FAQs
 

Who is causing EVP messages?

The policy of the AA-EVP is that the experimental evidence must determine what is believed or hypothesized.

At this time, the Survival Hypothesis best accounts for the experimental evidence.

 It is important to note that the description of the Survival Hypothesis stated here is possibly unique to the AA-EVP, and may not be described the same by other organizations.

The Survival Hypothesis: 

The working hypothesis proposed by the AA-EVP may be summed up this way:

Entities who are Self but who have not experienced physical existence. Perhaps these are people who evolved in other levels or dimensions of reality.

Entities who are Self, but who are focused on the operation of reality, rather than experiencing reality. In more popular terms, these are devic entities or angels.

Entities who may actually be Self existing in other parts of physical reality, but who have learned to transition in and out of nonphysical reality at will. (Could these be extraterrestrials?)

There is an energetic difference between physical and nonphysical reality. Bridging this difference is not a trivial task.

Nonphysical objects, including things, emotions and ideas, must somehow energetically agree with the level of reality that they are to occupy.

The EVP experimenter provides the necessary circumstances with technology and by "gathering" energy used by the entity to communicate.

By "gathering energy" it is meant that there is a form of energy that is a product of life processes probably best described as "auric energy," and that this energy naturally accumulates, bounded by physical objects.

As such, any place that has had long-time human occupancy and/or the expression of extreme emotion is apt to have ample energy of the kind necessary for etheric to physical influences to occur.

The EVP experimenter is an etheric Self in a symbiotic relationship with its physical body.

The Self-physical body entanglement, that occurs at the time of birth, allows the etheric Self to be energetically in agreement with the physical aspect of reality. It is this "embodiment" that allows the EVP experimenter to bring the etheric object of reality--probably as an image or gestalt "thought ball"--into the physical.

The EVP experimenter must supply the vocabulary and library of image/concepts used by the communicating entity, thus explaining why the EVP is in a language understood by the experimenter or an interested witness.

 To paraphrase this hypothesis, EVP experimenters know they are communicating with some form of intelligence.

Different experimenters report contact with different types of entities.

The experimenter uses technology, yet there is also considerable evidence that the experimenter is an important part of the "circuit."

In other words, if long-dead Uncle John is to communicate, he must find a way to bring his thoughts/words into physical substance.

That channel of communication is provided by the experimenter and the electronic equipment.

Exactly how this is accomplished is not clear; however, mediumship and the ability to record have been shown to be learned abilities.

The attitude and desire of the individual is central to this experience.

We understand that this hypothesis may challenge your worldview, but the AA-EVP invites you to learn to record so that you may experience these phenomena for yourself.

There is ample instruction for recording in the Techniques section on their site. The Association will approach the who, what, and how of these messages from an analytical perspective.

By maintaining a rational view, it is hoped that people from a broad range of backgrounds and divergent views will feel comfortable participating in the field.

How are EVP messages formed?
 
There is considerable speculation about this question and much of the past and present research is designed to provide a definite answer.

The short answer that appears to be emerging from the research is that there is mind-to-mind communication between the communicating entity and the experimenter.

The experimenter functions as a medium for this exchange in much the same way that spirit mediums bring messages to the physical.

 The message, itself, is then thought to be telekinetically impressed into the recording media. Even though the evidence seems to support this view, it is apparent that the experimenter is normally unaware of his or her part in this transfer of information.

How can you tell if an EVP is genuine?
 

It is easy enough to tell if an EVP is true phenomena. EVP do tend to have characteristics that set them apart. For instance, they usually do not have the fundamental frequency. They will tend to have normal spaces between syllables but the syllables themselves are often spoken at odd speeds, even several speeds in a single word.

If you doubt, always record in a metal enclosure such as a paint can or a metal candy box. That will eliminate stray radio and TV. Some recorders will record radio from nearby transmission towers, but the voices are usually obviously not EVP.

If you ask a loved one to say hello and you record "Hello" after that, then you probably have an EVP.

The problem is knowing who is talking. We know some entities are jokesters and will tell you anything. It is a lot like listening to a conversation in another room of a library. You have trouble hearing and understanding the words and you really do not know who is talking. Do they know what they are talking about? Are they telling stories to one another?

You would not want to rely on what is said in an EVP by itself. Is the comment appropriate for the circumstance and the person you think is speaking? Were you trying to contact that person? Is the information positive or helpful? These are people you are speaking with and if a loved one would not tell you to go rob a bank in life, they certainly would not tell you to do so in the etheric.

