Term defined - Matrixing
by Andy Hagerty
Maxtrixing – Basically, What is it?
In ghost hunting circles, there are a lot of terms tossed about. One such term is Matrixing. Many people use this term but many do not really know what it means. This term is directly attributed to a TV show, Ghost Hunters as a simplified way to cover some not so simple scientific concepts.
It is based in the word Matrix, which in one definition is ‘something (such as a situation or a set of conditions) in which something else develops or forms.’
In a paranormal connotation it is where one sees patterns or shapes where none exist due to the mind trying to make sense of random inputs. It is common where a distortion or pixilation of a photograph. Also it is common in photos, videos and in person to mistake something perfectly normal as something else. Shadow play from outside, the way an inanimate object looks in the dark, the way light bounces off reflective objects all could cause an investigator to mistake a perfectly mundane situation for a paranormal one. One way to help avoid this is to take baseline shots of an area with lights on. This allows you to compare the investigation shots with baseline shots to see f was something in the room causing the anomaly.
The human mind tried to “make sense” out of what inputs it is given. Sitting quietly in a dark room with a lack of input, causes your mind to try to “fill in the blanks”. This is a perfectly natural situation as a person starts at birth to try to make sense of his surroundings. We become so adept at this that we don’t notice it on a day to day basis. The scientific term for this natural response is “pareidolia”.
Another scientific principle that is wrapped up in Matrixing is called anthropomorphizing. This is the minds habit of attributing human form or personality to all non-human things. Calling your car her or yelling at a computer that is being difficult are examples of this term.
In an interesting twist, Matrixing includes the concept of Apophenia. This term is a combination of Pareidolia and Anthropomorphizing. Apophenia refers the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data as well as, perceiving that meaningful connections exist between completely unrelated phenomena.
So matrixing is a way to explain several naturally occurring phenomena. This wouldn’t be the paranormal field without controversy, however. Many older, established members of the paranormal field look down upon the term Matrixing as it is a simplification of existing terms. Also it was introduced on a TV show, which causes many ‘real’ paranormal investigations untold annoyance. If you are conversing with someone in the field and they give you grief for using this totally serviceable term, respect their opinion, call them a vocabulary Nazi, and kick them in the shins till they get over themselves.
For a more in-depth look at matrixing, see the topic in the advanced paranormal theory section of our library. If you have any questions or comments about this feel free to contact us. If you had someone kick you in the shins due to your anti matrixing beliefs, change them, they will stop kicking you.
In ghost hunting circles, there are a lot of terms tossed about. One such term is Matrixing. Many people use this term but many do not really know what it means. This term is directly attributed to a TV show, Ghost Hunters as a simplified way to cover some not so simple scientific concepts.
It is based in the word Matrix, which in one definition is ‘something (such as a situation or a set of conditions) in which something else develops or forms.’
In a paranormal connotation it is where one sees patterns or shapes where none exist due to the mind trying to make sense of random inputs. It is common where a distortion or pixilation of a photograph. Also it is common in photos, videos and in person to mistake something perfectly normal as something else. Shadow play from outside, the way an inanimate object looks in the dark, the way light bounces off reflective objects all could cause an investigator to mistake a perfectly mundane situation for a paranormal one. One way to help avoid this is to take baseline shots of an area with lights on. This allows you to compare the investigation shots with baseline shots to see f was something in the room causing the anomaly.
The human mind tried to “make sense” out of what inputs it is given. Sitting quietly in a dark room with a lack of input, causes your mind to try to “fill in the blanks”. This is a perfectly natural situation as a person starts at birth to try to make sense of his surroundings. We become so adept at this that we don’t notice it on a day to day basis. The scientific term for this natural response is “pareidolia”.
Another scientific principle that is wrapped up in Matrixing is called anthropomorphizing. This is the minds habit of attributing human form or personality to all non-human things. Calling your car her or yelling at a computer that is being difficult are examples of this term.
In an interesting twist, Matrixing includes the concept of Apophenia. This term is a combination of Pareidolia and Anthropomorphizing. Apophenia refers the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data as well as, perceiving that meaningful connections exist between completely unrelated phenomena.
So matrixing is a way to explain several naturally occurring phenomena. This wouldn’t be the paranormal field without controversy, however. Many older, established members of the paranormal field look down upon the term Matrixing as it is a simplification of existing terms. Also it was introduced on a TV show, which causes many ‘real’ paranormal investigations untold annoyance. If you are conversing with someone in the field and they give you grief for using this totally serviceable term, respect their opinion, call them a vocabulary Nazi, and kick them in the shins till they get over themselves.
For a more in-depth look at matrixing, see the topic in the advanced paranormal theory section of our library. If you have any questions or comments about this feel free to contact us. If you had someone kick you in the shins due to your anti matrixing beliefs, change them, they will stop kicking you.
