Atlas›Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield›Guide 009
Guide XII-009

Eden Energy Medicine

Donna Eden
A 15 · L 64 · M 2121 interventions in the Trinity explorer
Client cardCompare
[source: …] where a claim comes from[uncertain] not confirmed in a primary source[synthesis] the writer's reconstruction

1. Introduction

Version followed: Eden Energy Medicine (EEM, also called the Eden Method) as published by Innersource and the Eden Method organisation: the Daily Energy Routine handout created by Donna Eden (© 2019 Innersource), "Principles of Energy Medicine" by Donna Eden and David Feinstein (© 2012), the "Nine Primary Energy Systems" page, the EEM Ethics Code for Energy Healing Practitioners, and the Eden Method certification pages. The organisation's books are Energy Medicine (Eden with Feinstein; revised edition, Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, as the organisation cites it) and Energy Medicine for Women. [source: Innersource/Eden Method pages listed under Sources]

What it is. EEM is a hands-on and self-care biofield system. In Eden and Feinstein's account, energy is "both the medicine and the patient": the body's electromagnetic and "more subtle" energies form its dynamic infrastructure, and health is reflected in whether these energies flow, keep in balance and stay in harmony. The method works with nine "primary energy systems" (meridians, chakras, aura, Basic Grid, Celtic Weave, Five Rhythms, Triple Warmer, Radiant Circuits and the Electrics), which Eden describes from her own reported ability to "see" energies clairvoyantly. These concepts are the method's own; they are given here as EEM holds them. [source: Principles of Energy Medicine; Nine Primary Energy Systems]

How change is said to happen. Practitioners and clients restore flow, balance and harmony non-invasively by tapping, massaging, pinching, twisting or holding skin points; tracing or swirling the hands along energy pathways; doing postures and exercises with specific energetic aims; using focused intention; and "surrounding" a person with healing energy. Benefits of the self-care routine are described as cumulative with consistent practice. [source: Principles of Energy Medicine; Daily Energy Routine handout]

Scope statement. The organisation states that energy medicine "does not attempt to diagnose, treat, or cure illness"; the ethics code limits practitioners to assessing and balancing energies unless they hold a health credential that permits diagnosis or treatment (C.5). Eden and Feinstein separately write that it can help address physical illness and emotional disorders; this guide follows the organisation's narrower scope statement, and nothing here presents EEM as a treatment for any physical disease or mental disorder. [source: Principles of Energy Medicine; EEM Ethics Code]

Evidence status (one line). EEM is a complementary practice whose energy-system concepts and health claims are not established by controlled research; Feinstein, a proponent, describes muscle-testing reliability research as "mixed" with newer supportive studies. [source: Is Energy Testing Accurate?] [uncertain: no independent systematic review of EEM as a whole system verified]

2. Framework

EEM is a system of techniques rather than a fixed session protocol. The published materials describe (a) a short self-care routine for daily use, (b) energy testing as the assessment tool, and (c) targeted work on the nine systems by a trained practitioner. No fixed session count or phase criteria are published in the materials cited [uncertain: not verified]; the phase structure below is a [synthesis] for a psychotherapist using EEM self-care techniques within therapy.

Phase 0: Suitability, training check and consent [synthesis, drawing on EEM Ethics Code C.1, C.2, D.1–D.3, E.12–E.13]

  • Goal: confirm you are trained in the techniques you plan to use; disclose your EEM background and its limits, the unconventional status of energy medicine, any possible side effects, and what touch is involved; obtain and document informed consent.
  • Format: part of intake or a dedicated session segment.
  • Move on when: the client has agreed in writing or on record, a stop signal has been agreed, and medical care is in place for any physical complaint.

Phase 1: Stabilising self-care (Daily Energy Routine) [source: DER handout; synthesis for in-therapy use]

  • Goal: teach the roughly five-minute routine (Four Thumps, Crossover Shoulder Pull, Cross Crawl, Wayne Cook Posture, Crown Pull, Connecting Heaven and Earth, Zip-Up, Hook-Up) as a self-regulation tool between sessions.
  • Format: taught in session over one or two sessions, client practises at home; the organisation's Q&A pages suggest doing it daily and, in difficult periods, more than once a day.
  • Move on when: the client can do the routine unaided, reports how it feels, and no adverse reaction (feeling drained, dizzy, distressed) is unaddressed.

