I’ve just read David R. Hawkins’ Letting Go. I can see how the technique of observing and accepting emotions might help some people. However, the book also makes many scientific, medical and paranormal claims that seem to go far beyond the available evidence.

I’m curious what others think:

• Kirlian photography: Hawkins presents Kirlian images as evidence that emotions change the human “aura”. But research has shown that many changes in these images are explained by moisture and electrical conductivity, not an emotional energy field. Why is this interpreted as an aura? Science paper on Kirlian photography
• Telepathy and emotional transmission: The book claims that minds can transmit thoughts and emotions over unlimited distances. What is the proposed signal, mechanism or receiver? EEG measures electrical activity from groups of neurons near scalp electrodes, while brain magnetic fields are extremely weak and decrease rapidly with distance. Scientific basis of EEG · MEG overview
• Quantum physics: Hawkins invokes quantum mechanics to support consciousness influencing reality and remote mental communication. But quantum entanglement does not allow controlled faster-than-light communication. Caltech explanation
• The consciousness scale: Shame is assigned 20, fear 100, anger 150, love 500 and enlightenment 1000. How were these numbers obtained? Where are the error margins, independent replications and falsification criteria? If critics are dismissed as having “low consciousness”, doesn’t that make the theory circular?
• Applied kinesiology: The book claims that muscle strength can determine whether a statement, food or person is “true” or beneficial. A double-blind study found about 53% accuracy, essentially no better than chance, and the AAAAI says applied kinesiology is not a reliable diagnostic method. Why should Hawkins’ version be trusted?
• Disease and emotion: The book suggests that most illnesses result from suppressed emotions and that releasing them can reverse serious disease. How does this explain infections, genetic conditions, autoimmune diseases, fractures or cancer? The NCI says the direct link between stress and cancer remains unclear. The NIDDK identifies H. pylori and NSAIDs as common causes of ulcers.
• “Adrenal fatigue”: Hawkins uses this concept, but the Endocrine Society states that there is no scientific proof that adrenal fatigue exists as a medical condition.
• Anecdotal cures: The book describes people supposedly curing vision problems, allergies, arthritis, diverticulitis, fractures and other illnesses through surrendering emotions. Where are the medical records, control groups, failed cases and independent follow-ups?
• Energy fields and chakras: What measurable physical structure corresponds to a chakra or meridian? What experiment could prove this model wrong?
• Plants, music and objects: The book claims that plants react to human emotions and that certain music, fluorescent lights, artificial sweeteners and synthetic fabrics weaken the body. Where are the properly controlled, replicated experiments?

I’m not arguing that emotional regulation, mindfulness or acceptance are useless. They may help with stress and subjective wellbeing. But does that justify the book’s claims about telepathy, energy fields, disease reversal and a numerical hierarchy of consciousness?

For those who have read it: which claims do you think are genuinely supported, and what would count as evidence against Hawkins’ system?

Sources

Applied kinesiology double-blind study · Stress and cancer — NCI · Peptic ulcers — NIDDK · Adrenal fatigue — Endocrine Society · Recent study on “letting go” and anger

[If you are not familiar with it, I've found so many definitions for samskara, and I'm not sure how to describe it: Jungian complex, a blocked emotion in the body tied to a limiting belief in the mind, unconscious conditioning, cognitive distortion, projective filter, karmic imprint created by even a minor trauma, emotional knot, blocked chakra, pain body, distorted perception of reality, projection of one's own pain onto reality, maladaptive schema, somatic marker, granthi, ...]

My understanding is that during my childhood and adolescence, I experienced (like many people) situations that created low self-esteem. A few years ago, I was friend-zoned by a friend, and I can't get over it. Initially, I thought it was a matter of love and attachment, but now I realize it's because he's reopened or exposed an old wound in me, which could be something like "I'm not good enough." The problem is that it doesn't seem to manifest itself in my body; it's like an elusive sensation in the air, or that I'm so used to feeling this way that I don't know where I end and low self-esteem begins. Or maybe I've chosen to numb myself and detach myself from my body so as not to feel anything. I'm having a hard time figuring out how to focus my attention on this non-sensation. Any advice?

PS. I know that the method described by Michael Singer and David Hawkins, simple as it is, works. In the past another "knot," "block" (samskara) [ which I don't want to discuss in detail, but it was about my relationship with masculine and feminine, being a woman and the perception of men and society ] dissolved simply by "looking" at it patiently. When it dissolved, I felt a sense of lightness and liberation in my body, and a thought that seemed to solve a riddle. (I've always known the solution to my problem, but the moment the tension was released, the same thought seemed new and "brilliant." Like Eureka! It was an illusion!). After this, I began to see the world and people differently, as if I had removed the glasses that made me see some areas of reality as ugly or bad or wrong, while maintaining the vision of myself as a victim. After that experience I no longer see the world or myself in a negative way, at least regarding that topic. So I know this works.

As Dr. Hawkins so often reminded us, the power of intention and the field of consciousness are not limited by time or space. In the grace of loving awareness, even silent prayers are heard.

