What is the Emotion Code, in plain terms?
The Emotion Code is an energy-healing technique developed by Dr. Bradley Nelson, a retired chiropractor, and described in his book The Emotion Code. According to Discover Healing, the company that teaches it, its premise is that the energy of past emotions can become trapped in the body and affect a person's physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
A practitioner uses muscle testing, a way of reading small changes in muscle resistance as yes-or-no answers, to identify one of these trapped emotions. Then the practitioner passes a magnet along the midline of the back or head to release it. The process is repeated, one emotion at a time.
That is how the method describes itself. The rest of this page explains each part and then sets it beside what independent research has found, because the two are not the same thing.
Where did the Emotion Code come from?
Dr. Nelson developed the Emotion Code while working as a holistic chiropractor and first published it as a book in the 2000s. An updated and expanded edition came out from St. Martin's in 2019. He later developed two further methods, the Body Code and the Belief Code, which build on it; the three are compared elsewhere in this guide.
The method draws on several older traditions. Muscle testing comes from applied kinesiology, a practice started by chiropractors in the 1960s. The idea of energy running along lines in the body, including the Governing Meridian the magnet is passed along, comes from traditional Chinese medicine. The idea that unresolved emotion can affect the body is an old one in many cultures. The Emotion Code packages these into a single, teachable procedure.
Discover Healing trains and certifies practitioners through self-paced online courses with recorded practice sessions reviewed by an advisor. Certification is a private credential from the company. It is not a clinical qualification or a state license.
What does the method say trapped emotions are?
In Dr. Nelson's model, when a person feels an emotion strongly and does not fully process it, some of its energy can remain in a part of the body. Emotion Code practitioners describe these trapped emotions as able to contribute to discomfort, emotional patterns and self-sabotage. Discover Healing also teaches that trapped emotions can be inherited from parents, and describes a related idea of absorbed emotions picked up from people close to us.
The method uses a chart of emotions, arranged in rows and columns, to narrow down which emotion is trapped by a process of elimination. We do not reproduce the chart here; it belongs to Discover Healing. Trapped emotions explained goes into the idea in more depth.
What is the Heart-Wall?
Discover Healing describes the Heart-Wall as a layer of trapped emotions that the subconscious builds around the heart for protection after painful experiences. In the method's account, it shields a person from hurt but also dulls their ability to feel love and connection. Releasing it is described as a process that usually takes several sessions.
Like trapped emotions, the Heart-Wall is a concept within the method, not a physical structure and not something recognized in medicine or psychology. The Heart-Wall explained covers it in detail.
What happens in an Emotion Code session?
A session is usually quiet and conversational. The practitioner explains the process, asks what the person would like to focus on, and then begins muscle testing. Discover Healing teaches several forms: pressing lightly on an outstretched arm, a standing sway test, and finger tests the practitioner can do on themselves.
For each trapped emotion the testing identifies, the practitioner may ask a few more questions, such as roughly when it became trapped, and then pass a magnet along the Governing Meridian, which in the method runs up the spine and over the head. The person stays clothed and nothing is invasive. There is no medication and no physical manipulation.
How Laura structures her own sessions, and how long they take, is something to ask her directly.
Is there scientific evidence for the Emotion Code?
No published controlled trial of the Emotion Code itself appears in PubMed, the main index of biomedical research. The mechanism it describes, emotional energy that muscle testing can locate and a magnet can clear, is not established by scientific evidence.
Its parts have been studied separately. In blinded studies where muscle testing was asked to detect things the tester did not know, such as nutrient levels, allergies or which vial held a toxin, results were mostly no better than chance. One research group found muscle testing could tell spoken lies from truths somewhat better than chance in a laboratory setting, and cautioned that the result does not apply to other uses. Muscle testing explained summarizes these studies. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says research does not conclusively support static magnets even for pain, the use they have been studied for most.
People who try the Emotion Code sometimes say they feel calmer or lighter afterward. That is a real experience, and it deserves respect, but it is not the same as evidence that the method works the way it says. A focused, kind hour with someone who listens can produce that feeling on its own. Does the Emotion Code work? looks at this question in more depth.
What is the Emotion Code not?
It is not psychotherapy, not medical or psychiatric treatment, and not crisis care. It is not offered as a treatment for anxiety, depression, trauma, pain or any illness, and it should never delay care from a doctor or therapist. Discover Healing's own legal page says its methods are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any medical condition or psychological disorder, or to substitute for professional health care.
At Laura Bass Counseling, psychotherapy and complementary work are separate pathways, and clients choose what to include. Coming for therapy never means being offered the Emotion Code, and an Emotion Code session is not therapy by another name. The Emotion Code page explains how to ask Laura about it.
Common questions
Who created the Emotion Code?
Dr. Bradley Nelson, a retired chiropractor, created the Emotion Code and wrote the book of the same name. His company, Discover Healing, teaches the method and certifies practitioners. The Emotion Code is a trademark of Wellness Unmasked, Inc. This site is independent and is not published or endorsed by Discover Healing; Laura Bass is a certified practitioner who uses the name only to describe the method.
Do I have to believe in it for it to work?
Discover Healing does not present belief as a requirement; its materials describe using the method with animals and at a distance. There is no good evidence either way, because the method itself has not been tested in controlled trials. What matters more practically is that you should never feel pressured to believe anything. Skepticism is a reasonable starting position, and you can ask Laura any question before deciding whether to try a session.
Can I learn to do the Emotion Code on myself?
Discover Healing sells the book and courses that teach people to use the method on themselves and on family members, including self muscle testing. Some people do this, and some prefer a practitioner. If you try it yourself, the same caution applies: treat it as a personal practice, not a substitute for medical or mental health care, and do not use it to make health decisions.
Is the Emotion Code covered by insurance?
No. The Emotion Code is not a clinical treatment, so health insurance does not cover it. It is also separate from any therapy you receive, so it should not be billed or described as therapy. For the fee for a session with Laura, ask her directly through the contact page.