Big Seance: My Paranormal World

The United Kingdom really knows how to rock the whole Spiritualism thing. In Part 1 of my Mediumship in the UK series, platform medium Marion Hover shares a bit about her background with Spiritualism, two very cool experiences involving her mediumship, and her work with development circles and the Ouija. Visit BigSeance.com for more info!

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

In this episode:

• Episode Preview :00

• Information about this and the next episode (Mediumship in the UK) 3:20

• TuneIn Radio Announcement and my appearance on the History Goes Bump Podcast 2:16

• Meet Marion Hover! 5:46

• What is a platform medium? 6:56

• Marion's background in the Spiritualist Church. 8:50

• Development Circles/What does modern Spiritualism look like? 12:47

• The amazing story of Marion helping a soul cross over 15:37

• Marion's nephew makes a spirit visit 21:36

• More on Development Circles (and talk of the "Scole Group") 27:23

• Marion's experiences with Table Tipping and the Ouija Board 30:44

• Marion's development group gets their first experience and early communication with the Ouija board 34:24

• Who do they contact through the board? 35:42

• Group energy, protecting yourself, and advice to Ouija users struggling to get communication using the board 38:50

• Marion's thoughts on summoning or calling on specific spirits for communication 42:36

• Does spirit get frustrated when they're communicating and we're not receiving the message? 46:35

• Not all paranormal activity is evil! Patrick tells of communication through the opening of a door of the cabinet holding spirit communication equipment. 47:53

• Advice from Marion for people wanting to get involved in the Spiritualist Church or development groups 50:25

• Shoutouts/Listener Feedback! Thank you! 54:41

• Outtake 57:45

Pictured above are members of Marion's Green Heart Spiritualist Group.

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes, TuneIn Radio, or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Are you brave enough to stay the night at the haunted Myrtles Plantation? I did. Join me as I talk about the exciting stops on my summer vacation through the south, here in the US. Other paranormal spots included the King's Tavern in Natchez, MS, Oak Alley Plantation, and the Lalaurie Mansion in New Orleans.

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes!

In this episode:

• A quick summary of this episode! :38
• Leaving St. Louis for Lamberts Cafe in Sikeston, MO 1:54
• Stayed the night at the Hilton Memphis (Sorry, Elvis) 2:49

• We arrived in the beautiful and historic Natchez, MS. View the photos I took around the city in my Natchez album on Flickr. 3:14

• King's Tavern — Featured on Ghost Adventures in Season 7, episode 18 from 2013. Kings Tavern is the oldest standing building in the Mississippi Territory and Natchez and its history goes all the way back to 1769. 3:36

• Plan B and stumbling into a beautiful surprise! 4:17

• Dinner at the historic Bowie's Tavern — We talked to some residents who recommended we have dinner at Bowie's Tavern, which is on Broadway in Natchez. And they made a great choice for us. Good food and really nice people. The historic building overlooks the Mississippi river and was originally a cotton warehouse. They also proudly display a mahogany bar that was built around 1880. They also have lodging on the upper floor with a view of the river! 5:04

• Spending the morning in the beautiful Natchez City Cemetery for some photography. Check out that photo album on Flickr. 6:03

• The mysterious and unique grave of Florence Irene Ford (Sept 3, 1861 - Oct 30, 1871), who died of yellow fever at the age of 10. This grave was constructed with a set of open concrete stairs that descend next to what would be the head of Florence's body, with the headstone above. Learn more about this grave at GhostInMySuitcase.com. 8:05

• Before leaving Natchez, we toured the Monmouth Mansion (built in 1818) and the beautiful gardens and small cemetery that surrounds it. Check out my Monmouth Mansion photo album on Flickr. 10:03

• The Myrtles Plantation (built circa. 1796) in St. Francisville, LA — If you are as big of a paranerd as I am, you've probably seen the Ghost Hunters investigation of Myrtles from way back in 2005, episode 1 of their 2nd season. You've also probably seen the The Ghost Adventures crew investigate the place just last year in season 9, episode 2. 10:46

• The lovely Miss Hester 11:33

• Some audio with a little bit of the atmosphere of the haunted Myrtles Plantation. 12:25

