Muscle Testing measures a natural stress response called Binary Biofeedback which is the measure of the body’s response to a stimulus. Binary biofeedback is used in virtually every medical field from EEGs to heart rate monitors.
There are “everyday” examples of binary biofeedback. For instance, under stress, our heart rate increases, perspiration occurs, blood flow goes away from the digestive tract and towards extremities so you can run if you’re in danger.
Muscle Testing is uses the body’s muscles to measure a response – it’s a biofeedback device in itself.
Our muscles are controlled by nerves, and muscles respond differently to different nerve messages. Therefore, we have the ability to utilize muscle strength as a way to understand what the nervous system is trying to tell us. By tapping into the nervous system, the practitioner can identify imbalances in the body and advise the client how to address the concerns. There’s nothing magical about muscle testing, it’s simply interpreting nerve signals.
When the body is presented with something that it perceives as a stress to the system…in other words, something it’s incompatible with- the electrical signals between brain and the muscles are “short-circuited” and the muscle being tested is weakened. When the body is presented with something that it is compatible with, the tested muscle is strong.
How do you do remote muscle testing?
When I muscle test clients remotely, I use a pendulum. Pendulum testing is a branch of muscle testing called ideomotor response. Ideo= idea, motor= muscle. When muscle testing clients from a distance, I use my own nervous system to test for someone else (sometimes called proxy testing). The pendulum moves by nerve impulses in the hand while the nervous system is responding to thoughts or testing prompts instead of physical stimuli. It’s crucial to note that pendulum testing cannot tell the future/it’s not predictive.
We are able to muscle test remotely due to the principle of non-locality. This is the ability of particles (an electron, for example) to be influenced instantaneously by another particle with no visible exchange of force or energy. This can occur from any distance. We apply the principle of non-locality when we facilitate remote muscle testing and clearings. When we do remote muscle testing, we use a pendulum to understand the nervous system messages in place of a client’s arm.
What are “MBSR Clearings?”
The body has an innate ability to heal, however we have a finite amount of energy to do that. When stressors are present…whether they are physical or emotional, they demand resources/energy from the body. Think about your energy reservoir as a bucket filled with water…if you have holes in the bucket, water escapes rapidly and you can’t keep the bucket full. With MBSR™ , we are essentially “plugging” the holes so that your energy is protected.
MBSR is done by shining a cold laser light on specific reflex and acupuncture points of the body. This activates the neurological and endocrine systems. When this is done, we are disrupting the stress response, helping to calm the nervous system and release negative stored associations with the stressors.
The goal of MBSR is to reduce the body’s stress response, so more energy goes back into the body’s healing process.