Phase 2: Assessment and troubleshooting [source: Energy Testing pre-checks; Drained by EE Exercises]

  • Goal: where the therapist is trained in energy testing, check for patterns EEM says block progress (a "homolateral" pattern, "frozen" or "scrambled" energies, an over-alert Triple Warmer) and correct them before further work.
  • Move on when: pre-checks give clear responses or the client is not drained by the routine.

Phase 3: Targeted techniques alongside psychotherapy [source: Mental Health Q&A pages; synthesis]

  • Goal: use specific EEM techniques for states that arise in therapy (overwhelm, anger, fear, low energy) as an adjunct to the psychological work.
  • Format: brief segments (a few minutes) inside the therapy hour, plus home practice.
  • Move on/out when: the client uses techniques independently; EEM is reduced or stopped if it is not helping, is distracting from the agreed therapy goals, or the client prefers not to continue.

Training and certification route [source: Certificates, Diplomas and Designations; Oregon legislative testimony]

  • Level 1 Fundamentals: Certificate of Completion from Innersource; no title, not certified.
  • Level 2 Certification Training: diploma from the regional programme; no title, not yet certified.
  • Certification Exam (after Level 2): written test, ethics section (written and oral) and a demonstration session; passing gives Eden Energy Medicine Certified Practitioner (EEM-CP).
  • Level 3 Professional Skills Mastery: EEM Clinical Practitioner (EEM-CLP). Level 4 Advanced Protocols: EEM Advanced Practitioner (EEM-AP).
  • Maintenance: EEM-CP holders complete twelve continuing-training hours in EEM per two-year cycle and pay a renewal fee; active status is needed for the practitioner directory. Testimony on the organisation's behalf to the Oregon legislature (2021) describes a two-year basic programme plus two optional advanced years, and professional liability insurance every two years.
  • Certifier: the Eden Method / Innersource organisation; this is a private certification, not a state licence.

Combining with psychotherapy [source: EEM Ethics Code C.1, C.7, footnote 3; Chronic Anger and Suicidal Depression Q&As as summarised on the Mental Health Q&A page]

  • The ethics code states that psychotherapy is outside the scope of energy psychology training: EEM certification does not make anyone a psychotherapist.
  • Integration of other modalities is allowed when grounded in the practitioner's training; practitioners licensed in another discipline integrate the EEM code with their own profession's code.
  • The organisation's Q&As point readers to a qualified psychotherapist alongside energy work for issues such as chronic anger and suicidal depression.
  • For the licensed psychotherapist [synthesis]: EEM is an adjunct inside a psychotherapy plan, never a replacement for assessment, risk management or evidence-based treatment. Check your licensing board's and malpractice insurer's position before using touch or energy methods [uncertain: no professional-body position statement on EEM verified]. David Feinstein's wider work in energy psychology links EEM to tapping methods [uncertain: not verified].

3. Guiding principles

From Eden and Feinstein's "Principles of Energy Medicine" (attributed to the method) [source: Principles of Energy Medicine]:

  • Energy is the infrastructure. EEM treats subtle energies as underlying body and mood. Practical meaning: explain this as the method's model, not as established physiology.
  • Flow, balance and harmony. Energies must keep moving, stay balanced with one another, and move in patterns that fit their function ("Flow follows function"). Practical meaning: each technique is chosen for a stated aim (grounding, crossing over, calming, centring).
  • Disturbances can be identified and balanced. Practical meaning: energy testing and observation guide technique choice; client report counts as much as the test.
  • Prolonged stress locks systems into survival mode. Practical meaning: calming the Triple Warmer and grounding come before deeper work.
  • Non-invasive means. Tapping, massaging, holding points, tracing pathways, postures, intention. Practical meaning: favour techniques the client can do on themselves.
  • One person's energies can affect another's. Practical meaning: your own state matters; the code asks practitioners to address their own unprocessed trauma (B).

