Autonomic Response Testing
Autonomic Response Testing (A.R.T.) is a diagnostic technique that relies on feedback from the autonomic nervous system to assess the overall state of health, as well as areas and causes of disturbances throughout the body.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of the nervous system that exists outside of the brain and spinal cord that controls organ function and for the most part it functions below the level of consciousness. It is in contact with all the organs, tissues and cells of the body. Heart rate, respiration, salivation, perspiration, urination, digestion and sexual arousal are some of the physiological processes that are affected by the ANS.
Developed by the German physician Dietrich Klinghardt, ART makes use of a subtle response the nervous system has to various stressors introduced into the Œfield¹ of a person. The response is then reflected in some of the processes related to the ANS and can be detected in various ways by a trained practitioner.
The Œfield¹ is a nexus of energy patterns that manifest in and around the various physical structures of a living organism. It also extends outward and around an organism as a whole. Just as the medical imaging technique of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) takes advantage of magnetic fields of atoms within the body for diagnostic purposes, ART takes advantage of the field of the nervous system.
Areas of possible investigation in ART include the following:
Toxins like heavy metals, neurotoxins and chemical compounds Biotoxins such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and molds Nutritional Deficiencies & Biochemical Imbalances Structural Problems Interference Fields like Scars and Dental Infections Geopathic Stress (irregularities of the earth energy fields that affect health.) Electromagnetic Stress Food Intolerances Psycho-emotional or Systemic Conflict or Trauma
Most commonly, variations in muscle strength (generically known as Œmuscle testing¹) are used to inform the practitioner. But other means of assessment such as pulse diagnosis (the Vascular Autonomic Signal as developed by Dr. Paul Nogier in France during the 1950¹s), Electro Dermal Screening (otherwise known as ŒEAV¹ or Electro-acupuncture according to Voll) or measurement of the heartbeat (Heart Beat Variability) can be used to the same end.
ART takes advantage of Œresonance¹, the bioenergetic phenomenon that occurs when a living organism recognizes something within its energetic field. This is analogous to a glass rattling when certain frequencies of sound are created. Any substance placed within the field will cause a reaction throughout the nervous system.
When these substances are introduced orally, placed in close proximity to the body, or even, in some cases, suggested verbally, if the system recognizes them, it will give either a positive or negative response. Similarly, stimulation of various areas of the body can evoke a response if there is a dysfunction in that area. A practitioner can thus evaluate tissues or organs that are weakened, and can correlate those with causal factors.
Likewise, therapies such as supplements, herbs, homeopathic medicines, nutrition, etc. can be identified that the body recognizes as having a positive affect. This information allows the practitioner to address the underlying dysfunction, rebalance the organism, bring about a renewed vitality and return to health.
One of the main differences between ART and most other types of muscle testing or diagnosis is the recognition of Œblocked regulation¹. Put simply, blocked regulation is the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system itself when a person is unhealthy. A relatively healthy person will have a healthy ANS that reliably responds to various stimuli and regulates body functions. The ANS of unhealthy person will often have abnormal or blocked responses and regulation.
Muscle testing or other forms of energetic diagnosis performed on a person with blocked regulation will not necessarily give accurate information because the ANS is not transmitting it accurately. Various techniques in ART makes it possible to recognize whether there is blocked regulation and to reverse it so that accurate information can be transmitted during the diagnostic session.