GSR Course (2)

NEEDLE READS

1. A characteristic needle; being a pattern of needle behavior that reflects the mental condition of the person on the GSR Meter .

2. A needle Reaction; being a change of the characteristic, which reflects a change in the mental condition of the subject.

characteristic Needles

Different needle characteristics indicate different physical or mental conditions. Here are some of the more common characteristic needles:

A Rising Needle (Rise): the needle moves to the left, indicating an increase in body resistance.

A Falling Needle (Fall): is a move of the needle to the right, indicating a decrease in body resistance.

A Stuck Needle (STN): is a needle that barely moves. It is often linked with a high overall body resistance and indicates dissociation (a lack of emotional or somatic conjunction with thought., i.e. 'poker face') or a shutdown of reactions, sometimes called 'body armor'. The person's attention is stuck on a particular Item that is heavily in reactivation but suppressed, so that he is probably not conscious of its exact nature.

An Agitated Needle (AN): is a needle moving in a jerky, uneven manner; not as a response to any presented Item. It often indicates that the subject may be confused by questions, or may have considerations related to the procedure, or may be at variance with the practitioner. The GSR Meter cannot be read properly, nor can the subject form any clear ideas. Generally an Agitated Needle can be smoothed by asking the subject to deliver withheld communications. When this has been done the needle action will become smooth.

A Periodic Needle (P/N): is a needle that moves gently and smoothly left and right like a pendulum. It generally indicates unfixed attention, a state of internal quiet, and occurs at the start of a procedure when attention is free and when a procedure has been completed and charge has been released so that again, attention is free. One should be able to recognize this movement without hesitation and not pursue a particular line of questioning beyond it, without a re-appraisal of the procedure or line of questioning.

Instant Needle Reads

Where a change of characteristic is concerned one can only know if this occurs in reactive response to a word or question if there is an instant needle response. An Instant Read is a read that occurs almost instantaneously (between 0.1 - 1.0 seconds) after an Item is presented to the subject. The longer delay for a reactive read (<1.0 sec) can be accepted if the subject is not using his native language, or if his comprehension is generally slower than average. You must judge how this affects each person, watching their expression and behavior as additional indicators of response.

In contrast, a Delayed Read is one which occurs later than 1.0 second after the Item is presented. Such a read is usually disregarded when you are looking for a reactivative item as it is not clear what it is a reaction to; it is most likely to represent an analytical cognitive process which links with another reactivative topic. Nevertheless it is used when 'steering' the subject, when a reactivated area of case is being looked at or talked about - by indicating to the subject when the needle reads, this gives a 'handle' to help the person spot the charged item for himself.

Needle reads vary in magnitude and in significance. Reads include the following types:

Tick (T): is a small jerk of the needle, less than 3 mm.

Small Fall (SF): is a read consisting of a small Fall, moving between 3 mm to 1 cm towards the right of the dial.

Fall (F): is a read of moderate size (1 to 2 cm). This means the item causing the Fall is real to the subject and is confrontable; it is in the pre-conscious and is therefore accessible.

Long Fall (LF): is a read of greater size (2 to 6 cm). This means the item causing the Fall is already emerging from the pre-conscious and is therefore readily accessible.

Balance Drop (BD): is a Fall so large and of such duration that it requires adjustment of the Balance Control to keep the needle centered on the dial. This represents a sudden recognition by the subject on the GSR Meter and a powerful reaction.

Stopped Periodic Needle (Stopped P/N): is a read in which a Periodic Needle stops its characteristic motion and starts to do something else. It indicates the presence of charge and is equivalent to a Long Fall in significance..

Null (X): is a lack of needle read to a given Item.

Fibrillation (Fib): small, rapid left and right movements of the needle. Indicates mental indecision, vacillation and departure or loss.

Frantic Needle (Fran): violent agitation of needle indicating high internal arousal and conscious repression of communication.

Rise (SR): a needle movement of 1 to 2 cm towards the left of the Dial. Represents an un-confronted reactivation, a backing off. A Continued Rise would indicate a protest or an overrun (continuing the procedure too long, past a release point).