From the EEM Ethics Code [source: EEM Ethics Code]:

  • Client welfare first. Practical meaning: stop or adapt any technique the client does not want.
  • Practise within training (C.1). Practical meaning: use only the techniques you were taught and supervised in.
  • No diagnosis or treatment of illness without a health credential (C.5). Practical meaning: never frame EEM as treating a medical or psychiatric condition.
  • Informed consent, documented (D.1–D.2, H.1). Practical meaning: written consent covering nature of services, logistics and fees before starting.
  • Touch by permission (E.13) with a stop signal (E.12). Practical meaning: ask before and during; offer the client's own hands as an alternative, especially for sensitive areas (the code names genitals, breasts, buttocks, navel and throat).
  • No pressure, no guilt (E.3–E.4). Practical meaning: do not imply the client failed if a technique does not help; do not overstate what EEM can do.
  • Energy testing is subjective (E.11). Practical meaning: never use it instead of medical tests, or to confirm or disconfirm a client's beliefs, memories or planned actions.
  • Conflicts of interest disclosed (I.8, E.11). Practical meaning: do not sell products or courses to clients, and never energy-test a client on something you sell [synthesis for the psychotherapist's stricter standard].
  • Cooperate with other providers, with consent (D.3, E.8). Practical meaning: coordinate with the client's doctor where physical symptoms are involved.
  • Dual relationships and sexual conduct (G.13–G.20). Practical meaning: romantic or sexual contact with clients is never acceptable; the code even names "energetic" advances as harassment.

4. Intervention inventory

All Daily Energy Routine steps are paraphrased from the Innersource handout; stated purposes are the method's own claims, given as attributed. In a psychotherapy setting the default is that the therapist demonstrates on themself and the client does each step on their own body, so no therapist touch is needed [synthesis]. Exercises involving standing, bending or vigorous tapping need adapting for pain, injury, pregnancy, dizziness or limited mobility; check with the client's doctor where unsure [synthesis].

4.1 Consent, touch agreement and framing (precedes every EEM technique)

  • Purpose: meet the EEM Ethics Code's disclosure, consent and touch standards and the psychotherapist's own. [source: EEM Ethics Code C.2, D.1–D.2, E.12–E.13, H.1]
  • Steps: (1) State your EEM training level and its limits. (2) Describe EEM as a complementary self-care and energy-balancing practice that does not diagnose, treat or cure illness, with its evidence status in one line. (3) Describe exactly what will happen, including any touch, where on the body, and that the client can do every self-applied step with their own hands instead. (4) Agree a stop signal (a word or raised hand); confirm you will stop at once. (5) Ask about medical conditions, pregnancy, injuries, pain, and current treatment; any physical complaint stays with the doctor. (6) Record consent and the touch agreement. (7) Re-check consent each time touch or a new technique is introduced, and during it. Never touch sexual or genital areas; for sensitive areas the code names (including the navel and throat), the client uses their own hands. Follow your own professional body's guidance on chaperones and documentation [uncertain: no chaperone guidance specific to EEM verified].
  • Example language (illustrative): "This is an optional self-care practice from Eden Energy Medicine. It's complementary: it doesn't diagnose or treat any illness, and the research behind it is limited. You'll do everything on yourself while I show you. If at any point you want to stop, say 'stop' or raise your hand and we stop immediately. Shall we try it, or would you rather not?"
  • Watch for: hesitation, freeze, or compliance driven by wanting to please; a history of boundary violation or touch-related trauma (keep fully hands-off, invite the client to lead); clients who expect EEM to replace medical or psychiatric care.

4.2 Daily Energy Routine (overview)

  • Purpose: a roughly five-minute sequence the organisation presents as a daily practice whose benefits build with consistency. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: teach in this order: Four Thumps, Crossover Shoulder Pull, Cross Crawl, Wayne Cook Posture, Crown Pull, Connecting Heaven and Earth, Zip-Up, Hook-Up (4.3–4.10). Throughout, the handout pairs movements with deep breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth.
  • Example language (illustrative): "I'll show you a short routine the founder recommends doing once a day. Watch me, then copy at your own pace; skip anything that doesn't feel right for your body."
  • Watch for: feeling drained, worse or low on energy after starting. The organisation attributes this to a "homolateral" pattern or to Triple Warmer "resistance" to change and recommends the Homolateral Crossover or Triple Warmer calming first (see 4.13–4.14). [source: Drained by EE Exercises] Also watch for dizziness during deep breathing (slow the breath, sit down) [synthesis].

