Brandon Bays (born August 21, 1953) is an American author and motivational speaker. She has authored New Thoughtself-help books, and is best known for her 1999 book, The Journey, which became a bestseller in England and Australia.[1]
Her work falls within the broader scope of mind-body healing and has been practiced in various countries.
Biography
She was born in Trenton, New Jersey to an American father and a Austrian mother,[2] who grew up in Vienna, Austria.[3]At age 35, she first visited India, a country she later referred to as her “spiritual home.”[4] She has studied the teachings of Indian spiritual masters, including Ramana Maharshi and his student HWL Poonja, who gave her the spiritual name “Janaki,” meaning “born of the self.”[5]
She worked for Tony Robbins for 10 years, presenting the Living Health program as a Master Trainer.[6]
She is the author of the book The Journey, first published in 1999 and later reissued in 2012.[7] The book has been translated into multiple languages and forms the basis for her therapeutic approach.[8]
Bays says that her healing method originated from a personal health experience in which she was diagnosed with a large abdominal tumor.[9] She recovered without surgery or conventional medical treatment over a six-week period.[10] She attributes her recovery to a process involving emotional release, accessing subconscious memories, forgiveness, and a form of spiritual connection she describes as "Source" or "infinite intelligence."[11]
Following this experience, Bays developed The Journey Method, a process-based approach that combines emotional introspection and guided self-inquiry.[12]
The Journey also incorporates elements of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and includes specific approaches to address phobias and emotional traumas.[1]
Brandon was deeply influenced by a spiritual teacher she fondly calls 'Papaji' ( H. W. L. Poonja ) whom she met in Lucknow, India in the early 90s. Papaji was a teacher of self inquiry in the tradition of the sage, Ramana Maharshi.[13]
Work and influence
Since the publication of The Journey, Bays has conducted seminars and workshops across five continents.[14] Her work is particularly noted in the fields of personal development, alternative healing, and spiritual inquiry. [15]
Her work gained prominence following her personal account of overcoming a large uterine tumor in the early 1990s, which she claims to have resolved without conventional medical treatment, instead using introspective techniques focused on uncovering and resolving unresolved childhood trauma.[16]
Bays contends that unprocessed emotional experiences are stored at the cellular level and that these can obstruct physiological functions, potentially resulting in illness.[17]The Journey process is designed to guide individuals through the release of these suppressed emotions by accessing and confronting the core memories associated with personal pain or trauma. [18]Her approach draws from principles in mind-body medicine and cellular biology, suggesting that emotional suppression has measurable biochemical consequences that may influence physical health.[16] Bays has collaborated with or appeared alongside various figures in the personal growth and consciousness movement, including Tony Robbins, Lynne McTaggart, Wayne Dyer, Bruce Lipton, and Deva Premal & Miten.[5]
Reception
Since the publication of her book The Journey (1999), which outlines her recovery and the healing methodology she developed, Bays has cultivated a global following.[14] Her techniques have reportedly been employed by individuals suffering from various health conditions, including cancer, and by people seeking personal development or emotional healing.[9] The method has also found institutional support in some contexts, notably in South Africa, where it has been incorporated into educational programs with government backing.[2][19][14] Medical professionals supportive of integrative health such as Irish GP Dr. Paddy Rudden and Australian GP Dr. Mark Naim have publicly endorsed her work as a potentially effective complement to conventional medicine.[15]
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