intentionally deceiving the participants or that the subconscious deliberate movement of the glass etc is always happening...We must remain open minded about these things however scientific we deem ourselves to be.

I personally participated in an Ouija (game) at the age of 10 and neither myself of friend at the time intentionally moved the planchette. I would also disagree with the ideomotor effect being to blame in that instance, as we were very young, not entirely knowledgeable about these things and in my opinion not really subject to the seductive influences that surrounded the Ouija board, and therefore not really influenced by the suggestion or expectation of involuntary and unconscious motor behaviour.

The Planchette moved around the board, spelling words with little meaning, but the result was that whatever may have been communicating with me at the time, latched itself onto me in some way and followed me home from the Isle of White. My home then became 'haunted'....

I do not dabble with the Ouija for the sheer fact that although I believe on many occasions that it can be subject to the influence of suggestion or expectation on involuntary and unconscious motor behaviour, and to people who would choose to deceive unwitting participants, it may well be a dimensional key and an open invitation for something dangerous to enter our world.

hmmmmvery intresting post to read an hella a brill one
i confess


i did the same as a kid also was home made one but to be honest i wasnt scared in fact the oppersite i was fasinated but it was a one off

i never did try it again after i heard a story from my big sister about a freind of hers who did one an it was very scary what happened we lets put it this way i never touch one again after what i was told cuz it open the wrong door


that vid hella is hard to say if its fake or real but if its real thats some scary stuff thanx for sharing
i just wish people wud reserch into the ouija boards but these days people jt dive in but they dont understand do they they think its a game but i feel its a game NOT TO BE MESSED WITH if you dont know what there doing
ttfn debz

Hi Barri, thanks for your reply

I also participated in several Ouija sessions when I was about 10 or 12 with the usual terrifying results. I can recall a version of those events but due to the constructive nature of the
human memory - ie, we do not record our experiences like a video tape and replay them exactly as they happened - yours, mine and anyone elses' recollection of events that happened
one, ten or twenty years ago is going to be diluted, coloured by time and various other experiences.
A lot of research now indicates that our memories aren't literal records or copies. Like our perceptual powers our memories are constructive or rather 'creative'. When we remember an experience
such as a Ouija board or other significant experience our brains find a representation of it and then piece by piece we reconstruct a memory based on this basic fragment or representation. This reconstructive process is unfortunately
inherently flawed. It's also vulnerable to all kinds of influences that guarantee that our memories will frequently be inaccurate. Like perception, memory can also be affected by expectancy and belief.

In my own experience I can't categorically rule out that the glass was moved deliberately no matter how much I thought I knew the sitters or the depth to which I considered them friends. The
suggestions I've made in relation to removing the fingers from the glass using wires, blindfolding the sitters (properly) or simply having the alphabetical characters upside down will very quickly demonstrate that the Ouija Board is
probably not a spirit communication device any more than a Franks box is.

The ideomotor effect will happen irrespective of age or whether we know about it or not - it's highly likely that it's responsible for Dowsing and psychic pendulum swinging. In your own example Barri your own (or the your friends) experience must have been
subject to some degree of expectancy, having known about the board, how to use it and possibly what other peoples experiences were. Children are far more impressionable and open to the reality of imagination than adults - and we still have adults
swearing by their Ouija board experiences.

In terms of dimensional keys and portals IMO that's fanciful speculation totally unproven by science. The board is a toy - a potentially dangerous toy when used by those who are out to deceive or who are of
a suggestible nature - but it's still only a toy and no more dangerous than a Monopoly Board whose ability to interact with the dead can easily be tested.

Occam's Monkey

Sources: 'The basic psychology of rumor' G. W. Allport & L. J. Postman
'Pseudoscience & the paranormal' Terrence Hines
'Semantic Integration of Verbal Information into a Visual Memory' E. Loftus, D. Miller & H. Burns. Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Learning & Memory
'How to think about weird things - critical thinking for a new age' Theodore Schick & Lewis Vaughn

Well, I am afraid, that GPS won't be the team to conduct such an experiment as you suggested, as tempting as it may be. One of our main rules is: NO Ouija-Boards.

There are simple explanations for this rule:
1. Our team has a scientific approach to investigating the paranormal. Ouija-Boards are not the type of gadgets which woud come up with any serious evidence
2. We investigate the location as it is, may there be spirits or not, which is what we are trying to find out. A Ouija-Board is supposed to summon spirits from outside the location... which would mean, that we would possibly add even more spiritual presences to a location even if it was only for one night. This wouldn't help our clients at all, who are usually desperate to find out who they are dealing with (provided that the house is haunted at all and there are no natural explanations for the happenings)
3. Due to the bad experiences of some team members and the possible risks of Ouija-Board sessions we don't even think about using them. There are too many unknown components to the paranormal, especially when dealing with the spirit world. IMO using a Ouija-Board s like trying to fly a plane blindfolded and with no knowledge about flying at all. You can end up save and sound on the ground but you can also crash. A bit like Russian Roulette.

To me Ouija-Boards have nothing to do with finding evidence for paranormal activity.