4.3 The Four Thumps

  • Purpose (attributed): grounding, energy, metabolism, vitality and the immune system. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: with several fingertips or knuckles, tap or press firmly on four pairs of areas in turn, each for two or three deep breaths: (1) the cheekbones; (2) the K-27 points, the hollows just below the inner ends of the collarbones; (3) the thymus point at the middle of the breastbone (the handout says it can be thumped "like Tarzan"); (4) the spleen points on the sides of the ribcage a few inches below the armpits.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Tap just below your collarbones, where the bone ends. Firm but comfortable. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth."
  • Watch for: tenderness, bruising, chest or rib pain (use lighter pressure or holding instead; refer physical pain to the doctor) [synthesis]; client using vigorous tapping on the chest as self-punishment or in a dissociated way [synthesis].

4.4 Crossover Shoulder Pull

  • Purpose (attributed): energy, coordination, clear thinking. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: place one hand on the opposite shoulder, press the fingers in, drag them over the top of the shoulder and pull firmly down across the front of the body to the opposite hip; repeat several times, then switch sides.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Right hand on your left shoulder, press in, and sweep down across your body to your right hip. A few times, then the other side."
  • Watch for: shoulder or neck pain; self-holding that becomes soothing (worth noting therapeutically) or that triggers grief [synthesis].

4.5 Cross Crawl

  • Purpose (attributed): harmonising energy, coordination and clear thinking. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: standing, sitting or lying, raise one arm and the opposite leg, then lower them while raising the other arm and leg; exaggerate it like a march, swinging the limbs across the midline; continue for about a minute with nasal inhale, mouth exhale.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Like marching on the spot, but let your arm swing across to the opposite knee. Sitting is fine."
  • Watch for: the organisation's energy-testing pre-checks suggest Cross Crawl (or Wayne Cook) where testing shows "scrambled" or homolateral responses [source: Energy Testing pre-checks]; balance problems (do it seated or lying) [synthesis].

4.6 Wayne Cook Posture

  • Purpose (attributed): clearing and focusing the mind, gaining perspective. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: (1) Sit and cross one foot over the opposite knee, holding the ankle with one hand and the sole with the other. (2) Inhale slowly, letting the breath lift the body while drawing the foot toward you; exhale and relax; repeat four or five times; switch feet. (3) Uncross the legs, bring the fingertips together in a "steeple" with thumbs resting at the bridge of the nose, and breathe slowly four or five times. (4) On the last exhale, spread the fingers across the forehead out to the temples, lower the hands and rest.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Cross your right ankle over your left knee, hold your ankle and the sole of your foot, breathe in slowly... and out. When you're ready, the other side."
  • Watch for: hip or knee limitations (a simplified version with ankles crossed is a [synthesis] adaptation, not an EEM-published variant); the organisation also uses Wayne Cook before working with anger. [source: Mental Health Q&A page, Chronic Anger summary]

4.7 The Crown Pull

  • Purpose (attributed): clearing mental congestion and headaches, sharpening memory, and opening the crown chakra to inspiration. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: (1) Thumbs on the temples, fingertips at the centre of the forehead; press and pull the fingers apart, stretching the skin above the eyebrows. (2) Repeat at the hairline, then across the top, middle and back of the head, working down to the base of the skull and neck. (3) Press into the tops of the shoulders and hold. (4) Rest the crossed hands over the heart for at least one deep breath.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Fingertips together in the middle of your forehead, thumbs at the temples, and gently stretch outwards... now a little higher, at the hairline."
  • Watch for: headaches are a medical matter if new, severe or changed; EEM's claim about headaches is attributed, not a treatment [synthesis].

4.8 Connecting Heaven and Earth

  • Purpose (attributed): opening energies throughout the body and lubricating the joints. [source: DER handout]
  • Steps: (1) Hands on thighs; inhale and circle the arms up overhead, bringing the palms together at the heart. (2) On an inhale, push one palm up overhead and the other down by the hip; hold; exhale and return to the heart; alternate several times. (3) Fold forward from the waist, knees soft, for two breaths. (4) Roll up slowly, making figure-eight movements with the arms overhead and down to the sides.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Push one hand up to the ceiling and the other down to the floor, like you're stretching between them. Breathe out and bring them back to your chest."
  • Watch for: forward bends with high blood pressure, glaucoma, vertigo, pregnancy or back problems (keep it seated or omit the fold; follow medical advice) [synthesis].

