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To an uninformed onlooker what happens in a kinesiology session
seems beyond belief. Because many of the techniques and
procedures used interact with the body’s subtle energy system
rather than the physical body, they often appear bizarre and
even laughable. When they come back for their second
appointment, some clients tell me that they left the first
session feeling that they had totally wasted their money, but
that the improvement in their health and sense of well being
speaks for itself.

The basic tool - kinesiology or muscle testing - allows the
practitioner to access information about the client that neither
the practitioner nor the client may know at a conscious level.
Kinesiology is in a unique position amongst alternative and
complementary therapies. It can be practiced as a unique
discipline in its own right with its own protocols and
therapeutic techniques, or else it can be used as a tool to help
practitioners in other disciplines, such as aromatherapy or
chiropractic, hone their treatments more accurately.

The word kinesiology means ‘the study of movement’ and was
originally used to describe a field of science concerned with
the working of joints and muscles. There are still people known
as kinesiologists who work like this, but another type of
kinesiology evolved from this. A process of muscle testing to
monitor the effects of disease on muscle response was developed.
It was noticed that seemingly healthy muscles would become weak
for no apparent reason.

It was during the 1960s that American chiropractor Dr. George
Goodheart found that massaging specific points on the body not
only improved related disease conditions but also improved the
response of related muscles. He recognised the relationship
between a disturbed muscle response and a disturbance in the
related organ or system. He began to use muscle testing to
monitor this relationship. He also used earlier work by Frank
Chapman and Terence Bennett to identify a system of specific
points on the body for correcting imbalances. On the basis of
this discovery he developed the system of applied kinesiology.

He discovered that muscle response might be affected in ways
that can only be explained by the traditional acupuncture theory
of how the body works. According to this model there is a system
of pathways or ‘meridians’ running up and down the body through
which flows a ‘vital energy’ or ‘life force’ which drives and
informs all the cells and functions of the body. If this energy
system is in balance, health can be maintained. If it is
disturbed, then physical or other disturbances may be produced
or sustained. These energy disturbances also have an effect on
muscle response, and the term kinesiology has come to mean
muscle testing.

Muscle testing is a painless procedure involving the
practitioner applying gentle pressure to specific parts of the
body (often arms and legs) to test the response of the
underlying muscle. The particular part of the body involved is
placed in a specific position, in order, as far as possible, to
isolate the muscle that is being tested. The muscle will either
easily be able to resist the pressure from the practitioner or
will give way, at least slightly. The kinesiologist uses this
response to access information about what is happening and what
is needed. Because of the inter-relationship between muscles,
meridians and body systems, this information can apply not only
to the muscle being tested but also give valuable information
about other imbalances within the body and the necessary
procedures to correct them.

Kinesiologists generally focus on the acupuncture meridian
system to restore the client to good health: they stimulate
points lying on the meridians to overcome a disturbance and
rebalance the energy system. Acupuncturists put needles into
these points, but kinesiologists hold or rub combinations of
points instead. Sometimes treatment consists solely of touching
or rubbing these points, but often it will involve the person
thinking specific words or about a particular event or person.
The practitioner may place magnets on the body or use sound and
colour to help re-establish harmony in the body. Sometimes
homeopathic or flower remedies are placed on the body or given
to the client to take. The possibilities are endless. The exact
treatment is determined by the muscle testing. No two treatments
are alike even for people with identical problems.

All the different branches of kinesiology have originated from
the work of George Goodheart. Because of its origins in physical
therapy applied kinesiology has tended to concentrate on
structural problems and solutions. Other branches of kinesiology
have been developed, such as health kinesiology, educational
kinesiology, classical kinesiology, creative kinesiology and 3
In 1 kinesiology. All use the basic muscle testing skills, but
each kinesiology very much reflects the interests and
personality of its developer.

Some branches of kinesiology, such as health kinesiology, make
extensive use of verbal muscle testing. The response of a
correctly positioned muscle to light pressure can be either to
lock or unlock. The kinesiologist uses this to ask verbal
questions: the locked response of the muscle indicates “yes” and
the unlocked or spongy response indicates “no”. The practitioner
will then use systematic questioning with the muscle testing to
establish what technique or techniques are needed from the many
possible procedures that the practitioner learnt during
training. The practitioner can also use verbal questioning in
conjunction with muscle testing to establish an exercise or a
diet and supplement programme for the client. Because of the
ability to access information through muscle testing, this
programme will be tailored specifically for the individual
concerned.

