If you live in Plymouth and want a natural way to quiet anxiety, stop looping thoughts and feel more rested, Access Bars® may be the reset you need. Taught by Gary Douglas in the 1990s, Access Bars® is a gentle, hands-on energy technique that helps move your nervous system from fight-or-flight into rest, digest and repair. Book an appointment today and discover the difference one session can make.
What is Access Bars®?
Access Bars® was developed by Gary Douglas in the 1990s. The modality involves lightly touching 32 specific points on the head. Each point relates to an area of life, such as money, creativity, relationships, stress or joy. By gently activating those points, many people experience release of stuck thoughts and emotions, like hitting a mental “reset” button.
The (science friendly) explanation
While research is evolving, multiple lines of evidence and practitioner reports, point to measurable nervous system and brainwave changes during an Access Bars session.
Brainwave shift: Sessions are associated with a reduction in high-frequency Beta activity (linked to stress, worry and overthinking) and an increase in Theta activity (associated with deep relaxation and creative insight). Research by Jeffrey L. Fannin, Ph.D.
https://accessconsciousness.app.box.com/s/i8m1i1fwq7or82j38dzfbfol7cv0aeyj
Nervous system reset: This shift helps move the body out of sympathetic dominance (fight/flight) toward parasympathetic states (rest, digest, repair), which supports recovery and better sleep.
Brain coherence & meditation parallels: Small EEG studies and case reports suggest Access Bars can produce brainwave coherence and patterns similar to those seen in meditation practitioners. YouTube video: What happens to the brain during an Access Bars session by Neuroscientist Dr Jeffrey L. Fannin: https://youtu.be/DgGbFRjqQPk?si=a-WKZrrJkNGz38nz
Reported clinical outcomes: Practitioner reports and small studies have reported reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms after a course of sessions (figures cited in some practitioner surveys include ~84.7% reduction in anxiety and ~82.7% reduction in depression.
- Article | Energy Psychology Journal: The Effects of Access Bars on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Police Officers https://share.google/ihOIqGMi0mFCjNMWX
- Research Gate: The Effects of Access Bars on Anxiety and Depression | Request PDF https://share.google/QpfAeT9iAU8pmOrF9
Who can benefit?
People commonly seek Access Bars® during times of change or overload:
- Career changes or job stress
- Relationship shifts
- Health challenges or chronic stress
- Grief, burnout, or overwhelm
It is also used by people who want to:
- Clear limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns
- Stop looping in repetitive thought cycles
- Reduce anxiety and improve sleep
- Increase mental clarity, focus and creativity
What clients often report after sessions
- More mental space and less mind-chatter
- Greater focus and clarity
- Reduced anxiety and improved sleep
- Increased self-awareness and creativity
- Feeling calmer and more able to make life changes
Trauma, ADHD & neurodivergence, what the evidence says
Trauma: Access Bars can support nervous system regulation which may help people feel safer in their bodies and reduce hyperarousal. If you’ve experienced trauma we recommend having Access Bars alongside, counselling or talk therapy that you may already be undertaking.
ADHD / neurodivergence: There is interest in whether Bars helps people with ADHD or other neurodivergent profiles (for ease of mind chatter, improved focus, sleep). At present, high-quality peer-reviewed research specifically on Access Bars for ADHD isn’t available.
How many sessions will I need?
Results vary by person, but a useful guideline:
First session: Most people feel immediate relaxation and a reduction in mental chatter.
3–5 sessions: Many clients notice more consistent improvements, less anxiety, better sleep and clearer thinking.
Ongoing / maintenance: Monthly sessions help sustain gains and support life transitions.
What to expect in a session
You’ll lie fully clothed on a treatment couch. I’ll gently touch the 32 Bars points on your head; the session lasts about 60 minutes. People commonly experience deep relaxation, warmth, tingling, or drifting into sleep. Some have emotional release or new insights. There’s no ‘right’ reaction, your body will do what it needs.
Book an Access Bars® appointment in Plymouth
Ready to try it? Check out the: available Appointments page
See what other people thought about Access Bars Testimonials
Access Bars® is one of the gentle approaches available within my bodywork and complementary therapies, offered as a calm, non-intrusive treatment.