Lester Levenson's Sedona Method

Lester Levenson, who died in 1994, was the founder of The Sedona Method, a program of self-improvement designed to help individuals and businesses rid themselves of negative thought and feelings while achieving a happy, positive future. Who's behind this group now? Is it a religious movement or publishing empire? How does one go about altering self-defeating thought?

History

• Lester Levenson was a sick man. In 1952, he was a 42-year old physicist in New York. Shocked to hear that he had only a few weeks to live, Levenson searched for a way to hold off death. Looking deeply within himself he discovered a desperately unhappy man. According to the story, he quickly adopted the concept that the best way to rid himself of his terminal illness and overall despondency was to release all negative feelings and emotions. The official history of The Sedona Method suggests that Levenson practiced his theory to the point that his body was completely healed. And, indeed, he did live long and well for the next 42 years. In 1974, after more than two decades of developing his program, he officially launched The Sedona Method and began teaching its principles at seminars. In 1996, a Levenson protege, Hale Dwoskin, started an organization called Sedona Training Associates, a company dedicated to spreading the message of his mentor's work. In 1993, Dwoskin published the best-selling book, "The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being." Dwoskin continues to lead the company and movement today.

Facts

• Sedona Training Associates, the entity that oversees and develops all Sedona Method products, is an Arizona-based company. The organization views and presents itself as an educational movement rather than a religious institution while producing seminars, books, courses, DVDs and CDs. All of its offerings focus on developing the core essence of the original philosophy: that the key to securing happiness and success is by moving away from negative feelings and thoughts.

The Method

• Those who are familiar with the ancient philosophy called "the law of attraction" (recently brought to prominence by the best-selling book and movie "The Secret") will note similarities between that philosophy and the basic concepts of The Sedona Method.

  Levenson's teachings focus on the idea that we are all unlimited beings. But we hold ourselves back with a false sense of limitation. The goal is to uncover a natural ability to "release" all negative feelings and thoughts. The method includes a series of questions one must ask to develop an awareness of what you're feeling at any particular moment and comprehend what's necessary to remove it from your life.

Release

• "Releasing" and "letting go" are the catchphrases that dominate all conversation and thought around The Sedona Method. Levenson's program teaches that people hold tightly to their feelings and tend to forget how extremely attached we are to them. Essentially, we believe that we are our feelings. For example, if anger is a dominant emotion, then subconsciously we consider ourselves to be angry people. That then becomes a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. We can't discover actual happiness because we're too attached to the idea that we are angry people. The method strives to teach people to discard those concepts of themselves to achieve happiness and success.

Considerations

• Some skeptics view The Sedona Method as just another of many "new age" self-help programs primarily designed to enrich the bank accounts of those it employs. And, indeed, involvement in the program can be costly. Many of its courses, seminars and training sessions come with relatively steep price tags attached. But it is possible to investigate the basic teachings and books of the method without suffering economically. Additionally, there are many other teachings and self-improvement programs that share much in common with The Sedona Method, some with little or no cost whatsoever.