The Science and Skepticism of Spirit Boxes

My Honest Take

If you’ve ever joined me for an investigation or seen one on TV, you’ve probably come across the spirit box — that crackling, buzzing, almost hypnotic device that spits out fragments of words as it scans through radio stations.

Some people treat them like a direct line to the afterlife. Others see them as clever novelties that prey on our imagination.

I’ve worked in mediumship for long enough to know that the truth is rarely as simple as either extreme. Spirit boxes fascinate me, not because I think they’re flawless, but because they sit right on that edge between possible spiritual tool and completely explainable technology.

In this article, I want to share exactly what a spirit box is, why some swear by them, why science won’t accept them, and what I’ve personally seen and heard when they’re used.

What a Spirit Box Actually Is

At its most basic, a spirit box is a modified radio. But instead of locking onto one station, it sweeps rapidly through dozens of them per second. That rapid scanning creates a constant, chaotic mix of:

Snippets of human voices from live broadcasts

Short bursts of music or jingles

Static and white noise

The theory is that spirits can somehow manipulate this “raw sound” — using it as building blocks to create words and phrases in real time.

In a typical session, the box is switched on, the scanning begins, and questions are asked out loud. Listeners then wait to see if anything relevant comes through.

Sometimes, these sessions are done with the Estes Method — where the listener is blindfolded, wears noise-cancelling headphones, and simply repeats whatever they hear. This way, they don’t know the questions being asked, reducing the chance of deliberate or subconscious bias.

Why Some People Believe Spirit Boxes Work

I’ve been present in sessions where the spirit box has produced answers so specific that you can almost feel the air change in the room. For example:

A client once asked, “What was my grandmother’s nickname for me?” and the box immediately said the exact nickname — one I had no way of knowing beforehand.

On another occasion, during a house investigation, we asked “Who built this house?” and the surname came through clearly — later confirmed by historical records.

I’ve even heard the same voice respond multiple times in the same session, with the same tone and vocal pattern, as if one specific communicator was holding the conversation.

For believers, moments like these feel like far more than coincidence. They see the spirit box as a modern way for loved ones and other entities to “speak” through available audio energy.

The Skeptic’s View — And Why It’s Worth Listening To

I’m the first to say that healthy skepticism is important in any form of spirit work. Spirit boxes are no exception.
Here’s what skeptics point out:

Pareidolia – Our brains are wired to find patterns, especially in random noise. It’s the same reason we see faces in clouds.

Apophenia – We link unrelated events or sounds together and give them meaning, even when none exists.

Radio Contamination – Spirit boxes pull in real broadcast material, so any “words” could just be from an advert, a news report, or a DJ.

Confirmation Bias – We remember the moments that “fit” and forget the endless stream of gibberish that doesn’t.

And the truth? They’re not wrong. I’ve seen plenty of sessions where someone desperately tries to bend a garbled sound into the word they wanted to hear, simply because they were hoping for it.

Why Science Doesn’t Accept Spirit Boxes as Proof

For something to be considered scientific evidence, it needs to be:

Replicable — The same results appear under the same conditions.

Controlled — All possible outside influences are eliminated.

Objective — Results don’t depend on personal interpretation.

Spirit boxes fail on all three counts because:

They can’t be completely isolated from external radio signals.

The “meaning” of responses depends heavily on what the listener believes they’re hearing.

The results vary wildly from place to place and session to session.

Without a way to eliminate all natural explanations, science will never accept spirit box responses as proof of an afterlife.

The Estes Method – My Thoughts

The Estes Method is one of the more interesting developments in spirit box use because it reduces certain biases.
In my own work with it, I’ve had sessions where the answers lined up so closely with the questions — and even with what I was sensing psychically — that it made me pause.

In one case, I was getting a strong sense of a male energy called “John” connected to a client. At the exact same time, the person listening on the Estes setup — who couldn’t hear our conversation — called out “John” from the box.
Was it coincidence? Could be. Was it convincing? Absolutely.

Cases That Made Me Think Twice

Over the years, I’ve been part of a few sessions that made me question the purely skeptical view:

The Cemetery Reading – While standing by a grave, the surname carved into the stone came through twice, in the same voice, within 30 seconds of asking “Who is with us?”

The Builder’s Name – In an old house, the box gave the surname of its original builder. None of us knew the name at the time, but it matched the historical records we checked later.

Echoed Mediumship – I once relayed a message from spirit about a specific phrase a man used to say to his wife. Moments later, the spirit box repeated that exact phrase — in a voice that matched the tone I’d described.

These moments don’t prove anything to the world, but they were powerful validations for the people involved.

Why I Sometimes Use Spirit Boxes — And Why I Don’t Rely on Them

I don’t use spirit boxes as my main method of connecting with spirit — my work is centred on direct psychic and mediumistic communication. But I occasionally bring them into group sessions or investigations for a few reasons:

They can focus people’s attention.

They make group sessions interactive.

They sometimes add a layer of validation to what I’m already receiving intuitively.

But here’s the key thing: I always remind people that the spirit box is just a tool. It’s not infallible, and it’s not proof in itself.

My Final Word on Spirit Boxes

For me, a spirit box is a bit like a magnifying glass — it doesn’t create the communication, but it might help bring certain things into focus.

Sometimes it’s nothing more than noise and wishful thinking. Sometimes, it produces moments so specific and in sync with my own readings that it’s hard to dismiss outright.

I use them with curiosity, respect, and caution — and I encourage others to do the same.

If you want a true, evidential, and personal connection with your loved ones in spirit, you don’t need a device. You need a genuine, focused reading where the evidence comes from personality, memory, and love — things no random radio scan can imitate.

For more information, visit my homepage

The Science and Skepticism of Spirit Boxes