One of my favorite things to do on a paranormal investigation is to do at least one session that utilises the Estes Method.
I first saw it being used in a video that my mentor, Harold St John of the Toledo Ohio Ghost Hunters Society, had made at the Buxton Inn in Granville, Ohio. Harold asked the questions, and Becky McClenathen, the receiver, shouted out responses. In the video, Harold says, “I’m going to count to five. Can you tell me what comes next?”
Becky quickly responds with, “Six.” Then, a few seconds later, she says, “Five…Six.” Immediately after, Harold replies, “That was perfect, thank you!” Becky then says, “perfect.” I knew after viewing that I had to implement that into my bag of tricks. It was so cool to see immediate responses to questions. The video is on the Toledo Ohio Ghost Hunters Society YouTube page.
The experiment is quite simple and utilizes the SB7 spirit box, headphones, a blindfold, and at least two people. One person, the receiver, will have a seat with their back to anyone else in the room. They will also wear a blindfold and headphones plugged into the SB7 spirit box.
Their job is to say any words or phrases that come out of the device aloud. In reverse, I like to use the AM band sweep as fast as it will go. The second person is the giver. Their job is to ask questions, and hopefully, some of the responses coming from the receiver will line up with the questioning.
I enjoy this method because it provides instant feedback as to whether or not you may be communicating with spirits. I have had times where absolutely nothing has happened, as well as instances where it will go on for 45 minutes with what appears to be full-on conversations with spirits. Another observation I have made over the years is that if you add mediums or sensitive people into the mix, the responses seem to line up more. The most impressive session I have ever witnessed was at the Century Tavern in North Ridgeville, Ohio. It is a building that is being renovated back into a bar that is rich in history, including a stagecoach stop and a location on the underground railroad. That session was the first time that many questions and answers lined up for over twenty minutes. There is a video of this session on my YouTube page, Boo Productions Paranormal.
Another time this experiment seemed to work well was at an old warehouse in Toledo, Ohio. It is currently a restaurant called The Spaghetti Warehouse. Again, we experimented with remarkable success, backed up by other paranormal activity, such as EVPs and the sounds of someone coming up the steps. Audible voices were detected as well. There seemed to be a female spirit, children, and a grumpy man. Afterwards, we learned that the location was smack dab in the middle of the tenderloin district in 1918. In this area of Toledo, anything was permissible. Drugs, alcohol, and prostitution were ignored in that area. This thought may be a stretch, but where there is prostitution, there are children that need to be looked after and kept away from everything. Could the third floor of this old warehouse have been an area where a woman was watching all the children?
I plan to use this method in the future. I have produced some ideas to make it a little more scientific. First, the next time I do this, I will have a list of questions that will be the only ones asked, containing questions that have nothing to do with the regular line of questioning. I have noticed the responses tend to direct the line of questions. I want to ensure that the receiver does not accidentally have a subconscious list of answers. Second, I want to use a splitter on the output of the SB7 spirit box to record the spirit box noise while the receiver is shouting out responses. This way, I can determine if that is what is coming out of the spirit box.
About Jeff Schlachter: Jeff Schlachter is the founder of Boo Productions Paranormal. He has been involved in the paranormal for about six years, with experience investigating historical buildings with paranormal claims and several private homes where people genuinely need help. Jeff recently joined the Warren Legacy Foundation to submit his experiences and learn from the other members and leadership. He enjoys sharing a good ghost story, but it is all about helping people at the end of the day. Boo Productions Paranormal has had great success in helping people solve their paranormal problems or direct them to professionals that can. Additionally, he enjoys educating people about history by luring them in with a ghost story.