Falls and Rises of the Needle

Generally speaking, the greater the needle response to an Item the closer that Item is to the threshold of awareness. But equally large Falls can be produced by conscious thoughts if an effort is made to conceal these thoughts from the practitioner, such as in the case of a withheld communication (hence the success of the Polygraph lie-detector - and its unreliability, since the response could equally be a reactive association). The immediacy of the response to a stimulus Item determines whether the thought is unconscious, i.e. before the client is aware of it.

In a normal session one observes frequent rises and falls of the Balance Point (BP), as charged material is reactivated and then confronted. The total amount of downward movement (falling resistance) of the BP is called 'Balance Action' (BA).

A rapid rise in the BP, when accompanied by inappropriate mirth, anger, discomfort or unpleasant feelings, often indicates an overrun item, something that has gone beyond its proper level of discharge (release) and because attention has remained on it, the charge has been 'pulled back in' again; or it may be a protest by the subject. A Fall may have occurred but was not noticed and so the charge on some item was bypassed. When a rapid rise in BP occurs, then the subject will often protest that too much is going on. This allows the practitioner to spot the difficulty; a quick re-check over relevant material reveals the cause.

Interest and Meter Reads in Assessment

Items which give a Null (x) read - even though they may intellectually seem to be of significance - are not worth pursuing and cause trouble if you do, because you would be trying to dig up charge which either isn't there or isn't accessible.

There are times when one's attention is drawn to an item which gives just a tick on the GSR Meter, perhaps due to 'body armor' or an underlying heavily suppressed item that is associated with it. By addressing such items, a larger read may well be awakened. Nevertheless, the major reading item is always senior to interest in assessment of comparable items.

Further notes on needle reads

In the presence of a disagreement or upset the needle reaction can pack up altogether. There may be a disagreement with the chosen procedure or upset about the session. Nothing reads except the upset or disagreement. The answer is to repair the upset or disagreement. Don't try to do anything over the top of this.

Now, if there isn't an upset or disagreement then something is well and truly in reactivation. Put the Sensitivity up. Something will read somewhere. The question or Item which unsticks the needle will be the only thing which will make that needle read. Don't be surprised if there is a stressful situation connected with the Item.

None of this should be confused with a null needle. A Null read means that it didn't read on the question you just asked, but it could read on another question, especially if you ask the right question. It doesn't mean the needle has gone totally rigid as in the Stuck Needle. But before you write off a question as being uncharged, use the 'Suppress buttons': 'Suppressed' 'Invalidated' and 'Unacknowledged' as follows: "On (question), has anything being suppressed? ...invalidated? ...unacknowledged?" Once you get a read on one of these it releases the suppression and the question will normally then give a read.

A Rising needle means a continuous movement of the needle towards the left and if long enough you have to move the Balance Control to a higher position. It essentially means 'not confronting' or 'backing off'. If the practitioner reactivates something which is not easily confronted, a rise occurs. To get benefit from psychotherapy it is often necessary to cause the Balance to rise before it eventually comes down again (= Balance Action and case gain); the skill is not overdoing it (overrun) or under-doing it (incomplete action). The practitioner would be doing a poor job if he didn't cause the Balance to rise and fall frequently during the session.

If in session you get nothing but a rising Balance, you have exceeded the subject's reality, you are doing something wrong - it could be an overrun or protest, and it could be an indication that the session is about to go sour. But it could just as easily be a healthy sign that the subject is getting to grips with an important area of charge; you would have to observe how he looks and sounds. It would be a mistake to interrupt just because the Balance is soaring if he is working well; judge the situation.

A Fibrillation is an unusual needle behavior in which there is a narrow, steady dance of the needle. It is usually a constant distance and constant speed, the speed being rapid - 5 or 10 times a second - and it means 'leaving' or 'death' or "I don't want to be here". If the subject wants to get out of the session, this can cause Fibrillation, but also it can help detect being stuck in the subject of a death, or it appears if exteriorisation (movement out of the body) is about to take place; it seems to signify a vibration as if the Being was attempting to leave his body. You can turn off a Fibrillation by simply asking "What's happening?".

