In the early 1980s, The Balancing Program, as we know it today, was formally re-established and organized by Walter and Marta Burleigh. Our roots, however, date back to the earlier part of the Twentieth Century and the work of Dr. Oscar Brunler and Dr. Maurice Bovis in France. Dr. Brunler developed a system of measuring the “Brain Radiation” or “Mental Radiation” of a person through the use of an instrument called a biometer. Dr. Maurice Bovis originally invented the Biometer and used it to detect the quality of a wine, through its “radiation”, without having to open the bottle.
By the time Dr. Brunler and Dr. Bovis met, the instrument had been refined to a point where it could measure the health of various organs within the human body by measuring the “radiation” from a person’s fingertips. Their collaboration led to the measurement of over 30,000 people in Europe. They continued to perfect the instrument, finally calling it the Brunler-Bovis Biometer. During this process, Dr. Brunler established the classification of the various levels of human mental capabilities. With all this information, Dr. Brunler came to the United States and founded The Brunler Research Foundation with his wife, Dr. Grace Calvert and two associates, Roland Neal and Dr. Viola Pettit-Neal.
The Balancing Program is born… By 1951, Dr. Brunler was having health problems and wanted to remove himself from the intense activity going on at the Foundation. He and Dr. Calvert set up a small practice in their home and the Neals took over the institution renaming it the Biometric Research Foundation. It was at this point that Marta and Walter Burleigh became actively involved with the discoveries that were being made there.
Marta was a native of California and Walter of Nebraska. In 1936, they met, married, and settled in California. Marta and Walter began their studies at the Brunler Research Foundation in Beverly Hills, California in 1949. Although Marta and Walter had received their initial measurements at the Brunler Research Foundation under Dr. Brunler, they decided to remain with the Neals when Dr. Brunler left the Foundation. Their decision was partly based on the close relationship they had developed with the Neals.
Although the principles of the Balancing Program were based upon the great quantity of work originally done by Dr. Oscar Brunler, the Neals discovered yet another measurement and called it the “Emotional Coefficient”. They also decided to rename the brain radiation and call it the “Mental Potential” measurement. The Neals found that the ideal relationship between these two measurements was in a 10 to 1 ratio. For instance, if the Mental Potential level was 398, the Emotional Coefficient should be 39.8 for the person to operate most effectively. If the Mental Potential was 410, the Emotional Coefficient should be 41.0, and so on. They also discovered that most human beings were dramatically “out of balance” as their Emotional Coefficient measurement was almost never compatible with the Mental Potential. This low Emotional Coefficient resulted in a wide variety of negative behavior patterns for those individuals suffering this disparity — such as stress, failure in business and personal relationships, and even physical illness.
Finding how to correct this situation became their primary goal and the Neals endeavored to find a way to raise the Emotional Coefficient to its appropriate level. A wide variety of techniques were tested, but nothing seemed to work. It was not until Viola Pettit-Neal recalled an incident during her PhD thesis research. She was teaching at the American University in Lebanon and, while visiting the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Mt. Sinai area, the monks showed her three symbols and told her that Pythagoras used them in his Mystery Schools. Pythagoras had required his students to study these three simple geometric forms, in a particular order, for a period of seven years. Viola remembered these three forms and their proper sequence and decided to introduce the technique to the class at the Foundation. We have learned from anthropologists that these symbols seem to have been a part of all cultural traditions dating back to ancient times.
Much to the Neal’s delight, using these images worked! Each day that the symbols were studied the Emotional Coefficient would increase a little until finally the two sets of measurements were in their proper ratio. However, it was through Marta that another discovery was made. Once the Emotional Coefficient was 1/10th of the Mental Potential, BOTH numbers seemed to lock and start climbing together until the Mental level was up three points above its initial measurement. Marta and Walter both felt this Program was of profound and far-reaching importance and decided to become counselors at the Foundation. Walter studied and worked with Roland Neal for over three years. Together, they measured thousands of people through photographs in college yearbooks. They measured and counseled individuals in an effort to assist them with career choices and fields of interest. Many of the people that they counseled went on to complete the Program.
