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REASSESSING NORMS
One night at a public event, I found myself leading a group at a haunted location and conducting a group EVP session. After going through the methods and theories, a young boy raised his hand and asked me, "How do you know the voices are dead people? What if the voices are us?"
Indeed! What if they are us? The question seemed a simple one, but it was incredibly poignant - we've been operating on assumption for a long time and the time has come to re-evaluate our views on Electronic Voice Phenomenon.
"Psychic Projection Experiment"
HISTORY:
Since about 2009 I have been conducting this experiment whenever possible, with as many groups and at as many locations as possible. In that time, I have gotten it to work forty-five times. Not a great batting average, but enough to keep me attempting it.
As with the Dual Output Spirit Box Experiment, the theory behind this one is that the minute we ask a question, our minds go to work looking for logical answers. But in this case, our subconscious may be actually providing those answers!
The first time it worked was on January 24, 2015 at the Seven Sisters Inn in Ocala, FL. The word selected was, "bird". Since then, other words succesfully used include, "scared", "apple" and, "Gollum".
SET-UP:
Have all participants seated or in a comfortable position that will reduce shifting and fidgeting.
Have one of the participants select a word, preferably two or three syllables. Why not a single syllable? Well, the "yes" and "no" EVPs we get can often be generated by an exhale or the swish of a sleeve. For this endeavor we want to eliminate such accidental sounds from review. A good word is one that resonates with the group - either something humorous or meaningful. It will differ from group to group and will present itself organically.
Once the word is chosen, instruct the group to do nothing but focus on that word. Envision the word, spell it out, do whatever is mentally necessary to imprint that word onto the recording device. Picturing the word, or seeing the letters hitting the recorder are methods which I've suggested. Try not to wander too much from the basic, literal word or else you risk losing your focus. Example - if the word were, "apple" stay true to the letters and sound of the word - avoid tangents like Apple computers leading to Steve Jobs leading to you thinking about your job, having to go to work on Monday, etc.
Identify any psychics in the group. Ask them to help focus the energy towards this task. The first time this experiment worked for me, of the eight people in the room, three identified themselves as psychic (actively). Perhaps this was instrumental in that first success.
Instruct the group that the session will last for 60 seconds and during that time, there will be no tags for any outside noises heard. All participants are to focus on the word and only the word.
PROCESS:
1) Activate your digital recorder(s).
2) Stamp the session accordingly. Example - "This is Psychic Projection Experiment attempt #1 at the (insert location), the word is (insert chosen word), sixty seconds begins now..."
3) After the time has elapsed, announce the end and stop your recorder(s).
4) Review the recording. Repeat as desired. It is entirely possible that the group needs to warm up to the process in order to get a positive result.
CONCLUSIONS and DISCUSSION
The purpose of this experiment within the tenets of Paralosophy is to explore the origin of EVPs. Where do they come from? It is as likely to assume they come from our minds as it is to assume we are speaking to the dead.
We communicate with each other using language - air is pushed from our lungs through our diaphragm and throat, past our teeth and tongue to create a vibration in the air that is picked up by the ear and processed by the brain - quite the checklist for something as seemingly simple as a hello!
Spirits don't have a physical body that we are aware of, so how are they getting their voices onto our recording devices? Well, if everything is energy - vibration and energy - then perhaps it is a form of psychic communication. A psychic imprint. If that is the case, it is completely within the realm of possibility that many of the EVPs we catch are coming from our own minds.
Once again, this makes sense when you factor in listener bias. When you ask a question, your subconscious begins tabulating possible answers and when combined with pre-existing knowledge of a location, this allows for seemingly specific and relevant responses.
"But maybe the spirits are repeating what you're thinking..." is a common response to this line of thought. It's possible, yes. But take into account Occam's razor, which posits that between competing hypotheses, the simpler one is preferred. Besides, the purpose of this experiment is to isolate one aspect of the phenomena, not bend results in an attempt to validate an earlier presupposition. Remember, on an investigation we are looking for communication with spirits, but there are no guarantees that we'll get it. What we do know for a fact is that we, the observers, are present and it is to us that the first analysis must fall upon.
#PARALOSOPHY and Psychic Projection Experiment ™ & © Brian J. Cano