Kinesiology is a surprisingly divisive holistic therapy. In the pub, a friend argued it was the perfect mixture of “eastern” and “western” medicine. Another friend thought it was “a load of hippy dippy sh**e”. I was curious (and quietly hoping for a lovely, relaxing massage).
The appointment with Paddy, my kinesiologist, began with my medical history. I told him about my right shoulder – it’s often sore after sitting in front of a computer all day.
I lie down and Paddy places his hands on my feet for about five minutes. I’m fully dressed other than my shoes. The room is very quiet and I don’t know where to look. I focus on the ceiling light. Next, Paddy positions my arms at various angles, and tells me to gently push back against each position. In some positions my right arm trembles. This apparently identifies areas where my energy flow is out of balance.
I can feel his heartbeat through his fingertips on my forehead. I feel comfortable, relaxed
He then asks if he can hold my bottom lip. I’m not delirious about the idea, but concede. It’s more like a finger placed on my chin. This lasts quite a long time. I don’t move my face; I’m not sure I blink. We try the arm exercise again. The right still trembles.
Next, Paddy sits by my head. He puts his fingers on my hairline. I’m starting to feel a bit giggly, but after a few minutes become very calm. I can feel his heartbeat through his fingertips on my forehead. I feel comfortable, relaxed and (I think) my right shoulder feels warm. We do the exercise again, and this time there’s no trembling.
After the session, Paddy explains he had used “emotional stress release” to rebalance my energy flows. Bear with me, but on your forehead, just above the eyes, are two points that can have a calming effect when pressure is applied. People will often rub this area when they are stressed without even noticing. This is emotional stress release and effectively what Paddy did.
It’s difficult to separate out how much of this is “real medicine” in the western sense, or whether that even matters, but my shoulder felt better for a few days. I left with an open mind, and a story to tell in the pub.
- Do you have suggestions for what Dominique should try next? Email your ideas to dmcmullan@irishtimes.com
