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The CB Meter Course
Last revision date: 6Jul91
Table of Contents
Checksheet
Theory SectionWhat is a CB-MeterA Clearing Bio-feedback Meter is an electronic instrument used for exploring mental phenomena. It is based on the fact that skin resistance is affected by one's mental and emotional state. The CB-Meter is known by several different names and can be found in a number of different incarnations. It might be called a Galvanic Skin Response Meter, a Psychogalvanometer, or an Electropsychometer. These instruments might have different features and different degrees of sensitivity, but essentially address the same phenomena. A CB-Meter is a very sensitive resistance gauge with certain unique features. It is calibrated to the resistance range of the human body and it is made to register vary minute variations in resistance. The primary use of the CB-Meter is for locating areas of mental stress and monitoring the progress in resolving them. The CB-Meter isn't doing anything to the person holding the electrodes. The current passed through the body is negligible and has neither positive or negative effects in itself. The sole purpose of the meter is to allow a qualified operator to monitor the mental state of the client. The practitioner using the meter can use the information to guide the person to areas of the mind that need some inspection. The meter is just a tool, albeit a very useful one. It doesn't do any kind of clearing in itself. It doesn't diagnose anything in itself either. Working with the meter a practitioner and his client can more effectively locate areas of concern and work on resolving them. A meter can also be used alone by one individual to help himself improve his state of mind. The meter reacts when areas of mental stress are brought up. It gives an indication of how well one is doing on resolving issues, and it shows improvements in one's relation to the issue. Meters are used in Clearing in connection with processes that guide an individual to discover more about himself. There are more specialized uses for various types of clearing. A meter can be used as a study aid in locating areas of uncertainty and in monitoring one's clarity concerning the study materials. There are many other things to learn about Clearing. The meter and its use is only a fraction of what there is to know about the subject. The basics of Clearing are taught in other courses than this. In a few words, Clearing is guided, non-judgmental mental discovery. A Clearing Practitioner learns how to direct a person to find out more about himself without introducing any evaluation or judgment concerning what the person finds. The working of the meter is similar to one of the methods of measurement used in a polygraph, a lie detector. However, it isn't ideal for measuring truth and falseness, in that these are very relative issues. It shows mental stress in an area, there is really no evaluation of good/bad, truth/lie. The truth that the meter can register is what is true, relatively, for the client. If he considers stealing bad and he has stolen something, then it would register on the meter if we asked about it. But, if he couldn't care less, then it wouldn't show anything.
The History of the CB-MeterToday the CB-Meter is one of the simplest and most effective tools of modem psychological research, but historically it was also one of the first. Its development and use has grown from its first beginnings in 1888, when Tarchinoff discovered the phenomenon of skin resistance. He found that a person's resistance to the passage of a tiny electric current through hand held electrodes would vary according to the subject's emotional state. The simple psychogalvonometer he invented to investigate this phenomenon was one of the earliest tools of psychological research. One of its earliest applications was in the work of Wilhelm Wundt in his Leipzig laboratory in the late 1890's, where he used an early form of CB-Meter to measure body electricity, as part of his line of research known as psychophysics. The modern CB-Meter, or Clearing Biofeedback Meter, is a specialized form of biofeedback device: an electronic instrument designed to measure mental state and changes of mental state accurately and quickly. It is a modified version of what is known to psychologists as the psychogalvonometer, which measures the relative magnitude of the electrodermal orienting response, that is, the changes of skin resistance that occur when external stimuli are applied to a subject. A basic axiom of psychoanalysis as originated by Freud is that we are restricted from realizing more than a fraction of our full potential, because of the repressed negative content of the unconscious mind: negative fears, resentments, motivations and dislikes. Although much of this unconscious content may have been correct at the time it was formed, this content is often no longer valid from the viewpoint of an adult. When the content is made conscious and confronted by the adult mind, it dissolves and loses its power to restrain thought and action, and there is release of positive creative energy. The CB-Meter is one of the most effective diagnostic tools in locating this negative content: a real time saver. The Therapist does not have to spend years of blind probing to find out the root of a problem. With the CB-Meter he can tune into and identify any negative energy, then discharge it. The first reference to the use of this instrument in Psychoanalytic research is in the book by Carl Gustav Jung, Studies in Word Analysis, published in 1906. Here the Swiss Psychologist describes a technique of connecting the subject, via hand electrodes, to an instrument measuring changes in the resistance of the skin, while words are read to him from a prepared list. If a word on this list was emotionally charged, there was change in body resistance, causing a deflection of the needle of the galvanometer. Thus Jung worked on locating and discharging negative unconscious material. This method of research, that Jung had been using at least since the early 1900's, was again referred to in a basic psychology text of 1926 entitled Experimental Psychology by Mary Collins and James Dreaver, lecturers in psychology at the University of Edinburgh. Also at this time other early psychologist were researching the electrical characteristics of emotion and thought. Semon in his book The Mneme, circa 1915, defines an Engram as the permanent change produced within an organism from a stimulus, where a trace of the experience of that stimulus is "written on" the organization and forms part of memory. When the stimulus is repeated, the energy which it sets free flows through this new engram with the result that it takes a more or less different path, and consequently leads to a more or less different form of reaction. Knowledge of these findings was widespread in the 1920's: they are referred to again in a classroom text called The Psychology of the Thinker by l.B. Saxby, Lecturer in Education at the University College, Cardiff. However, the early Psychogalvonometer was not at all simple to use, because it had no amplification, and it remained as a specialized laboratory instrument only, until the development of more sophisticated amplifiers in the 1930's. Its use in specialized laboratory research in the fields of medicine and psychiatry continues to the present day. Electrodermal response is used in many areas of psychology and psychiatry, for example in the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia, as evinced by A.S. Bemstein's paper entitled "The Galvanic Skin Response Orienting Reflex in Chronic Schizophrenics" (Psychonomic Science l) and further publication of his research on electrodermal orienting and habituation in the treatment of schizophrenia done at Charing Cross Hospital Medical School was published in Psychological Medicine, Cambridge University Press, 1981. Since the time of Jung and the other early researchers, a number of other biofeedback instruments have been invented, including the ElectroEncephalograph or EEG, which is used by a wide range of therapists and psychologists. For example, Janov used the EEG to evaluate the effectiveness of cathartic therapy, and, at the other end of the spectrum, osteopaths have used a modified form of skin resistance meter for diagnostic purposes. As most early research in skin resistance phenomena was done in Germany, the war curtailed further development in these areas, apart from some work in America on Lie-Detectors. So it was not until the late 1940's that some applications of an independent American researcher, Volney Mathieson, working with the Polygraph Lie-detector as used in Courts of Law, kindled a renewed interest in the earlier German work of Jung and others. Now advances could be made in the technology of Psychotherapy using the earlier discoveries that all fears, feelings and resentments - in fact, all thought and emotion - were electrical in nature. When a person was reminded of certain past events, or when a change of mood was induced in him/her, the needle in the detector would jump erratically; the degree of jump was in proportion to the strength of the unconscious reaction. In skilled hands the Meter could be used to locate a particular content, the nature of that content, the location of that content in space and time, and the amount of force contained within it. This work led to the development of the modem type of CB-Meter: a type that has survived, with very little modification, until the present day. Specifically, this was a meter designed to simply and clearly register the mental and emotional response of a person to a word, question or situation, rather than as a lie-detector. The CB-Meter is several times as sensitive as the lie-detector and is able to indicate the intensity of response. Volney Mathieson presented these ideas to Ron Hubbard, the inventor of Dianetics, in 1952. A version of the meter known as the E-Meter (Electro-psychoMeter) was later put into widespread use in Scientology and Dianetics, in conjunction with procedures which are essentially and recognizably Jungian. In many modern types of Clearing the practitioner would use Jung's method of presenting a list of words in conjunction with the Meter. He would ask the subject under analysis to take hold of the meter electrodes, then he would read this list of words to him. Without fail, some of these words would trigger a response on the meter, sometimes violently. When this happened, the therapist would know that these words were associated with violent and negative fear or resentment, that had its origin in various unconscious thought complexes in the subject's mind. Usually the subject was quite unaware that he was reacting on the meter in this way. The therapist would record all words that produced erratic meter readings, then have the person talk about them. As the subject discussed his associations with a "charged" word, the meter would gradually become less erratic and settle down to a normal reading. Once the locked-up energy has been discharged, the meter no longer responds to the word or concept under discussion. The complex or block had discharged, rather like discharging a car battery. (Adapted from an article by Gregory Mitchell, © Dianasis Data Network)
Parts of the MeterThese are the key parts of the meter: ï Needle:The needle is where minute changes in resistance are measured. We use it to select subjects to look at. It can also give indications of the current state of the client. ï Needle dial:The needle dial is a reference point for the needle. It gives an indication of sizes of reads. The small divisions on the dial are 1/8 inch and the large ones are 1/4 inch. The 'set' area is the ideal starting point, we would like the needle to be around there before we check a question. The 'fall' indicator shows the approximate size of a fall measured from 'set'. 'Test' is used to check the state of the battery: if the needle goes all the way to the right and stays there when we put the on/off/test button on 'test' then the battery is ok. ï Range knob:The range knob is used to set the overall resistance range of the meter. It is adjusted continuously during a session whenever the needle is dropping off the needle dial. The range knob is moved until the needle is back at 'set'. ï Range scale:The range scale has indications between 0.5 and 6.5. Below 2.0 is called 'low range', between 2.0 and 3.5 is called 'in-range', and above 3.5 is called 'high range'. The scale position is usually read with one decimal and noted whenever it changes in a session. ï On/off/test knob:The knob is on 'off' when the meter is not in use. That saves the battery. During a session it is left at 'on'. 'Test' is used momentarily at the beginning of a session to check the battery charge. The needle will slam over to the right pin if the battery is sufficiently charged. ï Sensitivity knob:The sensitivity knob is set at the beginning of a session to the correct setting for that client. The starting point for checking it would be 5. The knob would be set so that a gentle squeeze produces a 1/3 of the dial needle drop. ï Electrode plug:The cans are plugged in here whenever the meter is in use. ï Electrode leads:The leads connect the meter with the cans. ï Cans:The cans are the electrodes that the client is holding in his hands. They are intended to provide the best possible skin contact.
