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A comprehensive resource for safe and responsible laser use
If you are harassed by lasers
If the light is obviously coming from a laser
If you see someone holding a pen or flashlight-like object, and you can see the laser beam or laser "dot", contact local authorities such as the police if necessary.
For example, here is a case in 2018 of a visible green laser harassing a number of people at least five times over two weeks. The laser can easily be seen and photographed:
- Simple harassment -- a beam on your skin or clothes -- is probably not punishable unless it continues, or unless it occurs during a critical situation such as driving.
- Deliberate aiming at your head or eyes is serious due to the unlikely but possible potential for causing eye damage. This could be considered as assault. For more on eye damage, see the information on when does a laser pointer get powerful enough to be dangerous.
- If you have had laser light in your eyes, see the page If you are hit by a laser.
- A partial list of laser harassment incidents is here.
For example, here is a case in 2018 of a visible green laser harassing a number of people at least five times over two weeks. The laser can easily be seen and photographed:
If you see laser beams or dots in a photo or video
First, consider all the non-laser explanations for what you are experiencing. For example, mysterious streaks or spots in photographs may not be laser beams. They may be from easy-to-explain causes such as lens flares, smear from CCD blooming or dirty/oily lenses, or flying insects. Here are examples of "laser beams" sent to us, that are NOT from laser beams.
The green and blue "laser" dots at lower left are actually lens flare caused by the bright sun at upper right. The sun is reflecting off elements inside the lens, causing dots or flare. The flare is almost always located diagonally mirrored from a bright light source.
Photo of a sunset, with upper and lower "beams" caused by blooming in the camera sensor.
This is a still frame from a video taken at night by the driver of a moving car, out their driver-side window.
The line on the left is a trail of a flying insect, not a laser beam. It is a curved, short line segment. If it was a laser beam it would be straight and it would not stop in mid-air like this. Plus note that the path is not aimed at the camera or the house. Even if it was a laser beam, it would not hit anyone in the house on the right where the camera is.
Click on the picture below to see video of a lens flare which looks remarkably like a laser. However, it is definitely a lens flare; there are many clues as to why it is actually the sun in the upper right reflecting off the inside of camera elements:
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Lens flare example video (click to start)Why this is not a laser: 1) The green dot does not illuminate or interact with the ground. 2) It looks like an overlay. 3) It moves diagonally opposite to the bright light source (sun), always perfectly tracking it. Example courtesy M.L., Sept. 2021. Taken with a Samsung A10 phone's rear camera.
We have seen security footage of "lasers" which were really blurry, out-of-focus insects flying in front of the lens, or spider webs across the lens view. Another cause is car headlights, either in the video frame or just out of frame, which cause streaks and light flares. Some examples are shown above.
In a case described below (in "A few cases and emails we received"), a woman reported a uniform blue tint on her Blink security camera. The tint was not caused by a laser, but by a flaw in the camera or perhaps a lens effect.
In a case described below (in "A few cases and emails we received"), a woman reported a uniform blue tint on her Blink security camera. The tint was not caused by a laser, but by a flaw in the camera or perhaps a lens effect.
If you see light or feel heat from an unknown source
Light
If you see light that is not from any obvious source, try blocking it. Visible laser light can be blocked by anything that also blocks conventional light, such as a solid curtain, a wall, or even a sheet of paper.
If you do see flashes when all external light paths are blocked, consult your doctor or do an internet search. There can be medical conditions that cause flashes.
The author of this page has seen "flocks of birds" in daytime and "falling stars" at night. It turned out to be minor retinal detachment that went away. This is one reason the author is sympathetic to people who experience sensations that are 100% real to them, even if the sensations come from inside their bodies.
Heat
If you feel heat spots, first try to block them, to see if they are coming from outside your body. Try using metal objects such as aluminum foil, a baking sheet or a cast-iron skillet. Hold the material over the area where you are having heat or pain, to see if it goes away.
If you continue to feel heat, consult your doctor or do an Internet search. There can be medical conditions that cause localized and/or intermittent feelings of being hot, such as fibromyalgia.
Get evidence and/or others to confirm
If you want to try and track down the beams, get photographic and/or video evidence if at all possible. Ideally this would be pictures of the beams or the laser "dot", and also pictures of any damage. Note the section above about how photos can have lens flare, sensor blooming or other things internal to the camera.
