What is Access Consciousness?
Access Consciousness is a contemporary self-help and personal development modality that emerged from the New Age movement in the early 1990s. At its core, the practice offers a suite of tools—most notably the Access Bars technique and the Clearing Statement—designed to release mental, emotional, and energetic limitations that practitioners believe keep individuals stuck in patterns of judgment, limitation, and fixed points of view. The organization markets itself as a pragmatic, empowering framework for creating greater ease, joy, and possibility in daily life, with no alignment to traditional religious structures.
The central premise is that humans accumulate layers of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and decisions throughout their lives (and, according to some teachings, across lifetimes) that create electromagnetic charges in the brain and body. These charges purportedly limit awareness, capacity for change, and the ability to receive. Access Consciousness teaches that by “running” the 32 Bars points on the head and using verbal processes to clear energetic blocks, individuals can dismantle these limitations and access greater consciousness.
The practice is not rooted in ancient tradition, established scripture, or lineage transmission; rather, it is a modern, eclectic synthesis drawing elements from energy healing modalities, prosperity gospel principles, and New Thought metaphysics. As of 2024, Access Consciousness claims practitioners in over 170 countries, thousands of certified facilitators, and a global organizational structure offering workshops, certification programs, books, and online content.
Origins & Lineage
Access Consciousness was founded in 1990 by Gary Douglas in Santa Barbara, California, under the original name Access Energy Transformation. Douglas, a former real estate agent who filed for bankruptcy in 1993, has stated that the system’s foundational insights came to him through channeling—specifically, he claims to have channeled the spirit of Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic, whom he referred to as “Raz.” According to Douglas, Rasputin transmitted information about the Access Bars, the 32 points on the head that form the cornerstone of the practice. Douglas also claims to have channeled an ancient Chinese figure named Tchia Tsin, extraterrestrial beings called Novian, and a 14th-century monk named Brother George.
The system remained relatively small until 2001, when Dain Heer, a former chiropractor, joined Douglas and became co-creator of Access Consciousness. Heer brought visibility and organizational capacity to the movement, developing signature programs such as “Being You, Changing the World” and “The Energetic Synthesis of Being.” In 2003, Australian entrepreneur Simone Milasas joined as worldwide business coordinator and is credited with developing much of the training curriculum and course structure.
Douglas has acknowledged familiarity with Scientology—he was a Scientologist, and his first and second wives were also connected to the Church of Scientology—leading some critics to describe Access Consciousness as a “Scientology knock-off” due to structural and linguistic similarities, including proprietary jargon, tiered training systems, and fee-based advancement.
There is no ancient text, guru lineage, or pre-20th-century precedent for Access Consciousness. Its entire cosmology and methodology were developed by Douglas and his collaborators in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
How It’s Practiced
The two primary tools of Access Consciousness are the Access Bars and the Clearing Statement.
Access Bars is a hands-on technique involving 32 specific points on the head, each purportedly corresponding to different life areas such as money, control, creativity, body, sexuality, joy, sadness, and communication. During a Bars session—often called “having your Bars run”—a practitioner lightly touches these points in sequence for 60–90 minutes. Proponents claim this releases the electromagnetic charge of accumulated thoughts, beliefs, and emotions stored in the brain, producing effects similar to deep meditation, with participants often reporting relaxation, mental clarity, reduced anxiety, improved sleep, and emotional release. One-day Bars classes certify students to practice on others, with over 500,000 people reportedly trained worldwide.
The Clearing Statement is a verbal mantra-like tool used throughout the day to “clear” limiting energies. The full version reads: “Right and wrong, good and bad, POD and POC, all 100, shorts, boys, POVADs, creations, bases and beyonds.” Each phrase is an acronym or code: POC refers to “point of creation” of limiting thoughts; POD to “point of destruction” following decisions; “all 100” signifies the 100 polarized stories that keep individuals locked in this reality. Practitioners repeat the statement after identifying a limitation or in response to questions posed during sessions. The statement is intentionally opaque; its efficacy is said to lie in clearing “the energy underneath the words” rather than cognitive understanding.
