The Sedona Method, Hale Dwoskin

Category: Book Reviews

One of my favourite prayers is the prayer of St Francis, which ends with: -

"It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

The conventional interpretation of this is the in order to live life to the full you need to let go of desire. The Sedona Method is about 'releasing' emotions. The sub title of the book is "How to get rid of your emotional baggage and live the life you want".

The Sedona Method was developed by Lester Levenson after he was given three months to live. He then lived another 42 years. Lester was a man who loved challenges. Instead of giving up, he decided to go back to the lab within himself and find some answers. Because of his determination and concentration, he was able to cut through his conscious mind to find what the needed. What he found was the ultimate tool for personal growth - a way of letting go of all inner limitations. He was so excited by his discovery that he used it intensively for a period of three months. By the end of that period his body became totally healthy again. Furthermore, he entered a state of profound peace that never left him through the day that he died 42 years later.

The Sedona Method explains the system that he discovered. Basically it is extremely simple, just a mantra of three questions. However, the 400+ page book describes a further development of the basic approach and gives specific instructions of how to use it in many different contexts.

The system is simple: -

Focus on an issue that you would like to feel better about, and then allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling in this moment.

Ask yourself one of the following three questions:
- Could I let this feeling go?
- Could I allow this feeling to be here?
- Could I welcome this feeling?
These questions are merely asking you if it is possible to take this action. "Yes" or "no" are both acceptable answers.

Ask this simple question: "Would I?" In other words: "Am I willing to let go?" If the answer is "no", or if you are not sure, ask yourself: "Would I rather have this feeling, or would I rather be free?"

Ask yourself this simpler question: "When?" This is an invitation to just let it go now. You may find yourself easily letting go. Remember that letting go is a decision you can make at any time you choose.

Repeat the preceding steps as often as needed until you feel free of that particular feeling.

The system recommends doing this for good feelings as well as for bad feelings!

Levinson believes that inherent in us are nine emotional states: apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger, pride, courageousness, acceptance, and peace, which fall along a gradient scale of energy and action. In apathy we have almost no energy available to us and take little or no action. Each successive emotion on the scale has more energy and affords us a greater capability for outward action.

As you use the Sedona Method to let go of your apathy, grief, fear, lust, anger and pride, you uncover the higher energy emotions, which are the real you that has always been there and you will move into courageousness, acceptance and peace. He claims that your life will turn around as a result and everything wil get easier for you.

As a further development of the model, Levinson claims that everyone is motivated by four basic desires that exist beneath our thoughts. These underlying motivators - the desire for approval, control, safety and separation - form the core of all our limitation. When we release these wants, we can have what we desire and stay motivated. In the process, we simply let go of our sense of deprivation and lacking.

The second part of the book focuses on how to release these wants.

Author Hale Dwoskin met Lester Levinson in 1976 and spent more and more time working with him. When Levinson died, Dwoskin took over the role of teaching and spreading the Sedona Method through seminars and tape sets. The Sedona Method was first published in 2003 and this paperback edition in 2005. It describes a simple, powerful and comprehensive approach to personal development and I strongly recommend it as both an introduction and a manual.

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