Get the pain out holistically

Photo: Contributed
You get so tired of it—the body pains, the emotional suffering, the unhealthy habits and the relationship issues—one or more of the struggles that keep you from being at ease with yourself and living a more fulfilling life. But just can’t seem to see your way clear. Something has to change, right? And all the so-called “fixes” just haven’t worked. John Schlapbach understands. He’s been there and has seen it many times.
The owner of Visions Healing, John Schlapbach is an emotion code/body code practitioner, a Heart-Wall specialist, speaker and teacher. With more than 40 years of experience in holistic health practice—nutrition, reflexology, intuitive and energy medicine—Schlapbach has seen and treated the gamut of ailments and obstacles keeping us from achieving and maintaining health and wellness in the fullest sense. And he has the tools to help.
His own story offers personal proof of our power to heal from within, with the proper guidance. Many years ago, he applied The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson to his own life, addressing inner imbalances caused by past sports injuries and emotional trauma. And he learned a key component in this method: the belief that you can turn negative experiences into positive ones.
Let’s talk about your story. What got you into holistic medicine in the first place?
Back in 1969, I was in my twenties and living in Ontario. One day I went to the grocery store to do some shopping for myself and my roommates. Like a lot of bachelors’ fridges, ours was pretty sparse and in need of the essentials: bread, milk, eggs, ketchup, peanut butter, jam and, of course, beer.
Strolling down the aisles, I did something I had never done before, and I don’t know why. Stopping by the peanut butter, I grabbed the jar and read the label: peanuts, salt … and sugar. I thought, Why would they put sugar in peanut butter? It was then that I began reading labels on groceries or anything else for that matter. How many of us read labels today, especially when purchasing food or nutritional items?
When I moved back to B.C. in the early 1970s, I ended up meeting some people who considered themselves vegetarians. Again, my interest was piqued. I became a vegetarian and launched myself into studying holistic health; first nutrition and different diets, then herbology, reflexology, Japanese massage and so on. I had an insatiable desire to learn as much as I could, initially for my own health but after a while to help others. I also learned applied kinesiology muscle testing from a chiropractor to determine spinal misalignments and testing for nutritional supplements from a master herbalist.
All this was pretty exciting for me, and I eventually went on to become a registered massage therapist, which I have been now for 25 years. So I have the holistic health background and a medical background, which equips me to bridge the gap and help people more fully. When I was introduced to the subtle energies of the body I realized there was yet a whole other area to explore: energy medicine.
In 2007 you had a major shift. Describe how emotion code and body code work changed your life personally and professionally.
In 2007 I had a major shift in my approach to health. Besides studying and working on the physical aspects of health, I had also been learning about the mind and how it influences our health and well-being. One of my business associates had suggested a recently published book called The Emotion Code by Dr. Bradley Nelson because it mentioned magnets.
I knew of Dr. Nelson already because we had both been involved with a Japanese company that developed and marketed magnetic and other energy health products that we used and shared with many others. The guiding concept was “give the body what it needs, and it can heal itself naturally.”
So I purchased the book and read all about the emotions and how they influence our health. I was blown away by what I read. Before I was even halfway through the book, I began using it on myself. I already knew about muscle testing and magnets, and I had been studying the mind. Now I had the chart of emotions. I just needed to ask the questions and do the releases on myself. I noticed that every time I released a trapped emotion for myself, I felt calmer, lighter and more relaxed. So I asked myself if I had trapped emotions from past traumas, events and experiences that I could release, and to my surprise I did.
Then I wondered if I could use this approach to help some of my clients. I heard that Dr. Nelson was teaching a course in Seattle, so a friend and I registered right away and off we went. At the seminar I witnessed many others who were getting amazing results on a vast array of chronic joint and muscle pains within hours, minutes or in some cases immediately. After that seminar I became a certified emotion code practitioner, then a body code practitioner, and finally an emotion code instructor for “Dr. Brad.”
What is one of the first questions you ask clients who come to you, to custom fit your treatment options to their individual challenges?
Before I work with a client—the majority of which are remote or distance—the first question I ask is: What are the symptoms or issues you are wanting help with? It can be chronic physical pain; ongoing emotions like grief, anger, sadness; mental issues, such as anxiety or depression; or spiritual disconnection.
In order to solve a problem you must first identify it. I use applied kinesiology and the emotion code/body code program to get to the source of their issues. Sometimes the answer is simple; other times it is more complex. It’s like being a detective and tracking down and deleting the source of the complaint. An example familiar to many: “I went through a difficult divorce and I’m still feeling resentment, still feeling stuck, and even my children are still suffering, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried counselling and many other things, and so far not much seems to be working.”
You can guarantee they will have a Heart-Wall and other trapped emotions or thoughts that they are still holding on to. Sometimes one 30-minute session can change all of that for the better, and sometimes we need to peel away a few layers first to help them. Everyone is different and has their own story to deal with. Now that we know the issues or symptoms and have permission to connect to their subconscious mind, we are ready to ask: Is there anything blocking, stopping or preventing us from working on these issues? Is there anything you need to release first?
What are some of the biggest revelations clients have after they begin treatment with you?
Some of the biggest revelations clients have after they begin a session with me are many. For example, sometimes they are surprised by what is coming up for them. It may not make sense to them initially. However, as we go along things seem to make more sense and they come to realize this is their story.
Some clients are very aware, and they start to know some of the answers before the questions are even asked. Remember, we are asking questions and testing for yes or no answers and following the program. The answers are coming from their subconscious mind into their conscious awareness—aha moments. Occasionally they will ask, “How did you know that? I’ve never told that to anyone before.”
Another common revelation is, “I thought I dealt with that already, but there it is, still in my energy field.” We may be working on a particular issue, but many times that issue has a connection to another issue. For example, today I was working with a client who was dealing with some Heart-Wall emotions of feeling abandonment and loneliness, and after I cleared some emotions the pain that was in her right hip disappeared. In energy medicine we say anything can cause anything. So many stories to share.
What amazes me about your work is how quickly it can be effective. How often do you have clients later experience a new layer of awareness that brings them back to you for follow-up or fresh treatment?
The emotion code/body code can quite often get instant results for people. For example, chronic neck, shoulder, or knee pain for months or years? Gone. Feelings of depression or anxiety? Gone. It’s always very rewarding to hear these results from my clients. Other times the issues are more complex and may require releasing of some deeper layers or through a series of sessions. One never knows until we begin doing the work. After many years of working with so many people, I’ve learned one truth that applies to everyone: We are all different. We all have our own story.
What do the terms balance and well-being mean to you?
For me balance means harmony among the mind, the body, our finances, the family and society—the 5 Pillars of Health developed by Isamu Masuda from Japan. The whole purpose for the emotion code/body code program is to identify and remove blocks and thereby restore balance and maintain harmony so that our mind and body can function at optimal levels as they were designed to do by the “celestial engineers.”
Well-being is about having the tools and practices to continually adjust our lives and make course corrections, as we would to a rocket, so that we can release trapped emotions, restore balance and get to where we want to go.
Tell us something about yourself most wouldn’t know—a fun fact, interesting perspective or an engaging story.
When I was in my teen years, I came to the realization that I could do anything I wanted to do as long as I set my mind to it and believed it was possible. I also decided that I wanted to have a lot of different experiences in my life. I loved to fly, so I became a pilot. I loved the arts, so I became a photographer. I loved helping others, so that became my biggest passion and still is today.
John Schlapbach owns Visions Healing
This column was submitted as part of BWB Wednesdays
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