ResistanceResistance is an electrical property. It is basically the reluctance of a piece of material to let current flow through it. Some materials, such as iron or copper, have an inherent low resistance, and some, such as wood or stone, have a very high resistance. A good analogy for electrical current would be water flowing through a pipe. The more narrow the pipe is the higher the resistance would be. It would require more effort to push the water through a narrow pipe. If the pipe is very wide the resistance is low and it doesn't take much work to get the water through. Resistance is measured in ohms. A typical dead human body has a resistance of 5000 ohms if it is female and 12,500 ohms if it is male. That corresponds to 2 and 3 respectively on our meter range scale. Now, when the body is live and inhabited by a being the resistance varies greatly. It depends on the metal state of the being, and it might be found in a range between about 500 ohms and 1,000,000 ohms. The resistance that is interesting for clearing purposes is the one we can measure when the electrodes are connected with good contact, and held still. The resistance range will also vary when the person moves around, lets go of the cans, shorts them, and so forth. However, that has no relevance for our purposes - we would like him not to do that so that we can see what is going on. When we operate the meter we don't really care about ohms. It is not necessary either to keep track of any electrical formulas. We use the range scale that is customized for our purposes and otherwise we are mainly after specific patterns of needle movement.
How the Meter worksThe main characteristics of a useful CB-Meter design are: ï Measuring resistance in a range appropriate for a human body: about 500 ohms to 1,000,000 ohms. ï Being very sensitive: showing even minute variations clearly. ï Responding quickly down to 1/10 - 1/100 second variations. ï Filtering out noise and other unwanted information. ï Possibility of adjusting the sensitivity within a wide range. ï Possibility of adjusting the resistance range easily. ï An instrument that shows minute changes in a clear way.
These features can be implemented in different ways. The most common design measures resistance by a circuit known as the Wheatstone's Bridge. It is a simple electronic circuit that measures differences in resistance very minutely. It looks like this:
The principle in short is that the battery sends current through two different paths. The first path is through Resistor 1 and the range potentiometer. The second path is through Resistor 2 and the body of the person holding the cans. Resistor 1 and Resistor 2 are the same size. If the Range Potentiometer is set at the exact same resistance as the body of the can holder then we have the same situation in both paths. The two paths will split the current evenly between them. There will also be the exact same voltage at point A as at point B. Because both have the same voltage, no current would go between A and B. Simplifying a little bit, that would mean that the instrument would be right in the middle and not move. However if the resistance between the cans change, then the voltage at B will change and the needle in the instrument will move. This is a very sensitive way of measuring resistance. It doesn't take much change in the resistance between the cans to change the voltage at B enough to move the needle. If it changes so much that the needle goes off the scale, then we adjust the range on the corresponding potentiometer. There are more elements to a modern meter that handle sensitivity, filter out noise and other things. Also, the basic circuit can be implemented totally different from what is shown here. The main thing is that resistance is being measured in a flexible and sensitive way.
Types of MetersThe lay-out and operation of meters vary from design to design. There are differences in features, placement, and procedure for set-up and operation. Most meter have a range knob. On some meters it is called a 'Tone Arm' (TA). There are also meters that don't have any. They either adjust the range completely automatically or they let you push a button when you want it adjusted. The completely automatic version is not particularly recommended, it is likely to interrupt reads. The semi-automatic is a very useful feature. Many meters have a counter for the range action. It counts the downward motion during a session. It can be zeroed before one starts and can be read during and after the session. The counter can be either mechanical or on newer models usually electronic with a digital display. Some meters have a 'Trim' knob that is intended to calibrate the meter. Before use one will put the range on 2.0, leave the electrode plug out, and adjust the 'trim' knob until the needle is exactly on 'set' on the dial. This ensures that numbers on the range scale are correct. More advanced meters don't need the trim knob, they calibrate the setting automatically. The sensitivity knob might have a slightly different scale on different meters. Also, the numbers don't necessarily correspond with each other between different meters. Some meters have a 'sensitivity booster' button that doubles or quadruples the sensitivity. That is very rarely necessary. Some meters have a 'booster' that boosts the action of the needle so that reads are amplified without otherwise affecting the sensitivity. These are the most common meters at this point: ï Alphametrics Clearing Bio-feedback Meter:This is the meter that this course concentrates on. It is made in Australia and is a precise and high quality meter. Its main lack is probably a range action counter. ï Ability Meter: These meters which are manufactured in England are probably the best ones around. They are available in several versions: with or without range counter, and a new version with automatic or semi-automatic range adjustment. ï Hubbard Electrometer (E-Meter):These meters are made by the Scientology organization. They are less precise than the other meters, but they are more readily available. They are available in different versions, the most common are Mark V, VI, and VII. Later models look more futuristic, but aren't necessarily better. There are other types of meters in research and development. One interesting approach is to use a computer to display the information on a monitor screen. It can show needle and range movement over time for possible new uses.
Bio-feedbackThe Meter is a type of bio-feedback device. Bio-feedback is the use of an instrument to monitor a person's state through the body with the idea of improving it. There are many different types of bio-feedback devices. One can measure temperature, resistance, blood pressure, brain waves, and other things. There would usually be some sort of probe or electrode attached to the body that is connected into some electronic instrument. A common use of bio-feedback is to let the client himself monitor the readings on the instrument and to encourage him to change what he sees. It is found that one can actually change one's blood pressure, skin temperature, resistance, or brain wave frequencies by doing that. The client would concentrate on the reading and try to affect in what is regarded as a positive direction. Experiments show that one can actually change what would otherwise be regarded as involuntary functions of the body that way. This can be very useful for accomplishing relaxation and elimination of stress. For clearing purposes we use the meter somewhat differently. We don't show the client the readings. The practitioner is monitoring the meter. He takes decisions based on what he sees and he gives the client directions depending on the status of the meter readings as well as other factors. We are not trying to simply increase or decrease the resistance reading. We work with a whole set of different types of readings and reactions with different meanings and uses. As with any other bio-feedback device, the meter doesn't actually do anything. We use it to get the client to change by himself. It is a tool to monitor and encourage change.
