History

• The Sedona Method was originally conceived in 1952 by a critically ill New York physicist named Lester Levenson. Desperate to overcome a terminal diagnosis, Levenson said he came to the realization that he could cure himself simply by releasing all negative feelings and emotions. The next 22 years saw Levenson continue to practice and refine his theory culminating in the official development of the Sedona Method in 1974. Two years later, Levenson met Hale Dwoskin, a young man seeking an answer to a variety of self-awareness questions. The two became good friends and Dwoskin spent the next 18 years learning the method's techiques. Two years after Levenson's death in 1994, Dwoskin founded Sedona Training Associates, an organization devoted to spreading the message of his mentor's teachings. In 2003, Dwoskin published the book The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace & Emotional Well-being.
  
  

Facts

• The Sedona Method is not a religious movement or group. Its parent company, Sedona Training Associates, headed by Hale Dwoskin, views and presents itself as an educational organization focused on helping individuals and businesses discover peace, contentment and success through utilization of the method's theories. The company is a thriving entity, producing seminars, retreats, individualized training and additional teaching materials such as CDs, DVDs, books, mp3s and online courses.
  
  

Method

• The Sedona Method teaches that "releasing" all negative thoughts, emotions and feelings is at the core of finding peace, success and happiness. In fact, "releasing" is a word that will remain constantly forefront in the mind of any individual participating in the method's courses or teachings. The advice is that any feeling or action not based in love is a negative emotion and thus an impediment to achievement of one's desires or goals. Some of the method's courses teach that improvement and newfound success can and will be almost instantaneous. The Sedona Method is quite similar in approach to the popular book and movie by Rhonda Byrne, "The Secret," and is largely based on the principles of the law of attraction. That's an ancient theory focused on the idea that individuals and society will receive the things on which they focus and think of the most. The theories of "The Secret" and "The Sedona Method" are so entwined that Hale Dwoskin was one of the major contributors, or "teachers," in both the book and the movie.
  
  

Speculation

• There is always a healthy dose of skepticism sprayed toward any self-help program or motivational organization. Some view the Sedona Method as just another scam designed to pry dollars away from individuals desperate for happiness and success in life. Yet many practitioners of the method claim it has moved their life quickly to a place of peace and goodness--a destination they're happy to have paid any price to reach.
  
  

Effects

• The Sedona Method is billed as a technique that shows how to discover a natural ability to let go of unwanted and agonizing feelings. It consists of a number of questions you ask yourself, leading to an awareness of what you are feeling in the moment and an ability to simply "release" painful emotions.