Other Access tools include questioning techniques (“What else is possible?”; “How does it get any better than this?”), body processes (energy work techniques applied to the body), and specialized programs addressing money (“Wealth Creators Anonymous”), relationships (“Relationship Done Different”), and animals (“Conscious Horse Conscious Rider”).
A distinctive doctrinal element is the concept of “humanoids” versus “humans.” According to Access teachings, humanoids are beings of higher awareness capable of bending reality, regenerating body parts, communicating telepathically, changing weather, and transcending ordinary limitations; humans, by contrast, remain trapped in judgment and limitation. The goal of practice is to become a humanoid.
Access Consciousness Today
Seekers encounter Access Consciousness through one-day Bars classes, multi-day Foundation classes, online telecalls, books (including Heer’s Being You, Changing the World and Douglas’s numerous titles), YouTube videos, and a global network of certified facilitators. The organization operates a tiered certification system: a one-day Bars class costs a few hundred dollars and certifies practitioners; becoming a Certified Facilitator requires completing at least 12 courses, ongoing telecalls, and annual recertification fees. As of 2024, facilitator training cost approximately AUD $30,000, with annual renewal fees around AUD $17,000. The organization offers over 8,000 proprietary tools and processes.
Access hosts large-scale events globally, including “Being You” weekends, week-long intensives, and specialty classes. The movement has a robust media presence, including podcasts, radio shows, and social media outreach. It appeals particularly to those in wellness industries—yoga teachers, bodyworkers, energy healers, life coaches—as well as individuals seeking alternatives to conventional therapy or spiritual paths.
Common Misconceptions
Access Consciousness is not an ancient spiritual tradition. Despite language evoking energy meridians and references to Chinese medicine, the system has no documented connection to traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture, chakra systems, or any lineage-based practice. The Bars points do not correspond to acupuncture points, marma points, or anatomical structures recognized in established healing modalities.
It is not scientifically validated in peer-reviewed, replicable research. While proponents cite studies by neuroscientist Jeffrey Fannin and psychologist Terrie Hope on anxiety and brain coherence, critics including science communicator Jonathan Jarry have called these studies methodologically poor, with small sample sizes, lack of controls, and conflicts of interest. Access Consciousness does not meet clinical standards for evidence-based therapy.
It is not free from controversy. The organization has faced serious allegations including cult-like behavior, financial exploitation (former facilitators report spending tens of thousands on courses with pressure to continually advance), verbal abuse in workshops, inappropriate sexual conduct by leadership, and disturbing statements about children and sexuality. In 2024, former members filed complaints with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission alleging false claims and pyramid-scheme structures. Douglas has made public statements claiming children are “sexy in a humanoid way” and that molested children “allowed” abuse to protect others—claims that have generated significant ethical concern.
It is not a replacement for licensed mental health care, medical treatment, or trauma therapy, despite being marketed for anxiety, depression, and emotional healing.
How to Begin
Those curious about Access Consciousness typically start with a single Access Bars session (60–90 minutes, available through certified practitioners listed on the Access Consciousness website) to experience the technique firsthand. Many report deep relaxation; some feel nothing. A one-day Access Bars class, offered globally in person and online, teaches the hand placements and certifies attendees to give and receive sessions. The Clearing Statement is available for free via the official website and YouTube channels, with tutorials by Dain Heer and facilitators explaining its use.
Books such as Dain Heer’s Being You, Changing the World and Gary Douglas’s Money Isn’t the Problem, You Are introduce Access philosophy in accessible language. The organization’s YouTube channel, podcasts, and free introductory videos provide entry points without financial commitment.
Prospective participants are advised to approach critically, research the organization’s controversies independently, and maintain boundaries around financial investment and personal autonomy. Access Consciousness thrives in a community context; those uncomfortable with high-demand groups, proprietary jargon, or fee-based spiritual advancement may find the structure alienating.