The bigger picture
How Access Bars fits inside Access Consciousness
Access Consciousness is a New Age personal-development organization founded by Gary Douglas in Santa Barbara, California, in 1990, initially under the name Access Energy Transformation. Douglas has said he began developing the system after channeling experiences, including sessions he attributed to the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, whom he credited with teaching him about the Bars.
Access Bars was the very first class the organization ever offered, and it remains the most widely known entry point into the wider system. From there, Access Consciousness expanded into dozens of other classes covering money, relationships, business, and the body, all built on a similar premise: that people carry fixed beliefs and judgments that limit what's possible for them, and that specific tools can help "release" those limitations.
Dr. Dain Heer, a former chiropractor, joined the organization in 2001 and became its co-creator, helping expand its reach internationally. Today Access Consciousness describes itself as active in well over a hundred countries, with Access Bars classes serving as the standard introduction for newcomers who go on to become certified Bars practitioners after a single day of training.
Independent commentators, including physician David Gorski writing for Science-Based Medicine, have described the underlying framework as combining elements of phrenology with energy-healing concepts, and Wikipedia characterizes Access Consciousness as a pseudoscientific New Age movement. Those criticisms are aimed at the broader philosophy and its more expansive claims, not solely at the simple act of a light head touch.
Where Bars fits inside Access Consciousness
A map of the relationship between the wider organization, its philosophy, the Bars session, and evidence questions.
Access Consciousness
The wider organization and philosophy behind the Bars practice.
Access Bars
A hands-on introductory practice taught within that system.
Classes and sessions
The practice is offered to clients and taught in practitioner classes.
Evidence questions
Official claims still need to be separated from independent support.
History
Where did Access Consciousness Bars come from?
Gary Douglas, a former real estate professional, founded Access Consciousness after a bankruptcy in the early 1990s. He has said he began channeling spirits after witnessing a channeler at work, and that a spirit he identified as Grigori Rasputin taught him about the 32 head points that became the Bars.
The first class Douglas taught focused entirely on the Bars, and it remains the organization's foundational offering. Over time, Access Consciousness grew into a wider curriculum, but Access Bars is still typically the first class new students take and the technique most people associate with the organization's name.
Who is behind Access Consciousness?
Gary Douglas
FounderDeveloped Access Bars and founded Access Consciousness in 1990.
Dr. Dain Heer
Co-creatorFormer chiropractor who joined the organization in 2001 and helped expand it internationally.
Simone Milasas
Worldwide business coordinatorJoined the organization in 2003 and continues to help run its global operations.
Access Consciousness
Parent organizationOffers Access Bars and a wider range of classes built on similar principles.
A short timeline
- Gary Douglas founds Access Energy Transformation in Santa Barbara, California.This became Access Consciousness and Access Bars was its first class.
- Dr. Dain Heer joins the organization and becomes co-creator.Helped grow Access Consciousness into a larger international network.
- Simone Milasas joins and later becomes worldwide business coordinator.Contributed to further global expansion of classes and practitioners.
- A small pilot study on Access Bars and anxiety/depression is published.Marked one of the first pieces of formal, published research directly on the technique.
Common misunderstandings
Access Bars is a standalone, independent method unrelated to Access Consciousness.
It is the organization's founding technique and remains its most widely taught class.
Access Consciousness is primarily a physical therapy organization.
It is a broader personal-development and New Age organization; Access Bars is one of many tools it teaches.
What to remember
- Access Consciousness Bars usually just means Access Bars, the founding technique of Access Consciousness.
- The organization was founded by Gary Douglas in 1990.
- Dr. Dain Heer joined as co-creator in 2001.
- Access Bars remains the standard first class for newcomers.
- Independent reviewers describe the broader framework as pseudoscientific.
Key takeaways
The shortest useful version of this page.
Access Consciousness Bars refers to Access Bars, the founding technique of Access Consciousness.
Gary Douglas founded the organization in Santa Barbara in 1990.
Dr. Dain Heer joined as co-creator in 2001.
Access Bars remains the standard entry-level class today.
Independent reviewers describe the wider framework as pseudoscientific.
Frequently asked questions
What does "Access Consciousness Bars" mean?
It refers to Access Bars, the light-touch head technique that founded the Access Consciousness organization.
Who created Access Consciousness Bars?
Gary Douglas created it in 1990 when he founded Access Consciousness.
Is Access Consciousness a religion?
No, it presents itself as a personal-development system, though critics have compared aspects of it to New Age spiritual movements.
How is Access Bars related to other Access Consciousness classes?
It was the first class taught and remains the standard introduction, with later classes building on similar ideas about releasing limiting beliefs.
Sources
Access Consciousness. Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-07-14
Independent history and critical overview of Access Consciousness and Access Bars.
Gary Douglas, Founder. Access Consciousness. Accessed 2026-07-14
Official biography used for background on the founder.
