Splankna Therapy and Colossians 3: A Biblical Test
Short answer: Splankna therapy is a Christian-branded energy psychology method that combines prayer and Scripture with muscle testing and meridian-based release techniques. Colossians 3:1-17 does not address it directly, but the passage frames the question well: believers are raised with Christ, told to seek things above, to put off the old self, and to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. The New Testament also says, in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, "Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good." A practice that borrows techniques from energy medicine and presents them as Christian ministry should be tested by Scripture, not accepted because it uses Bible words. Whether splankna helps or harms depends on what it actually teaches about how spiritual change happens.
What splankna therapy claims to be
Splankna was developed in the early 2000s as an explicitly Christian alternative to secular energy psychology methods such as Emotional Freedom Techniques. Its practitioners describe it as a biblically based inner healing model. Sessions typically involve identifying a negative emotion, locating where it is felt in the body, testing muscle response while speaking certain phrases, and tapping or holding points on the body. The stated goal is to release stored negative emotions and replace them with truth from Scripture. Practitioners often pray and quote Bible verses during the process. Supporters say it is simply a tool that helps people cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
The terminology matters. Splankna uses language like trapped emotions, energy blocks, and body codes. These are not biblical categories. The Bible speaks of the heart, the mind, the flesh, the conscience, and the desires, but it does not describe emotional healing as the release of energy through meridian points. A method can use Christian vocabulary without being governed by Christian theology. Colossians 3:2 says, "Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth." The question is whether splankna's underlying model of the person trains the mind toward Scripture or toward a technique.
Many Christians who try splankna report feeling calmer or less anxious afterward. That experience deserves to be taken seriously rather than dismissed. Prayer, focused attention, a caring listener, and time set aside can all bring real relief, and God may use any of these. But relief is not the same as biblical fidelity. A practice can produce genuine comfort through natural means while its theoretical framework teaches something untrue about how the soul works. The apostle Paul did not say, Test all things, and keep whatever feels better. He said, as 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 puts it, to test all things and hold firmly to what is good. Testing requires a standard outside the experience itself.
Splankna is also not a monolith. Some practitioners are careful, prayerful Christians who see themselves as using a neutral tool alongside ordinary pastoral care and professional counseling. Others make larger claims, suggesting that specific negative emotions are stored in particular organs or that unresolved emotions cause physical disease. Those larger claims are where the deepest concerns lie. A therapist who listens well and prays with a client is doing something the Bible commends. A system that says illness comes from unreleased anger is making a medical and theological claim that Scripture does not support and that can burden suffering people with false guilt.
Raised with Christ means a new direction
Colossians 3 opens with a decisive statement about identity. If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. The Christian life begins with union with Christ, not with a technique for managing emotions. Paul's logic is not, try harder to fix your inner life. It is, you have been raised, therefore live like it. The direction of the Christian life is upward and outward, toward Christ himself, not inward toward hidden energies in the body. This does not mean emotions are unimportant. It means Christ, not technique, is the center.
Paul goes on to say in Colossians 3:3 that the believer has died, and that life is hidden with Christ in God. That is a radical claim. It means the old identity is not merely suppressed or managed; it is crucified with Christ. Splankna, at its best, wants people to experience freedom from destructive emotional patterns. Scripture promises something deeper than emotional release: a new self being renewed after the image of its Creator. Colossians 3:10 speaks of the new man, and the passage as a whole frames growth as the Spirit's work through truth, repentance, and obedience, not through the manipulation of bodily energies.
This matters practically. If a person believes that healing comes mainly by releasing trapped energy, they may spend years chasing techniques and never learn the ordinary means of grace: prayer, Scripture, repentance, confession, fellowship, and patient endurance. Paul commands believers to put to death what is earthly in them, including sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. These are moral and spiritual matters, addressed by the will and the Spirit, not by meridian points. The Christian approach to the inner life is not less serious than splankna; it is more serious, because it names sin as sin and calls for transformation of the whole person.
None of this means that Christians should ignore the body. The Bible honors the body: it is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and Romans 12:1-2 says, "Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service." The body is offered to God, not used as a diagnostic instrument for hidden emotions. That is a crucial difference. Splankna tends to treat the body as a storage system that reveals and releases buried feelings. Scripture treats the body as a member of the redeemed person, to be offered in worship and self-control.
What energy psychology borrows and why it matters
Energy psychology emerged in the 1970s and 1980s from the work of psychologists who combined traditional therapy with concepts from acupuncture and applied kinesiology. The central claim is that emotional disturbances are linked to disruptions in a subtle energy system that runs along meridians. Therapists tap or press on points while the client recalls a distressing memory or repeats a statement. The original forms of this method were not Christian and made no pretense of being so. They rested on a worldview in which impersonal life energy, not the personal God of Scripture, is the operative force in healing. That worldview is the issue, not the sincerity of users.
