What does the magnet do, according to the method?
In the Emotion Code, the magnet is how a trapped emotion is released. Once muscle testing has identified an emotion, the practitioner passes a magnet along the Governing Meridian, a line that in the method runs from the tailbone up the spine, over the top of the head, to the upper lip. According to Discover Healing, doing this three times releases and transforms the emotional energy, rendering it harmless. For an emotion the method describes as inherited, Discover Healing says to pass the magnet 10 times.
Discover Healing's explanation is that the body and emotions are made of energy, and that a magnet can attract that energy and pull the imbalance out. It compares the process to running a magnet over a credit card, which changes the information stored on the magnetic strip.
Those are the method's claims. The mechanism they describe, emotional energy that a magnet can pull from the body, is not established by scientific evidence.
What is the Governing Meridian?
Meridians are channels through which, in traditional Chinese medicine, vital energy is said to flow. The Governing Vessel, which the Emotion Code calls the Governing Meridian, is one of these; it follows the midline of the back and head. Discover Healing describes it as the energy highway of the body because it is said to connect with the other meridians.
Meridians are a concept from a traditional healing system rather than anatomical structures. They have not been identified as physical pathways in the body. Acupuncture, which uses meridian points, has been studied extensively, and some of that research is positive for certain kinds of pain, but that research tests needling, not the existence of energy channels, and it does not extend to passing a magnet along the spine.
What does research say about magnets and health?
Static magnets, the kind that keep the same field, are sold in bracelets, insoles, mattress pads and the small magnets some Emotion Code practitioners use. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health, says research studies do not conclusively support the use of static magnets for pain relief, which is the use they have been studied for most.
No study we could find has tested whether a magnet can release an emotion. Because there is no independent way to detect a trapped emotion, there would also be no way to confirm that one had been released. Discover Healing's own page acknowledges that researchers continue to explore and debate the use of magnets for wellness.
The credit-card comparison is worth a closer look. A card's magnetic strip stores information as a pattern of magnetized particles designed to be written and erased by a magnet. The human body does not store memories or emotions that way; memory involves changes in connections between nerve cells, not magnetized material.
Is this the same as magnetic brain stimulation?
No. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a medical treatment cleared by the FDA for conditions including treatment-resistant depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it uses an electromagnet whose field is roughly as strong as an MRI scanner, switched on and off very rapidly to induce electrical currents in the brain. A small handheld static magnet passed over the back is a completely different thing, and the evidence for rTMS says nothing about it.
Is using a magnet safe?
NCCIH says static magnets are generally considered safe when applied to the skin. There are some real cautions, though.
If you have a pacemaker, an implanted defibrillator, an insulin pump or another implanted or electronic medical device, tell the practitioner before any session involving a magnet, and check with your doctor. NCCIH notes that some magnets can interfere with devices like these. Small, strong magnets are also a serious hazard if swallowed, so keep them away from young children. Is the Emotion Code safe? covers safety more broadly.
The larger safety point is not about the magnet at all. It is about not letting any energy-healing method delay proper care for a medical or mental health problem.
Why might the ritual still feel meaningful?
Some people find the magnet step calming or symbolic: a clear, physical moment that marks letting something go. Rituals of release are common across cultures and faiths, and a deliberate, gentle gesture can help a person feel they have set something down. That can be true without the magnet doing anything physical.
Being honest about that distinction matters. If the magnet step feels meaningful to you, that is your experience and it deserves respect. It should not be mistaken for evidence that the magnet has removed anything from your body. At Laura Bass Counseling, the Emotion Code is a complementary practice kept separate from psychotherapy, and clients choose whether to include it.
Common questions
What kind of magnet is used?
Practitioners vary in what they use, and this guide does not recommend any particular magnet. In the method's explanation, what matters is the magnet acting on energy along the Governing Meridian, not its strength. If you want to know what Laura uses, or whether she uses a magnet at all in a particular session, ask her through the Emotion Code page. Tell her first if you have any implanted medical device.
Why three passes, or ten for inherited emotions?
Those numbers come from the method as Discover Healing teaches it. Its pages say three passes along the Governing Meridian release a trapped emotion, and ten are used for one that muscle testing identifies as inherited. There is no research basis for either number, because the underlying mechanism has not been shown to exist. They are best understood as part of the method's procedure.
Does the magnet touch me?
Usually the magnet is passed lightly along the back of the head or down the spine, over clothing or just above it. Nothing is invasive and no pressure is applied. If you would prefer not to be touched, say so; the method is described as working without direct contact, and a good practitioner will adjust. If you have an implanted device, mention it before the session starts.
Can the release be done from a distance?
Discover Healing says the method works just as well at a distance as in person, including by proxy. There is no evidence for that claim, just as there is none for in-person release. Whether Laura offers remote or proxy sessions is something to ask her directly; the article on remote and proxy sessions explains how they are generally described.