You must use discernment with EVP messages just as you must when talking to people in the flesh.

What should I do in preparation for experimenting with EVP?
 

The short answer is that you need only turn on the recorder to record an EVP.

The long answer is that we recommend that you prepare yourself by learning to focus your attention on the subject at hand. You need not meditate, but we would like you to learn to relax a few minutes, steady your breathing and think about what you are about to do, as opposed to something like whether or not you have time to make a recording before dinner, or if you remembered to let the dog out.

We like to see people speaking out loud as if you are speaking to someone in the room and ask for protection and that only the highest good come to you, your family and your home. Ask that a friend on the Other Side stand by you and protect your communication channel from any negative influences.

Then make your recording, confident that you are standing in the white light of protection.

The above may seem a little melodramatic or a little too religious for you, so look at it this way:  By practicing a ritual something like the above, you are focusing your attention on the outcome you desire. By asking for protection, you are telling the world that you intend to be safe and do not want any negative contact. Remember, your words are heard by many people on the Other Side, so declare your intention.

Don’t those on the Other Side have to be near for me to record their voices?
 

None of us really understands how they communicate. We can only gather up all of the hints and try new ways based on those hints.

Experimenters/researchers have found that people on the "Other Side" seem to be better able to communicate in locations that have had long-term human occupancy, the expression of strong emotion (love, fear, anything that is strongly felt), and a "place" to contain it, such as a building or a landmark. These places seem to have accumulated energy of the type that is useful to support etheric to physical influence. That is why they become known as haunted---not so much because there are resident ghosts, but because etheric entities can more easily make their presence known when they visit.

With that said, we know that people can also establish a contact individual or group on the Other Side. This is usually accomplished by experimenting over a long period of time, and in effect, getting those on the Other Side used to communicating with you. In this way, they learn to communicate wherever the experimenter is. That is why we recommend that you begin by using the same room and time of day.

Anyone may record a voice anywhere; however you can increase your chances by following the hints described above. More information on EVP recording technique is available in this techniques article.

Why was I unable to contact a loved one?
 

We do not know all of the reasons why someone communicates or does not. We suspect that, when or if a person reincarnates, they have much more difficulty "checking in." This is also apparently true for those who "move on", "out of range" for communication, such as in going to a "higher realm of awareness."

When a person firsts transitions, they are usually able to communicate with us because there is a lot of energy from emotions that helps the transfer of information across the veil. The person is also still familiar with the physical and is apparently more able to project his or her attention into the physical. Once they have been across for a while, they do seem to have more difficulty, but they also have more experience that may help.

If a person was very sick in the last days, then they may not communicate for a time while they learn to be "well."

As for communicating with someone else, someone else may be the path of least resistance.

If you try, be clear in your mind about how you feel doing so. Also, develop a clear image of the person by reviewing your memory. Have a strong and focused desire and follow a routine of attempts in the same location. Speak to them as if they are in the room.

How can I know, and convince others, that the entities speaking in a EVP I record aren't demons?
 

That is a good question.

First, if a person is offended by EVP on religious grounds, then you are probably not going to convince them one way or another.

Even some people, who believe in all sorts of New Age phenomena, become defensive when you try to tell them that the existence of EVP might mean that there is such a thing as survival of the Self after physical death. As such, we avoid discussing EVP with people who might be offended.

(By the way, we know that there are many “stuck” or “earthbound” communicators, and that what they learned from their religion while in the physical is usually the reason they have been unable or afraid to “go to the light.” It is so important that we know what to expect when we cross over.)

It could be said that the first contacts across the veil were made by “dead people” reaching out to us.

That is how most contacts are initiated today, and we believe that a lot of the instances of a ghost in someone’s home are actually a loved one trying to say hello.

We like to point out that people around the world have been studying EVP for over fifty years, and to our knowledge, none of them have been harmed.

Yes, there is the occasional angry person who yells at us, even cusses, but we can experience the same thing with people still in the flesh.

If you look at the messages people record, it is difficult to attribute anything sinister about them.

If the communicators were demons, then would they be able to be so consistently loving and supportive, as we see in some cases?

