Psychic Sketches & Dowsing: Drawings and Rod Sessions

Dowsing rods and psychic sketches are two ways investigators try to get answers that a recorder or meter can't. Dowsing rods are a pair of L-shaped metal rods that cross or swing apart in response to questions. A psychic sketch is a drawing made by a medium or sensitive of a figure they sense. Below, we explain how dowsing rods work, how to use them, the ideomotor effect, how psychic sketches fit into an investigation, and the dowsing and sketch sessions LiveSciFi has filmed, so you can watch each moment and decide for yourself.

What Are Dowsing Rods?

Dowsing is an old practice, traditionally used to search for water, metal or minerals with a forked stick or rods. In ghost hunting, investigators hold two L-shaped rods loosely, one in each hand, and ask a spirit to cross them for "yes" and open them for "no," or to point in a direction. Some rods have lights in the handles so the movement shows up on camera in the dark.

How to Use Dowsing Rods

1. Hold the short ends loosely, with the long ends pointing straight ahead and level.
2. Ask the rods to show you "yes" and "no" so you know the signal for the session.
3. Ask short yes-or-no questions, and let the rods settle between each one.
4. Stand still, and have someone film your hands and the rods together.
5. Try asking a question the holder can't know the answer to, then check it.

Do Dowsing Rods Really Work?

Controlled studies have generally found dowsers do no better than chance. The usual explanation is the ideomotor effect: tiny, unconscious hand movements, often guided by expectation, that the rods magnify into big swings. It's the same effect that explains Ouija board movement. Supporters argue that rods sometimes give answers the holder didn't know, or cross while the holder's hands are visibly still.

What Is a Psychic Sketch?

A psychic sketch is a drawing of a spirit or presence, made by someone who says they can sense it. On our team, Kristin often sketches what she perceives during an investigation, and the drawings are later compared with what other investigators reported or with the history of the location. A sketch is a subjective impression rather than a measurement, so we present each one alongside what was happening at the time.

Dowsing and Psychic Sketch Sessions from LiveSciFi Investigations

• Setting a dowsing baseline (19:45): the method and first questions in I Summoned ZoZo. Watch the moment
• The rods turn toward Tim (22:52): later in the same session. Watch the moment
• Conflicting answers about identity (1:04:24): the team reviews dowsing replies that contradict each other during a haunted doll test. Watch the moment
• Blue figures and an unmarked grave at Tonopah (46:39): from The Demon Files at Old Tonopah Cemetery. Watch the moment
• A beaked figure at the Haunted Hill House (47:05): a psychic sketch from our portal investigation. Watch the moment
• A sketch from Tim's description at Fort Churchill (31:45): drawing the figure Tim says he saw. Watch the moment

Play any of these moments in the player above, or browse every dowsing and sketch moment in the archive below.

Dowsing Rods FAQ

Why do dowsing rods cross?

The scientific explanation is the ideomotor effect: small, unconscious movements of the holder's hands. Believers think a spirit or energy can also move the rods.

Can anyone use dowsing rods?

Yes. Dowsing rods need no special training, which is part of why they're so popular. Holding them loosely and level, and standing still, gives the clearest results.

What are dowsing rods made of?

Most are copper or brass, bent into an L shape, often with a sleeve on the handle so the rod can swing freely. Some investigators make their own from wire coat hangers.

Related reading: Paranormal Evidence Archive · Ouija sessions · Shadow people · Haunted Hill House: History and Hauntings