4.9 The Zip-Up

  • Purpose (attributed): confidence, clearing thoughts and protection from negative energies (the central meridian as EEM describes it). [source: DER handout] The organisation also pairs it with an affirmation for anger. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: place one or both hands at the base of the central meridian at the pubic bone; inhale and slide the hand(s) straight up the front midline to the lower lip, then continue up and lift them into the air; repeat two or three times. In therapy, the client can begin the movement at the lower abdomen over clothing, never with therapist contact [synthesis].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Bring your hand low on your belly, breathe in, and draw it straight up the middle of your body to your lip and up into the air. Some people add a sentence they want to feel, such as 'I can handle this'."
  • Watch for: the start point is near the pubic area: describe it in neutral clinical terms, let the client choose where to start, and drop it if it is uncomfortable (EEM Ethics Code E.13) [synthesis]; affirmations that feel false (let the client choose their own wording) [synthesis].

4.10 The Hook-Up

  • Purpose (attributed): relieving anxiety, centring and calming; the handout says it may help when feeling dizzy or faint. [source: DER handout] The organisation also suggests it in moments of feeling overwhelmed, out of control or very low. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: place the middle finger of one hand between the eyebrows (the "third eye") and the middle finger of the other hand in the navel; press gently into the skin and pull slightly upward; hold for several slow breaths, as the handout describes. A sigh or yawn may follow.
  • Example language (illustrative): "One fingertip between your eyebrows, the other on your belly button, over your clothes is fine. Lift both a little and just breathe. Let a sigh come if it wants to."
  • Watch for: the navel is a sensitive area in the EEM Ethics Code: always self-applied, over clothing if preferred [source: EEM Ethics Code E.13; synthesis]. Fainting or dizziness that recurs is a medical matter, not to be managed with the Hook-Up alone [synthesis].

4.11 Energy testing

  • Purpose: EEM's assessment tool, a form of muscle testing used to gauge whether an energy is flowing or disturbed and to guide technique choice. The ethics code calls it subjective and limits its use (E.11). [source: Energy Testing pre-checks; Is Energy Testing Accurate?; EEM Ethics Code]
  • Steps: (1) Get explicit consent for the touch involved (the tester applies brief pressure to a client's limb, typically an outstretched arm) and agree a stop signal. (2) Choose an indicator muscle and confirm it holds strong. (3) Run the pre-checks (4.12) if new to testing or if results seem odd. (4) Test, then weigh the result alongside intuition, observation and client report, as Feinstein advises. Detailed positioning and pressure are taught in Level 1 training [uncertain: exact test positions not verified]. Tester guidance from the organisation's pre-check article: avoid eye contact (client looks past your shoulder), avoid pressing too hard, standing too close or clenched fingers, and breathe together if expectations seem mismatched.
  • Example language (illustrative): "This involves me pressing lightly on your forearm for a second or two while you resist. It's a tool in this method, not a medical test, and it can be influenced by both of us. We can skip it entirely and go by how you feel."
  • Watch for: never use energy testing to diagnose, to decide about medicines or supplements, to check whether a memory is "true", or to confirm or disconfirm a client's beliefs or planned actions (E.11) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Feinstein notes a nervous or expectant tester may skew results [source: Is Energy Testing Accurate?]. The hands-off alternative is client self-report; a psychotherapist can omit testing completely [synthesis].

4.12 Energy-testing pre-checks

  • Purpose: confirm the test gives clear responses before relying on it. Optional for experienced testers, recommended for beginners. [source: Energy Testing pre-checks, Vicki Matthews ND, based on Donna Eden's work]
  • Steps (paraphrased): (1) Indicator strength: if the muscle tests weak, firmly rub the K-27 points and retest. (2) On/off: pinching the muscle belly should switch it "off", pressing the muscle ends should switch it back "on"; if neither changes, the article calls the energy "frozen" and describes a magnet procedure (taught in training, not reproduced here). (3) True/false: check the client really holds a statement as false; if responses are muddled, rub K-27, then consider a homolateral pattern or "brain scramble" and use Cross Crawl or Wayne Cook. (4) Hydration: dehydration is said to interfere; the article names a hair-tug test.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Before we use this, I'll check it's giving clear answers today. If it isn't, we'll just leave it."
  • Watch for: pre-checks multiply touch and time; for most psychotherapy uses they can be skipped along with testing [synthesis].