If you have family or friends who can help, ask them to stay with you or stay at your house. If others can confirm what you are seeing or feeling, then they can help you in finding the reasons why.
A number of people who contacted us, also contacted their local police. In all cases, the police either investigated but took no action, or declined to investigate. One person said their local police department no longer handled calls involving lasers.
It may be helpful to hire a private investigator. They can look into suspicious behavior and evidence, and can try to confirm reports of burn marks, burning sensations, etc. If police action is warranted, the police may take a licensed private investigator more seriously than an ordinary citizen. But beware of unscrupulous private investigators who may claim to help you, but who will only string you along to keep making money off you.
If the harassment seems mysterious, ongoing, or well-organized
Some people are sure they are being deliberately targeted over a long period of time, by angry neighbors or by agencies such as the CIA. These persons may think there are cameras or infrared viewers being used so their unknown enemies can know where they are, and can aim beams at them.
These persons clearly feel effects. But their symptoms are often inexplicable by normal means. For example, they can feel heat on their skin which they believe is from beams going through solid walls. There are some types of electromagnetic radiation, such as terahertz waves and microwaves, which can go through objects. But visible laser light — which is also electromagnetic radiation — is stopped by any material or substance that would also stop conventional light such as from a flashlight.
If you are a person plagued by mysterious, unknown causes, the good news is you are not alone. At LaserPointerSafety.com, we used to get calls every month or two from persons who say they are being continually harassed by light and energy beams. (We no longer take such calls, due to their frequency and our inability to solve such mysterious cases.)
Clearly these people and you are seeing and feeling something. We understand you are not imagining your sensations — they are real to you.
But the bad news is that what you are feeling usually does not have any plausible physical explanation. This means it is very unlikely that mysterious beams or exotic devices are able to cause your symptoms.
It is highly unlikely that ordinary persons can buy or otherwise obtain powerful directed energy beams that go through walls. Such devices are exotic and expensive. Even if someone works for the police or military, this would not be regular issue "take home" equipment.
Also, there is usually no reason that your neighbors would undertake a prolonged, continual, and expensive attack against you. (Frankly, if they did want to harass or harm you, there are easier and less costly ways to do so.)
If you are having such symptoms, the cause, in our view, is most likely something that has gone wrong in your body.
If you are feeling harassed by inexplicable causes, we advise that you see one or more medical specialists such as neurologists. Describe your symptoms to the doctor without going into detail about the potential cause (beams) or reasons (angry neighbors). You can tell the doctor "it feels like this is coming from outside my body" but concentrate on describing the symptoms of what you are experiencing physically and mentally.
For more information, see the section below "An example case - trying to help a friend".
These persons clearly feel effects. But their symptoms are often inexplicable by normal means. For example, they can feel heat on their skin which they believe is from beams going through solid walls. There are some types of electromagnetic radiation, such as terahertz waves and microwaves, which can go through objects. But visible laser light — which is also electromagnetic radiation — is stopped by any material or substance that would also stop conventional light such as from a flashlight.
You are not alone …
If you are a person plagued by mysterious, unknown causes, the good news is you are not alone. At LaserPointerSafety.com, we used to get calls every month or two from persons who say they are being continually harassed by light and energy beams. (We no longer take such calls, due to their frequency and our inability to solve such mysterious cases.)
Clearly these people and you are seeing and feeling something. We understand you are not imagining your sensations — they are real to you.
… but the cause is unknown
But the bad news is that what you are feeling usually does not have any plausible physical explanation. This means it is very unlikely that mysterious beams or exotic devices are able to cause your symptoms.
It is highly unlikely that ordinary persons can buy or otherwise obtain powerful directed energy beams that go through walls. Such devices are exotic and expensive. Even if someone works for the police or military, this would not be regular issue "take home" equipment.
Also, there is usually no reason that your neighbors would undertake a prolonged, continual, and expensive attack against you. (Frankly, if they did want to harass or harm you, there are easier and less costly ways to do so.)
If you are having such symptoms, the cause, in our view, is most likely something that has gone wrong in your body.
