:Draft:Lester Levenson
{{AFC submission|d|bio|u=Jjsanchis|ns=118|decliner=S0091|declinets=20250418170459|ts=20250416185122}}
{{AFC comment|1=Many of the sources are not reliable such as blogs (see WP:blog), WP:user-generated sites like wikis or Reddit, etc. S0091 (talk) 17:04, 18 April 2025 (UTC)}}
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{{Short description|Lester Levenson - Entrepreneur and Spiritual Teacher }}
{{Draft topics|biography|philosophy-and-religion}}
{{AfC topic|bdp}}
Lester Levenson (July 19, 1909 – January 18, 1994) was an American physicist, entrepreneur, and spiritual teacher known for developing releasing methods focused on emotional release, self-empowerment, and liberation.{{cite web |last=Irvine |first=Marianne |title=How to Release Blocked Emotions – The Lester Levenson method |url=https://klinikong.com/how-to-release-blocked-emotions-the-lester-levenson-method/ |website=KlinikOng.com |access-date=April 16, 2025 |date=2024-06-02}} After a severe health crisis in 1952, Levenson underwent a period of self-inquiry, claiming to have achieved physical and spiritual transformation, which he later formalized into a system for achieving emotional freedom and self-realization. His teachings have influenced modern spiritual and self-help movements.{{cn}}
Early Life and Education
Lester Levenson was born on July 19, 1909, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, to a middle-class family.{{cite web |title=About Lester Levenson |url=https://www.releasetechnique.com/what-is-releasing/about/ |website=Release Technique |access-date=April 16, 2025 |date=2021-02-18}} Described as intellectually gifted, he excelled academically and pursued higher education in physics and engineering. By his early 40s, Levenson had become a successful businessman, owning a penthouse apartment in New York City and running multiple businesses.{{cn}}
Health Crisis and Self-Transformation
In 1952, at age 42, Levenson suffered a second coronary attack and faced multiple health issues, including an enlarged liver, kidney stones, and ulcers. His doctors, believing recovery was unlikely, sent him home with a prognosis of weeks to live.{{cn}} Instead of accepting this, Levenson engaged in intense self-inquiry, concluding that negative emotions like fear and anger were the root causes of his ailments. He developed a process of releasing these emotions, focusing on cultivating love and letting go of mental blocks to achieve liberation.{{cn}} Within three months, Levenson claimed to have fully recovered and achieved a lasting state of peace, freedom, and self-realization, which he described as "beingness."
Development of the Releasing Methods
In the 1950s, Levenson began teaching his techniques informally in New York City, focusing on emotional release, self-empowerment, and liberation.{{cn}} By 1973, he formalized his releasing methods, a structured process involving questions like "Could I let this feeling go?", "Would I?", and "When?" to release negative emotions and uncover a state of freedom and empowerment.{{cite web |title=How To Let Go of Limiting Emotions Using the Sedona Method |url=https://sourcesofinsight.com/how-to-let-go-of-limiting-emotions-using-the-sedona-method/ |website=Sources of Insight |access-date=April 16, 2025 |date=2014-02-12}} His approach, rooted in simplicity, was encapsulated in his phrase "Keep It Simple, Sweetheart" (KISS).{{cite web |title=Lester Levenson, The Release Technique & The Sedona Method |url=https://patriciarobinett.com/lester-levenson-the-release-technique-the-sedona-method/ |website=PatriciaRobinett.com |access-date=April 16, 2025 |date=2019-12-24}} Levenson emphasized love as a transformative force, stating, “Love is an absolutely necessary ingredient on the path. To get full Realization, we must increase our love until it is complete.”{{cite web |title=Store – Lester Levenson |url=https://www.lesterlevenson.org/store.php |website=LesterLevenson.org |access-date=April 16, 2025}}
Claims of Healing and Manifestation
Levenson and his followers claimed that his releasing methods enabled not only emotional, mental, and physical healing but also self-empowerment, liberation, and the ability to manifest desired outcomes by releasing limiting beliefs.{{cite web |last=Aprilia |first=Ade |title=The Real-Life True Story of My Teacher, Lester Levenson (Part 2) |url=https://adeaprilia.com/the-real-life-true-story-of-my-teacher-lester-levenson-part-2/ |website=AdeAprilia.com |access-date=April 16, 2025 |date=2020-03-26}} According to Ade Aprilia, a student of Levenson’s teachings, Levenson used his methods to heal his body from terminal illnesses within three months in 1952, achieving complete health and self-realization by releasing mental limitations. Aprilia also reported that Levenson tested his methods by manifested significant wealth, including $1 million in 1953 (equivalent to approximately $12 million in 2024), by applying his releasing methods to eliminate subconscious beliefs about lack and scarcity.{{cite web |title=CPI Inflation Calculator |url=https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm |website=U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |access-date=April 16, 2025}} Additionally, he was said to have further experimented this theories by manifesting free trips, such as travel opportunities without financial cost, by focusing on releasing resistance and aligning with a state of abundance. These claims, primarily documented by Levenson’s students, lack independent verification and are based on anecdotal accounts.
Successors: Hale Dwoskin and Larry Crane
After Levenson’s death, his teachings were continued by:
- Hale Dwoskin: A student since 1976, Dwoskin founded Sedona Training Associates and developed the Sedona Method, authoring a book of the same name to popularize the technique globally.{{cite book |title=The Sedona Method: Your Key to Lasting Happiness, Success, Peace and Emotional Well-Being |isbn=0971933413 }} His approach incorporates meditation and non-dual philosophy.
- Larry Crane: Crane developed the Release Technique, emphasizing practical applications for health and wealth. His organization, Laurence Crane Enterprises, promotes Levenson’s work through audio recordings and seminars.
Later Life and Legacy
Levenson continued teaching in Sedona until his death from abdominal cancer on January 18, 1994. He reportedly faced his illness with equanimity, consistent with his teachings.{{cn}} His memorial shrine is at the Sedona Mago Retreat Center.{{cite web |title=Virtual Tour |url=https://sedonamagoretreat.org/stay/virtual-tour/ |website=Sedona Mago Retreat |access-date=April 16, 2025}} The Sedona Method and Release Technique, as continuations of his releasing methods, remain active, with courses and books available worldwide. Lama Surya Das has praised the Sedona Method as “an accessible, western form of Buddhist teachings.”
Connection to Positive Psychology
Levenson’s teachings align with positive psychology by promoting the release of negative emotions to enhance well-being, self-empowerment, and liberation. His releasing methods’ structured questions foster happiness, purpose, and freedom, supporting positive psychology’s goals of helping individuals flourish.
Bibliography
- Happiness Is Free (co-authored with Hale Dwoskin, 2002)
- No Attachments, No Aversions: The Autobiography of a Master (2003){{cite book |title=No Attachments, No Aversions: The Autobiography of a Master |last=Levenson |first=Lester |year=2003 |publisher=Lawrence Crane Enterprises |isbn=978-0971175518}}
- The Ultimate Truth (About Love & Happiness): A Handbook to Life (2003){{cite book |title=The Ultimate Truth (About Love & Happiness): A Handbook to Life |last=Levenson |first=Lester |year=2003 |publisher=Lawrence Crane Enterprises |isbn=978-0971175532}}