To root the One Brain approach in authentic Kabbalistic sources, we need to find parallels — not in name, but in function and concept.

The idea of emotional blockages, split consciousness, and the need to integrate thought, emotion, and action is present in the teachings of the Arizal, the Ben Ish Chai, and Rav Shalom Sharabi, among other Kabbalists.

In today’s world of fragmented attention, stress, and emotional overwhelm, many people are searching for healing that goes beyond just talking. They want real change.

The One Brain Method that I’ve been studying, developed in the 1980s by Gordon Stokes, Daniel Whiteside, and Candace Callaway, offers a practical system to identify and release emotional blocks that are stored in the body and subconscious mind. Unlike typical therapeutic models that rely only on logic or conversation, One Brain addresses the root causes of inner conflict by working directly with the body’s innate wisdom.

The Core Principle: Emotional Stress Blocks Brain Integration

The name “One Brain” refers to the idea that when we are emotionally balanced, the two hemispheres of the brain work together in harmony. But under stress, this unity breaks down.

The right brain, associated with creativity and emotions, and the left brain, associated with logic and language, may stop communicating effectively. This creates mental confusion, emotional instability, and patterns of self-sabotage.

Another way of seeing the brain is dividing it into 2 parts: the frontal lobe responsible for thoughtful decisions and the cerebellum at the back for impulsive action.

One Brain seeks to restore communication between the hemispheres (and 2 sides, front and back) so a person can think, feel, and act in alignment.

Muscle Testing: The Body Doesn’t Lie

During my course, I learned that One Brain uses a fascinating core technique known as muscle testing, borrowed from applied kinesiology. The practitioner lightly presses on the client’s arm while they think about a specific issue or emotion.

If the muscle “locks,” it means the body is congruent with the thought. If it “unlocks” or weakens, it indicates a stress response — the body is revealing an unresolved emotional conflict. This allows practitioners to bypass the analytical mind and access information stored in the subconscious.

Muscle testing works on a very simple principle that even deep seated emotions and blockages communicate with the physical body via what is called the “energy body”, a network of electricity and meridians that we use to move. Even subtle energetic imprints can be brought to surface, examined, and rectified.

This muscle testing technique is especially powerful when clients don’t know why they feel stuck or reactive.

Their body does, and the body (or, more precisely, the energy body) never lies.

Age Recession: Tracing the Root Cause

Another of the most important tools in One Brain is Age Recession, which helps identify the age when the root emotional issue was first imprinted. By pinpointing the original memory or emotional trauma — often from early childhood or even inherited from past generations — the method helps the individual reframe the experience and release the energy stuck there.

This process is not about re-living pain but about gaining clarity and clearing emotional energy that still controls present behavior. This age recession technique can be traced back to the time of conception of the patient and even in previous lifetimes (gilgulim, or reincarnations), though some Kabbalists nowadays are opposed to that.

The Three Aspects of Self

It’s important to understand that One Brain recognizes three inner “voices” that are often in conflict:

• The Conscious Self — what we think we want.
• The Subconscious Self — what we emotionally believe is safe or unsafe.
• The Body — which carries the reactions and memories physically.

The goal of a One Brain session is to align these three, so your actions reflect your true choices — not your unconscious fears or inherited programming.

So you might be asking: what does this have to do with Kabbalah anyway?

Let’s find out.

1. Mochin d’Katnut and Mochin d’Gadlut – Arizal

Source: Etz Chaim, Sha’ar HaMochin

• The Arizal explains that the soul operates on levels of “smallness of mind” (katnut) and “greatness of mind” (gadlut). Katnut is a constricted state — emotional immaturity, fear, confusion, and lack of integration. Gadlut is a state of expanded consciousness — calm, clarity, and alignment.
• One Brain aims to shift the person from katnut to gadlut by resolving emotional blockages and restoring internal order — this directly reflects the mochin structure.

“והנה עיקר הקטנות הוא להיות בינה לבד בלי חכמה ודעת, והגדלות הוא בהיות כל שלשה מוחין בשלמותם”
(Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Mochin)
“The essence of small-mindedness is when only Binah is present without Chochmah and Daat; greatness is when all three mochin are complete.”