- It may be your nerves are misfiring, leading you to see light or feel heat when there is no external source. [In experiments published in 2007, subjects had low-level laser light shined on a rubber hand that was positioned over their own hand. Sixty-six percent of subjects reported heat or tactile sensations from the laser light — even though 1) the light was on a rubber hand, not their own and 2) the laser power was low enough that it would not noticeably heat up even on a real hand.]
- If you are seeing flashes of light at night, or dark swarms (like a flock of birds) during the daytime in your peripheral vision, this can be due to retinal detachment.
- It may be something in your brain that is manufacturing false symptoms and/or feelings of being stalked or harassed.
If you are feeling harassed by inexplicable causes, we advise that you see one or more medical specialists such as neurologists. Describe your symptoms to the doctor without going into detail about the potential cause (beams) or reasons (angry neighbors). You can tell the doctor "it feels like this is coming from outside my body" but concentrate on describing the symptoms of what you are experiencing physically and mentally.
- If a medical reason is found for your issues, this is reassuring that you are not a victim of organized harassment. Hopefully you can be treated and the sensations will go away.
- If there is no medical reason initially found, keep in mind that does not mean that the alternative explanation (angry neighbors are getting exotic beam weapons and aiming them at you) is true. It may be there is a deeper or unknown medical reason. Again, other people have reported similar symptoms, so there must be some common underlying cause in the body or mind.
For more information, see the section below "An example case - trying to help a friend".
Be careful not to escalate the situation
If you are the subject of harassment, don't let it get out of hand.
Whatever the level of harassment, let law enforcement look into it and (hopefully) solve the problem.
- In a 2018 case, a man in Arkansas shot and killed a neighbor who, among other harassments, had allegedly aimed red, blue and green lasers into his house. When the neighbor went to pick up a laser pointer, the man thought it was a gun and killed him in claimed self-defense. (The man was acquitted by a jury of first-degree murder charges.)
- In the example case of "H" which is listed below, a woman who believes her neighbors are harassing her with light and heat beams is going around to their homes with a loaded gun, looking for the source. This may not end well.
Whatever the level of harassment, let law enforcement look into it and (hopefully) solve the problem.
A few cases and emails we received
NOTE: As of September 1 2023, we no longer take calls or reply to emails about heat lasers, strange dots or lines in photos & videos, or "mysterious, ongoing or well-organized" harassments as described above.
We do sympathize with those experiencing such issues. The most help we can give is to let people know that others have reported similar experiences, so they are not alone. The cases listed below occurred prior to Sept. 1 2023.
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An example case - "H" is trying to help a friend
- We were contacted by a person we'll call "H", who was trying to help her friend "F" of 30 years.
About two months before the call, H's friend suddenly (over a period of a few weeks) started seeing mysterious lights and feeling mysterious heat. This is an especially interesting case since:
1) F was "normal" for decades before this started.
2) The symptoms that F describes are very common among other people who have contacted us.
3) H has spent substantial time with F, looking for logical, rational explanations for what F said she was experiencing.
F at first thought harassing beams were coming from the cable company so the cable wiring was replaced. This did not help. F then thought it was coming from the home security company; that was not the cause. F replaced her ceiling fan since she thought she saw faces in it. Her windows are covered with heavy blankets yet light or heat beams still somehow get in, according to F.
There are numerous security cameras around F's house but so far she has not captured anyone coming up to the house. Unfortunately, she has started going to neighbors' homes — with a loaded gun — looking for the source. This of course could escalate into a dangerous situation.
H said there was no apparent cause for F to start seeing lights and feeling heat. F had some traumatic life events such as deaths of close family members, in the two years prior to onset. But there was no single event or physical trauma that corresponded with the start of F's symptoms.
H has tried to help her friend. For example, H and her husband went to F's home for 16 hours, staying awake through the night and going outside from time to time to look for any unusual activity. They saw and felt nothing abnormal. (F was asleep the entire time so she did not report any strange sightings or feelings during the time H and her husband were there.)
The police have been at F's home numerous times. But they have not found anything and cannot help further. The FBI was contacted but did not get involved.
We advised H to have her friend see medical specialists such as a neurologist. F should describe the symptoms (what she is seeing and feeling) without stating that it is coming from the outside.