The Agitated needle pattern is very irregular. What you will see is an agitated, jerky, sticky behavior as if it was trying to avoid something, and in fact it is. An Agitated (or 'dirty') needle turns on for one or more of the following reasons, and is in fact a very important needle phenomenon to be able to spot and deal with, if you want to have smooth and successful sessions. It can occur if the practitioner's communication is mishandled in some way or if he has evaluated or invalidated the subject's data, or if the subject has an upset or is withholding something he doesn't wish to be known. Here is where the needle seems to be avoiding the issue, as is the subject. Unvoiced considerations by the subject will create an Agitated needle, or simply that he has his attention on something which is not being covered by the current case handling in session.

This needle phenomenon is quite common in sessions, although a really smooth practitioner who is aware of exactly what is going on can act in good time and will maintain a smooth needle action throughout. If a practitioner fails to spot and handle an Agitated needle, the needle will go tighter and usually rise and become STUCK.

Whatever caused the Agitated needle, the practitioner has to get in communication with the subject, and get off what dirtied the needle, and when the subject has voiced it, the needle will be seen to be clean or even float. Questions such as "In this session, have you thought of something that you haven't told me?" or "In this session, was there something you looked at or thought about that you haven't said?" or "Do you have any considerations about this session?" can be used.

A Frantic needle is a left/right action of the needle where it slams backwards and forwards as if it was going crazy. The needle is usually all over the dial, travelling faster than the eye can see, and is impossible to control. It is as if there was a serious malfunction of the GSR Meter, as if the needle had become electrified. (Sometimes a broken wire in the leads or poor connections at the jack-plug cause the needle to fly about in this way, as does intermittent contact with a ring). A Frantic needle would tend to indicate that the procedure has not been followed correctly, e.g. one has attempted to move on to the next item without properly removing the charge from the current item. You will also find bad actions and withholds connected to the subject of this item, and probably these will be well 'justified'.

Various body motions cause Body Reaction 'reads'. The only valid one of these is when you do a Metabolism Check at the beginning of every session - after a deep breath and during the exhalation you should get a decent read unless the subject is not well enough fed or rested. Other than this, all sorts of body motions will affect the GSR Meter - coughs, laughs, yawns, scratching, shaking, tensing muscles, sighs, stretching, lifting a finger off the electrodes, shuffling about in the chair, gripping the electrodes, sneezing, or even a stomach growl. The needle will do anything from giving strange reads to disappearing off the dial. The person on the GSR Meter must be educated to keep still when in session, especially when you are assessing various items for the major read, and the practitioner should learn to discount any of these body reactions. Sometimes, when you contact or get off charge, the subject will cough, sneeze, yawn or laugh, signifying that there is some out-flow of bottled up charge occurring. In general, wait until the body motion is over with before continuing, and don't take up one of these as a valid read. Note: Body motion reads will rise as fast as they fall, whereas reads connected with mental processes fall much faster than they subsequently rise again.

A Clean needle. During most of the time in session the needle will be Clean and by this we mean easily affected; it doesn't mean the needle is on the move all the time; it's just not stuck, although it could be still. The term Clean needle is used to describe the needle in the normal mode as opposed to a Stuck or Agitated needle. There is of course no particular handling needed if the needle is Clean, but it does mean that questions and items are likely to read without any bother (which is not the case if the needle is Stuck or Agitated).

A Periodic Needle (P/N) is the smooth, uninfluenced movement of the needle on the dial. The needle sweeps back and forth periodically as if it is disconnected and not affected by anything. A P/N means that charge in the area you have been addressing is disappearing and when fully handled the P/N will be wider and will continue. Mental charge prevents the needle from floating as the rises and falls effectively resist or increase the current flow. If the subject blows this reactivity the needle is 'floating in thin air' so to speak. If you now direct the subject's attention to some other charged area of his or her case, the P/N will stop. So, the P/N just applies to the area you have confronted. (Note that 'to confront' does not have aggressive connotations; in this context it means to view fully, objectively and with equanimity). The width of the P/N depends on your Sensitivity setting and just how much charge you have blown off the case in one go.