Mental MassWhat we are really measuring with the meter is mental mass. The variations of the meter readings would be difficult to explain from a purely physiological standpoint. There is an additional something that is entered into the circuit. That additional something varies according to the person's mental state, and we can build it up and remove it by addressing subjects mentally. The extra stuff that is connected in we call mental mass. Where exactly mental mass is stored is not relevant for our purposes. It might be in the cells or it might be in the electrical field around the body. What we are concerned about here is what we can do for a person by addressing it. If you feel heavy and burdened by problems and worries, you have a lot of mental mass around you. When you full of energy and joy and no worries at all, you have very little mental mass around you. Experiments have shown that one can actually weigh mental mass. Physically the mass is very negligible, but it can be measured. A person with a lot of stuff restimulated will be found to be a tiny bit lighter when he has released it. Mental mass can be potential or restimulated. The mind has a lot of potential mental mass that isn't currently activated - that is the potential mass. Under the right conditions these potentials become restimulated and charged up with energy. Life might restimulate mental mass. One might find oneself heavy and restimulated because of events one runs into in life. In clearing we restimualate mental mass with the purpose of clearing it. We find a potential that is available and we work some mental mass into it. That makes it easier to work with, more tangible. Gradually we resolve the mental mass and we clear the area. We have then not only resolved some existing mental mass, we have removed a potential for mental mass. We commonly use the word charge as meaning roughly the same as mental mass. It is an area of resistance in the mind. It has an electrical potential.
PicturesMental mass can be regarded as consisting of pictures. Pictures is being used as a term covering internal representations of external circumstances. That is, something happened in the physical universe and for some reason or other you took a mental picture of it and you kept it. Based on the content of the mental picture it might become an active part of your mind, running partly on automatic, causing unwanted reactions. Going through life one sub-consciously takes pictures of everything that happens. Everything that you ever experienced is recorded and can be brought back and looked at. The pictures that can cause you trouble, and that are the object of clearing, are the ones that have un-processed information in them. In traumatic incidents one experiences too much unpleasant action in too little time. One doesn't get a chance to process and evaluate all parts of the experience. That stores up an overload with the picture that is being recorded. When the picture is located in clearing and we process the overload information the aberrative effects of the picture are eliminated and it takes its rightful place as just another experience. When we say "picture" we are not just talking about visual information. It is all the possible perceptions that are being recorded: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, emotion, and many more. In traumatic incidents also pain and unconsciousness is being recorded.
Pinch TestA simple demonstration of the existence of mental mass is the so-called pinch test. Put the prospective client on the meter and place it so that he can see the needle. Ask him for permission to pinch his arm. Proceed to do so so that it hurts, but without damaging him unduly. Notice that the needle falls and indicate it to the client. Now ask him to recall the time when you pinched him. You will see that the needle again falls at the exact time when he recalls the pinch. Repeat that several times and make sure that he notices it reads on his recall of the pinch. Notice also that the reaction gets smaller the more times he recalls it. Eventually there won't be any reaction left. This is an excellent illustration of what we would do with the meter. We locate an area of charge. For demonstration purposes we created it ourselves by recording some pain, but otherwise we would look for something that is already there. The charge will produce a read. As we go over the charge again and again the charge will gradually be cleared until it no longer reacts. The read shows that there is something there that needs to be looked at. As we look at it we electrically discharge the content of the area we are looking at. The elimination of the read usually corresponds with feeling of having cleared what is there. A pinch test if often used with new clients to give them reality on what the meter does. It is one of the few times when we will show them the meter. From then on we are more interested in keeping it out of their sight so as to not distract them. Some people would be offended by being pinched. In that case there are other possible demonstrations that could be done. We can ask them to think of a time when they were upset or angry at somebody and then show them that it reads repeatedly when they think of it. Most people are quite surprised and impressed by seeing that the meter reacts on their thought.
SensitivityThe sensitivity setting on the meter determines the magnitude of reactions of the needle. The higher the sensitivity the bigger a given reaction will seem. The lower the sensitivity the smaller the reaction will seem. A high sensitivity would pick up very minute changes in resistance. A low sensitivity would pick up only larger changes in resistance. The ideal sensitivity setting is the one that shows us clearly what is useful, and hides immaterial details. If the sensitivity is set too low there would hardly by anything happening to the needle. It would be very still and any reactions would be very small and we couldn't really see any characteristic pattern or detail in them. The needle wouldn't tell us much. If the sensitivity is set too high the needle would be too lively. It would move around rapidly and would be very hard to keep on the scale. It would show a lot of reactions, so many that it would be difficult to know what is important and what isn't. Both a too low and a too high sensitivity gives a needle that is difficult to read. We would like to have it set just right. The best way of getting a correct sensitivity is the can squeeze method. We ask the client, while holding the cans correctly, slowly and gradually to increase his grip until he feels some resistance. and then slowly let the grip return to normal. The needle will fall to the right. If it falls about 1/3 of the whole dial, then the sensitivity is correct. We would start with the sensitivity at 5 and ask the client to squeeze the cans as described. If the read is less than 1/3 we would increase the sensitivity and try again. If it is more than 1/3 we would decrease the sensitivity and try again. We would repeat this until we get a 1/3 of a dial drop. The can squeeze is actually a measure of the client's willingness to deal with his environment. A lower sensitivity setting means the guy is more in tune with the current environment. We don't put a great significance in that. However, generally the sensitivity setting would gradually decrease as a person did clearing and got into better shape. The can squeeze is no test of strength. One shouldn't squeeze as hard as one can. Just a gentle and gradual squeeze until you can see the soft part of the fingers starting to turn a little white. It is very important to get the client to make a correct can squeeze. Don't assume that he already knows how. Done correctly this is an excellent way of ensuring the correct sensitivity setting. Done incorrectly it will cheat both you and the client of results you could have gotten by seeing what goes on. One would instruct the client in correct can squeezes very early on. If in doubt about what he does, one can have him demonstrate his squeeze on your arm. The sensitivity is usually set at the beginning of a session and left unmoved during the session. It might vary from session to session depending on the state of the client. Sometimes one will notice during a session that the sensitivity is wrong, too high or too low. One would then adjust the sensitivity quietly and note it in the worksheets. One might want to check if the client's can squeeze is correct the next time.
Needle ActionsThere are a number of different things the needle can do that tell us something about what is going on with the person holding the cans. Different types of needle behavior mean different things. First of all, there are two different contexts for needle behavior: 1. What the needle is inherently doing without any probing. 2. What the needle is doing as a reaction to a question or thought. The needle behavior in the first context tells us something about the general mental state of the client. It can tell us if he is ready to do some clearing actions. Or if we are already doing a clearing action it tells us something about how well we are doing and if we seem to be done. Needle behavior as a response to a question or thought is called a reaction. If it is the reaction we are looking for we call it a read. The type of reaction or read tells us something about that question or thought. It might indicate if we should look further into the subject being brought up . These are the main types of inherent needle actions: 1. Stuck 2. Clean 3. Floating 4. Dirty 5. Falling 6. Rising 7. Theta bop 8. Rock slam 9. Detached
These are the actions expected as a reaction: 1. Nul 2. Fall 3. Rise 4. Stop 5. Tick 6. Instant float 7. Pattern change
Inherent needle actionsA stuck needle is when the needle doesn't move, it stays in the exact same place. It doesn't change in any way, very stiff. A stuck needle, if it is temporary, indicates that the person has his attention stuck on something, his focus is very fixed. If it is permanent it shows the person to be in a bad condition, very stuck mentally. A clean needle is when the needle moves idly around without doing anything in particularly. It is not particularly free, but it has no jerky motion. It shows that the person is ready to focus on something we might bring up. If we ask a charged question we would probably get a reaction. A floating needle is a good indicator. The needle is free, moving slowly and rhythmically back and forth in an unaffected manner. It shows that the person is comfortable and currently not focused on any negative mental material. This action occurs when an area has been resolved and the client would be satisfied with its correct status. It could also occur contacting pleasurable moments of the past. A dirty needle is a jerky, uneasy moving about of the needle. It indicates that something is currently not cool with the clients. There is something he isn't saying, or something he is uncomfortable about. It would not be appropriate to start something new at that point. One would need to locate what causes the uneasyness and clear it up, so that the needle is clean again. A dirty needle might develop into various other types of reads when pursued. A falling needle is moving to the right on the dial. It might be a moment of a clean or floating needle, or if it keeps falling it indicates that the person is releasing some mental strain currently. Something is being discharged if the needle is falling drastically. A continuous rising needle shows that the person is building up mental mass. That can be when a person is sitting and reading study materials, or when he is looking into a new area. If the needle keeps rising during a clearing action it shows that the client is not clearing the area. He is either protesting, or we are running the wrong area. The person is not quite dealing with what is there. A theta bop is a quick, steady dance back and forth of the needle. It goes 5-10 times per second, very evenly, over 1/8 to 1/2 inch. Up, down, up, down, always same distance, same speed. It indicates the attempt of the being of leaving a body or a position. The being is vibrating in and out. That is connected with leaving, death, not wanting to be there. It might occur when a death incident is brought up. It might also occur if the client wants to get out of here, wants to leave the session. Theta bops usually are shortlived. A rock slam is a wild, irregular slashing back and forth of the needle. It might be from one inch to the whole dial. It is frantically going all over, very unevenly and crazy. It indicates a very hot subject, we have crossed a basic goal of the client's. The person is frantically opposing someone or something. It is rare, but important to note or handle when it appears. A detached needle goes back and forth very evenly and robotically over one to two inches every second or so. It falls, goes up, sticks, falls, goes up, sticks, and it keeps doing it no matter what you say or do. It is very regular and even, always same distance and pattern. It is a very bad indicator, it is below even a stuck needle. It shows that the person is unable to confront his mental mass and is forcefully detached from it. Clearing won't be possible unless it is changed.
