← The method

Guide

Muscle Testing

You are made of energy, and your energy field can be strengthened or weakened. A thought or image that supports you will usually strengthen you; one that threatens or inhibits you will weaken you. It is this strength, or energy disruption, that we read from the muscle test.

When we muscle test, we are testing the subconscious mind to discover what it believes to be true. Our subconscious truth reads as strength — whether the belief serves us or not. You may test strong for “I am inadequate” even though the belief doesn’t serve you: it strengthens because it is what you know, on one level, to be true. So we are looking for our yes — the statement that strengthens, the truth that resonates with the subconscious mind — and our no — the statement that weakens, the untruth that does not resonate.

There are a few ways to muscle test. The book recommends teaching your body the sway test first: if you are able-bodied it works especially well with the method, since you will already be standing in the Qigong posture.

Before you begin

  • Be curious, and let go of thought, intention and any investment in the outcome.
  • Take your time with each test; do not rush it.
  • The test is clearer when you are well hydrated, and it can be easier to practise without shoes.
  • Set up quiet conditions. Go inward, holding the intention to communicate with your subtle energy body.
  • We teach our body how to muscle test — if it is not easy at first, it will become easy. Be patient.

The sway test

Stick figure shown side-on, standing relaxed with knees soft, a curved gold arrow across the chest pointing forwards and backwards — the directions the body may sway.
The sway test: stand tall, relax, and observe which way you're moved.

The sway test invites your body to work rather like a pendulum: once you have made a statement and come into observing the response, your body will fall forwards or backwards.

  1. Make a true statement to begin with, such as “my name is…” — your real name. Stand tall, relax your body, wait and observe. Just like magic, you will feel a push or pull, either backwards or forwards. The truth will usually push you forwards, but it does not matter which way you fall — you just need to know which way you fall when you are strengthened. This direction is your yes.
  2. Now make an untrue statement, such as “my name is…” — a name that is not yours. Again, stand tall, become relaxed, and observe the direction of push or pull. This is your no.
  3. Say “yes, yes, yes” and observe the sway. Wait, be curious and allow it to occur. It should match the direction of your true statement.
  4. Say “no, no, no” and observe. This should match the direction of your untrue statement.

Once you know your direction of sway for each response, you are ready to test for the presence or absence of a belief. Make a statement — say, “I am, and always have been, worthy of love” — and observe. Your yes means the subconscious mind believes it to be true; your no means it does not, and you have found a belief to come into alignment with.

The finger lock

Two hands: the non-dominant hand's finger and thumb pressed together in a ring, while the dominant hand's index finger sits inside the ring, a gold arrow showing it pushing sideways against the lock.
The finger lock: a yes holds the lock; a no lets the finger break through.

Here we create a lock in the fingers, with an energy circuit running through them. Your yes — your subconscious truth — strengthens the lock; your no causes a weakness in the pathway that lets it break.

  1. With your non-dominant hand (your left, if you are right-handed), place the finger and thumb together with reasonable pressure.
  2. Make your true statement (“my name is…”). With your dominant hand, place the index finger inside and try to push it sideways through the connected fingers. If the statement is subconsciously true — a yes — your fingers will stay locked. With a no, the disruption lets you break through.
  3. Make your untrue statement (“my name is…”, a false name) and test again — your no should let the finger break the lock.
  4. Say “yes, yes, yes” to confirm your yes.
  5. Say “no, no, no” to confirm your no.

Accuracy here depends on the pressure used — apply a reasonable amount with both hands, or doubt and interference can show up in the test. Over time, as confidence builds, you may find that you need less pressure. The sway test is often easier because you come into observing the result rather than engaging with it — but if the finger lock is what works best for you, use it.

Using a pendulum

You can use a pendulum instead of the body, which can be useful if you struggle with low energy or fatigue. The pendulum acts as an extension of your energy system, its vibration passing through the chain to the crystal or weight at the bottom. One distinction matters here: we are muscle testing for our subconscious truth — not the higher truth, at the soul level, which a pendulum can also access.

  1. Hold the pendulum chain so it hangs over your index finger, and repeat “show me my yes…”. The pendulum may swing forwards and backwards or side to side, or circle in either direction. Observe — then repeat “my name is…” with your true name. It should repeat your yes.
  2. Now repeat “show me my no…” and observe the swing or circle — this is your no. Repeat “my name is…” with a false name; it should match your no.
  3. Say “yes, yes, yes” to confirm your yes.
  4. Say “no, no, no” to confirm your no.

You are then ready to test for the presence or absence of a belief.

Keeping the test clear

Muscle testing runs through the whole of the healing system, and the key is to be curious and let go of thought and intention. We are working with the body’s subtle energy systems, which are affected by thought, intention and vibration from our environment — so take your time with each test.

Test statements, not questions. Please do not muscle test to ask about the present or the future — that can lead to all sorts of confusion. We intend to muscle test the subconscious mind. We make statements that resonate with us as truths or untruths, and that is what gives the direction and guidance to follow the process. Over time you may begin to intuit what your response will be — that is fine, but still observe and confirm with the muscle test. Our minds can get in the way; your body will tell you how it is if you simply allow it.

If your yes and no give the same response, or a result simply isn’t clear, do not worry — see if the result isn’t clear for what helps.

If the result isn’t clear

If your yes and no give the same response, or a result isn’t clear, do not worry — it does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Occasionally our bodies are stressed and our energy systems a little scrambled, which can interfere with a reliable result. Remember that we teach the body to test: with patience it becomes easy.

First return to the basics in Before you begin — being well hydrated, unhurried, quiet and curious, letting go of any investment in the outcome, clears most difficulty. If the test is still unsteady, these help:

  • Come into the Qigong Wu Chi standing posture before you test. It is a wonderful way to experience emptiness — putting you in touch with your body and helping you come out of your mind, which clarifies the test.
  • Bring yourself into alignment with “muscle testing is always easy and accurate for me”.
  • Make sure you are testing statements, not questions — asking about the present or the future can lead to confusion.
  • If in doubt, work with a practitioner for a while, until you are comfortable with the muscle test.