Sometimes the P/N is short-lived because there are other pressing areas requiring attention. Nevertheless, it is still a valid P/N and should be indicated (pointed out) to the subject before it packs in. On the other hand, if the P/N continues this is called a Persistent P/N, and is accompanied with the subject feeling very, very good. You would end off there because nothing else will be found to read, the person's case has moved off, and it is important to let him have this win rather than chance overrunning the release. Persistent P/Ns can last for hours or days. Start again only when the P/N is no longer persistent. Always indicate a P/N, but not before the full End Point (EP) has been voiced/experienced, i.e. the subject has realized a truth and has VGIs.

A Read is usually simply any Fall of the needle, to the right of the dial or off the dial as in a Balance Drop. Usually they are noted as small fall (SF), fall (F), long fall (LF), or Balance Drop (BD or LFBD). Any one of these means there is something there, look no further - you have found it. Find out what it is that reads and handle it to P/N, before digging for anything else. A read gives you a foot in the door, you have located something which the subject will have reality on as being interesting, or valid, or troublesome, and it is something which WILL RUN.

The most important of these is the Balance Drop which indicates that you have located a heavily charged item which the subject now recognizes and will have definite interest in - and it will be confrontable. The needle has a Long Fall (off the dial) and then tends to stick for a small time before slowly rising again. If the needle started on the left of the dial, the BD read may not actually go off the dial, but you would still need to adjust the Balance Control to move the needle back to Set position.

When faced with a list of reading items or questions to run you always take up the largest (i.e. major) reading first. As regards the subject of BDs: during a procedure, BDs can occur repeatedly as the subject gets to grip with the charged material. A BD also often happens just before a P/N and means that the last of that charge is going. Some BDs during a case handling can be dramatic, blowing down again and again, sometimes from a high BP such as 5.1 coming right down to between 2 and 3 on the dial. This is an unmistakable release of charge and the practitioner keeps the needle on the dial (which is done automatically on a Mark 3) and watches for the P/N.

The most-used needle action is the Fall, and here are the approximate sizes : Short Fall (SF) - a quarter to half an inch; a Fall (F) - up to 1¹/2 inches; a Long Fall (LF) - up to 3 inches. A Long Fall usually takes the needle to the far right of the dial, and in the case of a BD or Long Fall BD (except as mentioned above) the needle proceeds to disappear off the dial, requiring you to move the Balance Control down 0.2 divisions or more.

Note that just because something reads doesn't mean it is 'true'. You can just as easily get False and Protest reads (described later) and reactive (reactivation) reads as well as confirmation reads; hence the GSR Meter should not be used as some kind of Lie Detector - that use of the technology is too limited and unreliable for our purposes. The response simply means there is emotional charge of some kind attached to the item, which needs to be recognized and expressed by the subject to discharge it.

A Tick is the little jerk of the needle to the right, not big enough to be a Short Fall and not small enough not to count. It means there is something there causing a reactive emotional response and either your Sensitivity setting is far too low or it's such a suppressed item that you'd be better going for a bigger read to handle first. Ticks aren't usually taken up because you really have to dig to find out what it is, and the subject might not have any reality on it. If you are assessing a list, you might get a Tick or two, and these might widen into a bigger read on the next assessment once you have handled all the other reads. On the other hand they might disappear because their charge is covered already in another item.

Sometimes, though, when looking at a suppressed area of case, a Tick is all that reads, and so it is taken up and if necessary the Bypassed Charge Checklist is used to help open up the charge on this suppressed item. It may turn out to be the tip of an iceberg.

An Upset P/N looks exactly like a small P/N, except that the subject will not be looking and feeling good and communicating positively. Sometimes this Upset P/N can look a bit 'dirty' or 'sticky', but mostly it will be as smooth as a release P/N. When the needle is P/Ning like this, the person has divorced himself from the session and hence the GSR Meter won't read on anything. You need to check for the upset and handle it as described later.

A Recognition P/N sometimes occurs as an instant read when the right Item is indicated to the subject, or when it is read out ('called') from an Assessment list. This is equivalent to a major read; you know it is a 'hot' item, and it will often be followed by a BD. It does not mean you don't need to run the item!