2. Disunity Between Mochin and Middot – Rav Chaim Vital

Source: Sha’arei Kedusha, Part 1

• Rav Chaim Vital explains that the yetzer hara disturbs the connection between mind and emotion. The intellect may know something is wrong, but the heart doesn’t follow. This is a foundational problem in trauma where the mind “knows” we are safe, but the emotional or physical body doesn’t feel safe.
• One Brain corrects this disconnect, allowing true da’at (knowledge that unifies intellect and emotion) to flow.

“העיקר בעבודת האדם הוא להעלות המידות אל השכל, עד שישלוט השכל עליהם תמיד…”
(Sha’arei Kedusha, Part 1)
“The essence of a person’s avodah is to elevate the emotional traits to the intellect, so that the intellect will always rule over them.”

3. Tikun HaMiddot – Ben Ish Chai

Source: Ben Ish Chai, Derushim, Parashat Nitzavim

• The Ben Ish Chai teaches that a person must heal and rectify their emotional traits (middot), which are the vessels through which Divine light is expressed. Emotional imbalance causes spiritual blockage.
• One Brain’s focus on uncovering early emotional wounds is a form of tikun hamiddot — repairing the inner vessels of the 7 lower Sephirot of the soul, so that its light can shine properly.

“המידות הן הכלים לקבל את השפע, ואם הכלים פגומים — גם האור נתקלקל…”
(Ben Ish Chai, Nitzavim)
“The emotional traits are the vessels to receive Divine flow; if the vessels are damaged, the light is distorted as well.”

4. Releasing Subconscious Pain – Rashash (R’ Shalom Sharabi

Source: Siddur HaRashash, Kavanot of the Amidah

• The Rashash describes internal “dinim” (judgments) that rise from the unconscious layers of the soul and must be sweetened during prayer. These inner judgments come from unhealed spiritual/emotional residues.
• One Brain identifies these dinim in real time — using the body’s feedback — and helps the person release or “sweeten” them consciously, in line with the Rashash’s teachings.

“ועל ידי כוונות אלו ממתיקים הדינים שבלב וממשיכים רחמים…”
(Siddur Rashash, Shemoneh Esrei)
“Through these intentions, we sweeten the judgments in the heart and draw down compassion…”

5. Generational Repair – Arizal on Gilgulim and Tikun HaAvot

Source: Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Intro 22

• The Arizal teaches that unresolved patterns — especially emotional or behavioral — can be passed down from previous gilgulim (reincarnations) and must be healed in this lifetime.
• One Brain’s use of Age Recession and generational tracing directly reflects this Kabbalistic framework.

“וכל אחד מתקן מה שקלקל בגלגול קודם, או מה שקלקל אחד מאבותיו…”
(Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Intro 22)
“Each person repairs what was damaged in a previous incarnation, or what was damaged by one of his ancestors…”

Summary: Kabbalistic Support for the One Brain Method

How One Brain Differs From Traditional Talk Therapy

While talk therapy can be helpful, it often gets stuck in loops of analyzing without true release. Often, release is thought to have been solved but if it isn’t truly permanent, it can be very problematic in the future.

One Brain focuses on:

• Energetic correction rather than over-intellectualizing.
• Physical feedback through muscle testing to guide the process.
• Integration tools, including eye pattern balancing, affirmations, visualizations, and movement, to anchor change in the nervous system.

Do not underestimate the power of muscle testing. As we learned while working in pairs, there is A LOT that can be uncovered through that.

A Tool for Soul Work

From a spiritual standpoint, One Brain is a method of clearing the vessel — removing inner interference that clouds our ability to act with clarity and purpose.

For those who integrate it with traditional systems like Kabbalah or Chinese Medicine, it becomes a bridge: a way to bring the soul’s wisdom into the body, and to heal the split between mind, heart, and action.

Lastly, One Brain can be helpful for:

• Anxiety and emotional overwhelm
• Relationship issues
• Learning blocks and brain fog
• Unexplained fatigue or chronic emotional pain
• Trauma recovery
• Those looking to align their behavior with their inner values

It is not a religious system, but when used with intention, it can support tremendous spiritual growth.