• The Myrtles Plantation Tour 14:15

• Some of the legends of the Myrtles Plantation 16:18

• The Haunted Mirror 17:01

• The ghost of Chloe — Probably the biggest legend of the Myrtles. Chloe was supposedly the slave closest to the Woodruff family, who purchased the home in 1820 and remodeled it. Was she Mr. Woodruff's mistress? Did she poison Mrs. Woodruff, along with Cornelia and James, two of the children? Was one of her ears cut off? And was she hung from a nearby tree? 19:03

• The nursery, or the "Ruffin Stirling Room", which is where we stayed for the night. The two children, Cornelia and James Woodruff, were apparently taken to this room, where they later died. 21:26

• Kate, Cleo, Voodoo, and other deaths at the Myrtles. 21:47

• More about the "terrifying" bed shaking experiences that have been reported in the nursery/Ruffin Stirling Room. 22:34

• Before bed we tried to reach out to any of the spirits of the Myrtles by conducting an EVP, Spirit Box, and Ouija session in the nursery. 23:06

• Who changed the track on my recorder while we were sleeping? 26:23

• More audio of me touring the grounds of the Myrtles, including the pond and cabins around the back of the property. 28:26

• View my Myrtles Plantation photo album on Flickr.

• Our visit to Grace Cemetery and the Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, LA. You can find the Grace Cemetery photo album on Flickr. 30:18

• The beautiful and reportedly haunted Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, LA. It's one of the more popular plantations. In fact, you've probably seen it in photos or even as the Hollywood backdrop of a movie or two. It was featured in Season 4, episode 19 of Ghost Hunters in 2008. The rows of 300 year old oak trees are breath taking. Check out my Oak Alley Plantation album on Flickr. 32:36

• Heading to New Orleans and the overwhelming heaviness or anxiety that I was feeling. 33:45

• Our stay at the Hotel St. Marie in the French Quarter, and its connection to American Horror Story: Coven. 34:25

• Bourbon Street 35:15

• Our spectacular dinner and experience at the Oceana Grill 35:30

• Incense, sage, tarot cards, and my mom's visit to the Voodoo shops (Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo and Reverend Zombie's House of Voodoo)! 35:43

• Cafe Beignet for lunch 36:20

• Dinner and my delicious Po'boy at the Vacherie Restaurant at the Hotel St. Marie. 36:32

• On the way out the French Quarter, mom dropped me off at the Lalaurie Mansion. Hopefully you remember my interview with Victoria Cosner Love, who authored the book on Madame Delphine Lalaurie, the real life murderess portrayed in American Horror Story: Coven. If not, you can check out episode 7 of the podcast from August 6, 2014. 36:47

• Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans. Those photos can be found in an album on Flickr. 37:35

• What's the opposite of the French Quarter in New Orleans? Long Beach, MS, which was the last leg of our trip. Long Beach is not far from Gulf Port, MS. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express for a few nights. 38:28

• On our first night we had dinner at Shaggy's right on the beach near Gulfport. 39:26

• The White Cap Seafood Restaurant in Gulfport. 39:41

• The Papa Johns delivery guy in Long Beach is a fellow podcast nerd! 39:49

• Shout Outs! Thanks, StevenXm and American Ghoul for your iTunes reviews, and Tracy for the spooctacular photo and the e-mail! 40:47

• What's coming up next week? 42:30

• This week's blooper — a visit from my four-legged son Meril, who was apparently very thirsty! 44:32

Don't forget to tweet me @BigSeance!

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

How much do you really know about the goth community? Have you considered that the goth and paranormal subcultures might have a lot more in common than you realized? Enjoy this fascinating discussion with The Count and Mark, the hosts of the Cemetery Confessions podcast.

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes!

