The Estes Method

Recently, Steven and I learned about and used a new paranormal investigational tool know as “The Estes Method.” According to the website Astonishing Legends, The Estes Method was first conceived in 2016 by Karl Pfeiffer, Connor Randall, and Michelle Tate at the notorious Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Fans of the horror genre will recognize the Stanley Hotel name, as it was Stephen King’s inspiration for his best-selling novel The Shining.

I don’t want to go into a full detailed explanation of The Estes Method since the Astonishing Legends website already has done that (which I would recommend reading), I do want to explain what it is briefly. Using a spirit box or a ghost box, a person listens to the device through a headset. As the listener should not be able to hear questions being asked by the inquisitor, the inquisitor as well should not be able to hear anything coming from the headphones or the box. The listener should either be blindfolded or turned it a different direction so as not to be able to see the inquisitor. At a distance, the inquisitor asks questions to the spirit world with the hopes that their answers will come through the box and the listener. The listener will say out loud any words or sentences they hear from the box as he/she hears them.

Last year during the Oregon Ghost Conference in Seaside, Oregon, Steven and I conducted a Ouija Board session in my hotel room at the Inn At Seaside, which is directly across from the Seaside Civic & Convention Center. You can read about the session and view the video here. During that session, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia seemed to have channeled through Steven out of nowhere. We intermittently researched throughout 2018 for any connection the province of Nova Scotia would have had with Seaside. Our research continues to this day.

We both returned to Seaside to attend this year’s Oregon Ghost Conference. Before attending, we decided we were going to try The Estes Method for the first time to see if we could get further information about Nova Scotia. We stayed the weekend at the Inn At Seaside where we conducted the previous year’s Ouija Board session.

Steven and I had both taken turns as the listener. The headphones used were connected to our ghost box which was on top of the desk in our hotel room. During our turns as the listener, we faced the wall so as not to be able to see the other person. When it was our turn to ask questions, we did so on the opposite side of the room. A digital recorder had been placed between us on the dresser to record the session.

I was a lead investigator in an Oregon Ghost Conference sponsored investigation that same evening. Steven had purchased a ticket for the investigation, and he had ended up assisting me with my group. Steven lead a couple of Estes Method sessions to show those attending the paranormal investigation how it worked. We recorded these sessions, but we have not reviewed them at this point.

The following video was created using the audio of our session in the hotel room. It is quite interesting, and it does show our excitement at some of the responses we received. Granted, as this was our first time trying out The Estes Method, we understand we have a lot of work to do when using this model as an investigational tool. Although I wouldn’t categorize this session as evidence, I would say that it was a learning experience for both of us. I do plan on a future session where we can obtain data in a scientifically controlled environment.