Imagine if you could capture a person’s aura or life energy on film. That’s basically what Kirlian photography claims to offer.

What is Kirlian photography? It’s a photography technique that allegedly records the aura or life force of living creatures by recording coronal discharges.

The technology behind Kirlian photography has basically been around since the 1700s, but it wasn’t officially invented until the 1930s.

Husband and wife team Semyon and Valentina Kirlian developed the process in 1939. They were observing a patient in a hospital when they noticed that electrodes on a patient’s skin emitted a slight glow.

Most of the explanations regarding the phenomenon that exist today have come right from the inventors themselves.

Essentially, Kirlian photography is a technique that captures electrical coronal discharges. The most common method is to use a metal plate connected to a high-voltage source of electricity.

When used correctly, it can produce an image when a photographic film is placed on top of the plate. The images normally show a silhouette of the object which is surrounded by an aura of light.

Kirlian photography has been studied in university settings and there has been much controversy regarding what it’s actually showing.

The Paranormal Explanation of Kirlian Photography

Believers in Kirlian photography claim that the phenomenon can show an energy field or aura that they believe surrounds all living things. The inventors of the technology believed this explanation themselves.

Early studies indicated that physical and emotional states affected the images.

There are numerous of cultures around the world that believe humans have a universal life force energy flowing through them and surrounding them. In India this is referred to as prana. In China it’s called qi or chi.

New Age beliefs place a large importance on the human aura and chakras. Many followers believe that their auras can be read by specially trained or gifted people and used to give important insight into a person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual state.

At one time Kirlian photography was quite popular in New Age circles, and many people were convinced that these photographs could diagnose illnesses and other issues. But it has since fallen out of popularity quite significantly.

The Torn Leaf Experiment with Kirlian Photography

One of the most widely cited proofs of Kirlian photography’s legitimacy is the torn leaf experiment.

In this experiment, a leaf is picked and photographed over time. As time progresses and the leaf withers, the strength of the aura surrounding it seems to decrease.

This would seem to indicate that the “life energy” is gradually leaving the plant as it dies. However, controlled studies show us that this is purely due to moisture loss as the dead leaf begins to dry out. Not the leaf’s soul leaving its body.

To really show this effect, sometimes the leaf is torn after the first photograph. The missing section of the leaf sometimes still seems to be visible.

This would seem to suggest that there is an “energy body” still left behind even after the physical matter is gone.

However, this effect is normally because of moisture and contaminants left on the plate after the first picture. If the surface is wiped down between photographs, the missing leaf section won’t appear.

The Science Behind Kirlian Photography

Studies of Kirlian photography that have been done under scientific conditions have a pretty clear explanation for how the phenomenon works.

Most of the variation that can be seen is due to moisture content, as well as how hard the object is pressed onto the plate. This can affect the color, length, density, and curvature of the coronal discharge.

Scientists agree that Kirlian photography has nothing to do with the mood or health of the subject photographed.

According to science, the high-voltage frequencies that get applied to the metal plate rip electrons off atoms. This makes the air around the object being photographed become ionized.

If there’s any water in the air, it shows in the picture as a silhouette around the object. Scientists refer to this as a corona plasma discharge.

If a person is overheated or excited, they’re more likely to sweat. This causes a more intense glow in the photograph. The opposite is true for cold and dry hands, which will show less of a glow.

New Age fans of Kirlian photography still insist that people with a brighter glow are gifted healers, as opposed to just being really sweaty.

Other stuff besides humidity can play a role in the final image as well, including the angle your hand is touching the plate and how much pressure you apply. As well as the total voltage.

One person can produce very different Kirlian photographs even just a few minutes later.

Kirlian photography is also impossible in a vacuum. Since there’s no water vapor, there’s no ionization, and no visible corona.

How To Take A Kirlian Photograph

The process used to take a Kirlian photograph is pretty simple. But I’d discourage anyone from trying it themselves because of the risks involved unless they’re a qualified electrician.

Since the technique works with high voltage electricity, it’s easy to make a mistake and severely injure or kill yourself.

In fact, Kirlian’s own wife died from electrocution during their experiments.

Conclusion

It’s hard to completely discount Kirlian photography, since the photographs are real and do show some interesting phenomenon.

But these glowing auras also show up around non-living objects when photographed, including coins, tools, and other random items. So to me, this is a pretty clear indication that these glowing auras aren’t actually showing a life force energy or any supernatural explanation. This phenomenon has been pretty thoroughly debunked.

Still, much like the work of Masaru Emoto on the effects that human consciousness has on water, Kirlian photography is interesting and beautiful as an art form. Whether it has mystical or paranormal origins or not.