While many people may poo-poo the notion of EVP’s, or Electronic Voice Phenomenon, for me there are certain anomalies that I simply can’t ignore or toss out. Granted there are a wide variety of other potential explanations for EVP’s and in the parapsychological field they are essentially dismissed as invalid unless gathered by someone of extreme trust and in direct context to circumstances surrounding the investigation. However, this post is not about exploring those other alternatives. I do believe the science needs to be explored, especially as it relates to Pareidolia, sub-vocalization, and even living agent PK. Nevertheless, despite these alternatives, I personally hold firm that some EVP’s simply bear out and need to be further examined. I confess that personal bias may play a part in this, or else I have simply had some genuine personal EVP’s that I just can’t disregard despite what others might think. Feel free to reject or accept this post with the understanding that it is my personal point of view, and while I have studied the science, I still disagree ‘in certain instances’ and it is these instances that I wish to discuss in this post.

So are there things we can do to enhance the reception of EVP’s and if so what are they?

During my time with the Washington State Ghost Society I was a huge fan of electronic voice phenomenon (EVP’s). Almost everyone on our investigations carried recorders with the hopes of gaining such anomalies, but also to document what took place during the investigation. Over time, it seemed that a certain few of us somehow had more EVP’s than others and the more I worked with EVP’s, the quantity and quality I received seemed to expand. This of course made me ponder why. As a result, I came to some conclusions on certain things that I believe might help enhance the reception of EVP’s.

Reason #1: Have the right intention.

The first thing that I started to notice was that those of us who consistently received good EVP’s were those of us who always listened to our audio with interest, care, and dedication. For us, EVP’s weren’t a game, an amusement, or some claim to fame. For us, they were about the genuine desire for communication and for further learning and exploration. They were also about getting validation and information for our clients. As a result, our “intention” was in proper alignment for all involved – including the Discarnate being. I equate this to mediums who express that connecting with spirits requires the right intention and respect to do the work. If we are truly connecting with discarnate consciousness, then it stands to reason that this is another person/being that has free will, awareness, thoughts, and emotions. Why on earth would a discarnate being have any interest in connecting with someone who has no intentions of taking the work seriously – whether that involves mediumship or the capture of an EVP? If a discarnate being is the one putting forth the effort to imprint an anomaly onto your recording then have the right intention and respect for that connection and you may find yourself surprised.

Reason #2: Use the right equipment.

Any audio recording device is sufficient, so by using the right equipment I don’t mean that you have to buy some special brand or even spend a lot of money. I personally use Sony and RCA because they are easy to use and allow me to download the files onto my PC via a USB connection. These brands are also reasonably priced for the quality and can easily be found at any electronics store. You can of course spend more and purchase finely tuned equipment but this is a personal choice. There can be benefits to higher end devices but I personally have just not found it necessary.

When I say to ‘use the right equipment’, I am referring to the equipment you need to actually listen to your recordings.

Unlike some investigators, those of us who received quality EVP’s did not listen to our audio by simply holding the recorder up to our ear and hoping for that one perfectly loud and audible anomaly. Instead, we downloaded our files into an actual computer or laptop. We then uploaded this into audio software and would listen with high quality headphones without noise cancelling.

Some say that using software and headphones is cheating, but the truth is, these things simply make the recording easier to hear. The playback quality with specially designed audio software is far superior to the muffled scratchy sound that is being played through the minuscule speaker in the recording device. Just because software is being used does not mean the recording is being altered. I do not speed up or slow down my raw or finished audio, nor do I personally try to clean anything or alter the frequencies. I will say that I do amplify the volume as this makes it easier for me to pinpoint the EVP’s, but that’s all. If you have to alter the audio in any other way in order to get an EVP, then for me, it’s not an EVP. But, do yourself a favor and remember Reason #1 – invest in the equipment to help you truly listen. Some EVP’s are soft and underneath those who are speaking. You’ll never hear these holding the recorder to your ear.  

Reason #3: Learn what to listen for and listen until you train your ear.

Good EVP’s should be pretty obvious but most likely you will still need to learn what to look for. EVP’s often come in under or over the voices of the living or in-between the conversations of the living. They may sound male, female, or childlike, and are usually mechanical and stilted in nature. They also have a strange cadence or rhythm that is quite unique from how the living speak. EVP’s may come in just a few short words or drawn out over seconds to make a complete sentence.

One of the biggest mistakes I see new people who are evaluating their EVP’s make, is that they are listening to the actual conversations of the living people. Yes, you can’t help but hear these, but it is not your focus when listening for EVP’s. You actually need to try and tune these out and listen for ‘what else’ is going on in the audio. You need to listen for EVP’s in-between, over, and under the conversations of the living.

When I sit with people and we listen to EVP’s – clients as well as new investigators – it is extremely helpful to show them where the EVP’s are in the recording and what they sound like. Oftentimes newbies will run right over a potential EVP due to a lack of having a trained ear, but with time and practice you will figure it out. If possible, you will learn faster by sitting with someone who already has a trained ear but it is not necessary. I trained myself by listening to thousands of hours of audio until I started to get the hang of what to look for and where – much like developing our Psi skills.

