Emotion Release Technique™ (ERT): What Is It and How Does It Work?

Written by Jessica Diakoumakos, Naturopath (BHSc Naturopathy) · Emba Wellness, Melbourne · Updated 15.04.2026

Emotion Release Technique™ (ERT) is a holistic method of psycho-emotional therapy developed by Australian naturopath Karlie McKeand. It uses muscle testing to assess the subconscious nervous system, combined with targeted stimulation of acupuncture and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) points, to identify and process deep-seated emotional blocks, stress patterns, and trauma responses. ERT works on the principle that unresolved emotions — stored in the body via neuropeptide-receptor binding — can manifest as physical symptoms, behavioural patterns, and chronic health conditions.

When most people think about naturopathic medicine, they think about gut health, hormones, or blood tests. Those are absolutely central to what I do. But one of the things I've become increasingly interested in — and have trained in specifically — is the relationship between emotional health and physical health.

Not in a vague, wellness-speak way. In a very literal, physiological way.

The research on how unresolved emotional stress manifests in the body is substantial. Chronic stress dysregulates the HPA axis and the gut microbiome. Trauma alters nervous system function. Emotional suppression is associated with increased inflammatory markers. The body keeps a record — and sometimes treating the physical presentation alone isn't enough.

This is what drew me to Emotion Release Technique™ — a method developed by Australian naturopath Karlie McKeand that works directly at the intersection of emotional and physical health.

Please note: ERT is coming soon to Emba Wellness. I have completed training in this technique and will be offering it to clients in the future. In the meantime, if you're interested in being notified when ERT becomes available, feel free to get in touch.

What Is Emotion Release Technique™?

Emotion Release Technique™ (ERT) is a holistic method of psycho-emotional therapy that enables practitioners to help clients identify and process deep-seated emotions, stress patterns, and trauma responses that may be contributing to physical symptoms or behavioural blocks.It was developed by Karlie McKeand, an Australian naturopath, and is built on the understanding that the mind and body are not separate systems — they are in constant, bidirectional communication. What we experience emotionally is registered physically, and what is held physically can be expressed emotionally.

As Karlie describes it: "ERT is a modality that can assess and address the nervous system and create change at the level of the subconscious."

The Science Behind ERT

The theoretical foundation of ERT draws on research into neuropeptides — signalling molecules released by the nervous system during emotional and stress responses. Neuropeptides bind to receptors not just in the brain, but throughout the body — in organs, tissues, and the immune system. This is the physiological mechanism by which emotional experiences become stored in the body.

When emotionally significant events are not fully processed — whether due to overwhelm, suppression, or circumstances that didn't allow for resolution — the neuropeptide-receptor binding associated with those events can persist. Over time this can contribute to chronic physical symptoms, altered immune function, pain, fatigue, and behavioural patterns that feel difficult to shift despite conscious effort.

ERT works by accessing and addressing these stored responses at the subconscious level — not through talking about them, but through the body's own regulatory systems.

This connects meaningfully with what I already work with clinically. Chronic stress dysregulates the HPA axis and elevates cortisol. Unresolved emotional load disrupts the gut microbiome. Nervous system dysregulation impairs digestion, hormone production, immune function, and sleep. Addressing the emotional layer isn't separate from addressing these physiological systems — it's often the missing piece.

How Does ERT Work?

ERT uses two primary tools in combination:

Muscle Testing

Muscle testing — also known as applied kinesiology — is used to assess the subconscious nervous system's responses. It allows the practitioner to identify emotional blocks, stress patterns, and unresolved events that may not be accessible through conscious recall or verbal inquiry. The body's responses provide a kind of map of what needs to be addressed.

Acupuncture and EFT Point Stimulation

Once emotional material is identified, targeted stimulation of acupuncture points and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping points is used to process and release it. These points correspond to meridians and neural pathways involved in emotional regulation and stress response. The combination of identifying the emotional content and simultaneously stimulating these points allows for processing that can create lasting change.

The result, as Karlie describes it: "ERT has the ability to change thought patterns, beliefs, and powerfully heal the body and mind, trauma, and physical manifestations of stress."

Who Can Benefit from ERT?

ERT may be beneficial for people dealing with:

• Chronic stress or burnout — where the nervous system has been in a prolonged state of dysregulation

• Anxiety or low mood — particularly where there's a sense that something deeper is driving symptoms beyond biochemistry alone

• Physical symptoms with an emotional component — chronic pain, fatigue, digestive conditions, skin conditions, or hormonal imbalances that haven't fully resolved through physical interventions

• Behavioural patterns or self-sabotage — difficulty making changes, recurring relationship patterns, or blocks to achieving goals

• Trauma — including both acute trauma and the more diffuse effects of chronic emotional stress

• Stress-related physical presentations — where the load of unprocessed emotional experience is contributing to physical symptoms

ERT is designed to work alongside naturopathic care — not as a replacement for it. For many clients, the combination of addressing the physical and emotional layers simultaneously produces outcomes that neither approach achieves alone.

ERT at Emba Wellness

I trained in Emotion Release Technique™ with Karlie McKeand and am a certified ERT practitioner. I was drawn to this technique because of how well it integrates with the naturopathic framework — particularly for clients dealing with stress-related physical symptoms, hormonal dysregulation, gut conditions with a significant nervous system component, and mood concerns.

ERT is coming soon to Emba Wellness. I'm working towards offering it as an integrated component of consultations in the future.

If you'd like to be notified when ERT becomes available at Emba Wellness, please get in touch.

In the meantime, I work with the nervous system and emotional health through a naturopathic lens in every consultation — through HPA axis support, adaptogenic herbal medicine, gut-brain axis work, and functional pathology. If these are areas you're dealing with, an initial consultation is a good place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Emotion Release Technique™?

  Emotion Release Technique™ (ERT) is a holistic method of psycho-emotional therapy developed by Australian naturopath Karlie McKeand. It uses muscle testing to assess the subconscious nervous system and targeted stimulation of acupuncture and EFT points to identify and process emotional blocks, stress patterns, and trauma responses that may be contributing to physical symptoms or behavioural patterns.

• How is ERT different from talk therapy or counselling?

  ERT does not work primarily through verbal processing or conscious recall. Instead it accesses and addresses emotional material at the subconscious level through the body's own regulatory systems — muscle testing and acupuncture point stimulation. This makes it particularly useful for emotional content that is difficult to access or articulate consciously, or for physical symptoms that have a strong emotional or stress component.

• Can ERT help with physical health conditions?

  ERT is based on the principle that unresolved emotional stress, stored in the body via neuropeptide-receptor binding, can contribute to physical symptoms including chronic pain, fatigue, digestive conditions, hormonal imbalances, and immune dysregulation. By addressing these emotional patterns, ERT may support resolution of physical symptoms that haven't responded fully to other interventions.

• Is ERT available at Emba Wellness?

  ERT is coming soon to Emba Wellness. Jessica Diakoumakos has completed training in ERT with Karlie McKeand and will be offering it to clients in the future. If you would like to be notified when ERT becomes available, please get in touch via the contact page.

• How does ERT integrate with naturopathic care?

  ERT integrates naturally with naturopathic medicine because both approaches recognise that physical and emotional health are not separate. For clients dealing with stress-related physical symptoms, HPA axis dysregulation, gut-brain axis concerns, or mood and anxiety alongside physical presentations, addressing the emotional layer alongside the physical often produces outcomes that neither approach achieves independently.

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