Needle ReactionsA nul needle is no reaction to the question. The needle just keeps doing whatever it was doing before. The question apparently wasn't charged. A fall is a movement to the right. It is the most useful reaction of the needle in that it shows that we've got some material to look at. It is the primary reaction we are looking for, so usually when we say that something gave a read we implicitly mean a fall. A fall shows that there is some mental charge on the subject being brought up. The longer the fall, the more charge is available and the more promising the item is. We divide falls into different sizes: sF = small fall = 1/4 to 3/4 inch. F = fall = 3/4 to 1 3/4 inch. LF = long fall = over 1 3/4 inch. LFBD = long fall blowdown = a long fall that stays over the the right so we would usually have to adjust the range.
Falls can have different characteristics: Speeded fall: going faster the more it falls. Slowed fall: starting fast but slowing down. Rocket read: having a lot of force. Starting fast and ending fast. A rise is a movement to the left. If resulting from a question or thought it shows that there is some non-confront or un-reality on the subject, or that something has continued for too long. It is only looked for as a read in certain special purpose clearing actions. It could be graded in size like a fall, as sR, R, and LR. A stop is a brief halt in the current inherent movement of the needle. The question just makes the needle stop for a moment before it continues on. It is a reaction and could produce a proper read and more material if it was further investigated. A tick is a jerk of the needle. It is not really a read but it indicates that there is something there. It might develop into a fall if pursued. Sometimes one can follow a certain pattern of ticks while investigating an area. A tick is not a very small fall, it is a sudden jerk. An instant floating needle is a brief float that starts precisely when a question is asked. It shows that some mass was touched and then went out of sight. That is sometimes exactly what we want and is a good indicator. At other times we want to resolve it fully so we would pull it back. In that case it takes precedent over falls. A pattern change of the needle is any other instant change in the characteristics of the movement as the result of a question. The needle might have moved slowly and then suddenly moving more quickly. Or it might have been clean and then suddenly dirty after the question.
The Floating NeedleA floating needle is the most desirable action to see on the meter as the result of a clearing action being done. It shows that the client has finished looking at something, he feels good about it, and he is ready for something else. A floating needle is a slow, rhythmical movement back and forth of the needle. It is slow and un-attached, no hang-ups of any kind. It is like molasses just flowing. It might be just 1/4 of an inch or it might be across the whole scale or bigger. The bigger it is the more the person is un-attached and un-affected. The floating needle would typically stop when we take up the next subject and we get another one when we are done with that next charged subject. When we say the needle is floating we usually mean an action that continues for a little bit, not just a sudden brief reaction. However, there is also the phenomenon of an instant F/N which is an F/N that starts suddenly as a reaction to a question. Sometimes we get a floating needle that doesn't stop. It is called a persistent F/N. It just keeps going no matter what we say or do. That is a very good indicator. It shows that the client feels so good that we can't restimulate anything on him currently. We would let him take a bread for a few minutes, hours, or days until he again feels that we could bring up some mental mass. A really large floating needle becomes a floating range. That basically means that the float is so wide that the needle hits the pins in both sides of the scale so that we would have to continuously adjust the range knob to catch up with it. That is also a very good indicator, and further clearing actions at that point would not be possible. A person who has done a lot of clearing will have an easier time getting a floating needle and it would be more likely to be his general state. To start with, a floating needle might be more difficult to produce. Some people won't get one for a while, until their chronic restimulation in life has been taken care of. When a clearing action is finished and the client has a floating needle, the practitioner would usually tell him so with: "Your needle is floating". That is sort of the signal that we are done with the action. The practitioner would only say that when we really are done with an action or sub-action. While doing a clearing action there might be a beginning F/N before we are actually done. It shows that things are freeing up. It might gradually become wider and more persistent. However, it wouldn't be called before we are all done with the action.
Range ActionThe needle actions are primary used to tell us what area to run. The needle tells us which subjects are charged. The action of the range setting tells us how well it is running. The continued up and down action of the range is a good indicator that tells us that we are making progress.
When we are running a process the range knob must be adjusted every time the needle starts to drop off the dial. That is a rough indicator that the client is building up or removing mental mass. When the range setting is increased it indicates that mental mass is currently being built up. If that is as a result of a process it usually means that we are getting into some useful material. When the range setting is turned down it indicates that mental mass is being released. It shows that the process we are running is effective in clearing something. During the course of a process the range would typically go up and down as we are bringing up and clearing various aspects of a subject. This range action is a good indicator and says that we are getting somewhere. Since it is the downward motion that is mainly beneficial that is what we would monitor. Typically the range starts between 2 and 3 on the scale. We introduce a subject to the client or he brings it up himself. The subject or question would give a needle read on the meter if if would be valid to pursue it. Then, as we work ourselves into it the range would increase. As a part of it resolves the range would come back down. That might continue for quite a while while we are working with the process. Finally we will reach a good point where that specific subject seems to be clear. At that point the range is probably again down between 2 and 3. Ideally we have exhausted the available range action on the question at that point. At the end of the process the needle would also show a floating needle which indicates that the client has released his attention on the subject and is comfortable with it. The amount of range action during a process or a session is a relative measure of the effectiveness of what we are doing. It is usually tallied into a number of downward divisions. A division is what is between for example 2 and 3 on the range scale. If we got a range action of '20' during a session that means that the range moved down the equivalent of 20 times what is between 2 and 3. The easiest way of monitoring the range action is to use a meter that has an automatic counter. That is an electronic or mechanical display that adds up the downward action as we go along. It would usually be zeroed at the beginning of a session and read off at the end of the session. It would typically show the range action with one decimal, e.g. '20.3'. Different people get different amounts of range action. It is not very useful to compare between different clients. However, relatively for one client it shows how well we are doing with the current action. For clearing purposes we are after the subjects that would produce the most range action and we would like to get the most action out of each. A golden rule for clearing practitioners is: "If the range is moving do nothing - If the range is not moving do something" That basically says that if we are getting range action, then we are on the right track. If we are not, then we better find a better approach that can be more fruitful.
Instant ReactionsIf we are going to pick between several different subjects, the instant reactions are what we are after. This is when we have a list of possible areas to look at and we are trying to determine the most advantageous to look at in terms of clearing. An instant reaction on a subject tells us two things: 1. There is mental charge on that subject 2. It is available to look at. The reverse is not necessarily the case. A very charged subject might be submerged, it might not give a read, and the client would not be able to look at it. What we are after is the stuff that is accessible as well as charged. The read basically shows us that we would get something out of pursuing the area. A lack of a read would make it doubtful at best. The existence of a big read on a subject does not tell us that this is the main thing wrong with the person or anything like that. It might tell us that it is the most available charge to look at. We wouldn't attempt any 'objective' analysis based on that. We simply take care of things in the order they are available. The mind has a built in safety mechanism. Unless it is forcefully overwhelmed, it will be very cooperative in handing out material that we would be able to resolve. Under normal circumstances it will give us stuff that should be resolved and that can be resolved. The reactions we are after are the instant reactions. With instant we mean: occurring at the exact end of a major concept. That is when either: 1. You finish saying something to the client 2. He finishes saying something 3. He thinks something. The reaction is at the exact end of the concept. That is, when the client has the full thought available to him. That doesn't mean after he had time to think about it, it means instantly after it is there. If you said the question: "Is there something you don't understand?" to the client and you get a read (small fall, fall, long fall, or long fall blowdown) immediately when the word "understand" has been said - then the question is charged and we know that an answer would be available, even if the client hadn't said anything. A reaction might be noticed after the client says something. For example, he might originate: "There is something I don't understand" and you get a read immediately after "understand". You might also ask the question and the client thinks for a bit to look for an answer and then when he finds it you get the reaction. All three examples are instant reactions. It is very important that the read is instant. We don't take up latent reads that occur seconds later, it has to be exactly at the end of the major concept. We are generally after reactive material. It is the sub-conscious, automatic reaction we want. That reaction occurs instantly. What the client is consciously thinking is an entirely different matter. He might consider the idea and get a reaction on that a few seconds later. That wouldn't be very useful for clearing purposes. An instant read shows that there is sub-conscious material reacting, and that is is available.
