Mind-Body Connection DIY Biofeedback Test

This simple exercise allows anyone to experience their ability to read the responses of their own nervous system.  It’s so amazing how much our bodies can tell us when we take the time to listen!

When you receive a bioenergetic kinesiology session from McKinney Brain Integration, the treatment will use similar concepts. Each session with me will include listening for the body’s answers to a series of complex questions.  In this manner, we will determine a plan to bring the body/brain back to a state of balance.

Mind-Body Connection

It has been well proven that the mind and body are vastly and intricately connected.  They are in constant communication with each other and respond to each other’s input. 

According to the American Psychological Association, when potential stress presents itself, our muscles tense up. This muscle tension is a reflex reaction to the potential threat—the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain. If there is an actual danger, our bodies and minds will be ready to spring into action.  However, if our brain very quickly determines that there is, in fact, no danger, this reaction may be very subtle and brief.  If we tune into our bodies we can experience this reaction.

When we ask the body a question, our mind and nervous system have a definite opinion and it causes a physical response in other functions of our body, such as muscle tension, our breath or heart rate. In bioenergetic kinesiology we use muscle testing as the

foundation of our practice and use the changes in muscle tension as our biofeedback mechanism

Using Breath as a Biofeedback Tool

Here is an easy exercise that you can try on yourself.  Instead of using your forearm as a practitioner in the clinic, you will use your breath as the biofeedback indicator.  As we mentioned above, the body readily responds to stimuli and provides valuable information if we know how to listen. 

The technique is useful not only because we are using a muscle (our diaphragm) to provide a feedback response, but also because our breath response is one of the most “honest” indicators of how the nervous system and subconscious feel about a given stimulus.  Specifically, we can learn whether it feels safe or threatened, able to relax or a need to protect itself.

 As stated by Melanie Weller, PT of Fearless Presence, “Our bodies say yes/no via breath.” It gives us a physical way to identify subconscious resistance to things our nervous system deems unsafe, or in this case untrue. 

Experiencing the Mind-Body Connection Through Breath

Purpose: 

To experience how your subconscious’s reaction affects your breath quality to true/false statements. Examples of a negative change in breath quality may be rib tightness, a decreased ability to expand your ribs on one side, or shallower breath.

Movement: 

Sit with both feet on the floor, with your spine erect.  Take a slow, deep breath

Instructions:

     1. Pay attention to your breath. How deep, easy, difficult, deep does it feel?

     2. Say: My name is {your name}; notice your breath

     3. Say: May name is President Abraham Lincoln; notice your breath

         How does this change the quality of your breath?

     4. Say: I am breathing good, life-giving air.

     5. Say: I am breathing in thick smoke.

The differences might be very subtle and that’s okay! Keep at it. It’s great practice in learning to read what your body is saying.

Repeat the process with any pair of knowingly true/untrue statements.

The simple exercise allows anyone to experience their ability to read the responses of their own nervous system. It’s so amazing how much our bodies can tell us when we take the time to listen!

When you receive a bioenergetic kinesiology session from McKinney Brain Integration the treatment will use similar concepts. Each session with me will include listening for the body’s answers to a series of complex questions. In this manner, we will determine a plan to bring the body/brain back to a state of balance.

Resources

• American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body March 8, 2023.

• Next Level Neuro. Course: Long COVID at-home Recovery Training. Nextlevelneuro.com. 2022

• Melanie Weller. Course: Manifesting Via Vagus Nerve. https://www.melanieweller.com/free-teachings. 2022.

How McKinney Brain Integration Can Help

I customizing all sessions to fit my clients’ needs based on an in-depth consultation.  My background in physical therapy, counseling, coaching, and nutrition enables me to add great intuition and depth to what I do.  I am continually adding to my knowledge base so that I can serve my clients with the highest quality and provide the best results.