We also said that the medical exams and tests may not turn up anything. This is based on our experience where we have never had a person call us back, saying "Oh, the doctor found I had ABC disease" or "It stopped when I started taking XYZ medication." -
Email #1 - Laser harassment 24/7
We live across the street from a neighbor who has her laser lights on 24 hrs/7days a week. She shines her laser lights in other neighbors faces, heads, at children, family pets, windows of houses, plants and trees (which are singed from being over exposed/burned by laser lights), aircraft, on our parked vehicles, & vehicles driving down the street. When I have been in the front yard my eyes and face start burning from the lasering. The police have been called several times, but state that they cannot do anything.Here are pictures of the laser attacks:
Do you have any suggestions on how to go about getting this individual to stop harassing & terrorizing us?
Our response:
You described your eyes and face burning when in your front yard. It would take a very powerful and expensive laser to do this. A simple laser pointer would not be able to create heat on your skin at a long distance such as across a yard. The most powerful handheld laser currently available [summer 2010] is the 1-watt Wicked Laser Arctic. It can burn skin but at a very close distance, and the burn is very small such as the size of a pea or less.
You also stated that various surfaces were singed. Again, it would take a very, very powerful and VERY expensive laser to do this. It is very hard to imagine any use outside of military or police (riot control), and even these are exceedingly rare.
One way to tell if a laser is being used against you is to see if it only happens when you are in line with a window or similar opening to the outdoors. This is because walls will stop laser beams, but windows can let light through. (Of course, windows also let through sunlight and heat (infrared), so just being warm next to a window can be caused by normal, non-laser reasons.)
Both photos that you sent have a vertical line that goes through a strong light in the photo. This straight line is NOT a laser. It is an artifact of how some digital cameras work. If there is a light source that is too strong for the camera's digital chip, then all pixels in the same vertical line will be overwhelmed. This is called blooming. You can read more about blooming here.
One question I have for you is whether you have seen laser beams with your own eyes (not from a camera's video). I am guessing the answer is "no".
I do not want to say absolutely, positively 100% that there is no laser activity from your neighbor's house. The world is very large, and every now and then there are strange things. However, I am 99.999% sure that there is no laser activity from your neighbor's house. Certainly the photos you have sent depict the blooming effect that is very common on some digital camera chips. There is no doubt that what is in the photos is NOT laser. The other effects you state, such as heating and singeing, are highly, extremely unlikely to be caused by any type of laser that a residential person would have access to or could afford.-
Email #2 - Lasers cause pinpoint holes
To whom it may concern:I have been getting burned for now about a year. I have been finding burn holes in my mini-blinds. My dog I have found burn holes on her skin also, Is there anything I can do ? It is really painful and I think they did this so I had to sell my home because I felt that my life was in danger I would be walking in the house and then I would get this burning sensation in my eyes and then I would fell my arms would be burning didn't matter what side of the house I was at I would get burned, I would tell people and they would say that's weird.So I sold my home because I feel they chased me out by hurting me and my dog. I think they even killed some kittens with this laser flashlight. I am writing to you cause no one help me or those kitten that didn't make or had a chance, I think there should be a law against this it is really scary and painful. Thank you for having this information on the internet and maybe it can help someone.[Name withheld]
Our response:
It is very difficult to use a laser to create holes at long range (more than a few yards or meters). It also requires a very expensive laser, to have enough power to make holes at long range. I would not know why someone would go to this trouble.
If what you are seeing is small, pinpoint holes, it is highly unlikely that these are from a laser aimed at a distance. Laser beams do spread out, even a little bit. For example, the beam at the aperture (output opening) of a powerful laser might be very small. This might be a few millimeters or up to 1/4" in diameters, and the edge of the hole would be sharp. At a house-to-house distance, the hole might be the size of a quarter at least, and the edges might be more ragged, with burn or scorch marks around the hole.
If a person is walking around with a hand-held laser (laser pointer or battery-powered laser), then they could get close enough to make small holes or burn marks. For a laser pointer, this takes a LOT of power and is expensive. I do not know why someone would do this. (If they wanted to cause trouble, there are a lot of ways that are more effective, much less expensive, and also hard-to-trace.)
It is possible for the laser beam to be invisible to our eyes. Infrared lasers have beams which we can't normally see. However, you can use a camcorder to try to see these beams. To try this, point the camcorder at an infrared remote control, which are very common for TVs, etc. When you press a button on the remote control, you should see a light flash in the camcorder viewfinder (but not with your eyes). If your camcorder can see the infrared light, then you should be able to see infrared laser beams using the camcorder's viewfinder or fold-out monitor.