When you see a P/N, provided it is not an Upset P/N or a Recognition P/N, it should always be indicated (pointed out to the subject). Be careful, though, that you are not chopping the subject's communication or preventing the full EP from occurring. If you miss a P/N, the subject will re-introvert and go on searching further, pulling what was released back in again, resulting in a higher BP and a person who is confused as to what has gone wrong. This applies to practitioners working with clients and individually.

Usually a P/N occurs after a BD, but not always; sometimes the needle can simply move into a P/N. However, just because you get a BD is no reason to think you will necessarily get a P/N. There may be a great deal more charge to come off this particular item before you get the P/N. The correct procedure on seeing a BD is to get the needle back on the dial and to watch for a P/N; if it doesn't occur you continue the procedure.

Remember, don't expect the GSR Meter to tell you if you have completed or not. Listen to and observe the subject! The client consults his own knowingness and observes a feeling of release, and if it is so, the GSR Meter will confirm the release with a P/N. The GSR Meter is just a guide and it is the individual who is the senior factor in the session.

False Balance Point Checklist

1. Does the GSR Meter have sufficient voltage?
Before session, test the voltage of the GSR Meter to make sure the needle moves well to the right, clear of the red 'danger area' marked at the bottom of the meter dial. If not, replace the batteries. A set of 4 AA batteries should last for 1000 hours and the meter will function properly as long as the voltage tests clear of the red area.

2. Are the leads connected to the GSR Meter and electrodes?
If there is a break in the circuit, you won't be able to get the needle on the dial. If this is the case, check that all connections are sound and the plugs are in place.

3. Are the electrodes cold?
Until the electrodes warm up to the temperature of the hands, the BP will be higher than normal. The electrodes supplied with GSR Meters are metallic-coated plastic tubes which take very little time to warm up. The BP will be seen to quickly drift down as the electrodes warm up and stop when at the body temperature. Now you can tell if the BP is high or not.

4. Are the subject's hands dry?
Some people have dry or callused hands due to the type of work they do or old age. This severely inhibits the current flow between the hands and the electrodes. A person's hands can also be dry if they are frequently in water or washed repeatedly. Excessively dry hands look shiny or polished. The correct handling is to use hand cream, well rubbed in, and any excess wiped off with a tissue. Now you can tell if the BP really is high or not.

5. Are the subject's hands cold?
This also causes the BP to be high. In cold weather this can make a significant difference to the BP position. Even when the weather isn't cold, some people continually have cold hands (and feet), possibly due to circulation problems. Sometimes warming the hands before the fire is not good enough because they are cold right through. If this is the case, the BP will be found to still be high after warming the hands. Or worse still, the BP slowly rises as they cool down again. Trying to get reads on the GSR Meter can be very difficult if not impossible in that situation. There are two main ways to cure this. One way is to increase the circulation and thus the internal heat level by jogging or a brisk walk. And, of course, another is to increase the temperature of the room.

6. Is the subject's body cold?
This is similar to 5. above. Ensure the room is adequately heated and if the person is prone to becoming cold, use a coat or blanket. If you find the subject is excessively cold when the room temperature is normal, there could be a medical or nutritional problem and this should be resolved first. Seek advice on this, otherwise you will find the GSR Meter, not to mention the client, just doesn't respond well.

7. Are the subject's hands excessively sweaty?
The hands of some people sweat a lot causing low BP (below 2.0). This happens often in hot weather of course but can also happen if the person is extremely nervous or overwhelmed. Wiping the hands with a tissue or towel will resolve this for a short time. If you are planning a long session, it is best to thoroughly wash and dry the hands. You can also use a powder, although that doesn't last for very long and you will find the BP going below 2.0 again.

8. Is the subject's grip on the electrodes too tight or too slack?
The grip should be firm but relaxed, not loose but not squeezing either.

9. Has the subject slept well?
Lack of sleep also causes a high BP. Ensure adequate sleep to be sessionable.

10. Does the subject have arthritic hands?
This always causes high BP and has to be taken into account. It can give a continually false high BP despite using hand cream or whatever. You will have to make allowances for it, i.e. ignore it unless it becomes unusually high - meaning there are case factors present also. A high BP will usually require a correspondingly high Sensitivity setting.