Christian adaptations such as splankna keep the tapping and muscle testing but replace the generic language with prayer and Bible verses. The assumption is that the technique is neutral and the content is what makes it Christian. But this is like saying a divination method is neutral if you pray before using it. The Bible takes seriously the means by which people seek guidance and healing. In Deuteronomy 18, God's people are forbidden from practicing divination, sorcery, and consulting the dead, not because the rituals are harmless, but because they represent a rival spiritual system. The question is whether tapping and testing for energy is a neutral tool or a practice bound up with a rival view of reality.
Not every Christian who uses splankna is practicing occultism; that accusation is often made too quickly and unfairly. Many are sincere believers who love Jesus and want to help hurting people. But sincerity does not settle the question. Paul warns in Colossians 2 about being taken captive through philosophy and empty deceit according to the elemental spirits of the world rather than according to Christ. He does not say those systems are always obviously demonic; he says they are not according to Christ. Splankna may be less a doorway to the occult than a subtle replacement of Christ's sufficiency with a method. Either way, the remedy is the same: return to Christ and to the means he has given.
Muscle testing deserves particular scrutiny. Applied kinesiology claims that the body's strength or weakness reveals truth about hidden conditions. But controlled studies have generally found that muscle testing is influenced by expectation and suggestion rather than by any measurable energy field. That does not make every practitioner a fraud; it means the mechanism being described is not established. When a method claims that a muscle response tells you what is true, it offers a kind of physical divination. Proverbs 16:25 says, "There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." The Christian is called to test claims, not to receive them because a body seemed to respond.
Prayer, Scripture, and the place of counseling
Nothing in this article should discourage Christians from getting help. The Bible encourages wisdom, counsel, and mutual burden-bearing. Proverbs says that in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." A believer struggling with anxiety, trauma, or grief should not be left alone. Good counseling, whether from a pastor, a licensed therapist, or a mature friend, can be a means of grace. The question is not whether to seek help but what kind of help actually aligns with Scripture and does not lead the heart away from Christ.
Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God." Notice the means: the word of Christ, teaching, admonition, singing, gratitude. Paul does not mention techniques for releasing energy. He mentions the word dwelling richly. That is the ordinary, powerful, sufficient means God has given for the renewal of the mind. A counselor who helps a person memorize and apply Scripture, repent of sin, forgive others, and rest in Christ is doing biblical soul care, whether or not the session includes any tapping or muscle testing.
Prayer is also central, but biblical prayer is not a technique for manipulating outcomes. It is fellowship with a personal God who hears and answers according to his will. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and the Psalms model honest lament and trust. Psalm 139:23-24 says, "Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts." That is a prayer of surrender, not a method for locating stored emotions. When prayer is combined with a technique that claims to release energy, the prayer can become a means to an end, a way of making the technique work. Biblical prayer is the end itself: communion with the living God.
Christians differ on how strictly to judge splankna. Some see it as an unwise blending of incompatible frameworks and advise against it. Others believe the tapping is a harmless ritual and the real work is prayer and truth-telling. These are not trivial differences, and faithful believers should be able to discuss them without accusing one another of bad faith. What is not acceptable is treating a disputed technique as if it were a biblical command or treating those who abstain as spiritually deficient. Romans 14 gives a model: each person should be fully convinced in his own mind, and no one should despise or judge a brother over a disputable matter. Splankna is disputable; Christ is not.
Putting off and putting on: the biblical pattern
Colossians 3 gives a clear pattern for change. First, put to death what is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Then put away anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk. Then put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Finally, put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. This is not a technique for releasing emotions; it is a moral and spiritual program empowered by the Spirit. It addresses the will, the habits, and the community, not hidden energies in the body.
The order is important. Paul does not say, uncover your hidden emotions and then you will be able to obey. He says, because you have been raised with Christ, put to death and put on. Identity comes before action. Splankna tends to reverse this: first release the trapped emotion, then you can experience peace. The Bible says peace is the fruit of reconciliation with God through Christ, and it is cultivated by faith, gratitude, and obedience. Colossians 3:15 says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." Peace rules through Christ and gratitude, not through tapping.
Forgiveness is a good test case. Splankna may help a person identify resentment, but the Bible's remedy is not the release of an emotion; it is the decision to forgive as the Lord forgave. Colossians 3:13 says, "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so you also do." That is an act of the will grounded in the gospel. A technique that focuses on feelings may leave a person waiting to feel forgiving before they choose to forgive. Scripture calls us to forgive even when the feeling has not yet followed, trusting God to heal the emotions in his time.
Gratitude also marks the biblical life. Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." How different that is from a method that trains attention on internal sensations and hidden blockages. A thankful heart is oriented upward and outward. It sees the Giver behind every gift. Christians who struggle with anxiety can practice gratitude, memorize Scripture, serve others, and seek wise counsel. These are not glamorous techniques, but they are God's ordinary means, and they have the advantage of being explicitly taught in the word of God.
