On 19 April 2020, a one-hour documentary by the One Research Foundation, titled “stressed” was published on YouTube.

This documentary, aptly released at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, explored the “Neuro Emotional Technique (NET)” – a method for managing stress and pain.

Since then, this documentary has garnered over 2 million views. But for some, it raised more questions than answers, such as:

• How does NET work
• Is there real science behind NET?
• Does NET really work?

In this article, we’ll address all these questions and more. Read on to discover how NET works, its effectiveness, the conditions it targets, whether it’s right for you, and how it compares to other therapies.

What is Neuro Emotional Technique (NET)?

Developed by chiropractors Dr. Scott Walker and Dr. Deborah Walker in 1985, the Neuro Emotional technique (NET) is an approach to manage stress and pain. It combines chiropractic, acupuncture, and applied kinesiology/manual muscle testing.

This treatment is based on the principle that the stress from underlying and current unresolved issues or trauma impact your body’s physical responses. Among NET practitioners, this is known as “developing a Neuro Emotional Complex (NEC)”.

In other words, NET focuses on the ‘physiology’ (and not psychology) of emotional / stress responses.

In the Stress documentary, Dr. Scott Walker recounts how he developed NET. He noticed that patients who weren’t responding to his treatment were “emotionally burdened”.

From there, based on the following practices:

• Chiropractic adjustment, which manipulates joints in the body to realign the spine and reduce pain and/or discomfort.
• Acupuncture, which “stimulates” (with needles, pressure, or heat) acupuncture points along the meridians – a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine – to solve medical issues.
• Applied kinesiology, which uses “muscle tests” (deeming a muscle as weak or strong) to diagnose structural, muscular, chemical, and mental ailments.

Dr. Scott decided to test this hypothesis on a patient who was recently in a car accident. He devised NET on the spot – asking her to think-feel about her pain / issue while giving a special vertebral adjustment.

What is NEC?

NEC is a term in NET which refers to a “subjective maladaptation syndrome” (physiological emotional response) the body develops when responding to threats.

According to proponents, your body may “lock in” this response which results in ill health or an imbalance in life. Read more in this guide on finding NECs.

What is NET Not?

Now that we know what NET is, let’s take a look at what it is not:

• NET is not counseling or psychotherapy. NET does not: include or employ counseling, advise for behavioural changes, have a goal of insight, teach anything, and / or touch on life lessons.
• NET does not treat emotions. The objective of NET is to identify and correct physical aberrations (subluxation or meridian imbalance) caused by emotional stress.

How Does NET Work?

But Does NET Actually Work?

In recent years, NET has been met with skepticism. Although there has been research suggesting potential benefits, researchers state the need for further clinical trials.

To understand NET and its impacts, let’s take a look at a few studies conducted in the last decade:

Study 1: NET in Cancer Patients with Traumatic Stress Symptoms

A 2017 preliminary study investigated the effects of NET on brain physiology in cancer patients [1]. The study involved 23 participants with a prior cancer diagnosis who expressed a distressing memory related to cancer that was associated with traumatic stress symptoms.

Some patients had their treatment over several weeks and some had their treatment all in one day. Once the tests were complete, results indicated a significant reduction in traumatic stress symptoms among the participants who received the NET intervention.

This was shown by less reactivity in parts of the limbic system (which are involved in traumatic memories) such as the parahippocampus during the traumatic stimulus, and reductions in distress, anxiety, and traumatic stress as measured by self report assessments.

The researchers concluded that NET might be a beneficial adjunctive therapy for managing stress in cancer patients. However, the researchers stated that larger-scale clinical and neurophysiological trials are needed to confirm these results.

Study 2: NET in Chronic Lower Back Pain (CLBP) Patients

A 2021 study explored the impact of Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) on patients with chronic lower back pain (CLBP) [2]. The study included 112 participants who were randomly assigned to receive either NET or a placebo treatment twice weekly for four weeks.

Compared to the placebo, NET showed significant improvements in pain, disability, and inflammation markers. Patients treated with NET had better quality of life scores, and the percentage of patients with abnormal biomarkers dropped at 1, 3, and 6 months.

The study concluded that NET may be an effective intervention for reducing pain, disability, and inflammation in CLBP patients while enhancing overall quality of life.

Although the researchers found the results encouraging, they stated the need for future large-scale studies that follow patients for a longer period to better understand the use of NET for CLBP patients.

What’s the General Consensus?

The studies above offer promising insights into the potential benefits of NET in treating emotional and physical conditions. There have been other studies, such as on hypothyroidism and stress [3], and Type 2 Diabetes and stress [4], which showed similarly positive results.

However, the overall body of scientific evidence remains limited. Most existing research comprises small sample sizes and lacks long-term follow-up, which are critical factors in establishing the efficacy and safety of therapeutic interventions.

The general consensus is that, although anecdotal reports and preliminary studies suggest potential benefits of NET, more extensive and independent clinical trials are necessary.

Therefore, we recommend consulting with healthcare professionals and considering NET as a complementary therapy, rather than a standalone treatment.

How Do I Know if NET is Right For Me?

In a 2008 interview with The American Chiropractor, Dr. Scott Walker stated that the ideal candidate for NET are individuals who:

• Have a stubborn physical problem (chronic pain, muscle tension, recurrent issue)
• Struggle with chronic stress or anxiety
• Have behavioural or health issues with no apparent cause
• Have a health issue that does not respond to standard chiropractic care
• Feel emotionally stuck or burdened

NET SHOULD be used together with other medical treatments and not as a replacement. This allows your healthcare providers to work together and ensure the best for your wellbeing.

Interested to learn more about NET? Book a consultation with Sage Chiropractic today.

NET vs. Other Therapies

The following is a quick comparison between NET and other therapies:

Sage Chiropractic’s NET Approach: Here’s What You Can Expect

At Sage Chiropractic, we use the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) therapy to address trapped emotions to:

• restore the mind-body connection,
• reduce overall stress, and
• improve your body’s ability to heal and function.

The number of sessions vary from person to person. Some feel better after just one session, while others may need several sessions.

A NET session usually takes around 45-60 minutes, depending on the complexity of your condition. Here is what a typical NET session looks like at Sage:

• Step 1 – Consultation: Firstly, our practitioners will sit down with you to discuss your health concerns and goals.
• Step 2 – Muscle Testing: We’ll then use muscle testing to identify stress responses. We’ll explain how it works and how it feels like to get a “strong” or “weak” response.
• Step 3 – Emotional Identification: After this, we’ll pinpoint the emotion and its origin.
• Step 4 – Correction: Finally, we’ll ask you to focus on the relevant / identified emotions and employ gentle spinal adjustments.

During the session, you may experience some side effects such as temporary emotional release and mild fatigue.

Read What Our Clients Say About Us!

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, Neuro-Emotional Technique (NET) is a promising method for addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of conditions like stress and chronic pain.

By focusing on the mind-body connection and resolving emotional stress, NET may improve pain management, reduce inflammation, and enhance quality of life for patients.

While early studies show positive results, more research is needed to confirm its long-term effectiveness. As we learn more about how stress and emotions affect physical health, NET could become a valuable tool in holistic healthcare for pain and stress management.

Interested to learn more about NET? Book a consultation with Sage Chiropractic today!