🙏 Drop your prayer requests below.
Whether it’s for yourself, a loved one, or the world at large, simply posting it aligns it with the collective field of compassion. You don’t have to explain just a name or a word is enough.

❤️ If you feel moved, read through the requests and send loving presence or silent prayers. No effort is wasted. Everything offered in love contributes to the whole.

Let’s hold this space in gentleness and gratitude, knowing we are already held in a Love far greater than we can imagine.

Much love and blessings to all

if so, what is it?

I am doing the workbook for a while now, lesson 348 currently.

Hawkins often mentions the workbook and describes it as very powerful because the lesson remove unconscious guilt. In healing & recovery he describes that things like his health shifted after doing ACIM.

I really committed to it but I don't notice any changes really and I don't understand why. I do the daily lessons and keep offering anything that comes up as a disturbance (forgiving as Acim calls it).

This is meant to provide everyone the opportunity to ask any question and try to get help from the subreddit members. The intention here is to enhance everyone's understanding and promote more engagement.

This is an anything goes as long as it doesn't violate the subreddit or Reddit's rules.

If you have a nagging question or want something explained at a deeper level ask here.

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This is just an experiment if we don't get any engagement I will stop it from auto posting each Friday.

I'm going back to Hawkins and letting go as I realised I'd forgotten to use his method.

My question is how often do you practice? Is it in the moment of the emotion, or do you put time aside to let go?

I'm very curious to understand others ways of practice.

Please and Thank You

If you want to request a calibration for yourself or whatever, this is the place to do it. This is a weekly megathread with the intention to keep these requests from flooding the subreddit. Thank you for using this so that regular discussions do not get pushed off the front page.

>Disclaimer: We, the mods, cannot verify or validate the validity of these calibrations. Trusting some random person on the internet to diagnose you with cancer or not is NOT a good idea. Trusting some random person on the internet to tell you your own calibration level is also probably not the best idea. We understand the desire to know what you calibrate at, especially if you are new to Hawkins' work, you can look at the Level of Consciousness chart and get a pretty good idea on where you are without asking others. We also only allow calibrations as Hawkins' taught them, using the scale be created. Do not post other method of calibration that others have come up with.

If you would like to learn to calibrate on your own there is a subreddit dedicated to that called muscle testing

Does our LoC fluctuate?

No. This idea doesn’t align with DrH’s teachings. In fact, Doc clearly addressed this several times, especially during Q&A sessions after his lectures. In "Letting Go," Hawkins specifically mentions that although emotional states naturally shift and fluctuate, these temporary changes don’t reflect an actual shift in your overall LoC. Doc always stressed the difference between emotions that come and go and the foundational level of consciousness, which is more stable.

Hawkins described consciousness as hierarchical and exponential: the higher you calibrate, the more immune you become to lower influences. Sure, you can have moods like frustration or moments of joy, but these temporary emotional states don’t change your fundamental consciousness calibration unless there’s intentional spiritual advancement or significant regression.

Put simply, your basic LoC stays pretty steady.

To clarify further, your core LoC typically only shifts after major events like profound spiritual breakthroughs, deep healing or releasing of significant emotional blocks, trauma, severe emotional shocks, being around highly evolved spiritual teachers or groups, divine intervention, or engaging with strongly negative energies, misuse of power, egoic inflations, or extended association with low-calibrating influences. LoC shifts aren’t common or casual. DrH noted that the average person moves just about 5 calibration points in an entire lifetime. So always approach any claims of frequent or casual fluctuations in LoC with healthy skepticism.

I’ve been trying to make sense of the Letting Go technique (based on David Hawkins' work), but I’ve hit a massive logical contradiction that I hope someone can clear up.

Here is where the logic completely breaks down for me:

The instruction: The core of the method is to become aware of the feeling, allow it to be there, and not try to change it or resist it.

The trap set by teachers: Whenever it doesn't work, teachers or advanced practitioners will tell you: "It's because you want it to go away. You are expecting relief, which means you are attached to a result and resisting the feeling."

The paradox: But let's look at this honestly. If I actually didn't care whether the feeling went away or stayed—if I was completely fine with it hanging around forever—I wouldn't need a technique in the first place. I wouldn't need to "allow it to be" or "become aware of it" with the purpose of processing it. I would just live my life normally.

The only reason anyone initiates a release technique is because a feeling hurts, is uncomfortable, and they want it to stop.

So here is my core question: Why are we told to bring awareness to a feeling and "let it go," while at the same time being told we are not allowed to want it to leave?

If wanting relief is classified as "resistance," and wanting the feeling to pass invalidates the process, then the technique requires you to pretend you don't want the exact thing that motivated you to use the technique in the first place.

How can a method demand a state of complete indifference to your own suffering, while simultaneously requiring you to actively sit down and "do" a technique to clear it? Isn't that a complete catch-22? Can someone explain how this makes logical sense?

For 30 mins in the morning and evening I am laying down. A thought will arise and I’ll ask myself ‘what do I not want to feel right now/what feeling am I avoiding by thinking this’? Sensations will arise. I’ll focus on the sensations with a demeanour of ‘you can be here, I don’t want to change you’ and just notice the subtle movements of the sensation.