If someone is using a laser in the way you describe, this is illegal. It is damaging your property, cruelty to animals, and assault & battery. You could call the police -- but you should be sure that you really do have evidence.
For your own sensations of burning, you may also want to consult a doctor or do research on the Internet. There are some conditions where you may experience burning due to something internal in your body.-
Email #3 - Some suggestions from a person saying they were harassed
To whom it may concern:When I read the two stories of people getting harassed by laser pointers, I thought I was reading about my own story.I was also getting harassed by our neighbor. We complained to the police as well, but we got no help. Both me and my husband saw the green dots, still the authorities were not convinced. It's very difficult to film, since he changed locations from the window and could see us if we try to film or take picture. We finally moved from there and thought it would be over but to our dismay it continued in the second home. We moved in the same area, it was not far enough.So, I started to do the research about laser pointers and their health risks on people. Here are a couple of suggestions: First, go to your Home Depot or Lowes and get a mirrored privacy film and stick it to your windows. Make sure your windows are completely covered. This will at least give you day time privacy and if they point the laser pointer at it they will get twice as much effect on themselves. Second, do not close your house completely. Leave your windows a crack open, because depending on the type of laser and its strength, all lasers emit radiation. The radiation further dries skin and increase the burning, and does not help in healing. Third, use coconut oil to moisturize skin. And, last, get as many humidifiers and run them until there is enough moisture in the house. This will negate the effects of radiation plus it will provide you with a relief from burning. I hope this helps. Good luck!Finally, thank you for printing those articles, I thought I was alone. It is helpful to read what other people are going through.[Name withheld]
Our response:
We have found a few people who, even if they moved to a different state, still said they had symptoms of being harassed by lasers. It is more likely that there is something about the person -- some medical or perhaps brain condition -- which is causing the symptoms. We urge such persons to get a medical exam and to stress to the doctor that you really are feeling these sensations (heat, etc.).
We are printing the information above because it may help others.- The suggestion about privacy film is good. If a problem is being caused by visible light lasers, then light-blocking curtains, shades or films will eliminate the problem. You can also simply go into a room without windows or other openings to the outside, and see if the symptoms go away. Visible-light lasers, with a dot or beam that you can see, will be blocked by walls or other light-blocking material. It is theoretically possible that an infrared laser's energy might go through a lightweight material, but even here, putting a wall between you and a suspected laser source would block the infrared light. Note that reflective privacy film will NOT reflect the laser back to a perpetrator. This could only happen if the laser hits the film at an exact 90° angle, both side-to-side and up-and-down.
- The point about radiation is not really accurate. Lasers do emit "radiation" -- electromagnetic radiation such as visible, infrared or ultraviolet light. Lasers available to the general public do not emit higher-energy nuclear radiation such as X-rays or gamma rays. Leaving windows open will not have any effect on light or radiation. For example, even a beam of X-rays will not somehow "build up" in a house. This is like saying leaving your oven on at 200 degrees will build up heat until an hour or two later it is 2000 degrees — not true.
- The suggestions about coconut oil and humidifiers may help. If you do feel burning sensations, using a cream or having extra moisture in the air could be beneficial.
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Telephone call - Blue light on Blink camera
- In late 2020, a woman called saying that an unfriendly neighbor may be aiming a blue laser at persons in her driveway. The people did not see any blue light or blue flash, but a Blink security camera had blue images when the persons were in the driveway.
Before going to the police, she sent photos showing the normal security camera view, and the blue-tinted view. Here is a portion of the photos:
The normal camera view
When the "laser" was on — a uniform blue tint (it turned out not to be caused by a laser)The photos clearly show it was not a laser. The tint is uniform, whereas a laser hitting the camera would cause a bright spot or complete whiteout or blueout of the camera image. Also, the tint is steady. A handheld laser from across the street would flash in the camera, since the neighbor could not hold the laser completely steady. (Even most tripods would not be 100% steady from such a distance — there would be some brightness fluctuation.)
There were other indications as well that this was not a laser. The camera was the only evidence of unusual activity. No person saw laser dots or beams. The blue tint occurred only during the day; usually laser harassment is at dusk or night.
