Kinesiology – a journey of discovery

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PHOTO Credit: Mike Gemmel

When it comes to health and healing more people are exploring alternative healing treatments, many of which have been used in cultures across the world for centuries.  Kinesiology is a therapy growing in popularity for its ability to tap into the body’s own healing system in order to restore balance. Wanda Daly went along to chat to kinesiologist Stacey Destombes to find out more.

A quick google search before going out to meet Stacey at her practice in Hillcrest revealed that kinesiology originated way back in the 1960s in the chiropractic field. Over the decades it has embraced various eastern and western modalities including traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, anatomy and physiology, amongst others. It adopts a highly holistic approach to a person’s problem. Simply put, the problem isn’t dealt with in isolation; instead, kinesiology helps in balancing and healing various body systems

It’s all about helping the body heal itself.

“It’s all about helping the body heal itself,” says Stacey who gave up a flourishing corporate career and all the stresses and pressures it entailed, to follow her heart and passion to qualify as a kinesiologist.

In essence, kinesiology revolves around muscle testing to gather information from the body that the kinesiologist then uses to restore balance and health holistically.

The Association of Specialised Kinesiologists of South Africa (ASKSA) explains further:

Everything we need for survival, with the exception of food, air and water, is found within the body itself. The human body is self-regulating and self-healing. This means that in order to survive, our body must maintain balance by constantly monitoring the internal and external environment via the nervous system, and making appropriate adjustments. Signals are sent between the muscle and brain via the neural pathways, and the cerebellum in the brain responds by initiating the appropriate physical adaptations. Muscle testing taps into this adaptive system, giving the practitioner information to facilitate changes within your own healing process.

 We literally use the client as a human lie detector!

“We literally use the client as a human lie detector!” says Stacey, explaining that through the body’s responses to various muscle testing, she is able to determine what imbalances exist and then address them. Muscle testing is not about testing the strength of the muscle, but more about its response to gentle pressure.  “It’s like talking to the body and having it respond to what we are asking,” she said.

According to Stacey, everyday activities such as driving, getting stuck in traffic, confrontations, work deadlines, relationship demands or any kind of pressures, trigger our fight/flight response.  The more stress we have to deal with in our lives, the more difficult it is for the body to deal with constant states of fight/flight. Over time, all these stresses can lead to mental, emotional and physical imbalances. These in turn can result in disease, pain and even learning disorders. A kinesiologist is able to use tools and techniques to switch the brain from a survival stress state to a proper functioning state and bring balance and a sense of calm back to the body.

Kinesiology is just another way for us to understand ourselves and deal with our “stuff”.

“Kinesiology is just another way for us to understand ourselves and deal with our “stuff”,  explains Stacey, adding that by being able to identify imbalances and discover how they originated, clients are able to clear emotional baggage that may be hampering their ability to move forward and live the lives they are meant to live.

She stresses that kinesilogists are not medical doctors and do not diagnose disease or prescribe medication.

My session with Stacey started off with her taking down my history of both emotional and physical events, dietary and supplementation questions and, had my reason for the visit not been for interview purposes, we would have discussed any health or emotional issues that may have prompted a visit.

This was followed by the fun stuff!  During the muscle testing part of the session Stacey is guided by muscle response to ascertain the cause of symptoms.    It was here that Stacey identified that I had lower back issues, something I’ve lived with for so long that I’m only aware of it when I get up after lying down or sitting for a length of time.  My muscle response when tested for this area was weak, but after Stacey applied firm pressure on two points on either side of my spine in my lower back, there was immediate relief and since my session, I’ve not experienced any discomfort or pain. In fact, I can now lie comfortably on my back without experiencing any discomfort.

Because a person’s mental, emotional and physical bodies are interconnected by energy pathways, better known as meridians, a muscle that tests as weak could indicate an imbalance in one of these meridian lines. By using pressure on these points the practitioner is able to clear the system and recheck for a stronger response from the muscle.

When it comes to helping clients change stressors in their lives Stacey explains that emotional stressors or traumas and patterns are held in the body. A kinesiologist helps clients identify the most prevalent stressors in their lives and helps them to find solutions and effect changes. This may in some cases require the kinesiologist to determine the age when the stressor or trauma first occurred – this is done by muscle testing – and then explore how the negative pattern was established.  By identifying these patterns and accompanying catalysts, clients are then able to make positive and lasting changes, leading to healing and a healthier life.

Kinesiology is effective in clients of all ages. Stacey’s clients range from children to clients in their 70s.  It is a gentle, effective healing therapy that is highly recommended for anyone who is prepared to take on a fascinating journey of discovery to build a life you don’t need a holiday from, as Stacey is fond of saying, and something she strives to achieve in every session.

Contact Stacey Destombes  on 071 862 9887

 

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