In 1954, Walter became an accountant for the United States government and the Burleighs moved to Washington, D.C. and from there to many places around the world. This forced them to give up their close contact with the Neals and the Foundation, but both Walter and Marta continued to support its ideals and its efforts. Roland Neal died within a year of the Burleigh’s move and the foundation was closed. Viola continued The Balancing Program until the late 1970’s. She died in 1981.
In 1978, Walter and Marta retired to Tucson. Finally, they had the precious time required to re-establishing the program. They started by introducing The Balancing Program to the people they met. Walter and Marta worked very hard to establish a sound foundation for the Program in order to ensure its continued expansion. One of the Burleigh’s most important contributions during this period was finding a method to measure and counsel people without having them come to Tucson. They were able to develop a pendulum dowsing technique that allowed them to accurately measure and track the progress of the participants. By the time Walter died, in November 1989, the Program was virtually worldwide with participants in many countries including several thousand people who were Balanced and Locked.
Anna Holme was a close friend of Marta’s. Their friendship began over 30 years ago when Marta and Walter lived in Washington, DC. Anna was an early participant in the Program and was Balanced and Locked in 1974. In 1990, Anna moved to Tucson to work under Marta’s direct tutelage. Anna was to help Marta with participants’ measurements, preparation of the progress letters, phone calls, and correspondence related to the Program. Over the next few years Marta continued to support the efforts of the Balancing Program, but gradually transferred more responsibility to Anna, including most of the measuring.
Anna brought many skills and talents to the Balancing Program. For a period of 11 years she studied comparative religions, also had a vast background in the Sufi religious philosophy, expertise in Jungian dream interpretation (she conducted many effective classes over the years), and her long-time business experience. She was a weaver and owned her own shop in New York.
Anna’s long affiliation with The Balancing Program made her the logical choice to carry on the Program. When Marta decided to retired in 1994, she was fully confident in Anna’s integrity and skills. In spite of Marta’s death in 1999, Anna’s guidance and strength enabled the Program to move forward without interruption. We have continued to provide additional services and support to those participating in the Program.
Kathryn Draman and Sharon Hart assisted Anna in Tucson; much of today’s program success can be attributed to them. Kathryn started working for the Burleigh’s in 1986. She had initially volunteered to organize an office system for them as the Balancing Program had definitely out-grown the “cottage-industry” stage. After the system was in place, Walter asked her to stay with them as an employee. Their expertise in business management, along with their loyalty during the last 18 years, have made the Balancing Program what it is today. Their integrity is interwoven into the fabric of the Program and has made the program stronger and established a feeling of trust and reliability with the program’s participants. Although Kathryn and Anna both have passed from this earthly realm, all the directors and officers of the Balancing Program remain firmly committed to the principles upon which this program were founded.
Into the Twenty-first Century… The consciousness of Humanity as a whole is shifting and expanding very quickly. It should be noted that at the beginning of the Program in the 1950s, participants would Balance and Lock at a level of 3 to 5 points above their original Mental Potential measurement. By the 1980s, this had increased to +20. By the early 1990s this was at 50+. By 1999 the increase was at 60+. We are no longer satisfied with the status quo and old paradigm. We are searching and finding answers. We are discovering new adventures and challenges on this most glorious voyage called LIFE.
The Balancing Program also continues to evolve. Many changes took place within the organization in 1999. The most significant were obtaining tax-except status, expansion of the Board of Directors, and development of an Internet website. Our goal is to strengthen the foundation and structure of The Balancing Program and ensure its continuation and expansion into the future. We firmly believe, as the Neals’ and the Burleighs’ did, that this information is critical to the evolution of humanity and must not be lost.
The Balancing Program will continue to evolve and expand and is well positioned to carry on its work into the Twenty-first Century and beyond.