Why do things readWhen something reads on the meter the resistance is temporarily dropping a bit. Typically the needle will go right back to where it started. The drop shows that something discharged a little bit. We touched upon something that is charged, an existing mental mass, and a tiny bit of it discharged temporarily. Since the needle went right back where it came from we know that there is more there, we didn't get all of it. The read shows us that a decrease in resistance is available in that area, but we haven't quite accomplished it yet. Something that produces a temporary discharge when we touch it gives us a promise of more discharges if we dig into it. We know that we can get some action on it. If we work with the area that produces the read we get range action. The downward motion of the range shows that something actually discharges, not just temporarily. We will keep working on the area bleeding off any charge that is available for discharge until we can't get any more action and it seems to have been cleared up for the client. A good read shows that we probably could get a permanent discharge if we pursue it. A blowdown or other downward motion of the range shows us that we are getting a permanent discharge of mental mass. Other mental mass might take its place and the range will go up again. If we work an area over completely we get a permanent discharge of the potential mental mass connected with it.
SteeringThe practitioner will generally not call the clients attention to what the meter is doing. The only exceptions are the calling of floating needles and steering. Steering is when the practitioner guides the client's attention by letting him know when a specific read occurs. If we are looking for something, and a characteristic read is occurring, but the client doesn't seem to recognize anything, then the practitioner would help. He would say "that" or "What is that?" whenever the read occurs until the client spots what he is looking at and can tell you what it is. We only do this when we have to. It is generally better to let the client develop his own confidence about what is going on. We don't want to make him dependent on the meter. Notice that we still don't tell what the meter is doing. We don't say "That was a small fall", we just say "that". We try to keep the client's attention on his mind, not on the meter. If you had asked a question that read, but the client had no idea what it was that read, and he doesn't readily find it, that is when you would use steering. You don't just call anything the needle is doing. You are steering by a specific read, the same one that you saw in the first place. If you start calling anything else then we get off the subject.
Esoteric Meter UsesThe meter is a tool that can be used in many different ways. One fascinating area is the use on meters on plants. Amazingly, plants seem to have similar reactions as humans. And experiments with plants can shed light on the nature of what we are actually measuring. One can attach the meter to a plant by attaching the clips to different leaves or branches. It should be done without harming the plant unduly. Now, the overall range is likely to indicate the general "mental" state of the plant, just as with a human. And we find that we can also get similar types of reads. If you cut off one of the other leaves of the plant you will sort of make it record a traumatic incident. When later on you bring it in contact with some of the elements of that incident you are likely to see a read. For example if you bring back the scissors and pretend to try to cut off another leaf. Quite surprisingly there is also a connection between different plants. The reads will also occur on other plants close by, even if you didn't give them individually a traumatic incident. This last fact is what seems to indicate that we are dealing with electrical fields, not just with body functions. The electrical fields of the plants are connected or overlapping and therefore their reactions are linked together. It doesn't take much extrapolation to guess that human beings affect each other also depending on the mental mass they have in their space. An illustrative parlour game that can be done with plants is a follows: Place two plants of the same type in different rooms. Connect a meter to one of them. Now, in the other room, pick one person out of the group of people available. He is going to be the "killer". He takes a scissors or a knife and "brutally" cuts off a leaf from the plant in that room. Then everybody goes to the first room leaving the assaulted plant where it is. Now, each person will in turn be presented to the neutral, unharmed plant. If everything goes right the plant will give a reaction when presented with the designated "killer". Experiments can and are being done with plants to find out how to increase their "well-being" and therefore productive outcome, growth and so forth by monitoring them electronically. None of this relates directly to what we are doing with meters. However it illustrates some of the principles involved. There are still areas that could bear further exploration and research in that regard.
Sizes of ReadsThe bigger the read, the more promising the reading item is for clearing purposes. It shows that the item or question is both charged and available. Only falls of various sizes are considered reads for the purpose of picking items of questions to pursue. Only exception is that an instant F/N is sometimes the best read available. For the purpose of evaluating and comparing reads we divide them into different size categories. The category would always be noted when a read is recorded. We divide falls into these sizes: sF = small fall = 1/4 to 3/4 inch. F = fall = 3/4 to 1 3/4 inch. LF = long fall = over 1 3/4 inch. LFBD = long fall blowdown = a long fall that stays over the the right so we would usually have to adjust the range.
Checking questionsTo find out if a question is charged and would be useful for clearing, we would check it. "Checking it" means to find out if the question reads and how well it reads. In its simplicity, checking would be to just ask the question and see if we get an instant reaction. However, it is useful to use an approach that gives us several chances and also handles reasons something might not read. The following is one common way of checking questions. Let's say we needed to check the question "Do fish swim?" 1. Ask what the question means: "What does this question mean to you: 'Do fish swim?'" That ensures that the client knows what we are talking about and doesn't have any misunderstood words. Also, it gives us two chances of noticing a read: instantly after we say the question, and instantly after he gives his explanation. This is a good place to get the reaction, because he is forced to look at the question in order to explain what it means. 2. If we didn't get a read yet we will formally check the question: "I am going to check this question: 'Do fish swim?'" He is not expected to answer, you are only checking. If it does give an instant read then we have a useful question, and we would actually ask it to him next: "Do fish swim?" 3. If we still didn't get a read and we don't have an F/N, it might be because the read is suppressed or invalidated. That means that it is kept down by his thought or what he or somebody else has said or done. We would check: "On 'Do fish swim' has anything been suppressed?" and "On 'Do fish swim' has anything been invalidated?" If any of them read, we get whatever the client has to say about it. The main question would then read. We don't have to check it anymore, the read will always transfer from the suppress/invalidate buttons to the actual question. 4. If the question still didn't produce any read it means that there is no charge available on it at this point. We would leave it alone and look for something else to work on.
AssessmentWe use the word assessment for the action of picking items or questions from a list based on meter reactions. Using a list of possible items and picking the one(s) with the largest reads is an efficient way of selecting something to take up. We can very quickly check through a lot of subjects and pick the most promising one. Also the list might bring something to mind that the client hadn't consciously recognized. We can assess a list of words to find the most charged ones and then use them in a process. Let's say we have a list like this: Apples Bananas Oranges Peaches Plums
The practitioner would read out each line in turn as a question to the client while looking at the meter. The client doesn't answer, but the practitioner notes if there is an instant read on the meter. He writes the read next to each item. This is the notation that one would use: X= no read T= Tick sF= small Fall F= Fall LF= Long Fall LFBD= Long Fall Blowdown instF/N= instant F/N
The practitioner would go through the whole list and note each read. It would look something like this: Apples X Bananas sF Oranges T Peaches LF Plums X
Then we would evaluate which read is the biggest. In this case "Peaches" gives the biggest read and would be the best candidate for whatever purpose we had in mind. If we clean up "Peaches" and we need another item, then "Bananas" would be good. If we check "Oranges" further it might also produce a read and be useful. Otherwise, if we needed more material out of the list we could assess it again and maybe something would then read. We could also assess a list of questions. We would simply ask each question in turn and note any reaction on the meter. Again, we don't expect the client to answer during the assessment. He just needs to keep the cans still and be attentive. He doesn't even have to mentally look for an answer, we are after the instant automatic reactions. For a list of questions there are two possibilities. Either we go through the whole list and then pick the best questions to take up, or, we take us each reading question right away as we go along. Which method is selected depends on the urgency of the matter. If we are just looking for the best thing to run and we want the full picture of what we have to work with - then we have time enough, we can go through the whole list. But, if we are assessing a list because the client is upset or something went wrong, then we would like to take up what we find right away before we go on. In general, we would do a full assessment if we want the best possible question to take up. And we take things up along the way if we just need something to run and it matters less what it is. When assessing a list of words or questions, it is important to give each line to the client in a questioning voice. That is accomplished simply by asking the client each line. A question goes up in pitch a little bit in the end. That is contrary to a statement where the pitch goes down at the end. Don't state the lines, ask them.
