Kinesiology is a unique natural therapy that employs muscle testing to determine areas of weakness and strength in the body. When problem areas are discovered, a variety of techniques may be used to restore the body to a state of healthful harmony and balance. Many kinesiologists became inspired to learn the practise after experiencing its benefits as clients. A modality that can be used on its own or in conjunction with many other natural therapies, if you're interested in a career in holistic health, kinesiology will probably be of interest to you.
What a Kinesiologist Does
The roots of kinesiology are said to go back to at least the time of Aristotle (384-382BCE), who was the first to study muscle movement in depth and is often called the "father of kinesiology." Kinesiology as it is practised today originated in the 1930s and was adopted by an American chiropractor, Dr. George Goodheart in the 1960s. Goodheart, along with Dr. John Thie and others then recognised its potential and developed a system called Applied Kinesiology, which includes the Chinese acupuncture points as an integral part of analysis and treatment.
Studying to Become a Kinesiologist
Basically, all kinesiologists use muscle testing as a means of determining weakness and strength and muscle testing techniques form the core of any kinesiology training. Depending on the kinesiology course provider chosen, the student may then go on to learn a specialised kinesiology technique. Some of the options available to students include:
- A Certificate IV can be earned in under a year and includes both home and classroom studies. Course material includes everything from basic anatomy and physiology to business administration. Upon completion, the student can register with a professional kinesiology association and begin working as a practitioner.
- Diploma level courses expand on certificate level studies and include energetic healing theory and technique, mind-body medicine and other natural healing techniques. The techniques taught may vary from school to school.
Most course providers recommend taking an entry level class first, to determine if you wish to learn kinesiology in depth. Some students prefer to use aspects of kinesiology as they have been applied to related modalities and an entry level course is all they feel they require. However, only students who successfully earn at least a Cerificate IV can become professionally recognised as kinesiologists and greater professional recognition comes with further study and practice.
Kinesiologists work in private practice, as part of a team of health professionals or go on to become practitioner/teachers. Many kinesiology practitioners apply their skills to other holistic health disciplines such as chiropractic
, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
and many types of energy healing
. Because kinesiology recognises the interconnections between the physical, chemical and energetic bodies, it can be used in innumerable applications and complementary health care providers are discovering more uses for it all the time.