by Amy B. Scher
As you’ll discover in the next chapter, itching is often the body’s message for someone or something “getting under your skin.” In order to try to find out what or who it was, I asked, “Is this itching linked to a specific age?” Again, it was a “yes.” Next, we started testing ages, breaking them down into 20-year periods (ages 0–20, ages 20–40, etc.), knowing his body had the recording of exactly when this energy imbalance began in his system. “Is this itching linked to an age between ages 0–20?” His body let us know the answer was “no.” “Is this itching linked to ages 20–40?” We got a “yes” and narrowed it down to the exact age by breaking it down to 10 years, 5 years, then individual years. His body told us through muscle testing that the itching was linked to age 32.
Tim and I talked about what had happened that year and came up with a few ideas. We had an idea of which one was linked to the itching, but suspended judgment. Tim had been working on this issue for quite some time, and I reminded him of the importance of being open to the option that made the least sense, just in case it actually was tied to this. And guess what? It was. Through muscle testing, his body confirmed that the itching was somehow linked to getting fired at age 32.
Here are the questions we asked his body to get to this conclusion. There is no specific formula for what to ask. We were just asking questions that we were wondering about and knew his body would have the answer to. “Is this eczema linked to a family member?” We got a “no.” We pressed on: “Is this eczema connected to a past romantic relationship?” Again, a “no.” Finally we asked, “Is this eczema linked to career?” We got our “yes.” Then we asked, “Is it linked to getting fired from the job?” We got another “yes.” This surprised Tim because he’d had a terrible relationship break-up at age 32, but apparently his body had discharged that old energy from his system. Realizing Tim was still allowing that experience to “get under his skin” (he felt he had been fired unfairly), we worked on clearing it using techniques you will be learning in Chapter Seven .
Tim saw great improvement in the itching in just the first few weeks and continued to improve from there. While there is typically not just one thing contributing to an ongoing problem, you can use this system of asking questions and narrowing down options to clear away all of the layers that might be linked to the challenge or ailment.
In this next session example, I helped a client identify a belief that was acting as a healing block. Ellen was having a very hard time with her self-esteem, which was causing a constant state of stress that was most likely exacerbating her physical symptoms and interfering with her healing process. When we talked about her challenges and the negative self-talk she struggled with, she said sadly, “I know what belief is causing all of this. It always comes down to me not feeling good enough.” Instantly we had something to work with.
Here are the questions we had Ellen ask her body: “Is my belief that I’m not good enough related to a specific person?” When we got a “yes” from her body, we continued. “Is it related to Mom?” We got a “no” answer. “Is it related to Dad?” We got a “yes” answer and made a note of it. “Is this belief related to a specific experience from my past?” Through these questions, we were able to gain enough information and insight that Ellen’s intuition kicked in and suddenly an idea popped into her head. We double-checked it with her body, asking, “Is the feeling that I’m not good enough linked to Dad yelling at me for not getting an A on Ms. Black’s spelling test?” Yep, there it was—the place where it all had started.
We were excited to have found such an important event that we could then clear for Ellen. We continued on over several sessions, clearing many similar unprocessed experiences being stored in her body, always playing on the “not good enough” belief—all by asking questions that led us to exactly what was contributing to her low self-esteem.
We then used the process you’ll learn in Chapter Eight for clearing harmful beliefs, such as Ellen’s “I’m not good enough.” That was the beginning of shifting this pattern for her.
In both of these examples, we were simply asking questions that we might already have been thinking or wondering about. We allowed our curiosity to lead us. We were just putting the questions into a clear, concise format in which we could ask the body.
Tips for Your Muscle-Testing Practice
Here are some questions you can ask to get some more practice identifying blockages. We are going to cover all of these types of blocks in depth soon, but for now, it’s a very curious process to play with. You’ll be able to clear the blocks later. So if you come up with any insightful answers, make sure to write them down.
• Is there energy from a specific age in my life that is suppressing my immune system?
• Is there a specific experience from my past causing a stress response in my body?
• Is there a specific organ or gland in my body that is storing unhealthy emotional energy?
Remember, if you pull forward using the Standing Test or your arm stays strong using the Arm Test, all your body is saying is “yes, this is true for me.” If that’s not working for you, there is no need to panic. We’ll be changing things in the next chapter.
Because I had such a difficult time muscle testing at first, I quickly learned all the tricks to make it as accurate as possible. Here are some ideas for you:
• Make statements or ask questions using only affirmative language. This means if you are trying to find out if you believe deep down that you can heal, you’d use the statement “I can heal” and see how your body responds, instead of using “I can’t heal.” It is confusing to the body to use negatives in this way while muscle testing. Another example is using the statement “My liver is functioning properly” instead of “My liver isn’t functioning properly.”
• Make sure you’re hydrated. Electricity requires water, and if you’re dehydrated, your electrical system won’t be working the way it should, making it difficult to get answers.