In this episode:

• Episode Preview :00

• Where have I been? 2:49

• Meet The Count and Mark (AKA DJ Gomez), the hosts of Cemetery Confessions 4:03

• Why the name "Cemetery Confessions"? 10:24

• Goths and cemeteries 10:47

• How does the goth culture view death and mortality? 14:07

• Do the paranormal and goth subcultures have a lot in common? 16:46

• Explanation of the goth lifestyle 18:49

• Isn't spirit communication and talking to the dead a little goth? 20:28

• Patrick works to earn an honorary goth card 21:14

• Fall and Halloween… a time to be goth 22:28

• Patrick's Halloween Altar… do I earn more points? 25:03

• Mark's memories of October and Halloween 27:10

• The Count properly celebrates Halloween for the first time! 28:45

• Have the hosts of Cemetery Confessions had any paranormal experiences? 30:15

• The shadow person 31:13

• Religion and the paranormal 33:16

• The ghost at The Count's house! 34:55

• Was that paranormal? 37:17

• The Count asks me (Patrick) about some of my views 39:01

• Sylvia Browne and life on The Other Side 43:28

• Mainstream culture and fearing death 45:18

• Thoughts and experiences with the Ouija board as a spirit communication tool 48:24
  • Patrick's "Ouija... board" spirit box EVP

Shoutout to Diane and Denise of the History Goes Bump podcast! Thanks for the 5 star rating and lovely review! 52:48

• Kids and goth/What are the biggest misconceptions of what goth is? 54:20

• Nerd culture in and outside of goth 1:02:30

• More about Cemetery Confessions, The Belfry Network, and where to find it! 1:06:43

For more about Cemetery Confessions

Cemetery Confessions on The Belfry Network

Cemetery Confession on Facebook

The Requiem

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

In this episode, Patrick talks to 2 local high school students for a research project about the paranormal subculture. We also dig into the Charlie Charlie Challenge phenomenon. Have you taken the challenge?

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes!

In this episode:

• Where I've been and what has changed! :38

• My meeting with Rick and Daniel, and the Paranormal Subculture Interview 1:57

• "Tendencies" in subcultures and further description of the Ethnography project 2:45

• Young people and their thoughts about the paranormal 5:37

• The struggle Rick and Daniel went through to find help with their project 8:35

• Where do you fit into the paranormal subculture 10:14

• I shared my "See Dorothy" EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) from a past investigation of a family residence 11:08

• One of my very favorite EVPs - "It's All Over Me", captured on one of our investigations of Friedens United Church of Christ in St. Charles, Missouri. It was previously featured in Episode 6 of the podcast, with detailed commentary. It's also explained in this YouTube video. 14:04

• Earthbound Spirits.. and what happens to a ghost when a building is torn down? What do you think? 17:30

• "Attachments" and my personal and very creepy experience of "the hand", first told and discussed at BigSeance.com in 2012, and retold on Jim Harold's Campfire podcast last year 18:12

• Thank you, Rick, Daniel, and Ryan! I heard they got an A! 22:10

• What is the Charlie Charlie Challenge? 22:58

• Is Charlie Charlie just a publicity stunt? "The Gallows" (2015) movie 24:51

• I may or may not have experimented and tried the Charlie Charlie Challenge… Is it just gravity? 25:35

• My final thoughts on Charlie as a tool for spirit communication 27:58

• Have you tried the challenge? I want to hear from you. What happened? 28:57

• Shout Outs! Thank you Heatherlynn, Jeff, Rick, Daniel, and Ryan! 29:13

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Hear Karen Burton recount some powerful dreams, including those that just may be visits from our deceased loved ones. Learn how she interprets these dreams, and how you can too!

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes!

In this episode:

• Episode Preview :00
• Some Shout Outs and Thank Yous! 1:49
• Meet Karen Burton! 3:31
• When did Karen start interpreting dreams? 6:07
• Symbols and dream dictionaries 8:02
• Being able to read in your dreams 10:26
• Spirit visits from passed loved ones 13:21
• How to know if it was really a spirit visit 19:13
• Can and should we invite spirits to visit us in dreams? 24:22
• Dreamscapes 27:00
• When we're more likely to remember vivid dreams 29:42
• Dreaming about and predicting deaths 32:00
• Precognitive dreams 37:05
• Karen recounts a very touching and powerful precognitive dream involving her children 37:56
• What's going on with Karen and where to find her 45:23

For More on Karen Burton:

GatewayIntuitive.com

WordsRMagic.com

Gateway Intuitive on Facebook

Gateway Intuitive on Twitter

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

The mysterious story of Pearl Curran, who channeled entire books and other works from a spirit known as Patience Worth, and all through the Ouija board. Also, the winner of the Love Never Dies book giveaway!

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes!

