Wednesday, June 8, 2011

In This World

The idea of perfection in the expression of chiropractic and what that really means can be a bit overwhelming.  In fact, I have been contemplating it for most of my chiropractic life and the potential of what we have sometimes feels bigger than I can fully grasp.  Imagine a world of people expressing their full potential.  Imagine a world of people who are aware, at the deepest levels, of their connection to all other living beings.  It would be impossible for crimes against others to occur.  War, greed, hate, prejudice, abuse, etc. would all be things of the past.  They simply could not exist if each living being was fully expressing their infinite potential.  Wow, what an amazing world that would be.  So let’s get on to creating it.  Let’s wipe the slate clean, grant a big do over, dream a little dream, and have a little fun! 

When I first began to contemplate the perfect environment for chiropractic to develop in, it was so perfect that I began to question if chiropractic would even be necessary.  So, I’ve decided to dial down the perfection a bit and create an environment that is more conducive to the vitalistic expression of chiropractic but still in need of what chiropractic has to offer.   That environment would have three key differences from the United States in the 1890’s, the medical/therapeutic/allopathic model would not be prevalent, there would not be a division between science and spirituality, and a quantum view of the world would be more widely understood, especially in relation to living systems.  Let’s look at the implications of these changes. 
The dominance of the medical model in and of itself was not enough to warp the expression of chiropractic.  I think the greater challenge was the power that organized medicine had in discrediting anything that seemed to compete with its dominance.  History is riddled with instances of non-medical approaches being systematically eliminated, engulfed, or attacked.  The propaganda against the “alternative” approaches was widespread and effective and chiropractic was no exception.  It was called anything from a cult to quackery which put us immediately on the defensive.  We can’t be in fight or flight and in a nurturing state at the same time.  It’s either one or the other and we were in fight or flight.  More accurately some began the fight in defense of the principles of chiropractic and others eventually went to flight away from them. 

The defense of chiropractic began.  We fought to exist, proving that chiropractic was not about the diagnosis and treatment of conditions.  It is separate and distinct.  We won that right but it did not stop the attacks, they continued and in many respects in more subtle ways.  I think it was the subtleties that got us.  The blatant attacks are easy to be outraged over, easy to identify and fight.  It’s the insidious plan of attack that is harder to identify, and thus, harder to counteract.  The medical machine was amazing at creating positive press for the medical approach, and was equally as good at “suggesting” that other approaches were inferior.   They did such a good job that not only did the general public accept it as fact but chiropractors gradually began to accept it too.  We began to seek acceptance by the medical community.  We changed our education so that we would be “as good as medical doctors”.  We began to adopt a more therapeutic approach to chiropractic.  In order to “fit in” we needed to be treating something and so the back pain/headache, spinal degeneration models became popular.  Even in “straight” chiropractic offices, you began to see the signs of the therapeutic model.  We became the “natural” treatment for what ails people and nerve system specialists as opposed to chiropractors who release the interference to the expression of the innate intelligence of the body.   Our reasoning for x-rays, clinical histories, treatment plans, and clinical objectives began to look more and more like those you see in medical offices.  We became our own worst enemy.  From inside chiropractic, the “flight” began and the profession skewed toward a treatment model and with each year the ship deviated farther from its course.  Now it is so much a part of the profession that many don’t even realize that we are off course.  We are encouraged to do more medical procedures under the guise of being responsible physicians, the portal of entry for people into the health care system.  Now please don’t misunderstand.  I’m not against people being encouraged to come to chiropractors first.  I think it would serve the entire population of the world to get checked by chiropractors on a regular basis.  It’s how we encourage them and for what purpose that is at issue.  Do they come to us because we can diagnose as well as a medical doctor or because it makes sense that before they do anything else, they make sure that they wisdom of their body is fully expressing?  Do they come only because chiropractic is a natural means to health or because they recognize that it is much more?  Chiropractic care can assist them in living a fuller life not just in staying well.  Chiropractic care can help them to express their full potential no matter whether they have symptoms or not.   Chiropractic care is something to receive for a lifetime because it makes sense to fully be alive and release all interference to the expressions of life while you are living your life.