Some kinesiologists do not use verbal questioning at all or only
in a limited way. Instead they rely on accessing information by
testing a muscle whilst touching specific points on the body or
using a finger mode. Finger modes are specific combinations of
finger positions, which relate to specific body systems,
correction procedures, and so on.

Kinesiology techniques have also been incorporated into other
therapies, so, for example, homeopaths, Bowen practitioners,
chiropractors and aromatherapists may use muscle testing to
confirm their judgement about the correct course of action. An
aromatherapist might use muscle testing to establish precisely
the best oil or combination of oils for a massage treatment.
Some therapists will test the whole range of oils they have at
their disposal and other therapists will only use kinesiology
testing when they feel that several oils are clinically
indicated and there is no one obvious over-riding reason to
choose one oil rather than another. A homeopath may use muscle
testing in a similar way to choose between several equally
indicated remedies or to establish which is the best potency for
this particular client. Chiropractors sometimes use muscle
testing to confirm their diagnosis as to the exact location for
an intervention procedure.

Kinesiology has been successful in helping people suffering from
physical problems such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, dermatitis,
asthma, sinusitis, hay fever, allergies, stress, tinnitus,
vertigo, oste- and rheumatoid-arthritis, headaches and
migraines, back ache and old painful injuries, periodontal
disease, IBS, hyperactivity, ME, tiredness, , epilepsy, PMS and
problems associated with the menopause, etc. It also helps
people in psychological ways by increasing self confidence and
motivation, reducing anxiety, fears and obsessive behaviour and
lightening depression. It can also help people function better
intellectually, reduce clumsiness, improve memory and help
dyslexia. Kinesiology has been used to help people find their
path in life, to establish new and more relevant goals and to
improve their potential in sport, the arts and education.

Bringing about healthy and lasting change involves re-balancing
the person’s energy system, re-locating them in a balanced way
within their physical, emotional and energy environment. This
means that the person is not divorced from their symptoms: the
symptoms are seen as imbalances embroidered onto the tapestry of
the person’s physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual
lives. Each individual has a past that influences the present
and a physical and social environment that modifies how the
symptoms are presented. Kinesiology can be a vital tool to
restore harmony and well-being in a person’s life. It does not
impose from the outside or follow rigid rules about what is
correct. Kinesiology allows the energy system to speak for
itself: this combination of innate wisdom and kinesiology
know-how has transformed many people’s lives.

Here are three short case studies to illustrate the power of
kinesiology:

One client got off the couch and said to me: “I didn’t feel
anything.” I explained that some clients do not experience
anything while they are lying on the couch but that does not
mean that they will not get better. She said: “No, I didn’t mean
that. What I meant was that I experienced no pain when I got off
the couch.” She had had a hip replacement operation seven years
earlier and told me, when I was taking the case history, that
she had just changed one constant pain (from her damaged hip)
for another constant pain (the artificial hip). She was
extremely surprised and excited that she had been able to get
off the couch without experiencing any pain.

A client with severe vertigo came to see me. He needed several
sessions spread over several months. Each lasted about 10
minutes. This disjointed treatment schedule was established by
muscle testing. His energy system wanted a small change made and
then time to absorb and process it before the next change.
Fortunately the client was very patient. He came to see me the
required number of times and his vertigo disappeared completely.

I was seeing a client who had been sneezing so much that her rib
cage had started to hurt. We were making progress when she
phoned me and asked if I could help her: she had been to the
dentist for an extraction and was now in excruciating pain, in
spite of taking antibiotics for a week before and after the
extraction. She now had to resort to pain killers and was
extremely distressed. I arranged an emergency appointment for
her and quickly established that the pain was because the energy
system had not recognised that the tooth had been removed. I did
two simple procedures established by muscle testing. The first
one was a simple phantom sensation correction where she had to
place a finger against the tooth while acupuncture points were
rebalanced. For the second procedure a magnet was placed on her
cheek and other acupuncture points were rebalanced. When I next
saw her, she told me that the pain had gone very quickly after
the session. She said “Thank you for coming to the rescue … I
couldn’t believe it.”