It turns out that Blink cameras can have a blue tint under certain circumstances as discussed here and here. None of these seemed to apply to the woman's situation — it was not cold, nor snowy. The tint occurred only at certain times or when there was a person in the view. And yet the cause had to be with the camera or perhaps the lens (e.g., angle to the sun at certain times).
We recommended that she swap out the driveway Blink camera for one of the other Blink cameras on her property. This could help decide if the blue tint was due to a problem in the camera or perhaps due to the sun being at a certain angle when looking at the driveway view.
Either way, the blue tint was not caused by a laser. This put her mind at ease and prevented an unnecessary trip to the police.
More information about mysterious or ongoing attacks
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Why would ordinary citizens be targeted?
- It seems unlikely that directed energy devices would be available or affordable to ordinary persons who want to harass other persons. Or whether such devices would be used by the government against ordinary citizens who don’t have vital state secrets.
We cannot help with issues about non-visible lasers or directed energy devices. However, below are links to resources which may be of interest to persons who feel they are deliberately targeted by mysterious devices. -
Links about covert harassment and directed energy devices
- The first two resources have links to other websites, organizations and videos of interest (too many links to list here). Thanks to Jeannie for her help with this list.
- People Against Covert Torture & Surveillance, International From their home page: “PACTS, International is a support network for those targeted with organized stalking and remote electronic assaults, also known as electronic harassment. Electronic harassment in this context refers to the use of radio frequencies and other methods to remotely access a person's mind and/or body to gain control of the individual or group of persons.” Much of the information at their site is in links to their newsletter, such as this newsletter page.
- The "Stop Gangstalking Awareness Group", and especially this page about "Understanding Neuro Weapons." LaserPointerSafety has not evaluated the accuracy or usefulness of this group or their information. (Thanks to M.D. in July 2024 for bringing this to our attention.)
- The 2015 Covert Harassment Conference in Berlin. This contains videos and a list of the program; the material is in English. There was also a 2014 Covert Harassment Conference.
- A 2002 presentation by Dr. Reinhard Munzert, “Targeting the Human with Directed Energy Weapons”, here and here among other places.
- The book "The E-Bomb: How America's New Directed Energy Weapons Will Change the Way Future Wars Will Be Fought" by Dr. Doug Beason, physicist, a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and former Chief Scientist for the USAF Space Command. From Amazon: "After more than two decades of research, the United States is on the verge of deploying a new generation of weapons that discharge light-wave energy, the same spectrum of energy found in your microwave, or in your TV remote control. It's called directed energy -- lasers, high-powered microwaves, and particle beams. And it's a revolution in weaponry, perhaps, more profound than the atomic bomb. The E-Bomb author Doug Beason, a leading expert in directed-energy research, describes in clear and jargon-free prose all of these exotic new weapons."
- A July 19 2019 article in the Military Times entitled "Pentagon scientists are making talking plasma laser balls for use as non-lethal weapons" describes how lasers can be used for "heating up a target’s skin to extremely uncomfortable levels without burning them, blasting confusing noises or giving voice commands such as, 'Stop or we’ll be forced to fire upon you.'" As of the article date, the talking plasma ball distance involved is currently within "the short range of a laboratory setting", with a goal of 100 meters to multiple kilometers. (Note that it is unlikely that such lasers are being used outside of military applications; for example, by one neighbor upon another neighbor. Also, it is not known if such lasers could cause effects through solid walls.)
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Mysterious Cuba attacks - microwaves or a "shared functional disorder"?
- Persons who feel they have been targeted by mysterious enemies with directed energy devices may want to consider the case of the U.S. diplomats in Cuba afflicted by "Havana syndrome."
In August 2017, reports came out that numerous U.S. diplomats serving in Cuba had been affected by mysterious “acoustic attacks.” Symptoms included hearing a buzzing sound, having headaches, hearing loss, balance issues and nausea. CBS News reported “mild traumatic brain injuries and possible damage to the central nervous system as a result of the attacks.”
The question is whether Cuba targeted diplomats with an actual device, whether it was caused by pesticides or other untargeted source … or whether this may have been "mass hysteria." According to a report in Newsweek:
“Mass hysteria is the rapid spread of illness symptoms for which there is no organic cause,” [Robert] Bartholomew [author of a book on the topic] told Newsweek. “It happens in normal, healthy people—it’s not just ‘all in their heads’ because they do experience symptoms.”