False RangeThe range setting is a useful indicator of the current state of the client. It shows what is going on during a session and it also provides a relative measure between sessions. The general level of the range tells us the degree of restimulation the person is involved in. Now, our evaluation of the range setting is based on a consistent, good electrical connection with the cans. There are various factors that can hinder the connection between the person's hands and the cans. These are the most common ones:
Most of these factors would cause an incorrectly high range setting. They stop the flow of electricity and therefore increase the resistance compared to what would be expected. But some false range factors cause incorrect low range settings. Sweaty hands is the most common. They actually create a better contact than what is expected. With a client that usually has dry hands one would apply hand lotion to the hands before a meter session. The lotion would have to be of an appropriate type that moistens the skin but doesn't leave any residue. There are many possible choices, e.g. "Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion" is commonly used. The hand lotion would be applied thoroughly covering the surface of the hands as well as the fingers including the thumbs. Don't use so much that it can't get soaked up and the hands are left greasy. Certain types of lotion that leave a film on the skin are not acceptable. For example, "Vanishing cream" and "Night cream" is usually not acceptable. They tend to give an incorrect high range. If there is already a film on the hands from an earlier application of incorrect lotion, the client might have to go and wash his hands and reapply a correct type of lotion. Low range because of sweaty hands is handled by applying a powder or talcum that keeps them dry. Wiping the hands handles it temporarily but doesn't last long. If the client holds the cans wrong there might not be enough contact. The cans must be held so that the palm of the hand is in close contact with the metal. It is not acceptable to hold them with only the fingers. Some people have arthritic hands and might not be able to hold the cans with full contact because the hands and fingers aren't flexible enough. The only way of handling that is to use a different type of electrodes. For people who can't use regular cans for some reason, there is the possibility of using foot plates. Foot plates are flat electrodes that can be placed on the floor. The person places his bare feet on each of the electrodes. That produces about the same result as using hand held cans. There are other types of electrodes that could be attached to the skin. So far only hand held cans or foot plates have proven to give satisfactory readings. More research could be done to provide more useful alternatives. Specifically some clients have a hard time holding cans still and holding them correctly, so alternatives could be necessary. The metal expected for electrodes is steel or tin, or tin-plated steel. Other types of metal, such as aluminum, produces different settings and usually aren't acceptable. If a client is suspected of having a false range and the cause is not immediately apparent, one can go through a list of possible causes to determine which one it is. This action is covered in one of the meter exercises.
High RangeA chronically high range setting indicates mental mass in continuous restimulation. There is something there that stays there even from session to session. The factors that would keep the range high are likely to impede progress and make clearing more difficult. Therefore the resolution of these factors would have a high priority. A considerable percentage of people who have never done any clearing have high range settings. That would change as the factors causing it are addressed. Sometimes a high range would develop quite suddenly. That would indicate that something went wrong: a mass was restimulated and stuck there. This would be rectified by locating and correcting the cause. Range settings between 2.0 and 3.5 are considered to be in-range. Settings above 3.5 are called high. Settings below 2.0 are called low.
Low RangeA chronic low range setting is an indicator of an overwhelming amount of restimulated mass. The chronic low range setting is interestingly a magnification of the reasons for high range. It seems that if more mass is added to the restimulation in a high range then the range sort of flips around the scale and starts over in the low area. Reversely, if the causes of low range setting are handled the range might flip back over into a very high setting and would gradually come down from there. Very rarely, the needle might react the "wrong" way on a person with chronic low range setting. Instead of falling the needle is rising. That would change when the range has flipped over into the high range again.
Meter LimitationThe meter is a very useful instrument for measuring the mental state of a human being. However, there are limitations to the scope it is useful in. The meter works by measuring resistance in the body. The reason that we are interested in that is that the resistance is affected by the mind and the spiritual being. We don't go into the structure of the mind here, and it hasn't quite been charted out anyway. However, it is clear that only part of the mind is actually in the body. Other parts are just imposed on the body to a certain degree. Likewise, the spiritual being might or might not actually be in the body. Usually he will be in contact with the body. As long as the being and the mind is in close enough contact with the body we get useful readings on the meter. However, if the being is sufficiently out of the body the meter starts losing its usefulness. That the meter no longer reacts as we would expect can be the result of the person doing something that is beyond the scope of the meter. That would be a quite advanced matter, and should in no way be used as an excuse for not getting the expected reactions in routine situations.
Metered Word ClearingOne of the uses for a meter is to locate and clear mis-understood words. When a student goes by a word that he doesn't quite understand, or he has some disagreement or problem with the materials, then his attention will stick with it to a certain degree. That stuck attention will build up a piece of mental mass. That will read on the meter if we look in the right place, and we can use that to lead us to the mis-understood. There are several types of word clearing that use a meter. These are the main ones: WC1: Done by meter in a formal clearing session. The practitioner assesses lists of many subjects. On subjects that read on the meter the practitioner locates chains of words in the subject and in earlier subjects. That is continued until all the subjects have been cleared up. WC2: By meter in the course room. The word clearer lets the student read the text aloud while on the meter. Each reading word is cleared up. WC4: Done by meter in the course room. The word clearer puts the student's attention on part of the text studied and probes for mis-understoods. When an area is clean, they move on to the next.
Type 1 word clearing requires more skills than what is taught in this course and it is generally done in a formal clearing session. Type 2 word clearing is usually only done on students who have already done Type 1 word clearing. Somebody who hasn't cleared up basic words and subjects is likely to have too many things reading for it to be totally practical. Type 4 word clearing is fairly easy to do and can be administered to anybody who is studying some materials. The word clearer would ask the student to look at the text. It is usually done with one page at a time, but could also be done one paragraph or section at a time. The student is asked to glance over the text without actually reading through it. If the student has studied the text perfectly without any hang-ups he would probably have a floating needle and the text would visually look very clear to him. However, if his attention sticks anywhere he will get a reaction and we will take that up. If the word clearer sees a reaction he would ask: "What is that?" or "What are you looking at?" The student would say what he is looking at. The reaction would probably re-appear. By communicating back and forth about that section the sticky part is located. If it is an individual word it would read. The word is then cleared up thoroughly with a dictionary. The student uses it in a few sentences until he is comfortable with it. That would generally produce a floating needle. If the student had a disagreement, that would be discussed. That might also lead to the location of a mis-understood word. Or, the student might just need to voice his opinion or evaluate the data for himself. Then the student looks at the text again. It should appear more clear to him now. The word clearer will look for more reads and will take up whatever is found. Eventually the student would be able to look at the text, having a floating needle and the text appearing clear to him. This technique can be done with a whole pack of study materials, or it can be done with just one part that is particularly important or that seems to contain a hang-up.
Finding TruthThe meter is not a lie-detector. If anything, it would be more correct to call it a "truth detector". However, it is the relative truth of the client we can find with it. The typical use of the meter is to work in cooperation with the client to find his own relative truth. However, it can also be used based completely on his automatic reactions, with or without his cooperation. That requires a much higher level of skill of the practitioner, though. The most common example of this would be to find a hidden date. Finding the exact time when something occurred can be beneficial for clearing purposes. However, sometimes the client doesn't have the foggiest idea. We can help him by finding the date relying exclusively on the meter. We would tell him that we will find the date. We would then check time periods on the meter and successively narrow down the range based on meter reactions until we have our date. We would start out like:
and so forth. One could continue dividing months, and when we have the months we divide down the date in the month until we have the exact date. Having the date we can then track down the exact hour, minute, and second of the day. It is possible to do this even with large, complex dates such as millions of years ago. As an exercise one can have one person write down a fictitious date on a piece of paper and note what it is. The practitioner should then be able to find that exact date without the coach saying a single word. This might sound like hocus pocus, but it it totally possible, albeit with a high level of practice and skill. Any other type of information can be found on the meter in a similar fashion. One can spell name, get street addresses and that sort of stuff, even if the client doesn't consciously remember, or if he was unwilling to talk. For clearing purposes we aren't generally dealing with people who are totally unwilling to talk. Also, the person will usually have some idea what we are talking about and we can find the information we need quite easily by cooperating. It is very rare that one would have to go into complex exercises as mentioned here. In that case that we do need to find hidden information on the client, it is necessary to get a feel for how he reads first. Different people have different ways of answering "Yes" and "No" on the meter. It would be tested by first asking some neutral questions that we know the answer to. Such as: "Is your name Joe?", "Are we in a room?", "Is there an elephant under your chair?" and so forth. We might find that "Yes" is a small tick, a stop, a rise, a fall, or whatever. That would give us a guideline for finding out the things we don't already know.