• Relax. Relax your body and your mind. Know that any answers you receive will only work toward helping you. There is nothing to be afraid of. I have never uncovered something scary during a session, and neither have my clients. You may have trouble testing if you are feeling doubtful, overthinking, or analyzing the process. I can’t emphasize enough just how important it is to let go during this process.
• Ask very clear, concise, and literal questions. The subconscious mind and the body will not interpret questions or statements for their meaning. Use only words that can have only one meaning. For example, it’s clearer to ask something like “Is there a specific experience from my past that is preventing me from healing?” rather than “Did something happen to me that’s stopping my healing?” The first question is very clear and clean, giving the subconscious mind and the body no reason to be confused in their response.
• Ask questions in different ways. Be creative. Nine times out of ten, altering or clarifying a question will yield a clearer answer. I believe, in part, that sometimes the body won’t respond if we’re not on the right track or our questions need to be tweaked slightly. Try to incorporate the following words into your questions: component, connected to, related to, triggered by/triggering, harmful, contributing to/contributing, and causing/cause. These are all words that are clear and have no dual meanings. Here are some examples: “Is this back pain connected to a current relationship?” “Is the primary cause of this back pain a belief ?” “Is there a person in my life triggering an experience from my past?” (Note: “Triggering” is my favorite phrase to use during muscle testing because it helps us to acknowledge that the present issue may not necessarily be the “real” issue, but rather that something from our past is getting activated by whatever is currently going on in our lives. This means we are getting a two-for-one clearing! We get to release the past and also improve the current issue at hand.)
• Make sure to take a deep breath and pause in between questions to allow your body and brain to recalibrate. Going too
fast will cause a sensory overload and your system will freeze up, yielding confusing answers.
• A quick fix, if muscle testing doesn’t seem to be working, is to press the fingers of one hand into your bellybutton (this can be over your clothes). Hold them there while you test. This often corrects an energetic flow issue in the body that can make muscle testing difficult.
• Ask the questions slowly and take a few seconds’ break in between questions so you don’t overload your body. And do not keep repeat-testing the same question. This will overload your circuits and cause your testing to be less accurate. Just learn to trust the answer you get.
• Cautions: Do not use this testing technique to try to predict the future, win the lottery, make major life decisions based on your answer alone, or test yourself for medical diagnoses. None of the answers will be accurate—I and many other very proficient muscle testers can tell you that from experience! Generally speaking, the more attached you are to the answer, the less accurate the testing might be. We are simply using this as a tool to see what our bodies resonate with so we can change anything no longer serving us. Also, move away from electronics (remove your cell phone from your pocket if it’s on your body, or move away from your computer). They can interfere with your body’s energetic flow.
Again, you’ll have lots of opportunities coming up to practice this new skill. I teach it to all new clients, and while most are uncomfortable and untrusting at first, they are eventually glad I made them work through it. You don’t need to employ muscle testing to use the healing approach in this book, but it will very likely open you up to brand-new things that would be much harder to access without it.
Tip: Throughout this book, I teach you how to clear certain types of imbalances with specific techniques. That’s the most effective way to learn. But the truth is that almost any technique can clear almost any challenge. The techniques are widely interchangeable and flexible. Once you’ve gone through this whole book and understand all the concepts and techniques, you will be able to use your muscle testing to determine which techniques are most beneficial for you in various circumstances. I will teach you how to do this in Chapter Eleven .
You now understand the basics of muscle testing. In part three, I will guide you through using muscle testing to help you find and clear emotional energies that are getting in your way. Learning to understand your body’s language is a very different but truly effective way to gain even more knowledge. We’re going to dig into that in the next chapter. You’ll then be able to use both muscle testing and reading your body’s language as a powerful combination to gain more insight for your healing.
[contents]
Chapter Six
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Learn the Language
of Your Body
The body is honest.
—saori minota
Your body is smart. Like, kind of genius actually. It is talking to you all the time, sending you clues and messages through its symptoms. In a 2012 Huffington Post article, Deepak Chopra wrote, “Modern medicine, for all its advances, knows less than 10 percent of what your body knows instinctively.” 9 I credit a huge part of my own healing success, and that of my clients, to finding what messages the body is trying to communicate through symptoms. These symptoms are actually metaphors for what’s going on internally, on an emotional and energetic level.
Even though I don’t have any long-term health issues anymore, I still interpret any temporary symptoms that arise for me. Is this headache that just popped up trying to get my attention? Does my tummy feel queasy because of something I’m not stopping to deal with? By becoming aware of this connection, I know I will never again get to a place of oh my goodness, how did this horrible condition completely sneak in and take over my life?
