How to Muscle Test Yourself for Self-Healing
In this post, you’ll learn what muscle testing is and find the method that works best for self testing so you can communicate with your body and start healing at a deeper level.
Hello self-healer! I have a feeling you’re here because you want to find your way back to a life that feels lighter, natural and full of creativity.
You’ve heard many times that emotions and stress can slow down healing but you’ve never learned a practical way to deal with your feelings.
Muscle testing was an integral part of healing and understanding myself. It was the start of a deep respect for my body and its innate intelligence. I learned to precisely identify what emotions and beliefs I was still holding onto, even in specific body parts.
In this article you’ll learn:
What is muscle testing?
How does muscle testing work?
Different muscle testing methods (watch videos)
Steps to self muscle test
Other tips for accuracy
Troubleshooting
Recommended books
What is Muscle Testing?
Also called applied kinesiology, muscle testing is a tool that accesses the subconscious directly through the neuromuscular system. We can ask a yes or no question and receive an answer through a “strong” or “weak” muscle response.
How Does Muscle Testing Work?
According to Power vs Force by David R. Hawkins, researchers in the 1970’s made a ‘breakthrough discovery that the strength or weakness of every muscle was connected to the health or pathology of a specific corresponding body organ’ and ‘determined that each individual muscle was associated with an acupuncture meridian.’
Positive or true statements correspond with a yes or strong response. Negative or false statements correspond with a no or weak response. The body will also subconsciously move towards positivity and away from negativity.
In quantum physics, quantum entanglement describes how everything is connected no matter how far apart. Because we’re all connected, we share knowledge at a subconscious, subatomic level.
You know, I know, your body knows, my body knows, the universe knows.
Different Self-Testing Methods
Muscle tests fall under two categories: strength tests and directional tests. For self-testing I prefer directional muscle tests because they don’t fatigue the body, they have a clear direction for yes and no and are completely discreet. Try them all and see what works best for you.
Directional Muscle Tests
1) Sway test. The simplest test out there. While standing, you will automatically lean forward for yes and backward for no.
2) Wrist test. This is my personal favourite. Starting with the wrist in a neutral position, it will roll outwards for a yes and roll inwards for a no. The way I remember this is rolling outwards is like opening → expansion → yes.
Your can try 3 different starting positions:
Method 1: Hand resting on thigh
Method 2: Arm resting at side
Method 3: Elbow flexed to 90 degrees
Shoulders test. Your shoulders will open, expanding at the heart for a yes and slump forward, closing the heart for a no.
With the directional tests, you might find that your body answers with a very subtle response (as in a very small movement). As you practice, the response becomes more exaggerated over time.
Strength Muscle Tests
The key is using the same amount of resistance consistently to get a clear yes or no. It'll take some practice.
1) Middle finger over index finger. Point your index finger and rest the tip of your middle finger on top of the thumbnail of the index finger. Press your middle finger down on the index finger and try to resist. Your index finger stays pointed with a yes and drops with a no.
2) Interlocking O finger. Create circles with your thumb and index fingers on both hands and interlock them like a chain. Try to break the chain by pulling your hands apart. The chain remains strong with yes and it breaks with a no.
There are many more tests. I even know one practitioner who discovered her eyes would do something funny for a yes and eventually she opted for a pendulum.
Keep practicing and find what works for you. I experimented with at least three tests for a year until the wrist test and finger test became my go-to methods.
Steps to Self Muscle Test
1) Clear your mind and center yourself.
Take a deep breath. Imagine all your scattered energy coming back to the center of your body. Feel yourself get a little taller.
2) Choose a testing method and calibrate it. This signals to your body that you want to communicate with it in a specific way. Ask either of the following:
Show me a yes. Show me a no.
My name is (real name). My name is (fake name).
Once you establish a strong response, move onto the next step.
3) Ask a yes or no question or make a direct statement.
4) Observe the response. For clarity, you can ask the same question a few times and see if the response is the same.
Other Tips for Accuracy
Remove distractions and find a quiet place when first starting out.
Center yourself first. The easiest way is to take some slow deep breaths.
Stay hydrated. Water is an electrical conductor and helps energy flow freely.
Get enough rest. Lack of sleep can weaken your body's response.
Stay connected to your body. It’s possible to disassociate from the body and answer with the mind by something as simple as looking up. To stay connected to your body, keep your chin level with the ground and your gaze down towards the floor as you muscle test.
Troubleshooting
Questions are best asked about the present or the past. I don’t ask questions about the future because there are so many variables.
Phrase the question carefully. Instead of “should I do opportunity A?”, try rephrasing to “opportunity A is in alignment with my soul at this time”. Notice how the question is in the present moment.
Don’t ask questions with outcomes you’re emotionally attached to. Your answer will be muddy. It’s best to ask with a neutral attitude.
Doubting yourself in the beginning is common. You might believe others can do it but not you. Trust that if you have a body, you have access to muscle testing. Even my 6-year old can be tested. But know with practice, you'll get better at it.
Overthinking answers and worrying you didn't get it right can be minimized if you focus on your heart and connect to the question rather than the test itself.
Recommended Books
The following books are packed with more information on muscle testing.
The Emotion Code: How to Release Your Trapped Emotions by Bradley Nelson
If you’re interested in muscle testing for self-healing, this is the go-to book. I use this protocol regularly in my practice.
Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R. Hawkins
If you want to muscle test to calibrate everything from food, people, places, etc. then you’ll enjoy this.
The Body Code: Unlocking Your Body's Ability to Heal Itself by Bradley Nelson
The Body Code is an extensive healing system that includes the Emotion Code but is aimed at healing physical conditions. It helped me uncover the root causes of my life long hay fever. I’m now symptom free!
Advanced Courses
Psych-K: A muscle testing system for identifying false beliefs and installing new positive beliefs into the subconscious.
