What is “muscle testing”, and how does it work?
The subconscious directs motor functions in the body, that is, controls muscle movements. It provides a built-in communication link, commonly known as muscle testing. Muscle testing is an easy and effective way to communicate directly with the subconscious mind for purposes of discovering self-sabotaging beliefs.
The subconscious mind controls the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for our automatic physical and neurological functions. The strength of the electrical signal from the brain determines the strength of the response in the muscles of the body. When the mind is holding a stressful thought, an electrical conflict is created in the brain and the signal strength to the body is reduced, resulting in a weakened muscle response.
The same thing happens when a person makes a statement with which the subconscious mind disagrees. The conflict between the conscious and subconscious mind results in a weakened response in the muscles of the body. This principle is similar to the way a polygraph (i.e., lie detector) machine works by detecting physical changes resulting from mental processes. Consequently, muscle testing can be used to determine what thoughts are stressful to the body, as well as what ideas (beliefs) are supported or not supported at a subconscious level.
It is the reduction in the (electrical) signal strength to the muscles of the arm during the stressful thought process that reduces the strength of the muscles in the arm.