Neuro Emotional Technique (NET): A Holistic Approach to Stress and Trauma
Overview of NET
Founded by Dr. Walker in 1988, Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) is a method used by chiropractors and other health practitioners to help relieve stress stored in the body. While traditional chiropractic care focuses on the structural components of the body, primarily the spine, NET addresses the emotional elements and how stress and trauma are stored in the nervous system.
Dr. Walker discovered, through his work as a chiropractor, that adjusting the spine structurally wasn’t always producing the breakthroughs he wanted for his patients. He realized that the body could still be holding onto unresolved trauma and stress, which could manifest as physical pain. Dr. Walker identified that stress patterns in the body follow certain predictable pathways, which he called Neuro Emotional Complexes (NECs). Essentially, stress is stored in the body, and when a stimulus occurs, it triggers those stresses, often causing responses that are not always favorable. This is where NET can help.
The goal of NET is to normalize these NEC patterns so that patients can better manage and cope with stress. In many cases, NET can bring up past patterns or experiences—some of which you may have forgotten or never realized were contributing to your current problems.
It’s important to note that NET is neither psychology nor psychiatry, and it is not a replacement for therapy with a licensed mental health professional. However, it can be a helpful complement to traditional therapy by addressing how your body holds and processes emotional stress. NET can often help release emotional blockages, potentially making it easier for you to work through unresolved issues in therapy or on your own. NET is not intended to reveal what happened in the past, but rather to help bring up the memory of what happened. It addresses the patient’s emotional reality—how stored emotions and stress manifest in their body today.
What to Expect in an NET Session
You might be wondering what an NET session looks like. Let me give you a breakdown. Think of when you visit a primary care physician, and they tap your knee with a hammer to test your reflexes. The involuntary leg kick is a response from your nervous system—a reflex.
In an NET session, the practitioner uses muscle testing to stimulate the patient’s nervous system, specifically the limbic system, to produce a response. For the sake of this explanation, let’s use the arm and shoulder for the muscle test. The doctor will apply slight pressure to the patient’s outstretched arm while asking a series of questions to see if there is any change in muscle response. If the muscle weakens or reacts, it indicates that an emotional trigger or stress pattern has been activated. A trained NET practitioner can interpret these changes in the muscle and help identify the original events causing emotional stress or trauma.
While muscle testing is not unique to NET, what sets it apart is the specific protocol that has been developed and refined since the 1980s. NET can be a powerful tool to add to anyone’s routine if they’re looking to heal from within and address stress in a scientifically supported way.
If you're curious about trying NET, I encourage you to explore more. I will provide a link to a website where you can learn more and find an NET practitioner near you!