In this episode:

• Ghostwriter and Ghost: The Strange Case of Pearl Curran & Patience Worth by Ed Simon, from The Public Domain Review 1:18
• Two Moms and a Baby from the article Ouija poet Patience Worth: 100 years and many moons later, by Jane Henderson, from the St. Louis Post Dispatch (Shared by permission.) 18:17
• I am currently reading The Patience of Pearl: Spiritualism and Authorship in the Writings of Pearl Curran by Daniel B. Shea 21:57
• Rebecca Codner is the winner of the Love Never Dies Book Giveaway! Congratulations, Rebecca! Also, thanks to author Jamie Turndorf and Hay House for the book! 22:26
• An update on my future episode with Keith Johnson, demonologist and paranormal investigator who was one of the first investigators on the scene at the house where the experiences that inspired The Conjuring movie took place. 24:57

Additional music in this episode:

• String Quartet No. 10 in E flat major Op. 51 iii. Romanza by Antonín Dvořák
• Mazurka Op. 63 No. 3 by Chopin, performed by Vadim Chaimovich

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Call the show (775) 583-5563! Psst… Are you looking for the SpeakPipe link?

Carla Wills-Brandon, author and researcher, discusses Deathbed or Departing Visions and other After Death Communication. We also talk about Death Phobia, as well as an exciting discussion about psychomanteums! Check out Carla's book, Heavenly Hugs: Comfort, Support, and Hope from the Afterlife, which is also found on the BigSeance.com Recommended Reading list.

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes.

In this episode:

• Patrick tells the story of his Grandpa Keller's After Death Communication (ADC) :39
• Introduction of Carla Wills-Brandon and Deathbed Visions/Departing Visions 2:31
• Carla's Bio 3:45
• What led Carla to researching Departing Visions and life after death topics? 7:32
• William Barrett and Deathbed Visions 11:30
• Karlis Osis and Erlendur Haraldsson's study of Departing Visions 12:50
• Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and the missing chapter 15:20
• Beginning her research and collecting stories 17:08
• Carla and Raymond Moody's Psychomanteum 22:00
• "We never die alone!" and Death Phobia 31:13
• Has the current paranormal craze helped with death phobia? 35:03
• Should we be using tools and recorders to document proof of Departing Visions? 38:59
• Is Carla ever a skeptic? 42:00
• More exciting talk about Dr. Moody's Psychomanteums! (I'm totally jealous…) 46:08
• Fine tuning with Meditation 47:39
• What is Carla up to now? 49:46
• How does one process experiences like departing visions, after death communication, and near death experiences? (Something I had NEVER thought of!) 52:28
• Contact Info and other links! 55:27

For more on Carla Wills-Brandon:

carlawillsbrandon.com

Carla's YouTube page

Carla on Facebook and her Deathbed Visions, Departing Visions & the Afterlife Community

@CarlaWBrandon on Twitter

Carla's Blog at White Crow Books

DON'T FORGET

Don't forget to enter the Big Séance Love Never Dies Book Giveaway! The deadline for entry is March 30, 2015, and the winner will be announced on the very next episode. 28:11

Carla's Bio:

Carla Wills-Brandon is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Psychological Associate, has published 13 books, one of which was a "Publishers Weekly Best Seller." She has lectured across the United States, United Kingdom and in Italy, and has appeared on numerous national radio and television programs, such as Geraldo Rivera, Sally Jesse Raphael, Howard Stern, Montel Williams, Marilu Henner, Man Cow, Faith Daniels, Art Bell's Coast To Coast Radio Show, Coast to Coast with George Noory, Uri Geller's Coast To Coast Radio Show, Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher and many other programs. Carla is also one of the few investigators focusing in on the Departing Vision as proof of life after death. Researching such encounters for over 30 years, the much sought after lecturer has collected and reviewed over 2,000 afterlife contact accounts.

Her book topics range from;

• Recovery from grief, loss and death,
• Afterlife research and spirituality
• Food disorders
• Addiction
• Holistic Health
• Relationships
• Dealing with teens, children of trauma, addiction
• Healthy intimacy and sexuality
• Sexual healing
• Trauma resolution and PTSD

Carla is married to Michael Brandon, PhD, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. The couple lives on the Gulf Coast in a hundred year old house, with their two sons and an assortment of furry pets. The Brandon's have been in private clinical practice for over 30 years.

