The main principals of Touch for Health (TFH) Kinesiology
Muscle Response Feedback
VIDEO: Kinesiology muscle response feedback. From the Kinesiology Federation UK.
The Science Behind Muscle Response Feedback
Muscle response feedback (MRF), also referred to as manual muscle monitoring, is a key tool used in Touch for Health (TFH) Kinesiology and is supported by principles from neuroscience, biomechanics, and physiology. This technique provides a unique way to assess the body’s state of balance and stress by observing how muscles respond to different stimuli.
Here’s how it works and the science behind it:
Neuromuscular Connection
Muscle response feedback leverages the connection between the brain, nervous system, and muscles. When a muscle is monitored, the nervous system sends signals from the brain to the muscle fibers, instructing them to contract. A healthy neuromuscular system will produce a strong, consistent response. However, if there is a disruption—such as stress, an emotional block, nutritional deficiency, or energetic imbalance—the muscle’s response may become inconsistent.
This change in muscle inconsistency provides insights into the underlying state of the body, as it reflects imbalances that may not yet have manifested as physical symptoms.
Proprioception and Sensory Feedback
Muscle response feedback relies on the body’s proprioceptive system—its ability to sense movement, position, and force. This system works through specialized receptors in muscles, joints, and tendons, which constantly send information to the brain about the body’s state. MRF taps into this communication network, allowing practitioners to detect imbalances by observing how the body reacts to different inputs.
Neuroplasticity and Stress Release
MRF is able to identifying imbalances, Touch for Health Kinesiology helps to “rewire” the brain and nervous system—a process known as neuroplasticity. Techniques used in TFH, such as acupressure, meridian balancing, or emotional release, help reset the body’s response to stress, creating new neural pathways that promote balance and wellbeing over time.
Self-Responsibility Model and Education Model in Touch for Health Kinesiology
Touch for Health (TFH) Kinesiology integrates the principles of self-responsibility and a holistic education model into its approach to well-being. These two foundational concepts play a critical role in helping individuals improve their health, achieve balance, and regain control over their bodies and minds.
1. Self-Responsibility Model in Touch for Health Kinesiology
The Self-Responsibility Model is a key component of the TFH approach, which emphasizes the idea that individuals are responsible for their own health and well-being. This model encourages people to take an active role in maintaining and improving their physical, emotional, and mental states.
Key Concepts:
- Empowerment: TFH helps individuals understand the mind-body connection, recognizing that their thoughts, emotions, and lifestyle choices impact their health. It empowers them to make informed decisions about their well-being and take responsibility for their choices.
- Self-awareness: The model encourages individuals to become aware of their body’s signals and imbalances, which can often be detected through muscle response feedback, posture, and energy flows. Self-awareness is the first step in understanding how external and internal factors affect health.
- Holistic health: TFH promotes the idea that health is not just the absence of disease but involves emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual balance. The Self-Responsibility Model integrates these areas, encouraging individuals to consider the whole person when addressing health issues.
- Personal Growth: By learning how to use TFH techniques, individuals gain the tools to maintain balance on their own, enhancing their confidence and self-efficacy. This personal growth encourages ongoing improvement in their health.
2. Education Model in Touch for Health Kinesiology
The Education Model in TFH is grounded in the belief that education is an integral part of healing and self-care. This model teaches individuals about their body’s energy system and the techniques they can use to influence and find balance.
Key Concepts:
- Knowledge Transfer: TFH is designed to be taught to individuals, families, and communities, with the goal of spreading the knowledge of energy systems and how they affect overall well-being. Education is a major component, as it allows people to apply these techniques to improve their health and maintain balance over time.
- Hands-on Learning: TFH training involves practical, hands-on learning through muscle response feedback, acupressure, and energy balancing techniques. Students are educated on how to use these tools to assess and restore energy flow, and how to maintain health independently.
- Prevention and Maintenance: Instead of focusing solely on the treatment of symptoms, the education model encourages individuals to learn how to prevent imbalances and maintain their energy system’s harmony. By educating people about the body’s innate ability to heal and regulate itself, TFH helps foster long-term health benefits.
- Mind-Body Connection: TFH emphasizes that emotional and psychological stressors manifest physically and that educating individuals about this connection helps them understand how emotions can affect their energy, strength, and overall well-being. This allows individuals to take responsibility for not only their physical health but also their emotional and mental well-being.
The Triangle of Health
The Triangle of Health is a core concept in Touch for Health (TFH) Kinesiology, offering a holistic framework to understand and address health and wellbeing.
It illustrates the interconnectedness of three key dimensions of our being:
- Mental/Emotional
- Structural
- Biochemical
These three aspects form the sides of a triangle, with balance being the ultimate goal.
The Chinese Five Elements in Touch for Health Kinesiology
The philosophy of the Chinese Five Elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—is a foundational part of Touch for Health Kinesiology, providing a framework to understand the connections between our body, emotions, and energy.
Each element represents specific aspects of our health and wellbeing, and they are interconnected through cycles of balance and change. Here’s a simple breakdown:
The Five Elements and Their Connections:
1. Wood
- Associated with growth, creativity, and flexibility.
- Linked to the liver and gallbladder meridians.
- Imbalances may manifest as frustration, anger, or rigidity (physically or emotionally).
2. Fire
- Represents passion, joy, and energy.
- Connected to the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and triple warmer meridians.
- Imbalances may lead to restlessness, anxiety, or a lack of vitality.
3. Earth
- Symbolizes grounding, nourishment, and stability.
- Related to the stomach and spleen meridians.
- Imbalances might appear as worry, overthinking, or digestive issues.
4. Metal
- Represents clarity, organization, and letting go.
- Linked to the lung and large intestine meridians.
- Imbalances can show up as grief, rigidity, or respiratory issues.
5. Water
- Associated with flow, adaptability, and wisdom.
- Connected to the kidney and bladder meridians.
- Imbalances may manifest as fear, fatigue, or a lack of drive.
Cycles of Balance and Support
The Five Elements are interconnected in two main ways:
- The Generating Cycle: Each element supports and nourishes the next. For example, Water nourishes Wood, helping it grow, and Wood feeds Fire.
- The Controlling Cycle: Each element keeps another in check to maintain balance. For instance, Water controls Fire to prevent it from becoming overwhelming.
Using the Five Elements in Touch for Health
In Touch for Health Kinesiology, the Five Elements guide practitioners in understanding energy flow and identifying imbalances. Through muscle response feedback and energy balancing techniques, practitioners can:
- Assess which element or meridian may be out of balance.
- Use specific techniques, like acupressure or meridian tracing, to restore harmony.
- Support the emotional, physical, and energetic aspects of wellbeing.
By working with the Five Elements, Touch for Health offers a holistic approach to wellness, helping individuals reconnect with their body’s natural rhythms and achieve balance in all areas of life.
