If you’ve ever been curious about the healing practice of kinesiology, one good place to start learning about it is this interview with seasoned practitioner Siobhán Guthrie, which was featured in our Autumn 2019 issue. She had plenty of wisdom to share!
Practical Health Transformation
The systematic art of kinesiology
by Aisling Cronin
Kinesiology is a healing modality that makes use of muscle testing to bring about swift, effective relief for a patient’s mental, emotional and physical health issues. The word kinesiology comes from the Greek word kineses, meaning ‘movement.’ Systematic Kinesiology – as utilised by Dublin-based practitioner and teacher, Siobhán Guthrie – is a powerful system for treating the body holistically, taking into account each person’s unique circumstances.
Siobhán tells me that Dr. George Goodheart was the first to formulate a recognised therapy around this practice during the late 1960s. He named this system ‘Applied Kinesiology.’ Kinesiology was first introduced to Europe through the pioneering work of Brian Butler, who set up The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology in the UK in 1982, before going on to teach a course in Ireland in 1995. Siobhán was a student of that first Irish kinesiology course (run by Siobhán Barnes), and she then went on to set up The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology (TASK) in Ireland in 2000. There are now twelve Kinesiology Zone centres around Ireland.
By making use of muscle testing methodologies (muscular responses form the body’s own innate biofeedback tool), the practitioner can identify what is stressing the body. The skilled practitioner then can interpret their patient’s muscle responses and assess which corrections are needed to bring the person back into balance.
’I found that there was something about kinesiology that just drew me to it,’ Siobhán explains, ‘and this is a commonly reported phenomenon among students I’ve worked with over the years. We use several procedures of muscle testing to identify imbalances. These imbalances may be nutritional, structural, emotional, or be rooted in our energy pathways. Therefore, the assessment may focus on more than one realm and more than likely treatment will be a combination of all.’
Because Systematic Kinesiology looks at health from a whole-person perspective, patients often find themselves entering treatment for one specific health issue (such as a physical problem), but discovering that the key element of their healing process lies in altering another area of their lives, such as their emotional or nutritional habits.
Having spent over two decades working in the holistic health field and discovering the power of the body’s ability to heal itself, Siobhán is now passionate about sharing her knowledge. Through her Kinesiology Zones, she has dedicated herself to teaching Systematic Kinesiology, empowering her students and clients through simple, common-sense, practical holistic health principles. ‘One thing I love about kinesiology is that it’s very simple and logical, but – as any practitioner will soon find out – there is a certain art to it as well,’ she shares. ‘It uses both your left brain and right brain qualities!’
Her vision is to create a global community of healing through the tool and approach of Systematic Kinesiology, bringing the power and simplicity of Systematic Kinesiology to the English speaking world, and connecting people who are committed to improving their health and wellbeing.