4.13 Homolateral check and Homolateral Crossover

  • Purpose (attributed): EEM describes a "homolateral" pattern in which energies run parallel down each side instead of crossing; the organisation says correcting it is "critical if everything else is to work" and links it to feeling drained by the routine and to persistent low mood. [source: Drained by EE Exercises; Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: the organisation suggests energy testing for the pattern, then doing the Homolateral Crossover once or twice daily; the sequence is in Energy Medicine (the Q&A cites page 233 of the revised edition). Full steps are taught in Level 1 and the book [uncertain: exercise steps not verified].
  • Example language (illustrative): "In this method, feeling worse after the routine is read as a sign to start with a different exercise first. Let's try that before deciding whether to continue."
  • Watch for: fatigue, drained feeling or low mood that persists is also a medical and psychological assessment matter, not only an energy pattern [synthesis].

4.14 Calming the Triple Warmer (smoothing behind the ears; back-of-hand tapping)

  • Purpose (attributed): EEM describes Triple Warmer as the system governing fight, flight or freeze and habitual threat responses; calming it is suggested for stress, night-time fear and resistance to change. [source: Nine Primary Energy Systems; Mental Health Q&A page; Drained by EE Exercises]
  • Steps (as summarised in the organisation's Q&As): (1) Smoothing behind the ears: the client smooths the skin around and behind the ears with their own fingers, with slow breathing. (2) Back-of-hand tapping: tap on the back of each hand in the groove between the fourth and fifth fingers, for up to about a minute. The organisation also warns, in a Q&A on depression, about sedating Triple Warmer too long and suggests balancing it with Spleen. Full sequences (including the book's discussion of calming and sedating Triple Warmer, page 235) are taught in training [uncertain: complete steps not verified].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Your alarm system is very switched on right now. Let's try something this method uses to settle it: smooth your fingers slowly behind your ears, and breathe out longer than you breathe in."
  • Watch for: in panic or trauma activation, keep standard grounding and stabilisation primary; use this as a brief add-on only if the client finds it helpful [synthesis].

4.15 Neurovascular holds

  • Purpose (attributed): calming; the organisation suggests holding the forehead neurovascular points for low mood, a forehead and base-of-skull hold before sleep or when night terrors return, and frontal and gallbladder neurovascular holds for chronic anger. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: (1) Forehead hold: the client rests their palm or fingertips lightly across the forehead and breathes, for several minutes as the Q&A suggests. (2) Forehead and base of skull: one hand on the forehead, the other at the back of the head at the base of the skull, held briefly. Gallbladder points are taught in training [uncertain: location not verified].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Rest your hand gently on your forehead, the other at the back of your head if that's comfortable, and let your thoughts come and go while you breathe."
  • Watch for: self-applied only in therapy; holding the head can bring up tears or memories, so track arousal and pause if the client starts to dissociate [synthesis].

4.16 Figure-eight tracing in front of the face

  • Purpose (attributed): suggested in the organisation's Q&A on severe low mood. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: slowly trace large figure-eights in front of the person's face while they follow with their eyes. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Example language (illustrative): "Just follow my hand with your eyes, no need to move your head. Tell me if it's too fast or makes you dizzy."
  • Watch for: dizziness, nausea or headache; this resembles eye-movement methods from other therapies, so do not present it as EMDR or use it to process trauma memories without that training [synthesis].

4.17 Expelling the Venom; temporal tap with affirmations; Zip-Up with affirmation (anger set)

  • Purpose (attributed): the organisation's Q&A on chronic anger lists Expelling the Venom (repeated several times a day), the Zip-Up with an anger-related affirmation, frontal and gallbladder neurovascular holds, Wayne Cook, stretching, a temporal tap with affirmations, and Heaven Rushing In; it also suggests seeing a qualified psychotherapist. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: Expelling the Venom and the Temporal Tap are taught in Level 1 and Energy Medicine [uncertain: steps not verified]. Use only if trained; otherwise use the Zip-Up (4.9) and Wayne Cook (4.6), which are fully described above.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Anger has a lot of energy in the body. We'll do something physical to move it, and then talk about what it's protecting."
  • Watch for: anger work that escalates; check safety, impulse control and risk to others before using physically expressive exercises [synthesis].