When therapy becomes a substitute for Christ
The deepest danger of splankna is not that it uses tapping. It is that it can become a substitute for the sufficiency of Christ. If a person believes that freedom comes through a series of sessions, and that without this technique their emotions will remain trapped, then the technique has taken a functional place that belongs to Jesus. Colossians 1:18 says that Christ is the head of the body, the church, and that in everything he might have the preeminence. Nothing, not even a Christian-sounding therapy, should compete with his preeminence in the believer's life. The test is simple: does this practice make Christ more precious, or does it make the technique more necessary?
This does not mean Christians must avoid all methods. We use medicine, exercise, counseling, and rest, and we thank God for them. The issue is whether a method is presented as the mechanism of spiritual change. If splankna is offered as a way to release emotions that otherwise remain stuck, it is making a claim about how the soul works that goes beyond what Scripture says. If it is offered as one helpful tool among many, alongside prayer and Scripture and professional care, the concern is smaller. The wise Christian will ask what the practitioner actually believes and teaches, not just what the brochure says.
Families and churches should also be alert to the financial and emotional cost. Splankna sessions can be expensive, and clients may be encouraged to continue for many sessions. The Bible warns against those who exploit people for financial gain. This is not to say every practitioner is greedy; many are generous. But the structure of a technique that requires ongoing sessions to release layer after layer of trapped emotions can create dependence. The gospel creates dependence on Christ, not on a practitioner. Colossians 3:11 says, "Christ is all, and in all." That is the freedom the believer has.
Finally, the Christian response to splankna should be neither panic nor indifference. Panic treats a disputed therapy as a demonic conspiracy and damages sincere believers. Indifference treats a serious theological question as unimportant and leaves people vulnerable. The biblical path is discernment: listen carefully, ask what the practice claims, measure it against Colossians 3 and the rest of Scripture, and decide before God. If you have found help in splankna, thank God for the help but examine whether the framework is true. If you have concerns, voice them gently and point people to Christ and his word, not merely away from a technique.
Biblical fidelity check
Colossians 3:1-17 establishes several things clearly. It establishes that believers are raised with Christ and must seek things above. It establishes that the old self is to be put off and the new self put on. It establishes that Christ is all, and that the word of Christ should dwell richly. It establishes that whatever we do, in word or deed, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus. What it does not establish is a method for releasing trapped emotions, a system of bodily energy, or the use of muscle testing to discern truth. It does not mention meridians, tapping, or inner healing techniques at all.
A common misreading is to assume that because splankna uses Bible verses and prayer, it must be biblically sound. But the presence of Christian content does not sanctify a method. The Pharisees quoted Scripture while opposing Christ. A method must be judged by its underlying model of the person, not only by its vocabulary. Another misreading is to think that any critique of splankna is an attack on emotional healing or on Christians who struggle with anxiety. Scripture cares deeply about the hurting, and it offers real comfort. The point is that comfort is found in Christ and his means, not in a technique that blends biblical language with an energy-based framework the Bible never teaches.
Other passages that speak to Colossians 3:1-17
Several related studies help place this passage in its broader biblical context. You can read about unity and the cross in What Does 1 Corinthians 1:10 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application, about God's faithful call in What Does 1 Corinthians 1:9 Mean? Context, Theology, and Application, about the church's identity in 1 Corinthians 1: Called, United, and Boasting in the Lord, and about warnings and freedom in 1 Corinthians 10: Warnings and Freedom. Each of these passages reinforces the same point: the Christian life is centered on Christ, shaped by Scripture, and lived in community, not built on techniques that promise what only God can give.
Frequently asked questions
Is splankna therapy explicitly forbidden in the Bible?
The Bible does not mention splankna by name, so it is not explicitly forbidden. But Scripture does forbid divination and sorcery, and it calls believers to test all things. The question is whether splankna's energy-based framework conflicts with biblical teaching about the person and about how change happens. Many Christians conclude that it does conflict, at least in its underlying model, even if individual practitioners are sincere. Others see it as a neutral tool. Because it is not directly addressed, Christians should study the issue carefully and seek wise counsel rather than assuming either approval or condemnation.
Can a Christian use splankna and still be faithful to Christ?
Yes, a Christian can be sincere and still use a method that is unwise or theologically confused. Faithfulness is not measured by avoiding every disputed practice but by loving Christ and submitting to his word. If a believer uses splankna while trusting Christ alone for salvation and growth, and if the practitioner does not make unbiblical claims, the concern is smaller. If the practice becomes necessary for peace, or if it teaches that emotions are trapped energy, the believer should reconsider. Colossians 3:17 says, "Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus," and that standard applies here.
What should I do if a friend recommends splankna?
Thank your friend for caring about you, and ask what the practice actually claims about how it works. Listen for words like energy, meridians, muscle testing, and trapped emotions, and compare those claims with Scripture. You do not need to argue. You can say that you want to be careful about methods that are not taught in the Bible, and that you are seeking Christ's help through prayer, Scripture, and wise counsel. If your friend is helped by splankna, you can rejoice in any genuine good while gently raising your questions. The goal is not to win an argument but to help one another love Christ more.