Look at http://bigcircle.aaevp.com/, or read Children Together on the Other Side. If the communicators are really demons, then your religious leaders need to rethink what a demon is, because many people are learning to continue their relationship with loved ones who are now on the Other Side. This is an important form of grief management.

Some of the communicators may be nature spirits that have never “lived” in the physical. You could call these “Angels” or “guides” if you wish, but we have come to realize that none of the communicators fit the description of “demons.” On the other hand, people generally maintain their personalities when they cross over. If they were jerks here, they are probably going to be jerks there.

The communicators in EVP are just people being themselves.

Finally, we try to explain to people that EVP is potentially a very important tool for studying the relationship of the physical to etheric border of reality.

There simply are no other tools that are as reliable or readily available to researchers.

When AA-EVP members conduct an EVP recording session, they are also conducting an experiment that, added to all of the other experiments, help us understand the nature of reality.

Many AA-EVP members do not tell their coworkers, friends and neighbors that they work with EVP.

The idea of talking to "dead people" and getting answers in recorders is simply too far past the "boggle point" for some, and in some communities, it is best to stay quiet about it.

You will have to make such judgments yourself, for your own circumstances.

Someone ‘cleaned up’ an EVP and it doesn't sound the same as the original; isn’t this a problem?

The problem is that these voices are not formed the same way your voice is formed. Your voice begins with the organic vibration of your vocal cord. The resulting sound is then channeled through your mouth, and on the way, frequency components are formed, enhanced or suppressed by the changing shape of your mouth and then spewed out into the world as a word. Voice researchers call the vocal cord frequency "Formant 0," and the subsequent harmonics , "Formant 1," "2" and so on.

A spoken word is recognized because we have learned since childhood to look for particular relationships of formants to detect the word. Training is a cultural thing, and some do not do as well detecting the same word when it is spoken by someone from a different culture because the formants are arranged in slightly different ways.

In EVP, research has shown that the voice is formed of a fortuitous collection of available sounds and that there is seldom a Formant 0. In effect, the words are being pronounced by someone from an unfamiliar culture. This is true even if it is a loved one because that person is obliged to use whatever sounds are available. That is why we talk about people needing to train themselves to hear the words in EVP, and why a perfectly clear Class A to you might sound like loud noise to someone else. However, once you tell the listener what to look for, that noise will often become obviously the words you said they were. Then later, you or that other listener listen to the EVP again and do not hear the same utterance. It has not changed, but your reference has.

Now, if the words in EVP are being formed of available frequencies, then a word might have been formed with a few relatively low frequency bits of sound and a few relatively high bits, compared to how you would form the word with your mouth. When a word spoken by you is "cleaned up", its meaning remains unchanged because the frequencies are all grouped as harmonics of F 0. However, when the same word spoken in EVP is cleaned up, it is possible to remove the relatively low frequency components, while the remaining high frequency components are not sufficient by themselves to form the word. We always caution against too much processing of the EVP for this reason. A second problem you might run into is how different sound reproduction systems (i.e. different computers) will affect the reproduction of a word in EVP.

I am hearing music in the noise coming from my box fan. How is this possible?
 

We cannot give you a definitive reason why you hear the music, only a hypothesis. The sound of a fan is often used by EVP experimenters to record the phenomenal utterances. We think the sound, as physical energy, is transfigured into voice in electronic equipment in much the same way that ectoplasm, which seems to be a "near-physical" form of energy, is transfigured in a Spiritualist séance to form faces over the medium. We also think similar principles are involved.

As people strain to hear EVP, they often report that their clairvoyant senses are sharpened and that they begin to hear voices--even music--in the sounds in their environment. This ability tends to fade when the person stops trying so hard to hear EVP.

We believe that the sounds are always there, and that when we begin to pay more attention to our world, we more often notice them. Thus, it is an ability that you can develop, should you wish.

What is the difference in having a haunted house and just having entities?
 

Fair question. You may as well assume that you have etheric entities in your home at all times. One AA-EVP member asked, during a recording session in her home, how many people were in the room with her. The EVP she found on that recording answered, "Twenty-three."

As a rule, a haunted location is so because:

 1.The geological conditions support etheric to physical communication, and so the entities do cause physical effects that people can sense--a "haunting." This one is pretty speculative.
  

2.There is sufficient energy, of the kind required for etheric to physical influences, accumulated in the location to permit a haunting.

This may be because of longtime human occupancy, an expression of extreme emotion (fear, love, hate) and/or because of meditation.