Access Bars: 32 Points on Your Head That Practitioners Say Hold Life's Limitations

What Happens When You Receive Access Bars

You lie fully clothed on a massage table whilst a practitioner places their fingertips on specific points across your head. Their touch is feather-light — barely making contact with your scalp. They hold each pair of points for several minutes before moving to the next set, working through 32 locations that form what practitioners call "Bars."

Each Bar corresponds to a different aspect of life: money, control, creativity, ageing, body, healing, sexuality, and others. The money Bar, for instance, runs along points near your temples, whilst the control Bar connects points at the back of your head. Practitioners propose that touching these points releases electromagnetic charge stored from years of thoughts, beliefs, and emotions about each life area.

Most people report feeling deeply relaxed during sessions, with some describing unusual sensations — tingling, warmth, or the sense that their thoughts have quietened. Others fall asleep entirely. The experience varies considerably between individuals and sessions.

Origins in the Access Consciousness Movement

Gary Douglas developed Access Bars in the early 1990s as part of his broader Access Consciousness system — a set of tools and philosophies aimed at expanding awareness and choice. Douglas, an American author and speaker, created the practice after what he describes as receiving information about these head points and their functions.

Access Consciousness has since grown into a global movement with facilitators in over 100 countries. The organisation offers various courses and processes beyond Bars, including body work, verbal processing techniques, and business classes. This context matters because Access Bars rarely exists in isolation — practitioners often integrate it with other Access Consciousness tools and perspectives.

The practice has evolved to include additional processes and variations, though the core 32-point system remains unchanged. Training courses are accessible to anyone and require no prior experience in bodywork or energy healing.

The Theory Behind the Points

Within the Access Consciousness framework, thoughts and beliefs create electromagnetic charge that becomes stored at specific cranial locations. Practitioners propose that this stored charge limits awareness and choice by keeping you locked into particular patterns of thinking and feeling. The money Bar, for example, supposedly holds all your beliefs about wealth, poverty, and financial limitation.

Touching these points is said to dissipate the electromagnetic charge, allowing greater ease and different possibilities to emerge. Practitioners often describe feeling energy movement through their hands during sessions, though this remains within their interpretive framework rather than measurable phenomenon.

From a biomedical perspective, no mechanism exists to explain how light touch could release stored electromagnetic charge from thoughts. The reported relaxation effects could relate to general touch benefits, the meditative quality of the session, or the focused attention being received. However, attempting to explain Access Bars through conventional physiology may miss the point entirely for practitioners and recipients who value it within its own philosophical context.

Who Seeks Out This Practice

People drawn to Access Bars often report feeling stuck in particular life areas — repeatedly encountering the same financial struggles, relationship patterns, or creative blocks. They may have tried various conventional and alternative approaches without experiencing the shifts they desire.

Others come seeking deep relaxation and enjoy receiving gentle touch in a non-sexual, therapeutic context. The practice appeals particularly to those already interested in energy work, metaphysical concepts, or personal development approaches that emphasise consciousness and awareness.

Some practitioners report that clients arrive during life transitions — career changes, relationship endings, health challenges — when they feel ready to release old patterns and invite new possibilities. The practice also attracts people who resonate with the Access Consciousness philosophy of questioning everything and choosing what works for them.

What to Expect in a Session

Sessions typically begin with a brief conversation about what you'd like to experience or any specific life areas you're focusing on. You then lie on a massage table, remaining fully clothed except perhaps removing shoes and jewellery.

The practitioner works systematically through the 32 points, usually starting with the body Bar and ending with the ageing Bar. They maintain light finger pressure on each pair of points for several minutes — you might feel slight warmth, tingling, or simply the gentle contact. Some practitioners talk you through which Bar they're working on; others remain silent.

Sessions last 60 to 90 minutes. Many people report feeling extremely relaxed, almost meditative states, or unusual sensations like energy movement through their body. Others notice their internal chatter quietening or experience emotional releases. The immediate aftermath varies — some feel energised whilst others prefer to rest quietly.

The Evidence Question

Access Bars has no published clinical research examining its proposed mechanisms or therapeutic effects. No studies have investigated whether touching these head points releases electromagnetic charge or creates the life changes practitioners describe.

This absence of research doesn't necessarily invalidate the practice for those who find it beneficial, but it does mean that claims about how and why it works remain theoretical. People continue receiving Access Bars based on their direct experience and word-of-mouth recommendations rather than scientific evidence.

Practitioners often argue that the value lies in individual experience rather than research validation. Many report observing clients who seem more relaxed, sleep better, or approach life challenges differently after sessions, though these remain subjective observations rather than controlled findings.

Finding Practitioners and Training

Access Bars practitioners train through Access Consciousness courses, typically completed over one or two days. These courses teach the point locations, hand positions, and basic theory, after which participants can offer sessions to others. More advanced training includes additional techniques and business development.

Session costs vary considerably — from £40 to £120 in the UK, depending on location and practitioner experience. Some newly trained practitioners offer reduced rates or exchange sessions whilst building confidence.

When choosing a practitioner, consider their overall training background beyond just Access Bars certification. Those with experience in massage, counselling, or other bodywork may bring additional skills to sessions. Ask about their approach — some integrate other Access Consciousness processes whilst others focus purely on the Bars technique.

You can locate practitioners through the Access Consciousness website, though personal recommendations often provide better insight into someone's style and effectiveness.