Can Animals Hold Trapped Emotions?

Anyone who has shared their life with an animal knows that they experience emotions. We see their joy and excitement, but also their fear, sadness, anxiety and sometimes the lasting effects of difficult experiences.

A rescue dog may still react fearfully to something connected with its past. A cat may become unsettled after moving home or experiencing a change in its environment. A horse may become unsettled following a frightening experience. An animal may seem different after moving home, losing a companion or experiencing a change within the family.

But can animals also hold onto the energetic effects of those experiences?

Within the Emotion Code®, we work with the premise that they can. But trapped emotions are only one part of the picture. Through the Emotion Code® and Body Code®, we can either focus specifically on trapped emotional energy or explore more broadly for other potential imbalances an animal's body may be ready to address.

What is a trapped emotion?

Emotions are a natural part of life for animals as well as people. Most emotional energy moves through the body naturally, but sometimes the energy associated with an experience may become trapped rather than being fully processed.

In the Emotion Code, this is known as a trapped emotion.

For animals, trapped emotional energy may be associated with experiences such as:

• fear or frightening events

• separation or abandonment

• changes in home or family

• loss of an animal or human companion

• injury or illness

• stressful environments

• past trauma or neglect

We don't necessarily need to know an animal's history to explore this. This can be particularly helpful with rescued or rehomed animals, where much of their earlier life may simply be unknown.

What if there is more going on?

This is where the Body Code® allows us to look more broadly.

The Emotion Code focuses specifically on trapped emotions. The Body Code incorporates the Emotion Code but expands the search across six main areas of potential imbalance: Energies, Circuits & Systems, Toxins, Pathogens, Misalignments, and Nutrition & Lifestyle.

Animals can experience many of the same kinds of physical and emotional challenges that we do. An owner might seek support because their animal seems anxious, fearful or unsettled, or because they have noticed something physical — perhaps digestive or skin issues, stiffness, limping, tension or recurring discomfort. Sometimes there is nothing easily defined; they simply sense their animal isn't quite themselves.

Rather than assuming where the issue originates, we begin with what you have noticed and use muscle testing to explore what your animal's body may be ready to address.

Sometimes we may be led to a trapped emotion. At other times, the Body Code may guide us towards another area of imbalance, or several imbalances that appear to be connected.

Physical and behavioural changes can, of course, have many causes. New, persistent or concerning changes should always be appropriately assessed by a veterinary professional. Emotion Code and Body Code work are complementary and do not replace veterinary diagnosis or treatment.

If you'd like to understand the two approaches in more detail, you can read Emotion Code® vs Body Code®: What's the Difference?

How do we ask an animal's body?

An animal can't explain in words what happened to them, what hurts or how an experience made them feel — and that's one of the reasons I find this way of working with animals so valuable.

I use muscle testing, a form of subconscious testing, to ask simple yes-or-no questions and gradually narrow down what their body may be ready to address. In my sessions, I use a pendulum and proxy test on behalf of the animal, rather than muscle testing them directly. This means the animal doesn't need to sit still, cooperate or understand what I'm doing.

We begin with what you have noticed or would most like support with and allow the responses to guide the session.

We ask, we test and we follow.

If you're curious about how this works, I explain the process in more detail in How Does Muscle Testing Work in the Emotion Code® & Body Code®?

What if I don't know my animal's history?

You don't need to.

This can be particularly reassuring for owners of rescued or rehomed animals. Even when we know an animal's history, we can't necessarily know how a particular experience felt to them.

The Emotion Code and Body Code don't require us to reconstruct their story. If a trapped emotion or another imbalance is identified, muscle testing guides us as to whether any further information is needed before we address it.

We don't have to know the whole story in order to listen to what the body is ready to let go of.

Emotion Code or Body Code — which should I choose for my animal?

If you're particularly drawn to exploring trapped emotional energy, an Emotion Code session may feel like the natural place to begin.

If you'd prefer us to look more broadly at what may be contributing to the issue, a Body Code session allows us to explore across a wider range of potential imbalances, while still incorporating the Emotion Code.

And if you're not quite sure which to choose, don't worry about getting it "wrong." Begin with the session that feels most appropriate, tell me what you've noticed or what you'd most like support with, and we can allow your animal's body to guide the process from there.

Follow what resonates — and we'll listen to what their body is ready to address.

