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The Sedona Method -

What even is the Sedona Method? Put simply, it's a technique to help you release limiting beliefs, stress, and negativity. 

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The Sedona Method -

The method itself was devised in the 1970s, by an American physicist, Lester Leveson. He was a mentor to Hale Dwoskin, who authored a book about it in 2003.

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Emotional suppression -

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we've been taught to suppress our emotions throughout our lives. Problems arise when we don't process these emotions after pushing them away.

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Emotional suppression -

There are lots of circumstances where it's not appropriate or professional to release our pent-up emotional reactions to what's happening.

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Feel to move on -

The Sedona Method is a technique that teaches you to let yourself feel these emotions and move on. This way, you don't become attached to them or identify with them.

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Happiness is our natural state -

The basis for the method is that emotions like happiness and peace are our baseline states. However, the emotional debris we pick up can cloud these states and sometimes we begin to identify with the negative states instead.

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Four basic wants: Approval or disapproval -

According to the Sedona Method, there are four basic wants underpinning human behavior. The desire to feel wanted, needed, or loved falls into the approval category. In contrast, acting out in the hope of being punished is an example of someone seeking disapproval.

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Four basic wants: To control or be controlled -

If you don't feel like you have control in your life, you might seek out ways to have it. In comparison, if you don't trust yourself and feel as though you need permission to speak or act, you might seek out being controlled.

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Four basic wants: Security or insecurity -

Comfort, safety, and stability are what create feelings of security in our lives. Without them, you might feel your life is chaotic or out of control. Seeking insecurity can occur when life feels overbearing and you want to break free.

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Four basic wants: Separation or oneness -

This refers to the duality of life, where we seek both independence (separation) and connection (oneness). These represent the drives to either differentiate ourselves or to belong, and we might frequently oscillate between these two states.

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Learning to let go -

The Sedona Method provides an easy-to-follow process. This process helps you to acknowledge and learn to let go of these emotions.

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Nine emotional states -

As well as acknowledgment and release, the Sedona Method provides tools that are supposed to help you benefit from further emotional growth. One of these tools is learning to recognize the nine emotional states.

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Nine emotional states -

By helping you to identify your emotional state in any situation, you can go deeper into the emotion itself and use it to break bad habits and release old attachments.

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Apathy -

Someone who is in a state of apathy might feel bored, indifferent, lazy, powerless, hopeless, overwhelmed, and lack the energy to do anything.

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Grief -

Someone who is in a state of grief might feel abandoned, rejected, distressed, despondent, or even nostalgic. They need help to make them change or feel capable of doing something different about their circumstances.

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Fear -

In a fear state, it can be very difficult to act, as it can make you feel anxious, cautious, vulnerable, and afraid of the consequences if you do take action.

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Lust -

Lust doesn't have to be sexual (although it can be). In a state of lust, someone feels a sense of anticipation, acting in ways that are compulsive. Due to having a lot of energy in this state, you might be more inclined to act out your desires.

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Anger -

Anger imbues feelings of jealousy, annoyance, aggression, resentfulness, and impatience. It can be accompanied by a clear mind, but it can also make it difficult to take action. 

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Pride -

Arrogance, defensiveness, and being critical of others are the hallmarks of pride. There is a focus on what you feel you lack, accompanied by a resistance to change.

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Courageousness -

When someone is in a state of courageousness, they feel motivated to act. They are confident, enthusiastic, and decisive.

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Acceptance -

When someone is in a state of acceptance, they are content with what is, and aren't trying to fight it. There is no need to make changes or adjust anything.

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Peace -

One step up from acceptance is the state of peace. You feel complete and free, without the need to change anything because it's perfect as is.

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How does it work -

Three techniques are at the core of the Sedona Method. These techniques make it possible to deal with difficult emotions. You can either choose to let go of the emotion, welcome the emotion, or dive deeper into the emotion.

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Choose to let it go -

This is the central tenet of the Sedona Method. You think about something you'd like to feel better about, and identify the exact emotion you're feeling about it. Labeling the emotion can reduce the severity of the feeling associated with it.

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Choose to let it go -

Next, ask yourself: Could I let this feeling go? Could I allow this feeling to be here? Could I welcome this feeling? Afterwards: Would I let this feeling go? This is to identify the willingness without judgement. The final step is to ask yourself: when? The implication is, the time is now.

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Welcome the emotion -

Sometimes, by welcoming the emotion and letting it be there, you'll immediately feel a sense of release. This is because it takes a lot of energy to suppress a feeling. 

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Welcome the emotion -

It's been discovered that people who don't judge how they feel are generally happier and less prone to depressive states, which could be connected to welcoming each emotion and accepting it, rather than chastizing yourself for having it.

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Dive deeper into the emotion -

In certain instances, you might need to go deeper into the emotion. Let yourself feel it, then ask yourself a few questions about this emotion. 

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Dive deeper into the emotion -

The main things to focus on are: what am I telling myself about this emotion? What is at the core of this feeling? Could I let myself dive into this feeling?

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Different thinking process -

The 2003 book takes readers through different thinking processes that form the basis of being able to let go, making it helpful for many people.

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Stress and anxiety -

Those who suffer from stress and anxiety, have low self-esteem, poor emotional regulation, and depressive symptoms but who remain open-minded to self-help methods might find the Sedona Method effective.

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Not a 'cure-all' -

There is not enough evidence about the Method to recommend its effectiveness, so it's important to bear this in mind. It should never be used as a replacement for professional therapy where there is severe mental illness.

Sources: (Well + Good) (The Sedona Method) (Sources of Insight) (The Path to Awesomeness)

See also: Understanding how resentment affects your health

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