What is a remote Emotion Code session?
A remote session is simply one where you and the practitioner are not in the same room, usually by phone or video. Discover Healing's practitioner map says sessions can be done face to face, over the phone or by email, and its FAQ says distance work is just as effective as being there in person. Its own staff practitioners work by phone, and its booking guidance notes that most practitioners work by proxy, so clients can choose someone anywhere in the world.
In a remote session the practitioner cannot press on your arm, so muscle testing is usually done by proxy, on the practitioner themselves, as described below. You typically talk through what you want to focus on, and the practitioner tells you what they are finding as they go.
What is a proxy session?
In Dr. Bradley Nelson's description, a proxy is a person who stands in for the client. The practitioner often acts as their own proxy: after confirming they can be tested, they make a statement identifying themselves as the client, and from then on, in the method's terms, whatever they muscle test on themselves is being tested on the client, however far away. Any release is done by passing a magnet over the proxy. At the end, Dr. Nelson writes, the connection must be broken, or the proxy may begin to feel the client's emotional state.
Proxy sessions can happen with or without the client listening in. Some practitioners use them for young children and for animals, who cannot be muscle tested in the usual way. Our page on the Emotion Code for animals covers that use.
Discover Healing's materials also refer to surrogate testing. The terms are not always used consistently; in general, surrogate testing involves a third person who is physically present and is tested on behalf of someone who cannot easily be tested, such as a baby. If the distinction matters to you, ask the practitioner how they use each term.
What does the evidence say about distance and proxy work?
There is no controlled evidence that proxy or distance muscle testing detects anything about the absent person, and no known physical mechanism by which it could. Even the authors of the one published study of the Emotion Code, who were sympathetic to it, wrote that proxy muscle testing is the least scientifically supported part of the method. In that study some sessions were done in person and some by phone or video, and the authors noted the difference had not been examined.
Where muscle testing has been checked against knowable answers under blinded conditions, it has performed at or near chance; our page on whether the Emotion Code works summarizes those studies. A remote session can still be a calm, reflective conversation that a person values. But the claim that a practitioner can read and change another person's emotional state from a distance is not established by scientific evidence.
Consent: the most important question in proxy work
Dr. Nelson himself is clear on the principle: above all else, he writes, you must obtain permission from the person who is going to be tested, because testing someone without it is an invasion of privacy and unethical. That principle deserves to be taken seriously, and in practice it raises harder questions than it first appears.
Another adult
An adult's permission should come from that adult, not from a spouse, parent, adult child or friend who wants to help them. It should be informed: they should know what the session involves, that it may touch on private events in their life, and what the evidence does and does not say. A proxy session on a partner in the middle of a conflict, or on an estranged relative, is not something to arrange on their behalf.
Someone who cannot fully consent
An aging parent with dementia, or an adult who is very ill, may not be able to give informed permission. Wanting to help them is natural. Their medical care, and their own known wishes and values, should come first, and any complementary practice on their behalf should be something they would plausibly have wanted.
Children
Parents can consent for young children, but it is worth considering the child's own view as they grow, and never letting a proxy session stand in for a pediatrician or a child therapist when one is needed.
Privacy
A proxy session may produce statements about another person's emotions, ages and life events, shared with a third party. Consider who hears them, what the practitioner writes down, and whether the person would be comfortable with that.
Questions to ask before a remote or proxy session
- Do you work by phone or video, and do you test on yourself as proxy?
- Will you tell me what you are finding as you go, and can I stop at any point?
- For a session on someone else: how do you confirm that they have given their own informed permission?
- What notes do you keep, and who can see them?
- Do you ever make statements about a person's health from a proxy session? (A careful practitioner will not.)
Does Laura offer remote or proxy sessions?
Laura Bass is a certified Emotion Code practitioner and a psychotherapist who keeps the two as separate pathways. Whether she offers Emotion Code sessions by phone or video, or by proxy, is not stated on this page; please ask Laura. You can read more about Emotion Code sessions with Laura, see what a first session involves, or go back to the Emotion Code guide.
Common questions
Is a remote Emotion Code session as effective as one in person?
Discover Healing says it is. There is no controlled evidence either way, because there is no controlled evidence that the Emotion Code's mechanism works in person either. Practically, a remote session saves travel and may feel more private; an in-person one may feel more personal. Choose what suits you, understanding that neither has been shown to do what the method describes.
Can I book a proxy session for my husband, wife or adult child?
Only with their own informed permission, and ideally with them involved. Dr. Nelson writes that testing someone without their permission is an invasion of privacy and unethical. If a loved one is struggling, the most useful thing you can often do is encourage them to see a doctor or therapist, and to seek support for yourself as you worry about them.
Can a proxy session help someone who is ill?
It should never be used in place of medical care for someone who is ill, and it is not treatment for any condition. Discover Healing's own disclaimers say the method is not a substitute for medical care. If someone you love is unwell, make sure they are seeing a doctor. In an emergency call 911; if someone is in emotional crisis, call or text 988.
What does the person on the other end feel during a proxy session?
Often nothing, and some do not know the session is happening, which is part of why consent matters. Practitioners sometimes report that clients felt a shift, but there is no way to tell whether that reflects the session, expectation, or coincidence. The method's claim that a proxy can change another person's emotional state is not established by scientific evidence.