Quick answer
Muscle testing, or applied kinesiology, asks the body for a yes or no: you press a finger and thumb together and see whether they part, or hold out an arm and see whether it resists a push. When it has been tested under blinded conditions, where neither the tester nor the person being tested knows what is being asked or held, the results are no better than chance. The reason is the ideomotor effect, the tiny unconscious muscle movements that follow expectation, the same mechanism behind a pendulum and a ouija board. So the answer you get is the one you already leaned towards. That is not worthless; it is a way of finding out what you want. But it should never decide anything medical or financial. The honest alternative is a decision method you can check, set out below. The full guide is Signs Spirits Are Contacting You: What Each Experience Usually Is, When It Is Grief, the House or Health, and Consulting a Guide.
Ways to get a yes or no, and how they hold up
| Method | What it actually does | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle testing | Reports your expectation through unconscious movement | Chance level in blinded trials; never use for allergies, supplements or medication |
| Pendulum or dowsing | Same ideomotor effect, with a longer lever | A mirror of your leaning, not a source |
| Flip a coin and notice your reaction | Reveals a preference you had not admitted | Useful, as long as you act on the reaction, not the coin |
| Two-column page: what yes costs, what no costs | Forces the trade-offs into the open | The most reliable single tool |
| Ten minutes, ten months, ten years | Checks whether the urge survives a change of time scale | Good for decisions driven by mood |
| Ask one trusted person | Adds information you do not have | Choose someone with nothing to gain from your answer |
- Write the question as one sentence with a yes-or-no answer.
- List what a yes costs and what a no costs, in money, time and relationships.
- Flip a coin, notice which result you hoped for, and write that down.
- Sleep on it and reread the page in the morning.
- Decide, set a date to review, and tell one person what you chose.
What the old version got wrong: It taught muscle testing as a channel to guides and used it to settle a career question. In blinded tests the method scores at chance, and people have been harmed by using it to pick supplements or reject medicines. For a better way to hold an inner conversation, see the wise-friend test.
Read the full guide to spirit contact
Signs spirits are contacting you: what each experience usually is, when it is grief, the house or health, and how to consult a guide.
So are we talking spirit guides or just wise thoughts?
Interesting concept. It might not be for everyone, but worth exploring.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I’ve always been curious about muscle testing and how it works.
I’m a bit skeptical about muscle testing, but it’s worth considering as an alternative approach.
“Talking to guides” is a bit too abstract for me. I prefer more tangible methods for decision-making.
I can’t see myself trying this method, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking and affirmations.
What an interesting way to find answers to your questions. I’ll definitely give this a try.
Maybe this technique can be helpful if you really believe in it.
This method seems rather unconventional. Not sure if I’m sold on it, but I appreciate the insight.
‘Guides’ seem a bit mystical for my taste, but it’s always good to keep an open mind about these things.