What is Kinesiology
Kinesiology is a natural health modality that has evolved significantly over the years and is defined by the application of ‘muscle testing’ or ‘muscle monitoring. First discovered in the early 20th century, muscle monitoring was used to measure muscle weakness in polio sufferers giving practitioners valuable insight into the presence & severity of paralysis in their patients and making assessments on how best to support their remaining muscle functionality.
Then later in 1949 Kendall and Kendall, two physiotherapists continued to developed specific ways to test individual muscles for other neuro-musculoskeletal conditions. This era is commonly referred to as the 1st wave of kinesiology that laid the foundations for the further development of the modality in the following decades.
The second wave begun in the 1960’s with Chiropractor Dr George Goodheart who observed a holistic relationship between the Chinese meridian system, the central nervous system, muscle groups, organs & glands of the human body. By testing the resistance of a muscle with graduated pressure, Goodheart observed weaknesses and imbalances in the corresponding meridian and associated organs and glands of the body. Dr Goodheart combined his knowledge of chiropractic techniques, neuro-lymphatic reflexes, nutrition and Traditional Chinese Medicine to develop the system of Kinesiology known as Applied Kinesiology, this expression of kinesiology is an additional foundational kinesiology course often taken by Chiropractors to support their treatments in clinic.
The third wave of kinesiology brings us to present time and future, where it is evolving into a highly integrative modality thanks to the collective contribution of those mentioned above and other significant influences such as, Richard Utt, Dr Charles Krebs, Hugo Tobar & Guy Bennett to name a few. Muscle monitoring is now used therapeutically to communicate with the body’s wisdom or ‘Innate awareness’ via a bio feedback loop of the clients muscles, nerves & central nervous system to explore the deeper influences of the mental, physiological, emotional and energetic aspects of well-being. Once established, the practitioner provides various gentle, non-invasive techniques to support the body’s natural capacity to restore balance and self regulate.
Advanced holistic (level 5) kinesiology integrates, western knowledge of neuro-muscular bio feedback, anatomy and physiology, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, nutrition, the chakra system, auric field, quantum and vibrational principals to uncover the underlying stressors that may be impacting the vitality & coherence of the mind, body & spirit.
Kinesiology Philosophy
Kinesiology acknowledges the human body’s self-healing ability and believes its always always working to keep us healthy and functioning optimally, a concept reflected in western medicine know as homeostasis.
Kinesiology Philosophy views symptoms of disease, mental health issues and structural misalignment' s as the result of chronic unresolved stress that impacts the this natural healing ability. Over time unresolved stress causes the body to create complex compensation mechanisms resulting in an often indirect pathway from stress to symptom development. Furthermore, this philosophy proposes that the root causes of stress are not often consciously known and may be driven by a wide range of interconnected, underlying factors. Kinesiology philosophy takes the position that chronic stress persists due to a lack of awareness of these underlying factors and inability to resolve them via integration of the conscious (known) and unconscious (unknown). Within this model, It is the Kinesiology practitioners role to communicate with the bodies intelligence or “Innate awareness’ via muscle monitoring to identify the relationship between the symptom and its potential cause, bring it to the clients awareness & provide them with support through various specialised protocols . Kinesiology is not about healing the client rather, it aims to provide specific individualised support to enable the body’s innate capacity to self-regulate & heal.
An example of this philosophy could be in individual experiencing pain and discomfort in their body due to a bone subluxation (misalignment). As explained above kinesiology takes the holistic view that symptoms are a result of a system that is dis-regulated and that the bone misalignment is not correcting due to the central nervous system being confused from overload of chronic stress. Within the Kinesiology model if the nervous system is supported in the right way and the originating stress is addressed the body can recognise the subluxation and begin the natural healing processes to re- align the bone to a correct position.
Kinesiology is a complementary therapy and is not a substitute or replacement for professional medical care. Kinesiology does not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatment, or guarantee specific results. Individual experiences and outcomes may vary.