CB asks: “Just thought that I’d make you aware of another technique that is gaining adherents here in the Chicagoland area. It is the LifeLine Technique developed by Dr. Darren Weismann. He is gaining followers through his books and is training people to teach his methods. It’s classic New Age psychic/energy healing nonsense with a side of chiropractic thrown in (which is what draws most people into his practice initially.). You might want to address this in your blog.”This email is the perfect example of how this blog became so effective in helping people to discern their way through the New Age practices that have become so pervasive in our culture. By sharing this information with us, we are able to do the research and inform thousands of Christians around the world about this technique and why it could pose problems for the discerning Catholic. Many thanks to you, CB!
For those who have never heard of it, the LifeLine Technique® , which was developed by Dr. Darren Weismann, a chiropractic holistic doctor, is described as a being a “mind medicine practice for intentionally processing pain, fear, and stress” by navigating the “realm of the subconscious mind [to] transform problems in your life into a portal of the next greatest version of your life.”
As the site explains, the technique incorporates 14 science and philosophically-based healing modalities. When I looked into the details, I found very little proven science and a whole lot of New Age practices. These include ayurvedic medicine, the chakra system, homeopathy, shamanism, Chinese medicine and the Five Element theory.
The “science” behind the technique is also questionable. For example, the site makes this claim: “By tapping into the subconscious mind with a laser like mechanism of Muscle Reflex Testing (MRT), we are able to discover, discern, and process the emotional root cause of symptoms, stressors, and disease…”
The problem with this is that MRT is considered to be pseudoscientific.
According this article on muscle testing (aka applied kinesiology) that appeared in Healthline, studies have shown that “while some standard orthopedic or chiropractic muscle tests may be helpful for specific muscle-related weaknesses, muscle tests are useless for diagnosing medical conditions (such as organic disease or mental illness).”
This statement is based on numerous studies, such as one conducted in 2014 which concluded that “The research published by the Applied Kinesiology field itself is not to be relied upon, and in the experimental studies that do meet accepted standards of science, Applied Kinesiology has not demonstrated that it is a useful or reliable diagnostic tool upon which health decisions can be based.”
But that hasn’t stopped many chiropractors like Dr. Weismann from employing the practice. In spite of its lack of scientific credibility, one survey conducted by the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) in 1998 found that this method was being used by 43 percent of chiropractic offices in the United States.
The LifeLine Technique® also claims to “enable and empower emotional intelligence.”
For those who never heard of it, emotional intelligence (aka EQ), “refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.”
It is said to include at least three skills: emotional awareness, which is the ability to identify one’s own emotions; the ability to harness these emotions and apply them to the tasks at hand; and the ability to manage one’s own emotions and help others to do the same.
According to this article appearing in Psychology Today, the problem is that, “There is no validated psychometric test or scale for emotional intelligence as there is for "g," the general intelligence factor—and many argue that emotional intelligence is therefore not an actual construct, but a way of describing interpersonal skills that go by other names.”
The renowned psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson goes even further.
“There is no such thing as an Emotional Intelligence Quotient, he explains in this article. "Let me repeat that: There is no such thing as an EQ. The idea was popularized by a journalist, Daniel Goleman, not a psychologist. . . Scientifically, it’s a fraudulent concept, a fad, a convenient bandwagon, a corporate marketing scheme.”
There is little credible science to back up the concept of EQ.
All of the above explains why the consumer cannot find any research or scientific evidence to prove the efficacy of the LifeLine Technique® on its website. This is because there isn't any. The only “evidence” the consumer is offered are testimonials.
The bottom line is that the LifeLine Technique® appears to be constructed of a variety of scientifically questionable modalities. Because some of these involve practices associated with non-Christian religions, it is not recommended for Catholics.
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