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Mental and Emotional Release: The Time Line Process

Step-by-step guide

Mental and Emotional Release: The Time Line Process

Step-by-step guide

In Mental and Emotional Release, Dr. Matt James describes a guided-imagery process called MER. You picture your life as a time line, rise above it, and let your mind float back to the first time a particular emotion showed up. From there, above the moment and just before it began, you ask a deeper part of yourself to learn what needs to be learned and let the emotion go. Then you come forward along the line to the present, doing the same for any other moments that come up. You go through five emotions in order: anger, sadness, fear, hurt, and guilt.

This guide walks through that process in our own words. It's a self-guided reflective exercise based on the book. It is not therapy, it's not MER as delivered by trained practitioners, and it makes no promises about results. Please read "Important considerations" before you start. Our book summary explains the ideas behind it.

Jump to the steps

Benefits

  • A structured, calm way to look at old emotional patterns from a distance instead of reliving them
  • Practice noticing what hard moments taught you, and keeping those lessons
  • A clear order to follow, one emotion at a time
  • A way to notice which emotions and memories feel settled and which ones are worth bringing to a licensed professional

Why this works

  • Distance: Research in psychology has found that looking back at an upsetting moment from a more distant, "fly on the wall" point of view, sometimes called self-distancing, can help people reflect with less distress. Floating above the time line is built on that same kind of distance.
  • Meaning: Naming a feeling and looking for meaning in an experience can help some people make sense of it.
  • Before, not during: The book places you just before the event, while things were still calm, so you can look at it without stepping into it.
  • Honest limits: These overlaps are why the process may feel helpful. They don't confirm the book's bigger claims. MER itself hasn't been tested in independent, rigorous studies.

Important considerations

  • Don't use this alone for memories of abuse or assault, or for any memory or feeling that's above about 7 out of 10 in distress. Please work with a licensed professional instead.
  • Stop right away if you feel unreal, numb, or far away from yourself; panic or can't catch your breath; feel pulled into a memory, as if it's happening again; or notice your distress climbing instead of easing. Open your eyes, feel your feet on the floor, breathe slowly, name five things you can see, and don't go back to the process that day. If strong distress comes up or stays with you, please reach out to a licensed professional.
  • The book's own caution: The book includes a chapter cautioning about doing this work on yourself, and especially on others. This guide is for adults working gently on their own everyday patterns. Please don't use it to guide anyone else.
  • Not a substitute for care: The book makes strong claims about fast, lasting results for serious mental health and medical concerns. Independent research hasn't confirmed those claims. Painful experiences are real, and they deserve real care. Please don't use this in place of care from a doctor or licensed professional.
  • What the author reports: The book's author reports that people have used MER with fears, phobias, and painful memories. This guide is a reflective exercise, not treatment, and KPC Healing makes no claim that it treats or cures any condition.
  • Go at your own pace. You don't have to do all five emotions in one sitting. Many people do one emotion at a time, on different days.
  • What we left out: Some versions of time-line work ask about times before birth or past generations. This guide leaves those parts out.
  • No blame: The book talks about being "at cause" in your life. Here, that only means noticing the choices you have now. It never means you're to blame for something that was done to you.
  • Faith: If faith is part of your life, you're welcome to begin or end with a short prayer. That's optional, and the steps work either way.

The steps

Sit somewhere quiet and comfortable, where you won't be interrupted. Start with the first emotion, anger. You'll repeat steps 3 through 6 for each emotion in order: anger, sadness, fear, hurt, guilt.

  1. Step 1: Picture your time line

    Close your eyes, or keep them softly open. Take a few slow breaths. Then picture your life as a line, with your past in one direction and your future in another. It can look however you like: a road, a ribbon, a row of photos, a line of light.

    Options

    1. 1)The past behind you and the future ahead.
    2. 2)Left to right, like a timeline in a book.
    3. 3)A sense of direction rather than a picture, which is fine too.
    • If you can sense your time line: go to step 2.
    • If you can't picture it at all: try imagining a calendar, a photo album, or a line drawn on paper. Then go to step 2.
    • If just thinking about your past brings up strong distress: stop here. Ground yourself, and consider working with a licensed professional instead.

    Things to say

    • "If I pointed to my past, which way would I point? And my future?"
    • "It's okay if it's not a clear picture."

  2. Step 2: Rise above it

    Imagine floating up out of your body and hovering above your time line. Then keep rising, as high as you can while still being able to see the line below you. Notice how calm and far away everything looks from up here.

    Options

    1. 1)Picture yourself floating up like a balloon.
    2. 2)Picture yourself in a quiet glass elevator rising above the line.
    3. 3)Picture watching from the back row of a movie theater, or from the projection booth, with the time line playing small and far away on the screen, in black and white.
    • If you can see the line from a calm height: go to step 3.
    • If rising up feels uncomfortable: come back down a little, breathe, and try the movie-theater view (option 3). Then go to step 3.
    • If you can't imagine rising above it at all: stop here. This process may not suit you, and that's okay. Our summary has some gentler ideas to try instead.
    • If you feel unreal, dizzy, or far away from yourself: open your eyes and ground yourself. Stop for today.

    Things to say

    • "I'm safe. I'm only watching from far away."
    • "I can go as high as I need to."

  3. Step 3: Float back to the first time

    Staying high above your time line, ask yourself: "When was the first time I felt [anger]?" Let yourself float back along the line toward the past. Trust whatever moment your mind goes to, even if it seems small or you're not sure it's right. Stay high above it, looking down.