4.18 Separating Heaven and Earth; Heaven Rushing In

  • Purpose (attributed): Separating Heaven and Earth is described as a physical stretch that also moves energy; Heaven Rushing In is suggested for the spiritual dimension and to reduce isolation in long-lasting low mood. [source: Mental Health Q&A page] Spiritual framing is the method's own.
  • Steps: Separating Heaven and Earth resembles the alternating push in Connecting Heaven and Earth (4.8) [uncertain: whether identical not verified]; Heaven Rushing In is taught in training [uncertain: steps not verified].
  • Example language (illustrative): "Some people find this practice has a spiritual meaning for them; others use it simply as a stretch. Either is fine."
  • Watch for: spiritual language that clashes with the client's own faith or none; follow the client's framing [synthesis].

4.19 Neurolymphatic massage

  • Purpose (attributed): suggested in the organisation's Q&A on long-lasting low mood and fatigue, and as a meridian method in the Q&A on Triple Warmer and Spleen. [source: Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: the organisation advises starting with only one or two points [source: Mental Health Q&A page]; point locations are taught in training [uncertain: not verified]. In therapy: self-applied only, outside sensitive areas.
  • Example language (illustrative): "If you want to try this at home, start with just one point and notice how you feel the next day."
  • Watch for: soreness, bruising, feeling unwell; refer physical symptoms to the doctor [synthesis].

4.20 Practitioner-delivered work: chakra balancing or clearing; holding "electric points"; Basic Grid repair

  • Purpose (attributed): chakras are said to store records of emotionally significant experiences; the Electrics are held to connect all systems ("The energy goes where it is needed"); Basic Grid repair is described as one of the most advanced and intense forms of energy work, for severe trauma. [source: Nine Primary Energy Systems; Mental Health Q&A page]
  • Steps: these are performed by a trained practitioner on a client, often hands-on or with hands held over the body. Only practise them at the level you are certified for; Basic Grid repair belongs to advanced training [source: EEM Ethics Code C.1; Certificates page]. Offer hands-off (hands held away from the body) or omit; never on sensitive areas without explicit, specific consent and an alternative [source: EEM Ethics Code E.13].
  • Example language (illustrative): "This part involves me holding my hands near you, or lightly on your shoulders if you choose. You can say no, change your mind at any time, and we'll stop."
  • Watch for: emotional material arising during body-based work: slow down, ground, and process it as psychotherapy rather than as energy work; avoid suggesting that energy work reveals hidden memories (E.11) [source: EEM Ethics Code; synthesis].

4.21 Teaching home practice and reviewing it

  • Purpose: build the consistency the organisation describes as producing cumulative benefit, without making the client feel they are failing. [source: DER handout; EEM Ethics Code E.4]
  • Steps [synthesis]: (1) Agree when the client will practise (for example, after waking). (2) Give the Innersource handout or a written list in your own words. (3) Ask the client to note mood, arousal and any adverse feelings before and after. (4) Review at the next session; keep, adapt or stop.
  • Example language (illustrative): "Let's treat this as an experiment: try it on days you remember, note how you feel before and after, and we'll decide together whether it's worth keeping."
  • Watch for: rigid or compulsive practice, magical expectations, or use in place of medical care [synthesis].

5. Handling problems

The EEM sources address only a few of these directly (feeling drained, impasse, pressure and guilt, energy testing limits). Everything else below is [synthesis] unless a source is given.

Client feels drained, low or worse after the routine. The organisation reads this as a homolateral pattern or Triple Warmer "resistance" and recommends the Homolateral Crossover or Triple Warmer calming first [source: Drained by EE Exercises]. Response: pause the full routine; try one or two gentle elements (Hook-Up, Wayne Cook); if the client still feels worse, stop. Persistent fatigue or low mood gets a medical and psychological review [synthesis].

Stuck or no change. The ethics code advises, at an impasse, considering supervision, a consultant, referral or ending services (E.19), and warns against implying a method that helped some will help everyone (E.4) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response: revisit the formulation and the evidence-based treatment plan; reduce EEM to the elements the client actually finds useful or drop it; never frame non-response as the client's energetic or personal failure [synthesis].