In this chapter, I’m going to give you a brand-new way to look at symptoms. You are going to see the body through a lens that offers clues, messages, and metaphors to further your healing. I’ll give you real-life examples so you can begin to practice thinking in this way by yourself. I will also provide you with my interpretations of the body’s symptoms and its messages. Each condition, symptom, and reaction is a metaphor for some bigger meaning—one that can be used as a clue while you work your way through this book.
Learning the language of the body is an insanely valuable technique, because if you are open to it, you’ll start seeing the metaphors in everything. And those can be translated into messages your body is trying to deliver, beliefs your body is holding, old unprocessed experiences you need to let go of, and more. These are all things that you will learn how to clear in part three.
Symptoms are your body’s emotional guidance system, which is hard to ignore, resist, or dismiss. I used to become annoyed at my body for always being symptomatic, but in hindsight, I see it was the only completely honest source of information in my life. It called me out—very often. As I became more apt and able to ignore it, it became stronger and louder. It never gave up and didn’t cower at my rebellion. It just kept delivering the messages.
After a while, you will become familiar with how your body speaks to you. We each have what I like to refer to as the loudest link (my more positive version of the term the weakest link ). This part (or parts) of your body may feel like your worst enemy, but, in fact, it is your best friend. It’ll be the part that acts up first to tell you something is not right. For me, the loudest link is my uterus. If I am not paying attention to something, my uterus will tell me. Another person may have a lower back that goes out when they need a message. Yet another may have a random eye twitch or rash. Another may experience migraines. You get the idea.
Connect with Your Body
While gently analyzing symptoms, always remember that your body is doing its very best. These messages (symptoms) are being sent with love and helpfulness. Directly connecting with your body in loving and reassuring ways is a worthwhile approach when you want your body to heal.
Here are a few methods of communicating with my body that have been successful for me.
A Thank-You Prayer
This prayer to my body is one I wrote to help myself connect with it on a healthy level, even through the frustration I often felt because of symptoms. I offer it to you here in the hope that it will bring you some peace, too.
Blessed is my body and soul that carries the weight
of a million lifetimes—and remains, anyway.
I thank you for surviving each day, up until now,
And for the ones that will come after this.
I release all resentment of you.
I release all criticism.
I choose to listen to you without judgment.
I choose to let you know I love you.
I choose to allow you to simply be.
Thank you and it is done!
Speak Lovingly to Your Body
Sometimes, during periods of horrific menstrual pain, I could do nothing but put my hands over my lower abdomen and talk to my uterus. I’d say aloud that I understood it was trying to tell me something and that I was doing my best to hear what that was. I would make pacts for hot baths and other treats if only “we” could pull it together enough so I could walk to the bathroom without being doubled over. In some very strange way, it helped me connect with my rebellious organ and find love and compassion for all of myself. Talking in a loving way to your body is a useful daily practice for healing.
Sit quietly with your hands over the part of you that needs the most love. Now talk to it, breathe through it, or just send love or compassion to it. It’s amazing what being connected to even the parts of ourselves that we’re not too happy with at the moment can do for our healing.
Use Sticky Notes
I’m a little obsessed with sticky notes. I have them everywhere with reminders and favorite quotes. I also use them for healing. Remember how words are just energy? Writing words or phrases like “I love you,” “healing,” “strong,” or “happy” and putting them in your pockets or on yo
ur body can have a healing effect.
Try it. You might just end up following in my footsteps as the “sticky note queen.”
Move and Direct Energy
Paying special attention to the specific body part in need of healing can be very beneficial. By focusing on the challenged area, organ, gland, or body part in a positive way, you can clear out stagnant energy. You can do this in any way that feels good to you, but here are a few suggestions:
• Tap, stretch, or rub directly on the challenged area. This will help create movement and a healthy flow of energy there.
• Imagine that area of the body bathed in light. Different colors have different frequencies, but the colors of violet, indigo (a color between blue and violet), and blue have some of the highest frequencies, which make them powerful for healing.
Now that you have some positive practices for connecting with your body, you’re in a better place to really communicate with it. We’re ready to look at what it might be saying.
Examples of Symptoms as Helpful Clues
When I was writing this book, my menstrual cycles continued as usual, without the excruciating pain I was once shackled by. However, they suddenly became extremely heavy and relentless. Even though my uterus used to send messages in the form of pain, my uterus is still my body’s main messenger. Same messenger, but new message. Just to be safe, I checked in with my naturopath, who confirmed that everything, including my hormone levels, was normal. She casually said she believes that sometimes there’s just a “spiritual barnacle” of something left that’s finally ready to be dealt with. So I took that and ran. My menstrual cycle made me feel like I was “bleeding out,” so I thought about that. In what ways in my life did I feel like I was bleeding out? Of course, it hit me! While writing this book, I didn’t cut back on my client load; I just added the hundreds of extra hours into my schedule without lightening my burden in any other way. It was so pre-healthy “old me.” I felt like I was an output machine with little time for recharge.