Muscle Testing in Spirituality: Insights from Dr. David R. Hawkins’ Power vs. Force

At Renew Life Clinic, we use Applied Kinesiology (muscle testing) as a practical tool to uncover root causes of physical, chemical, and energetic imbalances. Beyond clinical applications for Lyme, autoimmune concerns, and chronic wellness, muscle testing has a profound spiritual dimension—one explored most thoroughly by psychiatrist and physician Dr. David R. Hawkins in his groundbreaking book Power vs. Force.

Hawkins took the established technique of applied kinesiology and extended it into a method for calibrating truth, consciousness, and the very nature of power itself.

What Is Muscle Testing?

In its basic form, muscle testing (or kinesiology testing) involves a simple procedure: one person holds an arm extended while another applies gentle downward pressure at the wrist. The subject resists. When the body encounters something supportive of life, true, or beneficial, the muscle stays strong. When it encounters something false, toxic, or life-diminishing, the muscle momentarily weakens.

Hawkins, building on earlier work by George Goodheart and John Diamond, discovered that this response is not limited to physical substances or personal beliefs. It can respond to statements, ideas, historical events, or levels of consciousness—independent of the tester’s conscious knowledge or opinion. In his research, subjects tested strong to true statements and weak to false ones, even under double-blind conditions.

He described the body as linked to a universal field of consciousness. At a level deeper than the thinking mind, it “knows.”

Power vs. Force: The Critical Threshold

Hawkins’ central contribution was mapping human consciousness on a logarithmic scale from 1 to 1,000. The pivotal point is 200.

- Below 200 lie the force-based levels: shame, guilt, apathy, grief, fear, desire, anger, and pride. These energies are life-diminishing, polarizing, and require constant effort or coercion to maintain.

- At and above 200 begin the power-based levels: courage, neutrality, willingness, acceptance, reason, love, joy, peace, and enlightenment. These are constructive, unifying, and self-sustaining.

Force pushes; power attracts. Force creates counter-force and depletes. Power uplifts, energizes, and unifies.

Hawkins used muscle testing to calibrate statements, books, teachings, political systems, and even individual lives against this scale. Anything that calibrated below 200 produced a weak response; anything above 200 produced a strong one. This allowed him to distinguish objectively between that which supports life and that which does not.

How Dr. Hawkins Tested Statements

The process is straightforward yet rigorous:

1. The subject holds a clear declarative statement in mind (e.g., “This statement is true” or “This calibrates over 200”).

2. The tester applies pressure while the subject resists.

3. A strong response indicates truth or alignment with levels above 200; a weak response indicates falsehood or lower calibration.

Hawkins emphasized that the question must be phrased as a statement for accuracy, and that the tester’s own level of consciousness ideally sits above 200 for reliable results. He performed millions of such calibrations over decades, producing consistent, reproducible findings across cultures and conditions.

This technique, he argued, offers a way to access truth beyond personal opinion, cultural conditioning, or intellectual debate—directly through the body’s response to the field of consciousness itself.

Spiritual Implications

For spiritual seekers, muscle testing becomes more than a diagnostic tool. It is a form of biofeedback for consciousness. By repeatedly aligning with what tests “strong,” individuals can gradually raise their own calibration. Hawkins reported that simply reading Power vs. Force could raise a person’s level of consciousness by approximately 35 points—significant, given that the average person advances only about five points in a lifetime.

In a clinical or personal context, this means muscle testing can help identify not only physical stressors or nutritional needs, but also emotional patterns, limiting beliefs, or energetic influences that keep someone below the threshold of courage and integrity. Clearing or resolving what tests weak supports the shift from force-based living (struggle, reactivity, depletion) into power-based living (clarity, resilience, and authentic strength).

Muscle Testing at Renew Life Clinic

At Renew Life Clinic we primarily use Applied Kinesiology and remote/surrogate muscle testing to identify physiological, emotional, and energetic imbalances that underlie chronic health challenges. The same principle Hawkins explored—the body’s capacity to signal truth and life-supportiveness—informs our work.

Whether assessing a physical toxin, a structural misalignment, or an emotional pattern held in the energy field, the muscle response provides immediate, non-verbal feedback. Combined with functional medicine and individualized protocols, it helps us move beyond symptom management toward restoring systemic balance.

Muscle testing does not replace clinical judgment, lab work, or conventional care. It is one complementary tool among many. Like any method, its accuracy depends on the skill, integrity, and clear intention of the practitioner.

An Invitation to Explore

Dr. David R. Hawkins’ work invites us to consider that truth is not merely intellectual—it has a measurable energetic signature that the body can detect. By learning to distinguish power from force in our thoughts, choices, and environments, we support both physical health and spiritual growth.

If you are curious about how muscle testing might illuminate the root causes of your own health or spiritual concerns, we welcome you to schedule a comprehensive assessment. Through Applied Kinesiology and integrative strategies, we work to help the body return to its natural state of strength and balance—where true power resides.

This post draws on concepts from Dr. David R. Hawkins’ Power vs. Force and related teachings on consciousness calibration. Individual results with any testing method vary, and this information is for educational purposes.