Does Releasing Really Work? – Part 2

How Do I Experience Emotions?

I have found that one of the most frequent questions asked on releasing forums is: how do I bring-up and feel emotions in relation to past events. Personally, when I release using Written Releasing techniques, I don’t feel any tension or emotion in relation to what I am about to release: I simply articulate the releasing question in the usual manner – then I experience a muscular contraction. If I release in response to stress I experience in the moment – I can usually experience a sense of lightness and relief as a result. However, with written releasing – I tend not to experience such a sense of relief.

I suppose I feel a little better after doing so, but I think it could be because I am experiencing, to some extent, a technique of relaxation called Progressive Muscular Relaxation.

Progressive Muscular Relaxation

P.M.R. is a means of relaxing by tensing-up a specific muscle group for, say, six seconds, before releasing that tension. Then, the process is repeated on another muscle group, until the whole body is relaxed. I have used this method myself and can say that it is rather effective.

Am I Releasing or Just Contracting?

So, if I just experience a muscular contraction when I “release” during “Written Releasing” sessions – how can I be certain that I am actually letting go of accumulated mental and emotional garbage? It could all be nothing more than a misnomer. I have been fooled in the past by my own mind when it comes to spiritual and self-help practices – so what makes this situation different?

If I could experience the requisite emotion before I released it – then I would know there is something worthwhile going on during these releasing sessions – but without the emotion – I cannot know for certain that I am releasing.

If I release in this way, intensely, for a period of time, and experience some sort of permanent mental and emotional shift for the better, or if my life circumstances improve in general – then I would know something has happened. But without any of these changes being made manifest – I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this process. The creator of the Sedona Method, Lester Levenson, said that we should not believe what he says – but that we should take it for checking.

The “Ultimate” Releasing Experiment

I decided to do what I thought would be the ultimate releasing experiment. I got together all the likes/dislikes and advantages/disadvantages worksheets I had made. I then released on each want associated with and attachment or aversion that I had identified. I released each want in turn by articulating a releasing question, for example, “An advantage of having more money is that I would be able to do more with my life – could I let go of the want for control.” Then my chest or stomach muscles would contract as I released the want.

Using a pencil, I would draw a ring around each want that had a strong “charge” to it that gave me a strong contraction when I released. If I experienced a mild “charge” I would not mark the worksheet for that want. If I experienced no “charge” to a want – I would cross it off. I then focused on only releasing the wants that held a strong “charge”. Over a few weeks or so I noticed that strong wants would eventually weaken to a “mild” state – so I would erase the ring I had marked it with using a pencil. Eventually, those wants that used to produce a strong muscular contraction – produced no response in me at all, and I could cross them off.

I started this exercise with about twenty or so worksheets. After a few weeks I managed to work through all of the wants until they were all crossed-off. I expected something amazing to happen once I had completed this “ultimate” releasing experiment. However, I found that nothing changed in my life – not even my emotions – I was disappointed to say the least! I suppose you could say that this experience killed-off my desire to use written releasing. I might go back to it at some point – but I’m not inclined to yet.

Releasing “In the Moment”

I am convinced from personal experience that releasing can be used to release emotions and their underlying wants “in the moment” as a means of maintaining peace. I am uncertain, from experience, of releasing having any use beyond this scope. I am not saying that written releasing techniques don’t work or that releasing cannot be used to bring freedom. All I’m saying is that from personal experience – they have not worked for me.

I know there are many people who have wonderful testimonies of how releasing changed their lives - but I can only recommend something to someone if I know it has worked for me. I would also like to suggest that it is possible that the wonderful testimonies that these people encountered, might actually have happened if they did not use releasing – who can know for certain?

Perhaps Only the Basic Course is required?

If releasing is to be used for the purpose of maintaining peace in the moment - only the basic Sedona Method or Release Technique, is required. These courses can either on CD or in book format. Obviously, the book will be a lot cheaper than the CD set. But there is an advantage of being able to listen to the CDs and release interactively with it. Nevertheless, the basic course book should be all you’ll ever need with regards to releasing effectively…as far as I know at this moment. I could be wrong, of course. If someone tells me that they release in a certain way and it works for them – that’s fine with me.