Is this a test to see how much I have been working out at the gym? If I avoid exercise like the plague, will this be a problem?
Not at all. No matter what the shape, size or strength of your muscles, we are able to use them to give us information that is unique to you and your situation.
When we ask you to hold up their wrist and meet the pressure that we are applying to your wrist, it is a simple task for you to do. Your brain gives the appropriate muscles the command to hold/lock your arm in the required position. A bit like, when you decide to hold a glass of water still, your body knows the exact amount of strength to use.
If we then introduce a stress; whether it be physical, mental, chemical or emotional, it has an impact on the muscle. The muscle is now compromised and is not able to maintain the lock. This we see by the arm bouncing slightly.
This response is not a conscious or mentally processed response. It works at a sub-conscious level which taps into implicit memory. You have two main types of memory, conscious (explicit) and sub-conscious (implicit). Explicit memory contains all the information you have actively learnt, while implicit memory is like a continuous recording of all your experiences, beliefs and emotions during your life.
By-pass the conscious mind / The back door
By this simple muscle monitoring technique; which is the cornerstone of functional kinesiology, we are able to bypass your logical brain and get in touch with the root cause of the issue or goal that you have chosen to work on. This means that we are working with your sub-conscious mind.
We use muscle monitoring to identify the relevant information about your situation.
It is possible for us to drill down to different levels, depending on what is required at the time. Here are some typical examples of the layers of information that we can access:
|
System
|
Nervous system |
Digestive System |
Muscular system |
| Organ | Brain | Large Intestine | Biceps brachii |
| Tissue | Hippocampus | Epithelium (inner surface) | Striated muscle tissue |
| Cell | Glial cells | Goblet cells | Skeletal muscle cell |
| Organelle | Nucleus | Golgi apparatus | Mitochondria |
| Chemical Compounds | Neurotransmitters | Protein | ATP |
| Elements | Carbon | Hydrogen | Phosphate |
Muscle monitoring also helps us find out what thought, attitude, emotion or belief system is involved in the issue. According to numerous authors such as Bruce Lipton and Louise Hay, these emotions affect our bodies and may bring about dis-ease.
Once we have gathered all the relevant information, we use muscle monitoring to identify the specific techniques that would be most beneficial for encouraging your body to bring about healing.
e.g. Acupressure, sound healing, flower essences, etc.
Through muscle monitoring, we are able to uniquely tailor your session to your particular needs.
For the more scientifically inclined:
The following is a summary from Energetic Kinesiology – Principles and Practice (Dr C Krebs & Tania Oneill McGowan):
- When pressure is applied to a muscle, it stimulates the load reflex (spinal reflex). The sensory information is also sent to sub-conscious areas of the brain (cerebellum, basal ganglia and thalamus) which run pre-recorded muscle programs.
- The cerebellum continually checks that the muscle is performing the intended action. If not, it orders additional or less contractions to ensure the pressure is met.
- When a muscle can hold its position it is locked. This is because the neurological information flowing between the muscle and the brain is sufficient to maintain the muscle contraction.
- As long as the information flow is not interrupted, the muscle will hold.
- An unlocking muscle is when the muscle is being prevented from holding its position. This is because of stimuli from the spindle cells, tendon and joint sensors, or inhibitory feedback from the subconscious emotional brain centers.
- To the client, it feels like more pressure is being applied and even with conscious effort, they are unable to control the muscle.