    • If a moment comes to mind and you can stay calm above it: go to step 4.
    • If the moment is a memory of abuse or assault: stop. Don't continue this alone. Please bring that memory to a licensed professional.
    • If nothing comes: that's okay. Go with the earliest moment you can think of, or the first one that pops up. Then go to step 4.
    • If you feel pulled down into the memory: rise higher right away (step 2). If you still feel pulled in, stop.

    Things to say

    • "When was the first time I felt this?"
    • "I'll trust whatever comes."
    • "I'm staying up here. I don't have to go into it."

  4. Step 4: Rate how distressing it is

    Still high above, float to a spot on the time line just before that moment began, while things were still calm. Look toward the moment from there. Ask yourself how distressing it feels right now, from 0 (not at all) to 10 (as distressing as it gets).

    • If it's about 7 or lower and you feel steady: go to step 5.
    • If it's above about 7: stop. This one is best brought to a licensed professional, not worked on alone.
    • If the number climbs while you're looking: rise higher (step 2), or switch to the movie-theater view. If it keeps climbing, stop.

    Things to say

    • "I'm just before it happened. Everything is still calm here."
    • "How strong does it feel right now, 0 to 10?"

  5. Step 5: Release it and learn what needs to be learned

    From above and just before the moment, ask a deeper, wiser part of yourself (the book calls it your unconscious mind) what you need to learn from this experience. Look for learnings that are kind, about you rather than the other person, and useful for the future. When the learnings feel clear, ask that part of you to let the emotion go. Breathe out slowly, and let the feeling drain away or fade into the distance. Don't force it. Notice the number again.

    Options

    1. 1)Ask: "What do I need to learn from this, so I can let it go?"
    2. 2)Imagine the emotion as a color or a weight, and watch it fade or lift away.
    3. 3)Breathe out slowly and let it soften with each breath.
    • If the feeling settles to a low number, or close to neutral: go to step 6.
    • If it doesn't shift: ask again what needs to be learned. Then try floating a little further back, to before an even earlier moment (step 3). Then try rising higher. If it still doesn't shift, that's okay. Let it be, and go to step 6.
    • If it gets stronger: rise higher right away, open your eyes if you need to, and stop for today.

    Things to say

    • "What do I need to learn from this?"
    • "Is there anything else I need to learn before I let this go?"
    • "I'm ready to keep the lessons and let the [anger] go."

  6. Step 6: Come forward and repeat up to the present

    Still high above, float slowly forward along your time line toward the present. If other moments with the same emotion come up along the way, pause above and just before each one, and repeat steps 4 and 5. When you reach the present, come gently back into your body. Feel your feet on the floor, open your eyes, look around the room, and drink some water. Write down the learnings you want to keep.

    • If you've reached the present and feel steady: go back to step 3 with the next emotion in order: anger, then sadness, then fear, then hurt, then guilt. Or stop here and come back another day.
    • If you've finished all five emotions: you're done. Rest, and do something ordinary and pleasant.
    • If you feel unsettled or far away: keep grounding. Stand up, stretch, or step outside. Don't start another emotion today.

    Things to say

    • "I'm back in the present. I'm here, now."
    • "What do I want to remember from this?"

Questions people ask

Is this the same as MER with a trained practitioner?

No. This is a self-guided reflective exercise based on the book, written for adults working gently on their own everyday patterns. KPC Healing is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dr. Matt James or his organizations. "Mental and Emotional Release" and "Time Line Therapy" are trademarks of their respective owners.

Can this help with very painful memories or a mental health condition?

This guide isn't meant for that. Painful experiences are real, and they can affect people deeply. The book claims MER can bring fast results for serious concerns, but independent research hasn't confirmed those claims. Please work with a licensed professional, and talk with your doctor about any health concerns.

Why go back to the first time?

The book's idea is that the first strong experience of an emotion sets a pattern that later moments link back to. That's the book's model, not something research has confirmed. If going back feels like too much, stop.

Why those five emotions, in that order?

That's the order the book uses: anger, sadness, fear, hurt, guilt. You don't have to do them all in one sitting.

What if I can't rise above my time line?

Try rising in small steps, or use the movie-theater view. If you still can't, stop. This process doesn't suit everyone, and that's okay.

What if the feeling doesn't change?

That's normal and doesn't mean you did anything wrong. Some reactions settle over time, some through real-life conversations, and some are worth talking through with a professional.

Can I guide a friend or family member through this?

Please don't. The book itself cautions about doing this work on others. This guide is only for your own reflection.

Does this mean I'm to blame for how I feel?

No. In this guide, being "at cause" only means noticing the choices you have now. It never means you're responsible for what someone else did to you.

Is this compatible with my faith?

People of many faiths and none use reflection like this. You're welcome to pair it with prayer, or to skip any part that doesn't fit your beliefs.

Related and next steps

Based on ideas from Mental and Emotional Release by Dr. Matt James with Tris Thorp (Balboa Press, 2017). "Mental and Emotional Release" and "Time Line Therapy" are trademarks of their respective owners. KPC Healing is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dr. Matt James or his organizations. This guide is an original KPC Healing reflective exercise written for education. To learn more, see the book.

Educational only. Not a substitute for care from a licensed professional. We don't store anything you read or think about here. Read our privacy policy.

Last updated October 2026.

KPC Healing is not an emergency or crisis service. If you're in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. If you're going through something heavy, please reach out to someone you trust or a licensed counselor.