Why can distance sessions work particularly well for animals?

I offer animal sessions at a distance as well as working with animals in person where appropriate. For distance sessions, I temporarily connect with the animal's energy for the purpose of proxy muscle testing and test on their behalf.

One of the things I particularly like about this approach is that the animal can remain completely comfortable in their own environment. There's no journey somewhere unfamiliar, no need for them to sit still and no expectation that they behave in a particular way.

They might be sleeping, wandering around the house, grazing in a field or simply carrying on with their normal day while I work.

For some animals, this can make distance work a wonderfully gentle and convenient option.

Listening to what they can't tell us in words

Our animals communicate with us in so many ways, but there will always be things they can't explain to us.

Energy healing doesn't replace veterinary care or appropriate behavioural support. Instead, it offers another gentle way of listening.

Through the Emotion Code and Body Code, we can explore whether there is trapped emotional energy or another potential imbalance their body may be ready to address — without forcing, guessing or needing to know their whole story. Their body leads. We listen.

If this resonates with you and you'd like to explore whether Emotion Code® or Body Code® healing could support your dog, horse or other animal, you're welcome to explore my healing sessions for animals. And if you're unsure where to begin, you're always welcome to get in touch and tell me a little about your animal first.

Karen Aycinena
Certified Emotion Code® & Body Code® Practitioner
Founder, Soul Emotion Healing

How Does Muscle Testing Work in the Emotion Code® & Body Code®?

If you’ve been exploring the Emotion Code® or Body Code®, you may have come across phrases such as muscle testing, subconscious testing or asking the body.

But what does that actually mean? How can we “ask” the body a question, and how do we know what it may be ready to address?

Muscle testing is at the heart of both the Emotion Code and Body Code. It gives us a way of asking the subconscious simple questions and using the body’s responses to guide the session.

In my own sessions, I use a pendulum for muscle testing, which gives me a clear visual yes-or-no response as we work through the process.

Why are we working with energy?

Everything around us — including ourselves — involves energy. Our bodies are not static; they are constantly using and exchanging energy through electrical, chemical and other biological processes.

Within energy healing, we take this understanding a step further and work with the premise that our emotions and experiences also have an energetic component. Sometimes this energy may become trapped or contribute to imbalance within the body.

The Emotion Code and Body Code work from this energetic model, with the intention of identifying and releasing imbalances and supporting the body’s own natural ability to return towards greater balance.

But how do we know what to look for?

That’s where muscle testing and the subconscious mind come in.

What is muscle testing?

Our conscious mind can only hold and process a limited amount of information at once. The subconscious, however, holds an enormous amount of information outside our everyday awareness.

Dr Bradley Nelson, creator of the Emotion Code® and Body Code®, describes the subconscious mind as an incredibly sophisticated internal computer — an analogy I find particularly helpful for understanding how we work with it during a session.

Muscle testing gives us a way of asking that internal system simple yes-or-no questions and observing the body’s response. There are different methods of muscle testing. Some practitioners test directly on the client using an outstretched arm or another muscle, while others use self-testing or proxy-testing techniques.

In my sessions, I use a pendulum and act as a proxy for the person or animal I’m working with, whether the session is in person, online or carried out at a distance. The pendulum gives me a clear visual yes-or-no response, allowing me to work methodically through questions and follow where each response leads. The pendulum itself isn’t providing the information or deciding the answer. It is simply the tool I use to observe the response as I communicate with the client’s subconscious mind.

What kinds of questions do we ask?

We begin with what you would most like support with and gradually narrow things down through a series of yes-or-no questions, such as:

Is there an imbalance that would be helpful to address in relation to this issue?
Is there a trapped emotion ready to be released?

Each response guides the next question.

With the Emotion Code, we focus specifically on trapped emotional energies. The Body Code incorporates the Emotion Code and allows us to explore more broadly for other potential areas of imbalance. You can explore the differences between the two approaches in Emotion Code® vs Body Code®: What’s the Difference?

You can think of it a little like navigating through folders on a computer. We start broadly and follow the yes-or-no responses until we reach the information the body is directing us towards.

This means I’m not deciding what I think you need or interpreting your story and looking for something that fits.

We ask, we test and we follow.

Can I influence the answers?

This is an understandable question. Remaining neutral is an important part of how I approach a session.

