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Ideomotor and Intuition
The phenomenon of ideomotor effect has been well-proven and is widely known and accepted. It's existence cannot be disputed, and in the eyes of many it serves as a major criticism of the use of such methods as dowsing and muscle testing as follows: since muscle responses will be based on what we already know, we unconsciously affect the results accordingly - and so, how can that be accurate or reliable?
However, this particular argument fails when that subconscious "knowing" is exactly what we are looking for!!! The significance of having a means of tapping into our subconscious beliefs is that they govern our emotions, and consequently, our mental and physical reactions. In looking for information about what may have a beneficial or non-beneficial effect on our bodies, we are much less concerned with what we've been told is true, and rather, are particularly interested in what our subconscious believes is true. If we "know" or "believe" on a subconscious level that something is bad for us, then in fact, our bodies will react accordingly, and it will be. That kind of information is particularly meaningful, and that's what these procedures can provide us.
I agree that in almost all "scientific questioning" it would be highly detrimental to the entire process for any of the participants to be influencing results based upon their "beliefs", however in this type of situation (use of an ideomotor response for retrieval of subconscious information) the goal of the questioning is much different.
Finally, there have been some experiment/studies conducted, to try to determine the accuracy of ideomotor responses, which critics gleefully use as fuel for their arguments. The problem is that at this point we cannot set up an appropriate scientific experiment that would take all applicable factors into effect: If we as yet do not have any other way of "measuring" or "determining" what lies in the subconscious, how can we accurately verify the validity of the answers obtained through these (ideomotor response) methods?
The topic of ideomotor effect is certainly one that is subject to controversy. In the end, you have to decide what is right for you, and trust your own "knowing!" That's what it's all about...
Think about the significance of actual, physical, measurable reactions that are subject only to our subconscious mind...
With any information presented to you, keep an open mind, take what is meaningful to you, and find your own way...
Intuition
From the Oxford English Dictionary intuition is: "the immediate apprehension of an object by the mind without the intervention of any reasoning process."
Wikipedia explains that: when using only intuition, the truth of the proposition is immediately known right then, the moment it is presented. This is without the intervention of other ideas or deductive reasoning. Intuition is apparent ability to acquire knowledge without a clear inference or reasoning process.
So, What is Muscle Testing in terms of the Ideomotor Effect and Intuition?
The subconscious produces a reaction (ideomotor effect) within the body that will manifest in the physical "reality," 3-dimensional space and time that we perceive, in order for our conscious mind to see and process it.
Muscle testing and other similar procedures are transitional "tools," meaning that as they are used consistently enough, it is possible to grow out of the need for it, and become able to tap directly into that "subconscious knowing" which is intuition.
Think of it this way: we need to have new things expressed to us in "language" or "perception" that we already know and understand, as a means of translation. This is the role that muscle testing, and ideomotor responses play. As with any new language, with continued practice and use it is possible to become proficient in that language, in that you can communicate and receive communication without the translator. In other words, at some point, you will begin to receive the answers intuitively, without the need for the physical response.
Ideomotor Effect and Hypnotherapy
As an aside, the world of hypnotherapy taps into this significance and uses ideomotor effect extensively, as a means of communication between the therapist and the subconscious of the patient.
Dr. William Tillers has been a professor and department chairman at Stanford University and has had 5 patents issued in conventional science areas. He has also spent the majority of his life finding a way to use his conventional science background to study human consciousness and subtle energy structures. He explains intuitive knowing in this way:
We are aware of the fact that we perceive with our eyes only a very small band of the entire electromagnetic spectrum. We also sense only a very small band of the auditory spectrum. It cannot be a stretch to realize that we perceive only a very small band of our entire "reality."
Some people are cognitively aware of these subtle layers not observable by conventional functionality. This "knowing" is a part of the human genome, and we can each unfold this potential within ourselves, by working at it.
Consistency? and Ideomotor Results
It is true that the results of one person doing muscle testing and/or intuitive work with a client will differ from the results another tester would get regarding the same issue with the same client. This is a function of the interaction of the energies of the two people involved, as well as the concept of the "translation" that occurs. The tester will simply be unable to access, address, or tune into issues that are beyond his/her experience and perception.
Having said that, the truth is that in the context of the interaction between these different "pairs" of people, each set of results will be meaningfully beneficial for that client. It's a hard notion to grasp, in this world where we are raised to believe that there is only one right answer, one right way to do anything... There is more that happens when two people connect than we are fully aware. There can be no "one right answer" because the factors change based on the individuals involved. In this way, each "tester" has something significant to add or offer to the client.
The most important aspect of any practitioner-client relationship can probably never be scientifically measured, which is sincere intentionality to "be present" and to help: genuine understanding and unconditional acceptance is of course the right answer for everyone.
On some level we (as clients) know this, and it explains why we seek out or encounter different "healers" at different points in our life... and why we just sometimes find ourselves moving on, even from very beneficial healing relationships.
"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself."
Alan AldaConsider the following story: When Darwin's ship entered the Patagonia harbour, the natives inhabiting the land could not see his ship. It was simply completely beyond their experiences and beliefs, and was something that they could not interpret. The shaman, could see it, (perhaps due to his abilities to "see" other things beyond the physical experience?) and was able to explain to the people each individual "piece" of the ship in terms of something that was within their experience. Once all the pieces of the ship were "translated" in this way, the people were able to see the ship out on the water.
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."
Buddha
"Practically everything is still to be known about how the mind affects the body."
Bill Moyers
This "subconscious muscular movement" could arguably be the basis of any or all of the following: muscle testing, applied kinesiology, radiesthesia, radionics, dowsing, divining, energy testing, facilitated communication, automatism, etc
Please view the video at right regarding the phenomenon of human perception.
For interest, you can read several abstracts of articles written regarding this subject.
You will have to work at it, at each level. The road from muscle testing (or other ideomotor response) to intuition is an evolutionary process, step by step, and will be different for everyone. There are times, even after you "graduate" from muscle testing, that you will feel the need to use it. And as with muscle testing, you will doubt the answers that you get directly through intuition. With experience you will develop a sense of where the information is coming from and be able to distinguish which "messages" are from your thinking mind and which are intuition.
"The intelligence within you is the same intelligence that created this entire planet."
Louise L. Hay
"Insight is a product of the world within and is developed in the Silence, by concentration." Charles Haanel
"Intuition arrives at conclusions without the aid of experience or memory. Intuition often solves problems that are beyond the grasp of the reasoning power. Intuition often comes with a suddenness that is startling; it reveals the truth for which we are searching, so directly that it seems to come from a higher power.
Intuition can be cultivated and developed; in order to do this it must be recognized and appreciated; if the intuitive visitor is given a royal welcome when he comes, he will come again; the more cordial the welcome the more frequent his visits will become, but if he is ignored or neglected he will make his visits few and far apart."
Charles Haanel
What is the Ideomotor Effect?
Ideomotor is defined as: of or relating to an unconscious or involuntary bodily movement made in response to a thought or an idea rather than to a sensory stimulus.
The term was coined by psychologist/physiologist William B. Carpenter in 1852 to label the "influence of suggestion in modifying and directing muscular movement, independently of volition." Basically, whether we are aware of the fact on a conscious level, our subconscious beliefs/ideas/expectations can and do influence the movement of our muscles.
Copyright © 2009 Cora Rennie, Petawawa, ON
DISCLAIMER: Information on this site is not intended to and does not constitute medical advice, recommendation or counselling under any circumstance.
