The Queen's Corgi

‘Hmm,’ said Tara.

‘Perhaps I can demonstrate?’ offered Justine.

‘Of course.’

‘Please stretch out your arm at shoulder height and resist my pressure to push it down.’

Tara looked surprised by the request, but did as she was asked. Justine didn’t seem to be exerting great pressure, but it was enough for Tara to have to tense her muscles.

‘Now, please just say My name is Tara, while maintaining the same level of pressure.’

Again, Tara did as she was asked, looking somewhat bemused.

‘This time,’ Justine continued her quietly confident demonstration, ‘say My name is Justine.’

No sooner had Tara uttered the words than her arm slumped downwards. She glanced at Justine in surprise.

‘When you say something that’s not in harmony with what you subconsciously believe, muscular resistance is much lower.’

‘Heavens!’ exclaimed Tara, suddenly engaged. ‘Can we try it again?’

Justine resumed her pressure while Tara said My name is Sophia, her arm collapsing down as quickly as the first time. ‘Kinesiology uses this principle, applying it according to five different elements throughout the body.’

‘You keep asking questions?’

Justine shook her head. ‘All you need to do is lie on the sofa and breathe.’

Moments later, after answering a few questions about her overall state of health, Tara was lying on her back, head resting on the arm of the sofa and focusing on her breath. Justine perched on the coffee table and was pressing on Tara’s wrist with one hand, while moving the other in curious, slow dancing movements, some distance above her body. I sat at Justine’s feet, watching the proceedings intently.

‘I’m not picking up any physical issues,’ she said.

‘Uh-huh.’

‘Would you like to see if there’s anything on an emotional level that may need attention?’

‘Fine.’

The process went on for a while before Justine asked Tara to focus her gaze to one side then the other, while all the time she pushed down gently on Tara’s wrist. Sometimes, I noticed, it would be less resistant than others, but I had no idea why that was the case. Perhaps it was something to do with the position of her other hand above Tara’s body? And was she holding something in it? After a while, Justine gently pulled back. ‘We can probably stop there,’ she said.

Tara resumed her previous sitting position. Apart from touching her wrist, Justine had had nothing else to work with. What information about Tara could she possibly have gleaned? Justine responded to Tara’s look of curiosity with a smile.

‘As I said earlier, no physical problems, except perhaps a little dehydration.’

Tara’s expression remained unchanged.

‘Emotionally speaking, I did identify a fairly strong sense of rejection.’

‘What?’ Tara laughed in disbelief.

There was compassion in Justine’s eyes as she nodded. ‘A feeling of deep loss in a relationship. Something that perhaps has made subsequent relationships difficult? It has probably made you want to push people away, if you fear they may get too close?’

‘I can’t believe . . . !’ Raising her hands to her face, Tara was suddenly struck by Justine’s discovery. ‘But that was years ago.’

Justine nodded. ‘Ten to fifteen years ago is my guess.’

Tara gazed into the mid-distance. ‘Fifteen,’ she confirmed. ‘And you got all that from . . . ?’

‘Our bodies never lie. All the landmarks of our emotional lives—our beliefs—become part of our physical being.’