My role is to facilitate the process rather than anticipate or look for a particular answer. I follow the testing step by step, allowing each response to determine where we go next.

Sometimes we’re led somewhere that seems logically connected to the issue we’re exploring. Sometimes we’re not.

That’s one of the things I find so interesting about this work: we don’t have to consciously know the answer before we begin.

What does “your body is ready” mean?

You’ll often hear me say that we work with what your body is ready to address.

That’s intentional.

Emotion Code and Body Code sessions aren’t about trying to uncover or release everything at once. We use muscle testing throughout the session to ask what is appropriate to explore and whether further information is needed.

The process unfolds step by step rather than being forced.

Your body sets the pace.

What is proxy testing?

Proxy testing simply means that I muscle test on behalf of the person or animal I’m working with, rather than muscle testing them directly.

I use this approach in all my sessions — in person, online and at a distance. I set the intention to connect with the client’s energy for the purpose of muscle testing and use the testing to confirm that connection before beginning.

Once connected, I can ask the same yes-or-no questions and follow the responses in exactly the same way, wherever the client is. At the end of the session, I disconnect from the proxy connection.

For animals, this approach can be particularly gentle and convenient. They don’t need to sit still or participate in the testing and, with a distance session, can simply carry on with their day in familiar surroundings.

Asking rather than assuming

Perhaps the simplest way I can describe muscle testing is that it gives us a structured way of asking rather than assuming.

You don’t have to consciously know why you’re feeling the way you do, and I don’t have to guess.

We begin with what you would like support with and gently follow the body’s responses to explore what may be ready to address.

For me, that’s one of the most empowering aspects of the Emotion Code and Body Code: your own body and subconscious remain at the centre of the process.

If this way of working resonates with you, you’re welcome to explore my Emotion Code and Body Code healing for people, or discover how I work with animals. And if you have questions about muscle testing or what happens during a session, you’re always welcome to get in touch.

Karen Aycinena
Certified Emotion Code® & Body Code® Practitioner
Founder, Soul Emotion Healing

Emotion Code® vs Body Code®: What’s the Difference?

If you’ve come across both the Emotion Code® and Body Code®, you may be wondering what the difference is, and which one might be right for you.

Both are gentle energy healing methods created by Dr Bradley Nelson that work with the subconscious mind and the body’s own intelligence to identify and release imbalances that may be affecting how we feel.

The simplest way I describe the difference is:

The Emotion Code focuses specifically on trapped emotions, while the Body Code incorporates the Emotion Code and allows us to explore more broadly for other potential imbalances.

And if you’re not sure which one you need, that’s absolutely fine. You don’t have to know before you begin.

What is the Emotion Code?

The Emotion Code focuses on identifying and releasing trapped emotions, emotional energies from difficult or challenging experiences that the body may still be holding onto.

Most emotions move through us naturally, but sometimes the energy of an emotion may become trapped rather than being fully processed. Over time, these trapped emotions may contribute to emotional heaviness, stress or anxiety, feeling stuck or disconnected, or areas of physical tension or discomfort.

Using muscle testing, we communicate with the subconscious mind to identify the trapped emotions the body is ready to release.

One of the things I particularly love about the Emotion Code is that you don’t need to retell or relive painful experiences in order to release the emotional energy connected with them.

Your body leads the process, and we work gently with what it is ready to address.

What is the Body Code?

The Body Code uses the same gentle approach but allows us to explore more broadly.

It incorporates the Emotion Code, so trapped emotions can still be identified and released, while also looking for other potential imbalances within areas such as:

• emotional

• energetic

• structural

• nutritional or lifestyle

• toxicity

• pathogens

Rather than assuming where an issue originates, we use muscle testing to ask the subconscious where the body would like us to look.

I sometimes think of the Body Code as a little like a computer system for the body. Just as a computer can hold huge amounts of information beneath what we see on the screen, our subconscious holds information that we’re not consciously aware of.

The Body Code gives us a structured way of asking questions and, through muscle testing, narrowing down where an imbalance may lie and what the body is ready to address.

The essence of the Body Code is restoration: identifying and addressing imbalances to support the body in returning towards its natural state of balance.

So what is the difference between the Emotion Code and Body Code?

A simple way to think about it is:

Emotion Code = a focused exploration of trapped emotional energy.

Body Code = a broader exploration that includes trapped emotions alongside other potential areas of imbalance.