So, imagine if the medical model was not dominant and the medical machine not as powerful.  Imagine if chiropractic had a neutral environment in which to grow, evolve, and explore.  I think it would look very different.  I think that humanity’s view of their bodies, of life, of what it means to be healthy and alive would be vastly different.  I think that the establishment named the “health care system” would actually be a system to promote health and wellbeing, instead of a system that promotes the suppressing of symptoms and in the process creates more problems that it resolves. 

In this world, chiropractic would have been more easily able to stay on purpose during its infancy stage.  We would have been in a state of nurturing instead of fight or flight.   The space to explore the theories behind what we do and share those ideas with the public would have been more available to us.  The public message would be that chiropractic is about releasing the interference to the expression of the infinite intelligence within each being.  The care given in every chiropractic office would be consistent with that message.  The office environment would be loving, supportive, nurturing, and life supporting and not fear based and clinical.  Questionnaires would include information about what the person wants for their life, what they perceive got them to their current state of being and what they see as their highest possibility.  Symptoms would take their proper place as a communication that things need to change and not something that we treat and try to fix.  People coming into the office would receive information about the power within them and how chiropractic serves in enhancing and releasing it to work fully and completely.  The care plan would be based on how far and how fast they wanted to proceed along the path of expressing their infinite potential and not about getting them out of pain and then trying to get them to sign up for maintenance care.  There is no such thing as maintenance where infinite potential is concerned.

In this world, the chiropractic education would be entirely about refining the ability to initiate the release of the subluxation.  In addition to classes on the art of chiropractic, the curriculum would be filled with classes about healing, the dynamics of life, the latest advancements in our understanding of how the body works as an integrated whole.  There would be classes exploring the philosophy of chiropractic and it’s relation to the latest scientific advancements and also to ancient practices that share the vitalistic approach.  The course schedule, environment, and teaching would be congruent with the philosophy of chiropractic and would nurture the student’s health and wellbeing, encourage free thinking and innovation, and celebrate diversity and creativity. 

In this world, because of the growth of the chiropractic message, there would be a respect and awareness of the cycles, processes, and functioning of the body.  This message would touch a deep knowing within each individual so that people would once again begin to trust their system’s ability to heal, understand the healing process, and would be attuned to their bodies.  They would know that there is more to living a full life than being without symptoms. 

In this world, no chiropractors would go to jail for the right to practice chiropractic.  And they would not need that experience to give them a sense of purpose, the knowledge of the benefit to humanity would be enough.  Chiropractors would not be called quacks or charlatans.  They would not be accused of being a part of a cult, nor would they need to consider calling it a religion in an attempt to be able to practice without interference.  They would never feel that they were somehow inferior to medical doctors. 

In this world, the fact that chiropractic care can serve in enhancing an individual’s healing ability would not make chiropractic about “getting sick people well” nor about getting rid of back pain, nor about biomechanical structural integrity.  Chiropractic is about so much more.  The profession would own that truth and the public would realize it to a greater and greater degree.

I like this world.  I’d love to be a chiropractor in this world. 

I think it’s important to realize that the fact that this is not the world of chiropractic today is not the fault of the medical profession.  Yes, their actions made it difficult, especially because the profession was so young.  But the responsibility for allowing the profession to get off track is ours.  We as a profession lost sight of our purpose.  We as individuals succumbed to petty bickering, as did the Palmer patriarchs.  The responsibility is ours.  But, as a profession we are older now and hopefully more mature.  We now are not as susceptible to the influence of others.  We just have to get ourselves back on track, reconnect with the tenants that set chiropractic apart and deepen our knowledge and understanding of what chiropractic is and can be.
One future postings we will take a look at effects of the other key differences.  Be sure to send in your input, comments, and ideas.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Building Chirotopia

As I see it, there are two ways to approach the building of Chirotopia.  One is to create the ideal from a clean slate, the other to talk about strategies that can be employed now to get us where we want to be.  Both have value and are important, so, we’re going to work back and forth to build them simultaneously.  Again, if you have suggestions send them in and we’ll build this together. 

