Neuro Emotional Technique

Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield · Scott Walker · 1980

What it is

NET is a proprietary mind/body method developed by the chiropractor Scott Walker, beginning in the early 1980s as a way for chiropractors to address recurring vertebral "subluxations", and later extended to non-spinal practitioners who use non-needle acupoint stimulation instead of spinal…

Format

• A. NET as its organisation describes a session (for the therapist's understanding only; not steps to perform).
• Format and count: sessions may be stand-alone (one practitioner describes 30-minute visits) or a segment within another session; NET publishes no standard course length. Published case reports describe long courses (e.g. dozens of sessions).

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• NET's training describes "15 basic steps" and "7 theoretical underpinnings"; the individual steps are not published openly.
• Who practises it: Certified NET Practitioners, who per NET must hold a master's degree or higher in a healing art and be licensed or governed by a state or national body; mostly chiropractors, also acupuncturists and other "body-oriented" providers, and some "mind-oriented" (mental-health) practitioners.
• Training: proprietary NET seminars with exams, leading to "Certified NET Practitioner" status maintained through continuing education; certification is by N.E.T., Inc.. Seminar names, levels and fees.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status: a small body of studies, many case reports and small waitlist-controlled trials funded by the ONE Research Foundation; independent commentators judge the theory implausible and the evidence weak.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• The client feeling rejected; the therapist being drawn into adjudicating NET. Working when the client understands the boundary and still feels respected.
• Concealment, escalating spend, missed medical appointments, a child's worsening condition. Working when risks are named openly and medical care remains in place.
• Client fear of retaliation or of losing a valued practitioner; mandatory duties that override confidentiality. Working when the client feels supported rather than pushed.
• Increasing session frequency with shorter relief; new symptoms replacing old ones. Working when the client tolerates uncertainty better and functioning improves (cross-ref Domain II).
• Splitting (the client is told one professional is "blocking" the other); muscle-test results presented to you as diagnoses. Working when the client experiences the professionals as cooperating.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.