Like if it’s a memory about abandonment it’ll be in the neck or the jaw, if it’s thinking of ways to make sure someone is on good terms with me, I’ll find it’ll be in the same place because it’s trying to prevent abandonment.

I’ll hold attention there until an attempt to distract me shows up, or some resistance. Then I’ll focus on the resistance, the part of me that doesn’t want to feel this sensation and I’ll feel that with a sense of ‘you can be here, I don’t want to change you’. While holding space for the feeling and the part that doesn’t want to feel it, I ask if I can let this battle go, when? Now. Then it feels like a dam breaking and I’m overwhelmed with a feeling like love, optimism, grief, anger etc. without the resistance. It feels like it’s moving through me and dissolving.

Am I doing too much here? Should I just think of something and feel that one sensation in the same place for 30 mins? Should I not follow the sensation around the body? Am I being too cognitive with this method?

I’ve been working on releasing negative emotions for over two years to get rid of suffering. I have bounced back and forth between the Sedona Method, Larry Crane’s Release Technique, and Dr. Hawkins' Letting Go.

Hawkins' method is the only one that gives me consistent results. As a highly analytical person, the Sedona Method questions just get me stuck in my intellect trying to figure things out. However, I keep getting lured back to the other methods because of their massive promises.

I am starting to think the non-Hawkins methods are nonsense, and I have a few blunt questions for people who have navigated this:

1. Is Lester Levenson’s "freedom in 3 months" claim BS? Lester claimed that if we exclusively focus on releasing the three core wants (approval, control, security), we can go completely free in three months. I have spent hours upon hours doing this and just get stuck. Is there any actual truth to this timeline, or is it heavily exaggerated?
2. Is Larry Crane’s "Butt System" a complete lie? Larry explicitly taught that you can literally sit on your butt all day, release on your wants, and have everything in the world effortlessly manifest for you. I’ve done the releasing with absolutely zero real-world results. Is this just manifestation marketing garbage?
3. Should I let go of the "greed" for quick freedom? I realize that my desire to use Lester's method of releasing wants is driven by greed—the ego's desire for a massive shortcut to clear limitations faster.
4. Is Hawkins the only realistic approach? Dr. Hawkins doesn't promise manifestation tricks or 90-day timelines. He focuses entirely on the slower, grounded process of surrendering negative feelings one by one as they arise.

Should I just accept that the fast-track promises of the Sedona Method and Release Technique are BS, drop the greed of going free quickly, and commit 100% to Dr. Hawkins’ process?

Has anyone here gone through this exact realization and successfully abandoned the other methods? I just want the truth.

Been practicing on and off.

I always wanted to make it a habit to

> “being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.”

But feels like it’d take all day and I won’t be able to do anything else.

How do you handle letting go while attending to daily life?

As Dr. Hawkins so often reminded us, the power of intention and the field of consciousness are not limited by time or space. In the grace of loving awareness, even silent prayers are heard.

🙏 Drop your prayer requests below.
Whether it’s for yourself, a loved one, or the world at large, simply posting it aligns it with the collective field of compassion. You don’t have to explain just a name or a word is enough.

❤️ If you feel moved, read through the requests and send loving presence or silent prayers. No effort is wasted. Everything offered in love contributes to the whole.

Let’s hold this space in gentleness and gratitude, knowing we are already held in a Love far greater than we can imagine.

Much love and blessings to all

This is meant to provide everyone the opportunity to ask any question and try to get help from the subreddit members. The intention here is to enhance everyone's understanding and promote more engagement.

This is an anything goes as long as it doesn't violate the subreddit or Reddit's rules.

If you have a nagging question or want something explained at a deeper level ask here.

For those responding please only respond to the question if you can truly answer the OP's question, please do not just make a comment, if you like the question please just upvote it, this will help keep the discussions more clear.

This is just an experiment if we don't get any engagement I will stop it from auto posting each Friday.

We have innate within us a tremendous intense powerful devotion. You don't have to develop it you only have to rediscover it. There is within us already, pre-existent, an energy of such enormous power that one summons up that power to relinquish any and every attachment that stands in the way. You won't find the willingness to do that within the ego structure. The ego will instantly give you an argument why it should not persist in the direction that it's positioned. So, one has to reach deeper within oneself. At the very innate core of one's being is a spiritual power of enormous strength which alone can accomplish the impossible. The ego in and of itself cannot transcend itself, it requires the presence of God. It is by divine Grace that one transcends the ego. It is by divine Grace one moves from mind to no mind. It's by divine Grace one moves from thinking that content and linearity is the ultimate reality. It's by divine Grace now. No one would be here to pursue such a goal if such Grace did not already pre-exist, therefore each and every one of us here this day is here by virtue of divine Grace. Therefore, I pray to the divine Grace and thee and bless it I acknowledge it because it is by divinity of thy Grace by which we all exist at this moment. So that what you're looking for is not beyond you, it's not something you have to develop, it's not something you have to search for, one only surrenders to that which already exists.