Ideas on Muscle Testing, EFT and Developing Intuition

By Ryan Kurczak

Dear Gary:

After the "How to do Intentional EFT" article was published in the newsletter this past February, many inquired about my references to self muscle testing, how it was done, and its potential uses for healing within EFT.  Here I've tried to cover everyone's questions and provide simple and effective methods for self muscle testing, which can also be used surrogately.

First let me state that muscle testing, as described here, is based on my experiences.  Muscle testing is a valuable tool to tapping into the bodies innate intelligence to determine the strengthening and weakening effects of thoughts, statements, places, people, objects, foods, etc., on the bodies energy system.  Using muscle testing we can assess if something energetically strengthens us or weakens us.  If it weakens us and we can discover the issues for the weakness we can correct them with EFT, or even simple intention.

Remember, that in EFT we are removing the "zzzzzt" in the energy system that causes emotional and physical discomfort.  The "zzzzzt" is a disturbance in the energy system.  When there are no disturbances, the mind functions clearly, the emotions are calm and the body functions properly.  With muscle testing it is possible to help locate potential disturbances in the energy system, when the causes are not obviously evident.

Muscle testing is a method of tapping into the innate intuition we all possess.  In EFT, muscle testing can at first be used to help determine if some one is "reversed" on a particular issue, if certain substances are energy toxic to them, and even to determine if you as the practitioner are addressing the right set of issues to resolve a particular problem. 

In time, muscle testing becomes unnecessary.  Muscle testing is like the training wheels we have for our intuition.  Eventually you can rely entirely on your intuition with the same accuracy as physical muscle testing.  Then the practitioner no longer has to go through the cumbersome process of muscle testing, because the intuitions come naturally.  So muscle testing is not an end to itself.  It is a stepping stone to unlocking our own potential to read the energy currents of an individual and let that guide the EFT session. 

I remember after I first watched "the Steps to Becoming the Ultimate Therapist" I was extremely interested in mastering muscle testing.  I tried for quite a while to actually get it to work.  Then, one day it just clicked.  I began using it in my EFT practice to help me shorten the basic recipe, to determine energy toxins that might be getting in the way of healing, or even to make sure the issue being addressed was central to the resolution of the problem. 

The first time I used self muscle testing effectively, the client asked if I was doing Super EFT.  I had devised a way (explained below) to use surrogate muscle testing inconspicuously to determine if a point needed tapped on or not on a given issue.  The client was used to me just going through the entire basic recipe for each issue.  This time we would only tap on 2-3 points on each issue with results equal to going through the entire basic recipe.  At each point I would simply muscle test to see if it needed tapping.  Muscle testing greatly increased the efficiency of my sessions. 

The best way to learn muscle testing is through practice and experience.  There are many ways to do self muscle testing and I've outlined two ways that worked for me below.  

The techniques techniques described here are self muscle testing.  This means that you are using your own body to test for the truth or falseness of a statement for either yourself or someone else.  These do work with practice, as I've used them extensively and have also taught them to other people with great success. 

Muscle Testing Technique #1

I have found that sliding my index finger pad across my thumb nail works great. It is inconspicuous and no one ever knows that I am doing it. When I make a statement and it is true my finger pad slides easily across my thumbnail. When it is false it stops abruptly in the middle.

For example, if I find myself in a situation where EFT is not working I use this to check for polarity reversals.  I silently ask, "My name is Ryan." and then muscle test.  If my finger slides easily over my thumbnail (indicating the statement was true) then I ask, "The person across from me is named (insert name)." If my finger stops dead in the middle of my thumbnail I have a fairly objective indication where the reversal lies. If the person across from me is named (insert name) and the test comes up false I then have them tap on the karate chop point repeating "Even though my polarity is reversed I deeply and completely accept myself."  I then recheck.  When all test strong for correct polarity I continue with the session and find that 95% of the time EFT starts working. 

I also use this one to determine if a point needs tapped.  When doing sessions I typically tap along with one hand and then use the other hand to muscle test.  As we go through the points together I muscle test at each point.  If the point tests strong I immediately skip it until I reach a point that tests weak.  So instead of doing the basic recipe I just tap the few points that test weak with my test.

Muscle Testing Technique #2

My mentor in tapping is a psychologist who uses Thought Field Therapy.  Occasionally he gives me some interesting techniques to help improve the work I do.  One day when discussing muscle testing he asked me to say something I knew to be totally false.  He had me think of a person who had not been very good for me in life and then verbalize audibly, "So and so was really good to me in our relationship together."  He immediately then told me to swallow.  I had a hard time swallowing.  It felt like there was a knot in my throat that wouldn't go down.  He then asked me to state the opposite and try to swallow after verbalizing the statement.  I swallowed easily. 

After I learned this I began using it to check for reversals that get in the way of healing by asking the client to swallow after making a statement.  Example:  I enjoy working with people dedicated to achieving their goals, whether it be spiritual realization, weight loss, playing music, business development, making more money or even public speaking. 

One of the first things I ask people is to state what they want to achieve.  Someone might tell me, "I want to be a great musical performer." I then ask them to provide at least five qualities needed to be a great performer.  Let's say those qualities are: stage presence, creativity, technical skill, dedication, and deserving to be successful.  I would have them turn each into a phrase such as this, "I know I have the stage presence needed to be a great performer."  After they verbalize the statement I ask them to swallow.  If it is true for them they will be able to swallow easily.  If it is not, they will have a hard time swallowing.  If they have a hard time swallowing I now know to assist them in exploring the reasons they don't believe it and tapping those reasons away with EFT.  If they can swallow I know to move on to other issues and not waste our time on that one. 

Tips on Using Muscle Testing Effectively

Muscle testing works well at getting information that may not be readily available to a person's present awareness.  I've found that the results can easily be fudged by not being completely neutral to the outcome of the test.  Muscle testing does work even when neutrality isn't completely possible although neutrality make the results more reliable.  This has been proven true in my experience with hands on muscle testing (pushing down on the clients arm to test) and also surrogate testing.  Many other therapists I know who use muscle testing have also found this to be true.  Let your own results determine your understanding of neutrality in muscle testing. 

Use muscle testing as long as you need to and are comfortable with it.  In time intuitions will begin popping into your mind and you will know the answer before even doing the test.  The more you trust and go with these intuitions the stronger and quicker your inner knowing will awaken to guide you to the root issues and feeling when a reversal is or isn't present. 

Surrogate muscle testing works just as well as hands on muscle testing.  Avoid thinking that one works better than the other.  Hands on muscle testing is great to demonstrate energetic strengths and weaknesses to the client, but surrogate muscle testing is much quicker and just as effective.  Simply have the intention to tune in to the person you are testing and use one of the techniques above or any other that works for you. I probably could have listed 10 more ways to surrogately test.  That information can be found else where in countless sources on kinesiolgy. 

Incorporate these techniques into your sessions or use them on yourself when you need to determine if information about an issue or situation is true or false.  As you do this tune into your body and note the feelings that arise on true responses and then on false responses.  True responses will feel different energetically than a false response.  When you are aware of these responses easily, give up muscle testing and then just note the feeling in your body when you make statements about an issue or even listen to a client speak about an issue.  This will greatly open up your inner knowing and accelerate an already lightening fast process!  Most of all have fun and keep on tapping!

Ryan Kurczak