Ouija board effectiveness

Has there ever been research into the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of such things - I've read Derren Browns opion on how the human body and mind are easily swayed in a group situation, and folklore tales aren't very detailed.

Has anyone had any valid results - be it names, dates or apparitions, or the friend of a friend who's hair turned white after using a Ouija board at school ...please get in touch

The Ouija board probably works through either the subconscious or even conscious movement of the planchette on the board by those attending the session. Psychologists have explained the movement of the planchette with the ideomotor effect which is when the subject makes motions unconsciously. James Randi in one of his books points out that if you blindfold the operators of a Ouija Board you can't get any intelligible messages.

The reverse arguments are of course that spirits use the sub consciousness of the operators and eyes in order to make contact and communicate. I have read that it may be possible through the use of Ouija Boards to become more open to the spirit world and progress through to automatic and eventually trance mediumship.

You do hear of strange stories connected with Ouija boards though and it would be good to hear some.

Stephen, i have never read anything written about the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of Ouija boards but i have had an experience with one that turned up one piece of info that was verified.

Many years ago i was involved in a bit of Psychic questing helped along with the board. One bit of info that was gleaned regarded a wood in our area that none of us had ever heard of, but part of the information gave us an aproximate location which we knew of. One of my freinds mothers worked at the local council planning office and he managed to look at the old maps of the area and came across one that was about 100 years or so old that actually named the wood on it in the area that we knew. As far as i know the name of the wood was never printed on any newer maps.

Also once at a supposed haunted location the board was brought out and the message beware the three bells or something like that was spelled out, i must admit i was asleep at the time of this board being done but at aprox 3am all the burglar alarms in the building went off, i've never been so rudly awoken...

Best Regards

Lee.