Muscle testing — or applied kinesiology — is the foundation of how Emotion Code works, and it’s the part of the process that people are most curious or sceptical about before they try it. Understanding what muscle testing is and how it works removes most of the mystery, and helps explain why Emotion Code can access information that conscious recall can’t.
What Muscle Testing Is
Muscle testing is based on the observation that the body’s muscles respond differently to different stimuli — including statements, thoughts, and energetic inputs. When a statement is “true” for the body, or when something resonates with the body’s own knowledge, muscles tend to hold strong. When something is “false,” or when something stressful or incongruent is introduced, muscles momentarily weaken.
This isn’t a test of physical strength. It’s testing the body’s neuromuscular response — the micro-changes in muscle tone that occur in response to information. The body’s nervous system is continuously processing enormous amounts of information below the level of conscious awareness, and muscle testing accesses some of that processing.
How It Works in an Emotion Code Session
In an Emotion Code session, muscle testing is used to navigate a structured chart of emotions. I’ll make a statement — “there is a trapped emotion to release” or “this emotion is grief” — and the muscle response indicates whether that statement is accurate according to the body’s own information.
This allows us to identify trapped emotions without requiring conscious recall of the original event. The body knows what’s held in its tissues even when the conscious mind doesn’t — or can’t access it. For emotions that were trapped in childhood, before the formation of explicit memory, or during experiences that were too overwhelming to process consciously, this is particularly significant.
Surrogate Testing
Emotion Code can also be conducted using surrogate muscle testing — where I test through my own arm, or via a proxy — which allows sessions to be conducted remotely. The principle is that the energetic connection between practitioner and client allows the body’s information to be accessed even at a distance. Remote Emotion Code sessions work as effectively as in-person ones for most clients. You can read more on the Emotion Code page.
Is Muscle Testing Reliable?
This is a fair question. Like any method, the accuracy of muscle testing depends significantly on the skill and experience of the practitioner. An experienced practitioner learns to distinguish genuine physiological responses from subtle influences like unconscious expectation or suggestion. I’ve been using muscle testing for many years, and I’ve developed confidence in its reliability for the purposes I use it for.
What I’d say to sceptics is: try it and notice what happens. The results — particularly the physical and emotional shifts that often follow the release of specific emotions — are usually more persuasive than any theoretical argument about mechanism.
What This Looks Like in Practice
I’m based in Wilby, near Wellingborough. Emotion Code sessions are offered both in-person and remotely. The session is guided, calm, and often clients are surprised by how specific the information that emerges is — how accurately an identified emotion maps onto something they recognise from their own experience, even when I had no prior knowledge of it. More about how I work with the emotional body is on the trauma and emotional release page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to believe in muscle testing for it to work? No. The physiological response is happening below the level of belief or conscious intention. Many clients who are sceptical going in have their most significant responses.
How accurate is it? In my experience, very — particularly for identifying categories of emotion and their approximate timing. The specificity becomes more meaningful when clients recognise the emotion in their own history.
Can anyone learn muscle testing? The basics can be learned, but like any skill, reliable application requires practice and supervised learning. It’s not something to self-teach and immediately apply to clinical work.
Explore the full range of therapies I offer, or get in touch if you’d like to discuss whether Emotion Code is right for you.