Kinesiology and Energy 

Types of Kinesiology

The word kinesiology can describe several different approaches, all connected by an interest in how the body moves, responds and adapts. This can make it confusing when deciding what kind of treatment you are booking.

Broadly, kinesiology can be understood in three forms.

Movement kinesiology

Movement kinesiology is the scientific study of human movement. It examines muscles, joints, biomechanics, posture and physical performance.

This type of kinesiology is commonly used in exercise, rehabilitation, sports performance and movement education. It does not usually involve the energetic or emotional muscle-testing methods used in this clinic.

Applied kinesiology

Applied kinesiology uses manual muscle testing as part of a broader physical assessment. A practitioner may observe how a muscle responds to gentle pressure while considering posture, movement and structural function.

Approaches vary considerably between practitioners. Some remain primarily musculoskeletal, while others incorporate nutritional, neurological or energetic theories.

Energetic kinesiology

Energetic kinesiology uses muscle monitoring as a form of body-based feedback. Rather than testing how strong a muscle is, the practitioner observes changes in the muscle response while exploring areas of emotional or energetic stress.

My approach brings energetic kinesiology together with the Five Element framework of Chinese medicine, acupuncture and somatic body awareness.

How does energetic kinesiology work?

Chinese medicine understands the body through an interconnected system of organs, meridians, elements and emotions.

The Five Elements are:

• Wood: associated with the Liver and Gallbladder channels

• Fire: associated with the Heart, Small Intestine, Pericardium and Triple Burner channels

• Earth: associated with the Spleen and Stomach channels

• Metal: associated with the Lung and Large Intestine channels

• Water: associated with the Kidney and Bladder channels

Each element has emotional qualities as well as physical and energetic associations. Energetic kinesiology uses muscle monitoring to explore which element, channel or emotional theme may currently be asking for attention.

This is not about labelling an emotion as “bad” or attempting to remove it. Emotions are a natural part of being human. The purpose is to notice when an emotional pattern feels stuck, excessive or difficult for the body to process.

What happens during a session?

By working with muscle testing and identifying an issue in your life you feel has become problematic for you- this might be anything from relationship problems, physical illness, stress and burnout, musculoskeletal pain that keeps returning, or simply just feeling out of alignment with yourself and life goals.​

I then use muscle testing to identify the blockages and where they are located in the physical or energetic body. Once the emotion, blockage, or how the nervous system is responding through fight, flight or fear is identified, muscle monitoring is used to help select an appropriate balancing technique.

This may include:

• Acupuncture or acupressure

• Meridian holding or tracing

• Therapeutic touch or bodywork

• Breath and body-awareness practices

• Gentle movement

• Emotional reflection

• Other energetic balancing techniques

Afterwards, the muscle response is checked again. This gives us a way of observing whether the body’s response has changed during the session.

What does “balanced” mean?

Balance does not mean that an emotion has disappeared or that a life problem has been solved in one treatment.

It may mean that the emotional theme no longer produces the same muscle response, bodily tension or sense of activation during the session. You may notice greater ease, awareness or choice in how you relate to the pattern.

The aim is not to tell you what you feel or impose meaning on your experience. Muscle monitoring offers a starting point for exploration; you decide whether the emotional theme or story feels relevant to you.

Is this a diagnostic test?

Energetic kinesiology is not used to diagnose medical or psychological conditions. Muscle monitoring cannot prove that a particular event caused a symptom, uncover an objectively verified memory or replace medical investigation.

It is a complementary, body-based framework for exploring relationships between emotions, physical sensations, nervous-system responses and the Chinese medicine meridian system.

Persistent, severe or unexplained symptoms should still be appropriately assessed by a medical or allied health practitioner.

Who may be drawn to this approach?

Energetic kinesiology may appeal to people who:

• Notice the same emotional or relational patterns repeating

• Experience physical tension during periods of stress

• Feel disconnected from their body or emotions

• Are curious about the Five Elements and meridian system

• Want to explore the relationship between physical, emotional and energetic wellbeing

• Prefer an interactive treatment rather than receiving acupuncture passively

• Feel that their experience involves more than physical symptoms alone