Jon Stone, a neurologist from the University of Edinburgh first consulted for the Guardian article, agrees. “To consider this diagnostic possibility properly you have to strip away its negative connotations. The symptoms experienced in outbreaks of ‘mass hysteria’ are genuine and not faked or imaginary,” he told Newsweek.
Stone argues that the term "mass hysteria" itself sounds sensational and far-fetched. In reality, it is not as uncommon as you might think. He explains: “‘Mass hysteria’ is so laden with negativity, it badly distorts its own case. It suggests shrieking and raving individuals—not hard-working and normal people who mostly get functional disorders in everyday practice.”
A better, less stigmatizing term, says Stone, is “share functional disorder.” He defines the condition as a genuinely experienced illness, “in which there is some disturbance of bodily functioning which conventional diagnostic techniques fail to register.”
There are interesting parallels with Havana syndrome and persons reporting unexplained laser harassment.
Similarities
In the Cuba case, around 25 U.S. diplomats, and 14 Canadian diplomats — persons who would be considered reliable and rational — reported hearing mysterious sounds and began having unusual, unexplained health problems. There have been numerous studies conducted by the U.S., Canada, Cuba, that as of early 2020 have not definitively established any cause. Experts are even divided on whether there is any physical change in the brains of the affected persons.
In laser harassment cases, numerous persons — most of whom sound reliable and rational when we talk with them — report seeing lights and feeling heat from mysterious sources. Police, friends, family and medical experts trying to help them have been unable to find a cause. The only thing that is certain is the persons have genuine symptoms that are not faked or imaginary. To others, there may be no rational explanation — but the symptoms are genuinely experienced.
Differences
One difference between the Cuba case and persons reporting unexplained laser harassment is that the latter are widely scattered. In Cuba there is the possibility of all the diplomats being exposed to the same causal factor (still unknown but possibly sound or pesticides). But persons reporting laser harassment are widely scattered across the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps there is a common cause within the environment.
Also, the definition of mass psychogenic illness or "mass hysteria" almost always occurs in a relatively small group of people living or working together. This is true for the Cuba cases. But in the laser harassment cases, victims are again widely scattered and do not know, interact, or correspond (e.g. Internet) with each other.
December 2020 update — microwaves
A study by the National Academies of Science concluded that the cause was likely microwave energy that may not have been deliberately targeting the diplomats in Cuba. According to an NBC News story quoting the study, "The committee felt that many of the distinctive and acute signs, symptoms and observations reported by (government) employees are consistent with the effects of directed, pulsed radio frequency (RF) energy. Studies published in the open literature more than a half-century ago and over the subsequent decades by Western and Soviet sources provide circumstantial support for this possible mechanism.”
From the news story:
The study examined four possibilities to explain the symptoms: Infection, chemicals, psychological factors and microwave energy.
“Overall, directed pulsed RF energy … appears to be the most plausible mechanism in explaining these cases among those that the committee considered. ... The committee cannot rule out other possible mechanisms and considers it likely that a multiplicity of factors explains some cases and the differences between others.”
The report says more investigation is required.
Summary
LaserPointerSafety.com we are not aware of microwave directing devices that an ordinary citizen could purchase to cause problems for neighbors. It may be possible for a technically minded person to buy or modify devices and beam microwaves at other persons. But we are not experts in microwaves so we cannot give any more advice or opinion. -
An email about directed energy weapons: Are we naive?
- We received the following email in July 2019. It has been slightly edited for clarity and to avoid identifying information.