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Call the show (775) 583-5563!

Dr. Linda Salvin shares her unbelievable spiritual and psychic journey that stemmed from a series of accidents, beginning with surviving a commercial airliner crash in 1981. She gives a reading on air, we talk about her Wicks of Wisdom™, and she shares some big news!

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes.

Dr. Linda's Bio

Dr. Linda Salvin is a 21-year radio host veteran and metaphysician. Dr. Linda was not born with psychic gifts. A series of devastating accidents transformed her life. With each of these experiences, her spiritual connection to the Universe and her psychic gifts began to grow. Spiritual awakenings resulting from a plane crash, fire truck and another near-death experience with the white light, caused her to seek out ways to integrate her education and experiences to assist others on a new holistic and metaphysical path.

Known as a "psychic's psychic", fellow psychics consult her from cities across the United States. Her radio show is a mix of sophisticated self-help advice, spiritual counsel and the wisdom provided by innate gifts. People from all walks of life seek her guidance—CEO's of Fortune 500 companies, celebrities, office clerks, professionals, students—and everyone in between. Dr. Linda wishes to help as many as possible find their path. You will find her witty, personable, warm, entertaining and accurate! If you don't want to know, don't ask.

As a result of her radio show, Dr Linda created a spiritual candle line, Wicks of Wisdom™, to further assist people enhance their lives. She is the doctor who, "...like a prescription for your soul."(R) can tap into your life and shine the light upon the path to accurately guide you on your journey.

She has produced a TV infomercial on the Wicks of Wisdom™ which aired nationally on CableTV. The show will be returning as Dr Linda is currently being branded for a new psychic and astrology network. She will be heavily visible on radio and TV in the coming months. Dr Linda is currently writing her memoirs on becoming the psychic healer that she is today as a result of the traumas that opened her up to God and the Universe to help us all.

In this episode:

• Who was pre-psychic Dr. Linda? 5:49
• How does she tame and turn off her abilities when she's not working? 7:33
• The premonition and the plane crash in 1981, the other accidents, and the out-of-body experiences that led to her psychic journey. 9:42
• Do other people develop psychic abilities from tragic experiences? 16:10
• How does Dr. Linda work? How does she communicate with spirits? 17:45
• Tools for spirit communication. Is she a fan? 22:25
• Why do you need a birth date for a reading? 25:31
• Her most popular question in readings: "What about my love life?" 30:38
• Some of the craziest questions! (OMG she had me cracking up!) 33:56
• Dr. Linda gives a sample reading on air! 36:46
• Wicks of Wisdom™ 39:31
• What does Dr. Linda enjoy doing when she is not working as a psychic? 46:03
• What's this new Dr. Linda TV show about? 48:06

For More on Dr. Linda Salvin:

Visit LindaSalvin.com or call 1-888-509-1077 to book your reading, healing, channeling, or take your order for candles.

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Call the show (775) 583-5563!

Author, licensed therapist, and Ouija Expert, Karen A. Dahlman, gives us the scoop on what role the Ouija board played in her first book, The Spirit of Creativity: Embodying Your Soul's Passion. Also, how do you move beyond your own limiting beliefs? How do you channel chaos creatively? Plus, meditation, dreams, self-hypnosis, and how to know if you are sleepwalking through life.

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes.

Today's guest is one of your favorites. Her first interview on the Big Séance Podcast was all the way back to episode 5. She was then co-host for episode 17, which was one of our special Halloween episodes, and she had contributions in episodes 19 and 24. Today she gets the stage, once again, all by herself, though it's a different book this time. We're going to be talking about her first book, The Spirit of Creativity: Embodying Your Soul's Passion.

Karen A. Dahlman is an author, licensed therapist, business owner & consultant and a leading expert Ouija-ologist. She has been researching the use of the Ouija Board since 1973 by first-handedly using and perfecting her communication with varying consciousness and sentient beings via this tool with consistently amazing results!

Having a strong, spiritual connection to her spirit friends, as she has throughout her entire life, she teaches others within her books about the positive benefits of using the Ouija Board and other creative means as a pathway for expanding and deepening one's world and expression within it in the most profound ways.