Note: We should guard against pareidolia. This is where we can hear or create words from random sounds. This is not what we are doing with this type of ‘training’ that I am referring too. We should always have someone else listen to any potential EVP’s to see if they can hear something. Do not tell that person what you hear but ask their opinion, and try to let someone who is trained in listening to assist you. Pattern recognition happens not just in visual stimuli but in audio stimuli as well – much as people hear words when playing a record backwards. We may hear it, but does that make it real? These are serious issues that make EVP’s virtually impossible for Parapsychology to even entertain.

Reason #4: Give it the time it deserves.

Another thing investigators who do not seem to get good EVP’s are guilty of is not spending time listening to their recordings. They may listen once and then they’re done. I have even heard some say they speed up the recording so they can listen in half the time. This is NOT the right approach.

I once had an EVP from a little girl that occurred over a period of roughly 15 seconds. She said, “Don’t leave – (pause) – we (pause) – Miss you.” I easily heard each portion of this EVP but I had to replay the track several times before I actually realized they were the same little girl and that the anomalies made an entire sentence – and in context to the client stating she was soon heading out of state. Not to mention that two sensitives present picked up on the presence of a little girl. Pretty tough for me personally to throw that out!

So, if you are listening to your audio just to get it done, then you are not giving it the time and effort it deserves.

Reason #5: Your Personal Energy Matters.

This last reason may seem a bit strange and I certainly can’t prove it. I’ve even had some parapsychologists laugh at me for claiming it: So again, because I respect parapsychology and the science, I will admit that this is a personal opinion contrary to what science will currently tell you. Nevertheless, for some reason, those who are more psi-prone or seem to have a larger and more open energy system seem to have a higher quantity and quality of EVPs than people who are more skeptical, closed off or less prone to psi. I don’t know if somehow the energy of psi-prone individuals aids in the EVP process or if their openness and intention is what makes the difference. Either way, there does seem to be a correlation.

This doesn’t mean that non-psi prone individuals can’t get good EVP’s. I am quite certain that by following the first four suggestions, good EVP’s can be had by anyone, but if you are more open energetically then this may be a bonus – even if you don’t identify as having conscious psi-functioning.

There is however a second argument for why psi-prone individuals may also get more EVP’s and that is the idea that the EVP was actually created by the living person through the use of Expressive Psi or Psychokinesis (PK). Sometimes called Living Agent PK. Some researchers, although aware of the validity of some EVP’s, do not attribute these to Spirit communication at all but rather to living agent PK – imprints of the living.

As someone who claims to be objective to the various explanations for psi, I can’t dispute this possibility. There are countless experiments that have been conducted showing that the intentional use of PK can effect machines, random number generators, electronics, camera film, objects, and therefore even audio recorders. As a result, are EVP’s due to unintentional PK?

This explanation could also be why those who are psi-prone seem to gather more EVP’s than those who are not psi-prone. If they are expecting EVP’s to occur then is their own intention creating the results – even if done so innocently? This is why it is important to understand the science behind psi and not just accept it at face value. There are potential answers from both sides that need to be evaluated.

While I can’t personally discount the living agent PK hypothesis and always take it into consideration with potential EVP’s, I still at a personal level believe spirit communication is possible via mediums as well as EVP’s and other devices. If spirit’s are real, even if they are not here in this physical dimension, by virtue of their ability to communicate with a medium this means they too possess psi capabilities. This also means that spirits could still be affecting the audio recorders through the use of their PK – not that of the living! We must evaluate the context of the EVP and examine it for careful correlation before leaping to conclusions on whose potential PK might be involved.

I would also add however another comparison to EVP collection and mediumship as it relates to personal energy. If we look at mediums who are developing, they are often instructed on how to open-up and expand their awareness and energy. To encompass the room and to feel and to blend their energy with that of spirit. They are also instructed to shift their energy into a state of lightness, love, and higher vibration. These tactics are all about managing one’s energy to help create a better link. But why? In essence, it is stated by mediums that these tactics help improve the contact and communication process. If this is the case, then isn’t it possible that such energetic states may also help facilitate the capture of an EVP – a sort of partnership of energies between the two communicators? I recognize that there is no current science to support any of this but there also isn’t science to support how or why mediumship works – even though these tactics have been expressed in studies about mediums. Could this energetic aspect be relevant to the capture of genuine EVP’s? It might be and I’ll let you decide.

SUMMARY: So let me close with a little scenario that helps put all of these points into perspective. It may seem silly, but indulge me for a moment.

Imagine that you are a spirit – a discarnate being. A group of paranormal investigators arrive at a location and invite you to interact with them. They also ask you to talk into their recorders and to leave them a few messages. As you become familiar with this group of investigators, you start to realize that some of them are taking their work seriously while others seem to be a little less dedicated. As a spirit, you know it’s going to take some effort for you to leave one or two EVP’s for these living people, so you have to decide who you are going to actually communicate with based on their intentions and perhaps even your ability to partner with their energy to enhance the results.

If this were you, who would you choose? The living person who seems to be acting silly and maybe has no intention of listening to their audio, or instead, do you choose the person who seems serious, dedicated and truly interested in listening to what you have to say? Not to mention the one who’s overall energy and intentions could be making it easier for you to apply effects to their devices?

I think we all agree we would want to choose the second person.

So if you want great EVP’s, then work at it like you mean it. I personally believe that the spirits seem to know this and will support your efforts.

Cheers & Wellness,

Carol

Photo by Oscar Ivan Esquivel Arteaga on Unsplash