I just read your article on lasers and questions people emailed to you, all were very interesting.In reading these it appeared to me most of these questions were based on Directed Energy Weapons - DEW (Microwave) rather than the laser beams per se. (i.e., laser beam in a pilots eyes).I strongly disagree with you on the Cuban episode. First of all, I found your answer very naive, and I'm not trying to be mean, its just that you haven't done your homework on how those hell bent on hurting others obtain these military weapons! It's called Black Market, the Mexican Cartel (Sinanola or El Chapo) drug organization buy these DEW by the truck load from (hate to say this) crooked defense companies.In turn these military weapons are given out like Hershey bars to Stalkers (MS-13) the large white van pulls up and delivers them right in your neighborhood purchased by the Cartel. Its big business. I'm assuming the Cuban government more than likely purchased these DEW weapons to threaten and hurt the Americans working in Cuba.I keep reminding those that don't understand this Mexican Cartel they are extremely organized and extremely rich! They can and do buy anyone and anything! Most people don't even realize they have several submarines. This theory that everyone can get sick if enough people say they're sick, and blah blah blah, is just that, a theory. We're talking about the real world here. Unfortunately, it's the dark side, the hidden side that most don't even realize is out there.So when these Americans complained about being hit and knocked down, believe them! My advice is do some studying on this weapon, yes its covert, silent and does shoot right thru walls,, it can hurt you and even kill you. Think of yourself as a potato, and what does it do if microwaved. My suggestion is get the book The E-Bomb: How America's New Directed Energy Weapons Will Change the Way Future Wars Will Be Fought. Unfortunately, you will NOT find any book in the library on this cartel, why? They're either stolen or lost.You would not believe how many American citizens are now employed by this Mexican Cartel living right here in the good ole USA, and they ALL have this DEW weapon!I would like to ask you if anything has been made to be able to catch a laser beam in motion and have it returned to the bad guy? I do not mean 'take' it to the bad guy (like a missile) I'm thinking perhaps a 'mirror-like' device.[Name withheld; former employee at a defense contractor working on microwave devices]
Our response:
Thank you for your letter.
I haven't done a lot of homework on DEWs since my main interest is in visible lasers. I get calls about once every month or two from people who have experienced heat or light that I cannot explain. That's why my webpage includes links to other directed energy information sources.
I will say I'm not sure why Mexican cartels or human traffickers would target the people I hear from. They seem like normal people in residential neighborhoods. If the cartels wanted them gone, they certainly have other, much worse ways to do this.
I just downloaded the E-Bomb book in Kindle format. I will read it soon.
About your letter... I do want to bring forth other views. Would it be OK if I printed all or parts of it on the "If you are harassed by lasers" webpage at LaserPointerSafety.com? Without your name or identifying information, of course.
Finally, for visible lasers, you could use a retroreflector to return the light to the source. The beam may be degraded enough that if it could cause heat at the retroreflector, the returned beam (having gone twice as far and having bounced off possibly dirty or dusty surfaces) would be weaker and thus not able to harm anyone at the source area.
At a minimum, you would need a high-quality, industrial or research quality corner cube retroreflector like these. An inexpensive "cat's eye" bicycle retroreflector or similar would cause a bright glow to be seen at the source, but would not cause a coherent beam to be reflected back.
The original author's response:Thanks for getting back to me so quickly, it's appreciated.Yes, you can use what I wrote if it helps the targets. To help you to understand why good people end up targets is because more than likely they have interfered with something the Cartel is doing, like selling drugs, or human trafficking, they might have alerted the police, or see something say something. It could even be someone hired stalkers to hurt you because of some vendetta, or just pure revenge!They could/can kill you. But, in most cases they just want to provoke you or harass you while hurting you with this DEW weapon. It's called a 'slow cooker' for a reason. It's nothing but pure evil.I would like to see this hand held DEW put out of business and the defense companies fined big time for selling it, especially to the Cartels but, I'm reading where Directed Energy is being used even more than ever by other countries within the military sector. Lasers as well. I'm not against high technology but I am against something like this getting into the wrong hands. -
Another email with a detailed theory
- In March 2020 we received an email from Anthony Arellano describing in great detail how sonic and heat attacks could theoretically be done.
We are providing the document as an example.
We have not reviewed and do not endorse this information. Please independently research this before taking any actions based on the information.
We cannot help in mysterious or non-obvious cases
At LaserPointerSafety.com, we are not experts in any directed energy. We are only experts in visible lasers. The light from visible lasers can be seen with the eye and can be recorded by a camera. If you have family or friends with you, they should be able to see the same lights.
We do not have expertise about non-visible lasers or directed energy devices. Do not contact us, since we will no longer reply as of September 1 2023. If you are experiencing this, you should check the links above about covert harassment and directed energy devices.
We do not have expertise about non-visible lasers or directed energy devices. Do not contact us, since we will no longer reply as of September 1 2023. If you are experiencing this, you should check the links above about covert harassment and directed energy devices.