Neuro-emotional technique (NET)

Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) is a mind-body therapy that addresses the physiological foundations of stress responses.

Developed in the late 1980s, this technique is grounded in the discovery that emotional responses are made up of neuropeptides and their receptors, which can be found in various remote tissues throughout the body. By identifying and neutralizing distressing memories and their associated emotions, NET can help with stress, pain, and peak performance.

The concept behind NET is that unresolved emotional trauma can be stored in your body, and emotions like anger, grief, and fear can continue to impact you long after you have forgotten the event that triggered these emotions. To fix this, during NET sessions we work together to locate and resolve these emotional blockages, allowing you to release stored stress and achieve a better state of overall well-being.

What is Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET)?

Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) is a mind-body approach for addressing the physiological basis of stress-related responses within the body and brain. Developed in the late 1980s, this approach combines various therapeutic techniques with principles derived from traditional Chinese medicine, Western psychology, and applied kinesiology.

Since NET is an integrative approach, it is practiced by a wide variety of licensed health care professionals, including psychotherapists, psychologists, chiropractors, medical doctors, acupuncturists, osteopaths, and naturopathic doctors.

Regardless of what type of practitioner delivers NET, the goal is to help you identify and resolve past traumas that may have lasting effects on your overall health and well-being 1.

What Can NET Help With?

Emotional and Mental Well-Being

NET supports emotional and mental well-being by addressing unresolved stress stored within the body.

The technique dives deep into the physiological foundations of stress-related responses, identifying negative emotions that may continue to impact you even after you have forgotten the triggering event.

By focusing on these unresolved emotions, NET allows you to transform negative patterns into healthier reactions, leading to increased emotional stability and mental clarity.

Physical Health

NET can be applied to various physical health issues, such as chronic pain, physical trauma, and organ dysfunction. It focuses on identifying and resolving the emotional stress component of the physical problem. By addressing these emotional aspects, NET helps to alleviate reactive stress patterns that manifest as physical issues.

Peak Performance

In addition to improving physical health and emotional well-being, NET also facilitates peak performance in various aspects of life, including work, sports, and personal relationships.

This is achieved through the balancing of neurological imbalances and meridian systems in your body, caused by unresolved stress.

By identifying and addressing the emotional stress components of these blockages, NET can help you improve your mental focus, physical stamina, and overall performance, increasing your personal and professional success.

Principles of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET)

NET operates on the premise that unresolved emotional trauma is often stored within your body, leading to long-term impacts on health and well-being 2. When you experience strong emotions such as anger, fear, or sadness, this can lead to physiological changes that remain embedded in your body’s neural pathways. Over time, these imprints can contribute to various physical imbalances and traumatic stress symptoms.

One of the key principles of NET is the emphasis on the mind-body connection. By precisely identifying distressing memories and their associated emotions, your NET practitioner can use various ways to neutralize these emotional imprints, alleviating traumatic stress and promoting improved overall health 3.

NET incorporates several therapeutic modalities that include:

• Manual muscle testing: An applied kinesiology method for identifying underlying emotional imbalances through muscle responses.
• Meridian access points: Energy points derived from traditional Chinese medicine, which are associated with specific emotions and organ systems.
• Psychotherapy: Talk therapy used to process unresolved emotions and facilitate personal growth.

The process of NET requires a skilled practitioner to guide you through a series of steps designed to pinpoint and address unresolved emotional issues.

This may include discussing past experiences, examining current symptoms and emotions, and performing physical techniques to release any stored traumas.

The primary goal of NET is to identify and resolve the root cause of the patient’s emotional stress, leading to more balanced emotional health and improved overall well-being 4.

Scientific Basis and Evidence

Neuroscience and Psychology Foundations

Neuro-emotional technique (NET) is an approach that combines elements of neuroscience, psychology, chiropractic, applied kinesiology, and physiology. The technique is based on the premise that unresolved emotional stressors significantly impact the body’s neurological and physiological processes.

NET aims to help individuals identify and address these stressors, which are often associated with an unresolved emotional issues or trauma, called a neuro-emotional complex (NEC). These neuro-emotional complexes are believed to contribute to subluxation, a misalignment in the spine causing active nerve interference, associated with physical pain, reduced range of motion, and spinal degeneration.