Skills Section
Meter Exercises
ME-1 Touch and let goPurpose:To familiarize the student with a meter Position:Student and coach sitting facing each other with a meter placed in front of the student. Directions:The coach alternately asks the student to "Touch the meter" and "Let go of the meter".
He acknowledges the execution of each command. This is continued until the student is very comfortable being around
the meter and it is thoroughly real for him.
ME-2 FamiliarizationPurpose:To familiarize the student with the meter. Position:Student and coach sit next to each other in from of a meter. Directions:The coach asks the student to do each of the following actions. As the student gets better at doing them the coach can increase the speed. Done until the student can do all the actions without hesitation and he is comfortable interacting with the meter. Touch the range knob. Turn the meter on. Plug in the cans. Turn the range knob to 2.0. Turn the sensitivity knob to 4. Touch the meter leads. Plug out the cans. Turn the meter off. Point to 4.0 on the range dial. Set the sensitivity to 6 Plug in the cans. Set the range to 3.5. Touch the cans. Turn the meter on Adjust the needle to set. Turn the meter to test. Touch the electrode plug. Turn the meter to on. Turn the range knob to 1.5 Plug out the leads. Touch the cans. Adjust the needle to set. Point to the test area on the dial. Set the sensitivity to 12. Plug in the leads. Set the range to 5.0 Touch the charge cord connector. Point the set area on the dial. Turn the meter off. Set the range to 5.5 Set the sensitivity to 1 Plug out the leads. Turn the meter on. Adjust the needle to set. Test the meter. Touch the leads. Turn the meter off. Move the range to 2.5. Turn the meter on.
ME-3 Setting up the meterPurpose:To teach the student to set up the meter properly for a session. Position:Student and coach sit beside each other in front of a meter. Directions:The coach has the student do the following until he can do it perfectly and repeatedly without hesitation. First the coach reads off each instruction and gets the student to do it. Subsequently the student does all the steps without guidance. 1. Take the lid off the meter. 2. Turn the sensitivity knob to 32 3. Turn the on/off button to test 4. Check if the battery is ok. 5. Turn the on/off button back to on. 6. Place the electrodes where the client will pick them up. 7. Plug in the leads. 8. If any range counter, zero it. 9. Wait for the client.
ME-4Holding the cansPurpose:To teach the student how to select cans and ensure a correct grip. Position:Student and coach across from each other with the meter in front of the student. Directions:1. The first part of the exercise is to select the right size of cans for the client. The cans have to be of a size that are comfortable for the client to hold without strain and they should ensure maximum skin contact. The student tries different sizes of cans with the coach. For each size he notes how well they fit in the coaches hands and he notes down the range position. He selects the size that fits best and that doesn't produce a high range setting. 2. Now the coach shows the student how to do a correct grip. The student should remove any rings. The coach then gets him to shake his hands till they are loose and floppy. Then he places the cans into the student's hands and shows him how the natural curved grip of the hands will hold them. He places the cans so that they have maximum skin contact. 3. Then the student gets the coach to do a correct grip in the same fashion. 4. The coach now shows the student various incorrect can grips and asks him to correct them. The student should keep the needle on the scale so he can notice the range position. Incorrect grips include: a. holding the cans too loosely with not enough skin contact. b. holding the cans too tightly. c. holding thumbs along the side of the can instead of around. d. having the fingers sticking out over the top of the cans. e. wearing finger rings. f. keeping one or more fingers off the can.
ME-5 Ensuring correct range positionPurpose:To teach the student to check for and correct false range position. Position:Student and coach sit across from each other with the meter in front of the student. Directions:There are various factors that might make a person register in an incorrect position on the range scale. These are things that hinder the correct contact between the meter and the client's body. Since the range is an indicator of the state of the client we wish to avoid a mis-leading indication of where the range is at. The student will check the following points on the coach, which are the same as would be used with an actual client. The student would physically check these things, he wouldn't ask about them. 1. Do the leads have loose or broken wires? 2. Are the cans made of incorrect material? 3. Do the cans have an incorrect covering? 4. Are the cans rusty or corroded? 5. Are the client's hands dry, requiring hand cream? 6. Are the client's hands excessively wet, requiring powder? 7. Is the client's grip correct? 8. Are the cans too small? 9. Are the cans too large? 10. Are the cans cold? 11. Does the client have arthritic hands? 12. Does the client loosen his grip on the cans? 13. Is the client hot? 14. Is the client cold? 15. Does the client lack sleep? 16. Is it outside the client's normal awake hours? 17. Are there rings on the client's hands? 18. Does the client have tight shoes? 19. Is the client wearing tight clothes? 20. Is the chair uncomfortable? 21. Is the wrong hand cream being used? 22. Has the hand cream been put on incorrectly?
ME-6 Sensitivity settingPurpose:To teach the student how to set the sensitivity correctly Position:Student and coach across from each other with the meter in front of the student. Sensitivity set at 5 to start with. Directions:The sensitivity is set so that a light squeeze of the cans produces a fall of the needle of 1/3 of the full dial. The correct setting ensures that reads will be of a manageable size, neither too small or too large. The sensitivity setting might vary between sessions, but is usually kept constant in a given session unless the needle is unreadable. A correct can squeeze is done as follows:
1. First the coach gets the student to do a correct can squeeze as above. If in doubt the coach can have the student demonstrate the squeeze on the coach's arm to test how hard he grips. We want a light grip, it is not a test of strength. The student must learn to do a slow, gradual squeeze and let go in the exact same way. The coach adjusts the sensitivity to 1/3 of a dial fall and shows it to the student. 2. Then the student gets the coach to do a correct can squeeze in the same way and he sets the sensitivity. 3. Now the coach shows the student the effect of each of the following incorrect can squeezes:
4. The student should then find the sensitivity setting for as many other students as possible.
ME-7 Moving the range knobPurpose: To teach the student to adjust the range knob. when necessary. Position: Student and coach beside each other with the meter on the table. Directions: The coach holds the cans and simulates different range positions. He changes his grip on the cans
and waits for the student to adjust the range knob so that the needle is back at set. Then the coach moves again
and waits for the student to catch up. Start first at a low sensitivity (l) and gradually increase the sensitivity
to maximum to make it more challenging. The student must be precise in adjusting the range. Over-compensation is
not allowed. Also he must learn to do it quickly. The exercise is passed when the student can swiftly and correctly
adjust the range knob to its correct position at any sensitivity.
ME-8 Fluency in range positionsPurpose: To teach the student to read or set the range knob precisely. Position: Student and coach next to each other in front of the meter. Directions: 1. The coach moves the range knob through the whole scale 0.1 at a time and reads each setting to the student. 2. The student does the same. Repeat until he is certain of all the positions . 3. The coach now calls off range positions from this list and the student adjusts the range knob accordingly. He must be able to do it without hesitation and without over-compensation.
4. The coach now flips the range knob around at random and asks the student what each position is. The student
must be able to read the position without any kind of hesitation.
ME-9 Having the needle on the dialPurpose: To teach the student to always have the needle on the dial when Position: Student and coach opposite of each other. Directions: The student must learn to continuously adjust the range when necessary, to make sure that the needle is on the dial when asking a question, but not to adjust the range while the question is being asked. 1. The student reads out various sentences to the coach. At the end of each line he must have his thumb off of the range knob and the needle must be in sight on the scale. If that is not the case he must do it again. Start at lower sensitivities and gradually increase it as the student gets better. 2. When the student can do the first part smoothly the coach will make it more challenging by moving about and
causing the needle to drop off the scale. The student needs to be able to keep up with that too.