From working in the creative and humanistic field as a private practice art psychotherapist and then more recently as the CEO of a consulting and design firm in the high tech wireless industry, she found herself coming full circle within her career, from right brain to left brain to center brain. Karen strives to maintain a balance of her total brain within her heart.

She endeavors to help others deepen into their unique possibilities found only within their heart, so that they too may discover their own empowerment to affect personal growth, their spiritual evolution, and a passionate expression of their calling. Karen shares her developed processes for doing this within her books.

In this episode:

• Karen's work and background with creativity 4:15
• So what role did the Ouija play in writing this book? 16:47
• "Our own beliefs and the beliefs we hold about others or about life in general can affect us." So how do we move beyond those limiting beliefs? 25:05
• "Life is a process." "Happiness is found in the path, not the destination." 29:05
• Karen on creativity and chaos 33:41
• Chaos and soul contracts 38:39
• Sleepwalking through life. How do we know if we are? 42:38
• Meditation, Self-hypnosis, Dreams, and Trans-Awareness 50:05
• What led Karen to what she's doing now? Why these specific writings? Why Ouija? 1:04:07
• What's coming up for Karen? OuijaCon! New book coming soon! 1:09:18

For More on Karen A. Dahlman:

Visit KarenADahlman.com or CreativeVisionsPublications.com

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

Please help The Big Séance Podcast by subscribing, rating, and reviewing the show on iTunes or Stitcher! Also, check out BigSéance.com!

Call the show (775) 583-5563!

Are you fascinated by the EVP examples you hear on your favorite paranormal television shows? Have you ever wanted to learn just how to conduct an EVP session? Or maybe you're already actively involved in an area of spirit communication, but you'd like to learn about someone else's process and hear a new perspective on EVP. In this episode, I share the techniques that I've learned and use in my research on Electronic Voice Phenomena.

Visit BigSeance.com for more show notes.

How to Record EVP: The Session

There are many many ways of recording for and capturing EVP. For decades, people all over the world have successfully recorded spirit voices in their own individual way. There are basic techniques and there are techniques that are rather complicated, some requiring more equipment and more explanation. There are also techniques that due to times changing and new technology, are just outdated.

My experiences with EVP began as a paranormal investigator, but more recently it comes from research and conducting various experiments and seances, mostly in my home.

I want to make it clear that my intention for this episode is to share how I typically go about recording for EVP during experiments in my own home, specifically. The process might be a bit different during a paranormal investigation, especially if you are investigating with a group.

And before I really get into my process, I have to give some credit to the following researchers/authors who have influenced me in recent years: the late Sarah Estep, one of America's great EVP pioneers; Tom and Lisa Butler, directors of Association TransCommunication; and Randall Keller, a wise and experienced researcher who has been a great mentor. And he's also a former guest of the podcast, from Episode #8 from August 14, 2014. A lot of what I know and the "how to" came directly from these folks in one way or another.

My technique for recording EVP

Determine your location/recording environment

• Quiet and comfortable
• Avoid bad energy/pick a feel good place
• Be familiar with your surroundings (noises and sounds)
• Ideally, you will want to record when you are alone in the house or location
• Document the location and details of others in the house if you're not alone.
• Pick a time of day where the neighborhood (if that is an issue for you) is at its quietest.
• Document specific equipment you're using (if it's out of the ordinary).
• Document anything you may be trying or changing as far as technique goes.
• Document anything odd in your surroundings for a session.

Recorders and their placement

• Use a digital audio recorder with USB capabilities
• I use the Sony ICD PX-820 and Sony ICD PX-720, and they're nearly identical. They're also old models, so don't go looking for them on Amazon, unless you're wanting a used one. I also use a nicer and techier Tascam DR-07 with an external Tascam microphone.
• In my opinion, it is important to use two recorders at the same time for sessions. These recorders should be different models or brands. This may help you to rule out questionable sounds that could be picked up or more easily explained in another recorder.
• EVP are not often recorded in multiple recorders at one time. If I hear something or a voice out-of-place in one recorder, but not in the other, I'm more likely to believe it is truly paranormal and possibly an EVP.
• Place your recorders near you, probably on opposite sides of the room, but far enough away where you won't hear your every breath.
• Using headphones or ear buds? Maybe. Maybe not.

Advice for saving time and frustration later

• Starting both recorders at the same time (or close to it) will be very helpful when comparing time stamps during analysis.
• Get in the habit of "tagging" while investigating or during an EVP session.