Resistance or scepticism. Response: the method is optional. Offer it as a self-regulation experiment, or not at all; never pressure (E.3) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Do not argue for the energy model; respect the client's view [synthesis].

Overwhelm, trauma activation and dissociation (trauma safety). EEM's published materials do not give a trauma protocol; the code requires follow-up for distress arising in demonstrations (J.8) and lets clients decline sensitive topics (G.4) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response [synthesis]: prepare first (psychoeducation, a stabilisation and grounding plan, an agreed stop signal); keep exercises self-applied and eyes-open if the client tends to dissociate; titrate by using one short technique at a time and checking in after each; if the client dissociates, stop the technique, orient to the room (name objects, feel feet on the floor), and resume psychological work only once present. Body-focused attention and touch can trigger trauma memories, especially after sexual or physical abuse: default to hands-off.

Suicidal thoughts or severe depression. The organisation's Q&A on suicidal depression lists energy techniques "in addition to" professional help [source: Mental Health Q&A page]. Response [synthesis]: follow standard suicide risk assessment and safety planning, involve crisis services when indicated, and never offer EEM as a substitute for that care. Energy techniques can be an optional self-soothing item on a safety plan, nothing more.

Medication questions. One organisation Q&A describes energy-testing antidepressant dosages, while noting medication can be "a godsend" and that the prescriber should be involved [source: Mental Health Q&A page]. Response: the psychotherapist never energy-tests medicines, doses or supplements and never advises starting, stopping or changing any medicine; all such questions go to the prescriber or pharmacist [synthesis; consistent with EEM Ethics Code E.11].

Physical symptoms and disease claims. Response: any physical complaint (pain, headaches, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, immune concerns) goes to the client's doctor. Do not present any EEM technique as treating cancer or any other physical disease; describe stated benefits as the method's own claims [source: Principles of Energy Medicine footer; EEM Ethics Code C.5; synthesis].

Magical thinking, over-reliance or rigid practice. Response: explore what the routine means to the client (control, hope, ritual); watch for obsessive-compulsive or health-anxious patterns that the practice may feed; scale back if it becomes a compulsion or avoidance behaviour [synthesis].

Energy testing used to "verify" memories, beliefs or decisions. The code prohibits using energy testing to confirm or disconfirm beliefs, memories or planned actions (E.11) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response: if a client brings results from another practitioner's testing about abuse memories or life decisions, explore them as the client's experience, not as evidence, and support decision-making through ordinary therapeutic means [synthesis].

Touch-related ruptures. Response: if a client withdraws consent, looks uncomfortable or later reports discomfort, stop immediately, acknowledge it without defensiveness, return to hands-off or no EEM, and document. Never sexual or genital touch; sensitive areas only by the client's own hand [source: EEM Ethics Code E.12–E.13; synthesis]. Follow your licensing board's guidance on touch, chaperones and records [uncertain: board positions not verified].

Non-adherence to home practice. Response: shorten to one or two elements, link to an existing habit, and treat missed practice as information, not failure (E.4) [source: EEM Ethics Code; synthesis].

Commerce and conflicts of interest. The code requires disclosure of any vested interest in products (I.8) and caution about energy testing customers on products the practitioner sells (E.11) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response: a psychotherapist does not sell EEM products, courses or sessions to their therapy clients, and does not recruit clients into tiered trainings; refer to the organisation's own directory if a client wants an EEM practitioner [synthesis; the APA Ethics Code's conflict-of-interest standards are relevant but are cited here as synthesis only].

Children and families. The code asks practitioners to agree at the outset with the relevant parties what information is shared (F.2) and recognises legal guardians' consent (F.1) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response: obtain guardian consent and the child's assent, keep exercises playful and self-applied, never use touch the child does not want, and follow safeguarding duties if a child's medical care is being delayed or replaced [synthesis].

Scope confusion with EEM practitioners. The code states psychotherapy lies outside energy psychology training (C.1) [source: EEM Ethics Code]. Response: if a client is also seeing an EEM practitioner, coordinate with consent (D.3), clarify roles, and keep psychological treatment in the therapy [synthesis]. Concerns about an EEM practitioner's conduct can be raised with the Eden Method ethics committee via its complaint procedure [source: Eden Method Ethics page], and with your own regulator or safeguarding authorities where required [synthesis].

Sources

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