Someone experiencing emotional heaviness, anxiety or difficulty moving forward after a challenging experience may feel particularly drawn to the Emotion Code.

Someone experiencing a more complex or persistent issue, perhaps physical discomfort, low energy, emotional symptoms or simply a feeling that something isn’t quite in balance may prefer to explore more broadly with the Body Code.

Sometimes what we uncover is emotional. Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes several different areas appear to be connected.

That’s one of the things I love about this work: we don’t have to consciously know the answer before we begin.

How does your body guide the session?

Both the Emotion Code and Body Code use muscle testing, sometimes called subconscious testing, as a way of communicating with the subconscious mind.

I like to think of the subconscious as an incredibly sophisticated internal computer. It holds information and memories that our conscious mind simply cannot keep track of.

Muscle testing allows us to ask that internal system simple questions and receive yes-or-no responses, helping us narrow down what the body is ready to address.

This means I’m not deciding what you need.

Instead, I’m facilitating a conversation with your own body and subconscious and allowing its intelligence to guide the session.

Your body sets the pace.

Which should I choose — Emotion Code or Body Code?

You don’t need to worry about making the “right” choice.

If one approach naturally resonates with you, trust that. You may feel drawn to the Emotion Code because you specifically want to explore trapped emotions or emotional baggage, or to the Body Code because you would like to look more broadly at what may be contributing to how you’re feeling.

Sometimes, though, you simply know that something doesn’t feel quite in balance without knowing why, and that’s okay too.

You don’t have to work it out before you come. We can begin with the issue you’d like support with or the change you’d like to experience and, if you’re unsure which approach to take, we can allow your body to guide us.

Through muscle testing, we can ask which approach would be most helpful for you at that time.

So you have two simple options: follow what resonates, or let your body help us choose.

Trust what resonates — your heart knows the way.

Can the Emotion Code and Body Code be used with animals?

Yes. I work with both people and animals, allowing the body’s own intelligence to guide the session.

Animals can also carry trapped emotional energy connected with experiences such as changes in home or family, separation, fear, injury, stressful environments or past trauma. The Body Code also allows us to explore more broadly for other potential imbalances when appropriate.

Through proxy testing, an animal doesn’t need to sit still or understand what is happening. Sessions can be carried out at a distance, allowing them to remain comfortable in their familiar surroundings.

Listening to what the body is ready to release

For me, both the Emotion Code and Body Code are ultimately about listening rather than forcing.

We’re not telling the body what it should do. We’re asking what it is ready to address and release.

Sometimes that leads us to an emotion. Sometimes the Body Code takes us somewhere completely different.

Either way, the intention is the same: to gently identify and release what may be getting in the way of greater balance, flow and wellbeing, while supporting the body’s own natural healing process.

If this resonates with you, you’re welcome to explore my Emotion Code and Body Code healing for people, or discover how I work with animals. And if you’re still unsure where to begin, you’re always welcome to get in touch with a question before booking.

Karen Aycinena
Certified Emotion Code® & Body Code® Practitioner
Founder, Soul Emotion Healing

What Are Trapped Emotions? Understanding the Emotion Code®

Have you ever felt that you’ve moved on from an experience, yet somehow part of you still seems to be holding onto it?

Perhaps you feel emotionally heavy or stuck, notice the same patterns repeating, or simply sense that something is holding you back from feeling fully yourself.

The Emotion Code® offers a way to gently explore what may be beneath the surface by identifying and releasing trapped emotions.

What is a trapped emotion?

We experience emotions every day, and most naturally arise and pass. But during difficult, stressful or emotionally intense experiences, emotional energy can sometimes become trapped within the body, what I often describe as a form of emotional baggage.

We may remember the experience connected with an emotion, or it may relate to something we've long forgotten. We don't need to consciously know where it came from in order to release it.

Developed by Dr Bradley Nelson, the Emotion Code® uses muscle testing to communicate with the subconscious, helping us identify trapped emotions the body is ready to release.

How might trapped emotions affect us?

Trapped emotions may show up differently for everyone. You might feel stressed, anxious, emotionally heavy or disconnected; notice recurring relationship or emotional patterns; struggle to move beyond an experience; or sense that something is holding you back from a goal or from moving forward.

