Who or what is the source, the creator, the articulator, the thing forming the EVP is open to much debate and speculation. The exact nature of the thing(s) that might be making an EVP touches upon areas/subjects many people are sometimes not comfortable discussing, debating or questioning. And often even more uncomfortable considering the possible reality of the existence of such subjects.

The following lists the most common theories about the origins of EVPs:

• Ghosts/Spirits of the dead – This is the most commonly assigned cause of EVPs; That a ghost, spirit, even soul of a dead person is trying to communicate with us from “the other side”. While this theory touches upon some religious aspects that may be unsettling to some people there is some supporting anecdotal evidence. While EVPs can be found at many locations, EVPs are very often found in cemeteries, hospitals and accident sites – places where people (especially large numbers of people) have died. This tends strongly to support the idea that EVPs are connected with people who have died, often in a violent or unexpected way. Still another aspect of this theory is that the spirits/souls of some people, for whatever reason, have not “passed over” into the realm of the afterlife and are trapped between here (their former corporeal life) and the next plane of existence. Some believe those entities so trapped are confused and are trying to contact us (the living) for help, or, are unaware they are dead and are trying to interact with us as they would in normal life.
  
  
• Angels/Demons – This theory clearly has a significant religious component. Not everyone believes in angels and/or demons. For those who do believe, they hold that EVPs are messages from Angels trying to inform or guide us. Some also hold they are message from demons trying to deceive us or lure us in with small truths, then lead us into deception once we believe them. People have reported receiving very angry, even hostile EVP recordings though whether they are demonic in source cannot be confirmed.
  
  
• The Self – This theory holds that in our true state we (our Self) exist on a non-physical plane. The Self existed before we were born and is where we return to after we died to awaiting returning to the physical world again. EVPs are communications from other Self’s in the non-physical plane. Some Self’s my not be aware of this continual cycle while others are. This theory bases a lot on metaphysics and spiritual planes, subjects that are hard to avoid in paranormal research.
   
• Aliens – Some have theorized that EVPs are from beings on other worlds trying to communicate with us. Those supporting this theory claim beings with much greater mental capacity than our own (or assisted by advanced technology) can bridge the vast distances between worlds using psychic ability (ESP/Telepathy) and manifest their presence here as EVPs. Some claim to have received technical information beyond what is known here on Earth, though what has become of that information and why it hasn’t been broadly made public is what often clouds this theory in doubt.
  
  
• Other universes, planes of existence, dimensions – This theory holds that there are other universes, other realities and planes of existence that are close (parallel) to our own universe but not in the same physical space. The nature of what this other universe or dimension is anyone’s guess. Some believe it’s the realm of the afterlife, the place souls/spirits go (or are taken to) when the body dies. The theory is that under the right circumstances beings in another universe close to our own can momentarily bridge between their universe and ours to delivery a short message. Why they are doing this is unknown. This theory does have some possible scientific bases. Physicists have long theorized about multiple universes and parallel dimensions. One theory of worm holes is that with enough power a worm hole can connect our universe to another. Another is that a universe can cross or intersect with another universe. When there is enough of an intersection it may be possible for something to cross momentarily between the two universes. Further, in the study of atomic particles when atoms are smashed has shown unknown particles suddenly appearing and disappearing. Where they come from and where they go is still unexplained.
  
  
• Our own ESP/Telepathy – It has been theorized that, somehow, electronic recording devices can pick up telepathic messages from our own subconscious mind.  The theory is that EVPs are our own minds talking to us, telling us things that are deep in our own thoughts but we are not aware of in our conscious thought. Science has determined that most people use only 10% of their minds abilities. This theory touches upon the unknown properties of the remaining 90%.
  
  
• Spirit ESP/Telepathy – This theory is similar to the one above except that entities, not people, are the source of telepathic EVP messages. This theory is supported by other theories that try to explain what happens to the body’s natural energy upon death. Those who believe the body’s energy (spirit, soul etc) travels to another dimension or universe say the mind, no free from the physical limitations of the body, can project its thoughts to us as telepathy which is recorded electronically during EVP investigations.
  
  
• Multi-layer EVPs – An offshoot of the spirit ESP/telepathy theory, this theory holds that an EVP recording isn’t a single event. Rather, there can be multiple EVPs imbedded with in a single EVP recording. Some people are more sensitive to certain aspects of an EVP than others. This theory is often used as an explanation for why different people can sometimes hear vastly different things when listening to the same EVP recording. Skeptics of EVPs however say this theory is more proof against the existence of EVPs since by definition of this theory there is no one clear consensus opinion on what a given EVP is saying so it can say anything or nothing at all. See Patterns In Random Noise theory below.
  
  
• Radio/Television signals – Some people believe that the EVP phenomena is nothing more than electronic "noise" from nearby radio, television, cell phone, 2-way radio etc transmissions that are interfering with the electromagnetic recording mechanisms. Some go as far as to say it may even be secret military or government transmissions on very high or low frequencies that are being accidentally picked up by electronic devices. Skeptics of this theory point out that EVPs rarely sound like the dialog of a radio or TV broadcast or commercial, nor the conversation of a telephone or 2-way radio.
  
  
• Patterns in random noise – Skeptics of the EVP phenomena say the human mind is always looking for patterns, trying to make ordered sense out of random chaos. The alleged voices heard from an EVP are nothing more than our minds trying to make sense of random sounds, trying to make such sounds fit a pattern we can comprehend. Support for this theory is that not everyone who hears an EVP agrees as to what is being said. Sometimes people have vastly different opinions on what is being said, if anything at all (this aspect of EVPs we will discuss later).

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