You’ve likely heard that bottling up your emotions or sweeping them under the rug isn’t a healthy way to cope. But you’ve probably also been taught that “big girls don’t cry,” or to “tough it out,” or “get over it.” So what are you supposed to do with your emotions, exactly? Enter the Sedona Method, a New Age, self-help process for releasing negative emotions so you can shake them off and step lighter into your life. The Sedona Method sounds like a big promise—you can just let go of anger?!—and it is. Like many other healing methods or mental health tools, it’s not for everyone. But skim some of the Amazon reviews for the method’s book, and you’ll see that for some people, it’s been transformational.
The Sedona Method is predicated on the idea that, although happiness and calm are our inherent states, emotional baggage frequently obscures them. Using a series of questions, the procedure enables people to recognize and release these feelings.
Marcus Smith, LCPC, LPC, LCADC, licensed clinical professional counselor and executive director at Alpas Wellness, highlights the benefits of the Sedona Method. Gary Tucker, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist and chief clinical officer at D’Amore Mental Health, also shares positive experiences with the method, stating, “On a personal level, it has been helpful for me as an effective approach to stress management and letting go of emotional baggage.”
The Sedona Method is designed to assist individuals in releasing negative emotions, stress, and limiting beliefs. “This approach is predicated on the idea that, although happiness and calm are our inherent states, emotional baggage frequently obscures them,” says Marcus Smith, LCPC, LPC, LCADC, licensed clinical professional counselor and executive director at Alpas Wellness. The Sedona Method seeks to provide individuals with tools to feel their feelings and move on without getting attached, helping them acknowledge and release their emotions.
The method was developed in the 1970s by Lester Levenson and later made famous by Hale Dwoskin. In his book, Dwoskin explains different techniques to aid in releasing emotions and achieving personal growth. These techniques include methods for letting go, welcoming, and diving deeper into emotions to liberate oneself from their hold.
Gary Tucker, LMFT, licensed psychotherapist, highlights the potential benefits of the Sedona Method for individuals struggling with chronic stress, anxiety, emotional regulation, self-esteem issues, depressive symptoms, and those seeking personal growth and emotional development. Tucker emphasizes that while the method can be helpful, it should not replace professional therapy for severe mental illnesses.
The Sedona Method offers three techniques for dealing with unwanted emotions: choosing to let go of the emotion, welcoming the emotion, or diving deeper into the emotion. Each technique aims to help individuals release negative feelings and achieve a sense of freedom from emotional burdens.
Option 1: Choose to let go of the feeling. This technique involves asking questions to assess your willingness to release the emotion. By acknowledging your emotions and choosing to let go, you can free yourself from their hold.
Option 2: Welcome the emotion. Instead of resisting the feeling, this technique encourages individuals to accept and experience the emotion fully, without trying to change it. Research suggests that accepting emotions can lead to better psychological health.
Option 3: Dive deeper into the emotion. In cases of strong emotions, individuals may need to explore their emotions further. By sitting with the emotion and giving it space, individuals can gain insight and release the emotional burden.