Some people also become curious about whether there may be an emotional element to persistent physical discomfort or tension. And sometimes there isn't an obvious issue at all—just a feeling that something isn't quite in balance, or that you're not feeling fully yourself.

Rather than deciding in advance what needs to be released, an Emotion Code session allows us to ask the body.

How do we find a trapped emotion?

This is one of my favourite aspects of the Emotion Code because the process is guided by your own body and subconscious mind.

Your subconscious holds an extraordinary amount of information outside your everyday conscious awareness. I sometimes think of it as the body's internal computer, or its built-in truth detector.

During a session, I use kinesiology, also known as muscle testing, as a way of asking the subconscious simple questions and receiving yes/no responses.

We gradually narrow things down to identify whether there is a trapped emotion the body is ready to release and, if so, what that emotion is.

The intention isn't to tell your body what it should be working on. We follow its lead.

Do I need to remember or relive the experience?

No, and for many people, this is one of the most reassuring aspects of the Emotion Code.

Occasionally, the subconscious may indicate that some context around an emotion is helpful before it can be released, such as an approximate age or a particular experience. At other times, no additional information is needed at all.

There is no need to retell or relive a painful experience in order to release a trapped emotion. Equally, if something comes to mind and you feel that talking about or reflecting on it would be helpful, there is always space for you to do so. Sometimes making that connection, acknowledging what happened or giving voice to what arises can feel like part of completing an emotional process that wasn't possible at the time, creating space for the emotion to be acknowledged and released.

The Emotion Code isn't a talking therapy, so you never need to share more than feels comfortable. I hold a supportive and compassionate space throughout the session, while allowing your body to guide what information is needed and what it is ready to address.

How is a trapped emotion released?

Once we have identified an emotion and confirmed that the body is ready to let it go, we use intention together with the Governing Meridian—an energy pathway used within the Emotion Code—to release it.

We then check again with the subconscious to confirm the release before asking whether there is anything else the body would like us to address.

I particularly love the empowering nature of this process. I don't see myself as someone who is doing the healing to you. My role is to facilitate the process while listening to and working with the intelligence already within your body.

What happens after an Emotion Code session?

Once trapped emotions have been released, the body may need some time to integrate the changes.

People experience this differently. Some notice a sense of lightness, calm or emotional or physical shifts quite quickly. Others experience something much subtler, and occasionally people notice very little consciously at first.

You may also simply become aware over the following days or weeks that something feels different.

I encourage you to keep comfortably hydrated with water and other fluids, rest where needed, eat nourishing foods and give yourself a little extra care while your body processes the session.

You can also read more about what to expect after an Emotion Code session.

Can animals have trapped emotions too?

The Emotion Code can also be used with animals, including dogs, horses and other pets.

Animals have emotional experiences too. Changes in their environment, previous experiences, separation, loss, fear or other stressful events may all form part of what we explore.

Because muscle testing can be carried out by proxy, the animal doesn't need to understand the process—or even be physically present with me.

This can make distance Emotion Code sessions a particularly lovely option for animals, as they can remain in their own familiar surroundings while I carry out the session remotely.

You can learn more about my Emotion Code and Body Code sessions for animals here.

What is the difference between Emotion Code and Body Code?

The Emotion Code focuses specifically on identifying and releasing trapped emotions.

The Body Code® incorporates the Emotion Code but allows us to look more broadly for other potential emotional, energetic, structural, nutritional, lifestyle and other imbalances.

For that reason, you don't necessarily need to know which approach is right for you before beginning. What matters most is the issue, feeling or goal you would like some support with; from there, we can work with the body's own intelligence to explore what may be ready to address.

You can explore this in more detail in: Emotion Code® vs Body Code®: What’s the Difference?

A gentle invitation to explore

For me, one of the most beautiful things about the Emotion Code is its simplicity.

We don't have to force an answer or decide consciously what needs fixing. Instead, we become curious, listen to the body's own intelligence and gently release what it tells us it is ready to let go of.

Sometimes that creates a noticeable shift. Sometimes the changes are quieter.

Either way, the intention is the same: to create more space for balance, connection and the possibility of feeling more fully yourself.

If this resonates and you'd like to explore the Emotion Code for yourself, you can learn more about my Emotion Code sessions and the different ways we can work together.

Trust what resonates—your heart knows the way.

Karen Aycinena
Certified Emotion Code® & Body Code® Practitioner
Founder, Soul Emotion Healing