Key Studies and Research Findings

Several key studies have investigated the efficacy and underlying processes of NET. For example, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial found that stress reduction through NET led to the simultaneous resolution of chronic low back pain and multiple inflammatory and biobehavioral indicators. This study supports the hypothesis that addressing unresolved emotional issues can have a positive impact on various physiological processes, such as reducing inflammation and pain.

A randomized controlled trial examining the Neuro Emotional Technique in a chiropractic clinic setting found that a multidisciplinary approach – incorporating both pharmacological and psychosocial elements – yields the best clinical outcomes. It was also found that NET could address the biopsychosocial aspects of both acute and chronic non-musculoskeletal conditions.

You can explore more NET Research here.

In summary, NET is a unique approach that combines elements of neuroscience, psychology, chiropractic, and physiology to help individuals address unresolved emotional stressors and improve their overall well-being. Scientific research findings support the potential benefits of NET for various conditions, emphasizing the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach in addressing health issues.

History of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET)

Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) originated in the late 1970s and was originally developed by Dr. Scott Walker and Dr. Deborah Walker. The technique initially aimed to find and fix chronic recurring vertebral subluxations, helping other chiropractors address this common issue with their patients [source].

Over time, the purpose of NET began to evolve. Patients started reporting improvements in various aspects of their lives, such as reduced stress, increased happiness, and an overall sense of ease when they had NET with their chiropractic adjustments [source]. These personal accounts furthered the exploration of the emotional and psychological components of NET, leading to the development of NET into a more comprehensive, mind-body therapy.

The foundational concept of NET is that unresolved emotional trauma is stored within the human body. Emotions like anger, grief, or fear can linger in the subconscious mind for extended periods, even if the memory of the traumatic experience has faded [source]. Extensive scientific research in the late 1970s discovered that emotional responses to a real or perceived threat were comprised of neuropeptides (amino acid chains) and their receptors, which were located on remote tissues and neurons in all parts of the body [source]. This illustrates the mind-body connection.

Today, NET is a mind-body therapy that resolves stress-related responses on a physiological level. NET practitioners hold professional licenses in a variety of fields, such as psychology, psychotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, and allopathic medicine. Using the NET procedure, practitioners can help patients uncover and resolve the emotional factors that contribute to their physical symptoms and overall well-being.

What to Expect at Your NET Visit

During your first NET session, we will begin by discussing your concerns and the potential emotional issues that may be causing your physical symptoms. Depending on your goals, we may discuss your past experiences, unresolved emotions, physical discomforts, and general health. This will help in gaining an understanding of the connection between your mind and body.

Then we will start the assessment process, incorporating muscle testing to scan body reflex points to identify any imbalances within your body. Muscle testing is a non-invasive assessment method that we use in NET as a means of identifying the underlying emotional stressors that may be causing your symptoms.

One common method of muscle testing involves applying light pressure to your extended arm while asking you to think about a specific issue. If your arm remains strong, it is an indication that no unresolved emotional factors are affecting your body in relation to that issue. If your arm weakens, this suggests that an emotional element may be contributing to your physical symptoms.

Once the emotional stressor is identified, we will use a combination of mental imagery, verbal statements, and body contact points to help release the emotional blockage. This process is designed to alter your body’s physiological reactions to the specific issue, restoring normal physiology.

Of note, it is not the emotions that you feel that need to be changed. Rather, it is the emotional blockage and resulting meridian imbalance that is addressed. If indicated by your nervous system, I may recommend homeopathic remedies to further assist in your emotional processing of the issue.

In general, NET sessions are brief and focused, lasting 20 minutes. The number of sessions needed to fully resolve an issue may vary depending on the individual and the complexity of the emotional stressors being addressed. Some patients report feeling significantly better after just one session, while others may require multiple sessions to achieve lasting results. It is important to remember that every person’s experience with NET is unique, and the outcomes may vary accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Footnotes

1. https://nycim.com/neuro-emotional-technique-net/
2. https://www.onefoundation.org/net
3. https://www.jeffersonhealth.org/conditions-and-treatments/mind-body-therapies
4. https://www.netmindbody.com/more-information/what-is-net/