11. Is the subject hungry?
Again, this affects the BP and is easily resolved. To be sessionable, ensure the subject is on a fully nutritional diet, with adequate protein and B vitamins.

12. Is the procedure being done in the subject's normal waking hours?
Again, violation of this affects the BP and needle behavior. The BP can be high very early in the morning or very late at night, or even at siesta time if there is low blood sugar level (the remedy for this is a protein snack - not more sugar!).

13. Is the subject wearing any tight clothing?
This has been known to have a big effect on the BP. Tight shoes, belts and so on. These are the usual offenders, but you might find others, like the subject is wearing rings or the chair is uncomfortable.

Metering Tips

1. You don't have to wait for the mind to chew something over when a question has been asked; if there is something on that question, it will make the needle read as soon as you have thought or uttered the complete concept of the question (provided the question is asked with good intention, i.e. impingement).

2. As the subject, one does not have to answer or say one word to make the needle read. All he has to do is listen.

3. If the subject knew about the subconscious reactive contents of his mind, they wouldn't be subconscious or reactive. But the GSR Meter responds to the reactive emotional charge. Hence you don't follow up something unless it gives a read. You don't let the subject's analytical (cognitive) mind control the session or give it free reign to talk about anything it likes. It is the practitioner's responsibility to control the session. This applies just as much to individual as to one-to-one work.

4. As mentioned above, time doesn't really exist for the reactive contents of the mind. Just because something happened a long time ago is no reason to give the GSR Meter longer to get back to you. If it's a 'live' question and ready to run, the GSR Meter will respond immediately.

5. The practitioner has more control over the subject's case than the subject since the subject is influenced by the case. In self-administered procedures it is essential that the Practitioner should learn to separate the two roles of practitioner and subject and when being the practitioner, BE the practitioner; when being the subject, BE the subject.

6. The pace of a session is neither rushed nor slow, as both of these will drastically affect the subject's feeling of being comfortably 'in session' and make him want to control the session.

7. If things aren't reading which one would expect to be reading, then it is likely that the subject's attention is pre-occupied or distracted and unless you find out what this is and get it into the open you could be missing all manner of important charged items. Usually, in this sort of situation, the needle will be Stuck or Agitated or giving an Upset P/N, no matter what you are assessing or doing.

Needle reactions on advanced subjects

In self-administered (solo) sessions, if a question reads but you know that you instantly thought "No!" in response to the question, you could just check: "Did this question read on 'No!'?" It will probably read again confirming this and you just have to indicate: "It readed on 'No!'", and there is your P/N. This is one reason why advanced work is best self-administered; it would be hard for an external practitioner to keep up with one's subjective knowledge of what is going on in session, which is often at lightning speed.

One other thing just in case you get baffled by it; if you get a read like a brief Agitated needle, this means 'No' always. A real Agitated needle continues and won't clean until you find out what made the needle dirty.

If the Practitioner is still fumbling with the GSR Meter and the session notes, he will have less attention available for his case. In this situation he will fail to get realizations or at best go past them and forget to note them. His attention is not on his case but on the GSR Meter or the technique or on the administration. The place to master these three things is while you are training, not when you first begin working in depth.

When self-administered procedures are running correctly it can be VERY fast. It is not unusual to suddenly have a realization, a BD and a P/N almost instantly, one after the other. Unless you are trained well so that you know what a P/N is, and can handle the GSR Meter and make appropriate notes without thinking, you could miss the End Point (EP). The realization in these situations can be a sudden new thought which leads to more new thoughts in rapid succession. Because it is so fast, the original thought could be forgotten. It's a mistake to think "Let's keep on going while the going is good!" No, you have arrived, and to keep on going leads to overrun. Always stop when you get this upsurge or new enlightenment. It is time to take stock of what you have realized, and indicating the P/N ends the cycle, and gives an acknowledgement of it. Have the win; after all, this is what you are doing the procedures for.