What Is The Estes Method & How Do You Use It?

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Learn how to use the Estes Method for paranormal investigation
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The Estes Method is a paranormal investigation technique pioneered by Karl Pfeiffer, Connor J. Randall, and Michelle Tate. It builds on the principle of the spirit box, taking it to the next level by adding headphones (and sometimes a blindfold) to prevent the listener from being influenced. If you’re interested in communicating with the other side, we’re here to break down everything you need to know about trying the Estes Method for yourself.

Quick Guide to the Estes Method

  1. Listener: Wear a blindfold and noise-canceling headphones attached to a spirit box.
  2. Observer: Ask questions or make statements directed to nearby spirits.
  3. Listener: Say anything you hear on the spirit box.
  4. Observer: Record any questions and responses.
  5. Both: End by respectfully asking the spirits to leave and/or not follow you home.
Section 1 of 6:

What is the Estes Method?

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  1. The Estes Method is a technique used for communicating with spirits. This technique uses at least two investigators—one person, the listener, wears noise-cancelling headphones that are plugged into a spirit box and repeats whatever they hear on the box. Other investigators ask questions in the hopes that spirits will communicate through the box.
    • Who created the technique? The Estes Method was developed by paranormal researchers Karl Pfeiffer, Micelle Tate, and Connor J. Randall. The three pioneered the technique while studying supernatural occurrences at the famously haunted Stanley Hotel, where they all worked as paranormal tour guides. [1]
    • What is a spirit box ? A spirit box is a device that quickly scans through radio frequencies. Many paranormal investigators believe that spirits can communicate using white noise and radio frequencies. It’s thought that spirits may be able to manipulate these frequencies, using snippets of sound to communicate. [2]
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Section 2 of 6:

How do you use the Estes Method?

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  1. 1
    Go to a location that’s rumored to have paranormal activity. If you go to a site where other people have reported encountering spirits, you’re more likely to have an encounter yourself. That might be a haunted house, abandoned building, or graveyard—be sure to get permission from the owners if it’s not a public location. [3]
    • Here’s what to bring: At least two people, a spirit box, noise-cancelling headphones, a blindfold, and a digital recorder or notebook.
    • If possible, try to go at a time when no one else is around to limit distractions or noises that could interfere with the investigation.
  2. 2
    Plug the headphones into the spirit box and put them on. Make sure the person listening to the spirit box can’t hear whatever anyone else is saying. If they can hear the questions being asked, it could affect how they interpret what’s coming out of the spirit box. Preventing that bias is a major component of the Estes Method, so be sure to pick a pair of noise-cancelling headphones that are really good at blocking out sounds. [4]
    • Also, have the listener put on a blindfold to ensure they can’t read lips or pick up on other visual cues to what’s being asked.
    • You’ll either need to use a physical spirit box with a headphone jack or a spirit box app and headphones that connect to your mobile device. Popular spirit box apps include the Ghost Hunting Radio Spirit Box app (Free; Android), Ghost Detector: Spirit Box (Free; iOS ), and Necrophonic ($10; Android and iOS ).
  3. 3
    State your intentions out loud before you start asking questions. Any time you’re planning to communicate with spirits , it’s a good idea to start by letting them know that you are approaching them with respect. Have the person asking the questions state who you’re hoping to contact and what you’d like to learn from the session. [5]
    • Try saying something like, “We’re here with only respect and pure intentions, and we hope to learn from those who have crossed to the other side. We invite anyone who means us well to speak with us, but we reject any who might wish us harm.”
    • You might also invoke protection by saying something like, “I ask my spirit guides to watch over this session and prevent any harmful spirits from entering this space.”
    • To get the most out of your session, intuitive counselor and happiness coach Kari Samuels recommends “connecting with your heart and clearing your energy” before communicating with spirits. [6]
  4. 4
    Ask the spirits questions, pausing for their answers. Now’s the time to ask anything you want to know. Write down your questions ahead of time, and read through them slowly. Wait about 20–30 seconds after asking a question to give the spirits time to respond. If you rush through the questions, the spirits might not be able to collect enough energy to manipulate the spirit box and give their answers. [7] Try asking questions like:
    • “What is your name?”
    • “How many spirits are here with us?”
    • “Are you comfortable here?”
    • “Do you remember us?” (if you’ve been to that location before)
    • “Are you friendly?”
    • “Do you want us here?”
    • “Can you give us a sign?”
    • “Where are you?”
    • “Do you have anything you want us to know?”
  5. 5
    Say what you hear on the spirit box if you’re the listener. As the spirit box scans through radio frequencies, it will play snippets of sound. It will mostly sound like white noise, but occasionally, words or clips of phrases will break through. When something comes through clearly, the listener should say it out loud.
    • Ideally, the listener will have no idea what the other investigator is asking, so they won’t know whether the answers are relevant.
    • If the listener feels sensations like cold air or something brushing against their skin, say that out loud—spirits sometimes communicate through methods like this rather than by speaking into the spirit box.
  6. 6
    Record the session to review it later. The easiest way to do this is to take an audio or video recording of the spirit box session. That way, you’ll be able to compare the questions to the answers or reactions from the listener.
    • Some people like to ask the spirits for permission to record the session.
    • If you don’t want to record (or the spirits don’t grant permission), have one person write down anything the listener says.
  7. 7
    End the session in a clear and respectful way. It’s always a good idea to conclusively end any spiritual session. If you leave the door of communication open, you could inadvertently invite the spirits to continue interacting with you.
    • Say something like, “Thank you so much for your answers; we’re ending our time here today. We respectfully ask all spirits to depart from us—we do not invite you to follow us home.”
    • Samuels recommends this cleansing ritual: “Put one hand on your solar plexus and the other hand facing the other way. Push that other hand away and say, ‘What’s mine is mine. Anything that doesn’t belong to me, I return to its source cleansed and purified. I let go of any energy or emotions that don’t belong to me.” [8]
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Section 3 of 6:

What To Do If It Doesn’t Work

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  1. Change things up if you’re not getting results. If you’re not getting answers through the spirit box, try asking more specific questions or changing the topic of the questions. Also, it can sometimes help to switch who’s the listener and who’s asking questions—spirits are sometimes drawn to a particular person.
    • If that doesn’t work, try going to a different room or spot on the property.
    • If you don’t get results during a session, come back and try again another time. It can sometimes take time to establish a connection with the spirit world, so be patient.
Section 4 of 6:

Advantages of the Estes Method

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  1. The Estes Method helps reduce bias. Because the listener is blindfolded and wears noise-cancelling headphones, they’re not aware of what the other investigators are asking. That can help reduce their tendency to interpret what they hear as answers to the questions, either consciously or subconsciously. [9]
    • The Estes Method also helps reduce distractions, which may make it easier for the listener to concentrate on what the spirits are saying.
    • Another benefit of the Estes Method is that because it relies almost entirely on audio, the entire session can be recorded. This, combined with the reduced bias, helps provide a more evidence-based approach to paranormal investigation.
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Section 5 of 6:

Criticisms of the Estes Method

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  1. The Estes Method can’t completely rule out bias. This technique isn’t completely foolproof. Even though it does help to reduce the listener’s awareness of what the other investigators are asking, there’s inherently some bias involved—the listener obviously knows something about the history of the location; otherwise, they wouldn’t be there.
    • The results of the Estes Method are somewhat subjective. The listener has to pick words and phrases out of garbled sounds. In some cases, they’re largely guessing at what they hear, and their interpretation could be affected by what they already know about the history of the place where the session is being held.
    • Additionally, spirit boxes tend to encourage auditory pareidolia, which is a phenomenon where your brain creates recognizable words or phrases out of random sounds.
    • Similarly, there’s a tendency to connect the listener’s answers to the questions that were asked, but that interpretation can be very subjective.
    • There’s currently no scientifically-recognized approach to communicating with spirits.
Section 6 of 6:

FAQs

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  1. 1
    Does the Estes Method always work? No, there’s no method of contacting spirits that’s 100% effective. Spirits may not always be present or may not feel like communicating on any given day. The messages coming from the spirit box may be unintelligible, or they may not relate at all to the questions that are being asked.
    • While some people have positive experiences during Estes Method sessions, others question its effectiveness.
  2. 2
    Can I do the Estes Method by myself? The Estes Method is designed for two or more people to help eliminate bias. You can use a spirit box by yourself (no need for the blindfold), but it’s not exactly the Estes Method.
  3. 3
    Are spirit box apps real or fake? Like other methods of contacting spirits, spirit box apps can’t conclusively be proven to be real. But there are a lot of anecdotes of people using them and getting uncanny responses that can’t necessarily be explained.
  4. 4
    Is the Estes Method the same as the Ganzfeld Experiment? No. The Ganzfeld Experiment involves placing a person (the receiver) in a room alone. The person has their eyes covered and wears headphones playing white noise over their ears. Another person (the sender) is in a nearby room. The sender concentrates on mentally sending images to the receiver. [10]
    • The concept of the Ganzfeld Experiment is that sensory deprivation may heighten clairvoyance, making the receiver more sensitive to the mental signals sent by the receiver.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3756516/hellier-investigator-connor-j-randall-discusses-the-stanley-hotel-and-co-creating-the-estes-method-interview/
      2. ↑ https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48494450/what-is-the-spirit-box-the-basics?clienttype=mobile
      3. ↑ https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48494450/what-is-the-spirit-box-the-basics?clienttype=mobile
      4. ↑ https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3756516/hellier-investigator-connor-j-randall-discusses-the-stanley-hotel-and-co-creating-the-estes-method-interview/
      5. ↑ https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48494450/what-is-the-spirit-box-the-basics?clienttype=mobile
      6. ↑ Kari Samuels. Intuitive Counselor & Happiness Coach. Expert Interview
      7. ↑ https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/48494450/what-is-the-spirit-box-the-basics?clienttype=mobile
      8. ↑ Kari Samuels. Intuitive Counselor & Happiness Coach. Expert Interview
      9. ↑ https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3756516/hellier-investigator-connor-j-randall-discusses-the-stanley-hotel-and-co-creating-the-estes-method-interview/
      1. ↑ https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00792R000100130003-0.pdf

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