Hello. I'm Richard Saunders.
Have you heard about Applied kinesiology?
Have you heard about Applied kinesiology?
It's one of the range of so-called "new age" therapies. 
Maybe you've seen the demonstrated at a
"mind body spirit" or "new age" festival.
Maybe you know somebody who goes to
see an applied kinesiology practitioner.
Maybe you know somebody who goes to
see an applied kinesiology practitioner.
Maybe you know somebody who goes to
see an applied kinesiology practitioner.
In this video we will show you why you
should be very skeptical about the claims
of applied kinesiology
In this video we will show you why you
should be very skeptical about the claims
of applied kinesiology
In this video we will show you why you
should be very skeptical about the claims
of applied kinesiology
and what's more important we'll 
show you how it's done.
Now before we go any further
I thought i'd give you a little demonstration of what this applied kinesiology 
might look like if you find it at a
mind body spirit or "new age" festival.
And help us we have Gary. Hello. 
- Hello, hello. -
And we're going to be using this
ceramic pendant as our prop.
Now Gary what I'd like you to do is
extend your arms like this...
... lift this leg a little bit and resist...
stay on balance and resist when push down. Okay? 
- So I shall. -
(Laughs) Back again.
Now Gary went off balance pretty easily there. 
Let's see what happens when
he holds this little prop, this little
pendant. Thank you. 
It should give you more balance . 
- Okay let's try it. -
Ready? 
- Yeah. -
Amazing 
- Much better. - 
Amazing results. We'll try another test.
What i'd like to do is stand like this, cup this hand here like that...
I'm going to push down and try to knock you off balance. Okay?
(Laughs) Over you go! All right. 
Now with out little pendant. 
Hold that. Are you ready?
- I'm ready. -  
One more time. Now resist... resist....
Amazing. Amazing results, amazing results.
Just with this. One more test...
What I'd like you do to is turn around for me...
...keep your feet exactly were they are. Put your hand out like that 
and swing it around as far as it'll go.
Here. All right. Take that pendant. 
Feel the magic power?
Give me a little bit more.
That much more.
That is amazing. That's just amazing. 
But you know what?
I think we need a little bit more showmanship maybe something else to
really help sell this idea.
Let's invent some science. 
Hello. I'm Dr Rachael Dunlop. 
Now earlier Richard use this pendant to
demonstrate the balanced tests.
I'm here to add some "science" well some fake science to 
liven things up a little bit.
So, on these cards I have some "sciencey" sounding words.
We're going to put them into a hat and then pick out three at random.
Let's see if we can make a brand new science.
Here we have "Healing".
"Magnetic"
"Balance" - "Quantum"
"Vibrations"
"Energy"
"Harmonic"
and "Oscillation".
"Energy" - "Harmonic"
and "Oscillation".
Now Richard, what new science do you
think we can make with these three words
The time has come at last to reveal to
the world
the ancient science known as "HEO" or
"Harmonic Energy Oscillation".
Known to the ancient, this amazing
healing power has been lost for
thousands of years.
But thanks to recent discoveries in the
Amazon
his breakthrough wonder of nature
can be yours for the low investment of
$420.
Embedded in this pendant are harmonic energies that oscillate 
in tune with your body's unique
bio-field.
Giving you more balance, strength
and well-being.
Let's put it to the test. Okay Gary
Let's try this test again. Would you like
to
put your arms out?
Lift that foot and I'll press down... lightly...
...and you go off balance.
But now I'd like to try it with this
"Harmonic Energy Oscillation" pendant.
Hold that and you feel your own body's bio-field
oscillating in tune with the pendant now.
Oh absolutely.
- Absolutely. All right. Lift that foot.
I'll press down...
...resist...
... and I can't knock you off balance.
You can not.
- Isn't that amazing? -
Isn't that just incredible?
Well with a little bit of science out of
a hat, a bit of showmanship
you can have something that sounds like
it's almost real.
And what's more amazing is
people will actually believe it.
Well, now it's time to show you how it really
works.
Okay, now we're going to show you actually how these body tricks work. We have...
- Charo -
and he's going to be helping me with this demonstration. The first one as you saw before...
...let's... put out your arms like this.
Stand on one leg.
Now for the first time without the magic
device when I press down, I'm going be pressing
more or less straight down
and slightly to the side.
Naturally he falls off balance. Very little
pressure is used.
Let's try it again.
I'll get him to hold this little wombat.
Gives him the magic power you see.
Let's try it again.
Arms out. Leg up.
This time I'm going to be pressing down but
slightly towards the body and slightly with the
centre of gravity.
So I can press down and the harder
I press... thank you.
The more he's actually anchored to the spot.
But it looks impressive.
Because I'm straining and going...  putting
all my power into it and yet he's still standing.
Very subtle trick.
Let's try the second example.
So I'll get you to cup your hand like that. That's right.
Again I'm going to press down.. more or less straight down and
slightly out and away from the centre of
gravity so...
... over he falls. Quite easy.
We'll give him the little device, tell him it's got magic powers. Are you ready again? You are?
This time pressing straight down
slightly towards his own centre of gravity...
...and...
... anchored to the spot. 
It's as simple as that.
Finally the flexibility test. If you'd like to turn around.
Face that way and
swing your arm back 
as far as it will go.
That's pretty far.
So how the little power Wombat and do it a little bit more.
Anybody doing these... thank you...
Anybody doing this sort of flexibility
test will find when they turn their body around
for the first time they'll reach a certain limit.
Give them two or  three seconds rest
and they'll always flex their body just a little bit more.
Well that's it, that's as simple as it
gets. It's a very very convincing trick
but don't be fooled by it.
Even the people demonstrating applied
kinesiology
can be fooled. Why?
I spoke to psychologist, Dr Krissy Wilson.
So Dr Krissy. What's going on
with these people at the mind body
spirit festivals who demonstrate
applied kinesiology.
Are they fooling themselves?
Yeah hi Richard.
Yeah this is an interesting one
and it's a good example for me
of how beliefs in ostensibly
paranormal phenomena are actually born.
Obviously there are lots of reasons why
people
believe in the paranormal, in ghosts, in clairvoyance, talking to the dead all those kinds of things.
But research shows us
that for many people personal experience is crucial. 
So what we've got here is a classic case
of people going along to psychic fairs
they go along armed with the belief that this thing is real
that these things can work
or at the very least
the desire to be convinced that these things work.
They have personal experience of the phenomena working
and
for them that can be every powerful. 
It can have a real impact on them.
And so
it doesn't matter how often
doctor smarty pants like myself comes along
and tries to convince them that this was
actually a normal phenomena
for them it was very real, it worked
and it can be very seductive.
So you're saying the need to believe is
a very powerful tool here too.
Oh yes, absolutely. 
That coupled with
a very 
normal experience that's
misinterpreted as being paranormal. 
A normal phenomena?
 - Yeah what we've got here is what we call the ideomotor effect. 
Essentially 
this is the influence of suggestion 
on our involuntary 
and unconsciously motor behaviour. 
So a good example is
"Ouija" board phenomena.
Everybody puts their fingers of glass and
the class
moves all by itself.
Nothing more paranormal going on there but mire suggestion.
But if you put all those things together
so, the suggestion, the belief
personal experience, you will easily be able to
convince someone that this is real.
That's fascinating. Thank you Krissy.
- You're welcome. -
So, now you know how it's done.
Look out for applied kinesiology body tricks
next time you're at a "mind body spirit" or "new age" festival.