Just before the session

• Brief meditation or prayer.
• State intentions. I invite spirits/guides/loved ones to help in sending or inviting appropriate spirits to help with research and to learn about life on the other side.
• Sometimes before a session I'll simply play relaxation or meditation music lightly in the background to help me chill out.
• Be in a good place or frame of mind when practicing any form of spirit communication.

The Actual EVP Session

• Click record and allow for at least 30 seconds of silence.
• Re-state verbal request for protection/invitation
• State the date and time
• Briefly describe the equipment used and where it is placed
• Document anything unusual in the environment
• Once again state intentions
• Begin by asking some basic identifying questions.
• Give 100% respect
• Don't interrogate.
• Don't assume you're smarter because you're alive.
• Don't assume they want or need your help.
• Don't assume they're miserable.
• Don't assume they're "earthbound", troubled, or in need of help.
• Do not jump to the conclusion that because you've captured an EVP, your home is haunted. Some very impressive and historic examples of spirit communication have come from spirits reporting to be communicating from a kind of station used for communicating from the other side.
• Further questions might be more specific, possibly relate to a specific spirit, or be no different than elements of a conversation you'd have with a living person.
• Allow plenty of time (20 to 30 seconds) in between questions.
• If you have a complicated or deep question in mind, consider breaking it up into smaller chunks.

If you experience activity during the session

• I don't always instigate it, but as you may know from a previous episode of the podcast, often I get spirits who like to let me know of their presence by knocks or "rapping". I guess it's just the best way for some spirits to communicate with me. When this happens, I roll with it, and I try to continue the communication through the rapping. In my opinion, this kind of communication is just as fascinating and noteworthy as EVP.
• Sometimes at the end of a session I'll ask for some kind of validation through touch or the moving of an object. If you're comfortable with it, why not ask? I know that when I get two or three loud knocks or raps when I ask for it, or if I ever capture a recorder being moved across the table, I'll be way more likely to be confident about any EVP captured in that session.
• To hear examples from my sessions where I communicate with spirits through rapping and knocking, be sure to listen to Episode #6 from July 30, 2014.

Before ending a session

• Give any spirits present the opportunity to give feedback or suggestions to make the research, or the communication in general, more successful.
• Thank those present for their energy and presence and invite them to return for future sessions.

I think my sessions are longer than most people prefer. A typical session for me is 15 to 20 minutes. Just remember that depending on how thorough you are during the analysis of your audio recordings, it will take at the very least twice as long to listen and analyze as it took to record. Some of my more complicated and longer sessions can take a day or more to get through. And that's just with one recorder. You get the picture.

Other techniques and tools that you can combine with your EVP session

• The use of background noise, such as "white" or "pink noise", or even taking advantage of explainable noises in the environment. Many believe, and some are convinced, that using background noise during EVP sessions may help entities to communicate.
• I will sometimes use a "spirit box" or any device that will help me practice the "radio sweep" method of capturing what is an example of "opportunistic EVP". Avoid falling for pareidolia.
• One last tool that I tend to use now, won't surprise most of you at all. But I will also spend some time in my session, often by myself, but sometimes with a partner, using the Ouija board. As of this date, after around 3 years of occasional use of the Ouija, I've yet to experience or capture movement on the board. With that being said, I have captured a possible EVP that I've shared with listeners in a past episode. This communication seems to say "Ouijee… board" after I asked "what am I touching" during a Ouija session. Pretty cool, if you ask me. That was in Episode #5 from July 23rd, 2014, and was my first interview with Karen A. Dahlman.

So as you can see… there are so many things you can do with an EVP session. You can have a very basic session, or you can be very detailed, go crazy with it, and pretty much make a full-time study of it. But as I always say, as long as you're being respectful and have good positive intentions, there's nothing wrong with it. Just be smart and have fun.

Perhaps in a future episode, I'll get into how you can listen to and analyze your recordings, in search of those possible spirit voices.

Also in this episode:

Listener Feedback

Check out Todd Moster's Kickstarter Project - The Afterlife Files

Sneak Peak at next week's episode with returning guest, Karen A. Dahlman!

Record your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! Call the show at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. Visit BigSéance.com for more information.

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