ME-10 Noting down range settingPurpose: To teach the student to note down what goes on with the range. Position: Student and coach facing each other. Directions: The coach sits reading some materials while holding the cans. The student watches the meter, adjusting
the range when necessary, and noticing what is happening with the range. He writes down the range positions under
each other on a piece of paper. He notes when there is a blowdown, that is, a sudden drop of the needle that stays
down and prompts an adjustment of the range. He writes a little bracket between the two range positions where the
blowdown occurred, and he writes 'BD' there. If the range is adjusted because of a body motion of the coach the
student will note it as 'BM' in a similar fashion. The sensitivity is initially set low. It is gradually set higher
and the coach creates more action artificially. At the end of the exercise the student must add up the total downward
motion of the range, excluding the body motions. He writes that under his list as "Range Motion = ".
ME-11 Defining needle actionsPurpose: To teach the student to define and recognize any needle action. Position: Student and coach next to each other. Directions: The student must be able to define and demonstrate each of the following needle actions:
1. First the student defines and demonstrates each one in order. The student shows each read either with a pen on the needle scale, or he adjusts the cans or range setting to simulate it. 2. Then the coach does each action and the student must recognize and call what each one is. 3. Then the coach calls off actions at random and the student must define and/or produce each one. The exercise
is complete when the student can accurately recognize and demonstrate each action without hesitation.
ME-12 Body ReactionsPurpose: To teach the student to recognize each type of body reaction. Position: First the student and coach facing each other. Then the coach produces the reactions behind the student, so he can't see what is being done. Directions: 1. First the coach demonstrates each of the following body reactions to the student and shows him what happens on the meter when they are done: Sigh, yawn, breathe deeply, cough, laugh. Touch cans together, lift a finger, rotate cans in hands, tap on cans with finger, grip the cans hard, loosen grip. Scratch a leg, rub against clothing, stretch. 2. When the student is familiar with the differences between the different reactions, the coach now does them
at random behind the student. The student must accurately determine which body reaction is being done. In an actual
session the practitioner wouldn't necessarily differentiate different body reactions in his worksheets, but he
has to be totally fluent in recognizing them and differentiating them from valid needle actions.
ME-13 What the needle is doingPurpose: To teach the student to always know what the needle is doing. Position: Student and coach facing each other. Directions: The student must notice what the needle is doing while a statement is being read, and he must notice
any reactions. The student reads statements from a prepared list to the coach. The coach asks him: "What was
the needle doing while you were reading the line?", and the student must be able to say which of the 9 inherent
needle actions was being manifested. The coach then asks: "Were there any reactions?". and the student
must be able to point out which of the 7 needle reactions he saw. There might be several. He should also be able
to notice where the actions occurred.
ME-14 Producing needle reactions.Purpose:To teach the student to cause needle reactions Position: Student and coach facing each other. Directions: The student must produce each of the following actions of the needle. Those are all the possible actions except for two, rock slam and detached needle, that can't be produced on command. The student brings up a subject that is connected with the needle action at hand. He tries different ways and different subjects until he gets the action desired. Inherent needle actions:
Needle reactions:
ME-15 Cleaning a readPurpose: To teach the student that the needle reacts on thought and how to clean a particular read. Position: Student and coach facing each other. Directions: The coach is reading some materials. The student is watching the meter. When he sees a reaction,
he brings it to the coach's attention, like: "What did you just read?". The coach re-reads that passage,
now out loud. When the student sees the same reaction again he questions the coach about it. He fishes for disagreements
the coach might have with the materials and asks him to talk about it. When the correct concern or disagreement
is found and communicated the reaction should disappear. The coach might still have other reactions of course.
ME-16 Steering & cleaning a readPurpose:To teach the student to follow specific reads and clean them. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:1. The student asks the coach to silently scan through his last day or so: "Look through the events of the last day". When the student notices a characteristic reaction on the meter, usually some kind of tick, he says "What was that?". The coach doesn't answer, but he thinks of various other things and then he looks through the same time period again. The student is supposed to recognize the exact same reaction again and say "That was the same thing again". This is repeated until the student can comfortable recognize a reaction. 2. The student now looks for any reaction of the needle. If the needle is clean he should try with a different
person. If not, he asks the coach what he is thinking about when the needle reacts. If necessary he follows a characteristic
reaction by saying: "that", "that". He gets the coach to talk about it until the needle is
clean.
ME-17 Communication and dirty needlesPurpose:To teach the student how communication out-nesses make a needle dirty and how to clean it. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:Student is asking coach questions from a prepared list. He intentionally violates various rules for correct communication until the coach gets a dirty needle as a result. Then he proceeds to clean it again by asking him: "Did I do anything you had attention on?" and letting the coach say anything he needs to say. The student only uses one outness at a time until the needle gets dirty.
ME-18 Instant reactionsPurpose:To teach the student to recognize instant reactions. Instant reactions are what is important to take up in clearing. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:Student reads statements to the coach one at a time. After each statement the coach asks: "Was there an instant reaction?". If yes: "What was it?". The student needs to notice which reactions are instant and which are not. An instant reaction is at the exact
end of a major thought. And he needs to note what the reaction is.
ME-19 Checking if questions readPurpose:To teach the student to check if a specific question reads. For clearing purposes he must be able to determine if a certain area is charged. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:The student takes questions from the general list of questions. He needs to determine if the question reads. The safest way to do it is as follows in that it gives several chances for getting the read: 1. Ask what the question means: "What does this question mean to you?" If necessary clear up any words. A instant reaction when you give him the question or when he gives you the definition is valid. 2. Check the question: "I am going to check the question. ...". An instant reaction is valid. 3. If still no reaction, it might have been suppressed or invalidated, check both: "On the question _____, has anything been suppressed?", "On the question _____, has anything been invalidated?" If any of them reads, get whatever he wants to say about it. Any instant reaction transfers to the actual question and is valid. 4. If the question read, now ask it to the coach and get the answer. If it didn't read, go on to the next question
and do the same thing.
ME-20 Assessing and picking up readsPurpose:To teach the student to assess a list and notice instant reads. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:Student assesses a prepared list of questions. When he gets an instant read he stops, asks the question
again to the coach, and gets an answer. Then he continues the assessment.
ME-21 Assessing and selecting best readsPurpose:To teach the student to discern between reads and pick the best. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:Student assesses a prepared list of questions. He goes all the way through and notes reads as he goes along as sF, F, LF, LFBD. Afterwards he picks the largest three reads in order and asks those questions to the coach.
ME-22 Two-way communication to pick up itemsPurpose:To teach the student to note reads while talking with the coach. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:The student asks the coach about his day and keeps a two-way communication going while he is watching
the meter. "How have you been doing today?". He asks any additional questions necessary to keep the conversation
going on that one subject. No evaluative or invalidative remarks or questions off the subject, just what is necessary
to keep going. Anything the coach says should be noted clearly on a piece of paper.
ME-23 Assessment by range actionPurpose:To teach the student to assess a list and pick items based on range action. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:The student goes through a list of subjects and for each one asks the coach: "How do you feel
about __?". The coach says whatever he feels like about the subject. The student keeps a worksheet and notes
all range changes. After the list is complete he adds up the range action for each subject and picks the one with
the most action.
ME-24 Wide viewing fieldPurpose:To train the student in watching the meter even when not looking directly at it. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Meter set up as for a session. Directions:Coach holds cans and simulates reads. The student calls each read with "there" even while looking in these other directions, one at a time. The student must describe what he sees in the direction he is looking, as well as call each read.
ME-25 DatingPurpose:To train the student to find hidden dates. Position:Student and coach facing each other. Directions:1. The coach picks a number between 1 and 10. The student finds it on the meter while the coach is silent. He does it by dividing the range and asking: "Is it greater than (5), is it less than (5), is it (5)" and picking the choice that reacts, dividing the range further, and so forth, until there is a clear choice. Only go on when the student can do this comfortably every time. 2. Now the coach picks a date including year, preferably one with some significance to him, like a birthday. The student then finds it on the meter. He does it by dividing periods and seeing what reacts. "Is it before 1950, is it after 1950, is it 1950?" and so forth.
Lists
General Questions
Statements
SubjectsMeans of transportation:Bus Jetplane Car Bicycle Bi-plane Motorcycle Speedboat Train Ferry Tricycle Sailboat Elephant Being carried Horseback Rowboat Prairie wagon Roller-skates Sleigh Steam roller Escalator Parachute Rolling sidewalk River raft Space ship Underground Tram Teleportation Elevator
Fruits:Apples Bananas Grapes Oranges Pears Strawberries Peaches Pistachios Gooseberries Grapefruit Plums Pineapples Hazelnuts Nectarines Avocados Lemons Raspberries Lime Blackberries Cherries Coconuts
Glossary
End of CB-Meter Course |