Naturalist Louis Leakey said “Without an understanding of who we are, we cannot truly advance”.  This, I feel, is one of the major challenges that we face as a profession.   Can we find a unified theory of chiropractic?  Can we find an idea that is so all encompassing, so whole and complete, that it can bring together the many thoughts, opinions, models, and definitions of what chiropractic is and what it is not?  I have sought this type of congruence for most of my chiropractic life and I know that it is possible to find such a theory.  In fact, it exists now.  We just have to be willing to look at chiropractic with new eyes.  Not disregarding that which has existed, but evolving our understanding to include and incorporate advancements in our knowledge of the world we live in.  If we can do this, I choose to believe that we as a profession can find common ground.  I choose to believe that we as chiropractors are more interested in advancing our profession rather than being on the side that is “right”.  I choose to believe that there can be an elegant integration of our philosophy and science and a mutual respect for all the many and varied techniques and models of chiropractic.  Perhaps I am naïve, but this is what I choose to believe.  And after all, we do create our own reality.

Last weekend I was in Georgia teaching a Bio-Geometric Integration I seminar.  That same weekend Life University was holding another of their Octagon Programs.  The subject of this one was the "subluxation".  As you can imagine, there were many thoughts on the topic but, from what I understand, not much agreement.  For some it doesn’t exist, for others it exists but only at the vertebral level, for others it’s all neurological, for others it’s energetic, etc., etc., etc..  This same weekend, I also was told about work being done to create standards for subluxation based practices.  Interestingly, one of the challenges in creating these standards is coming to agreement about the subluxation.  Does it involve interference to the expression of the innate intelligence of the body or just the biomechanical, structural integrity of the body?  If it does involve the interference component, where does extremity adjusting fit in?  Is it a vertebral subluxation or just a subluxation, suggesting that the interference could come from anywhere?  If it can come from anywhere then how are we going to redefine subluxation to expand on the “condition of a vertebra …..”?  And how do the “tonal” or more energy based approaches factor into the equation?  Oh, if only they had been at the BGI seminar.  We could have answered all of their questions.

In order to address the concerns and questions, that surround the subluxation, it is necessary to open our view to include more contemporary science, more specifically, quantum science.  If we do that, we will have a more complete picture of the subluxation and thus a larger umbrella for everyone to fit under.  So, here it is, a quantum view of the subluxation, a unifying theory of the subluxation.  It is called the Potential Energy of Subluxation.  We’re going to go fast so hang on and enjoy the ride.

Here are a few ideas from contemporary science that will be helpful in understanding this theory.
1.  Everything that appears to be matter is actually energy.  If you break matter apart, as you get to finer and finer levels, ultimately you will find only vibration/tone.  What determines the quality of matter is the quality of that vibration/tone.   So what differentiates you from the chair in the room is that you express a greater range of frequency/tone organized in a more complex way and so you express more complex qualities and characteristics. 
2. Every experience you have, be it physical, chemical, emotional, or mental, is ultimately energy/vibration/tone.  The food you eat is broken down via the digestive process into energy that you can utilize.  Your thoughts and emotions are energy.  The things you see, feel, and hear, all energy.  Again, what determines the quality and information of that experience is the quality of that energy.
3. In addition to the nervous system, the body also utilizes the neurochemistry and the electromagnetic field to express its innate intelligence.  It has been determined that the basis of your emotions, behaviors, and memories is the neurochemistry.  The mind does not exist in the brain but in the field around you.  All three are vital, interconnected components.
4. We live in a holographic universe.  According to this theory, the infinite intelligence that exists in the universe also exists in every atom.  By the same token, our bodies are holographic.   Every cell of your body has all the information necessary to reproduce you all over again.  Stored in the DNA of every cell is all the information necessary to be every type of tissue and produce every chemical.  What differentiates one tissue from another then is not the information each cell possesses but that which it expresses.  In a liver cell, the information for the qualities and characteristics of a liver has been activated and so it expressed those qualities and characteristics.  Different information has been activated in heart cells, kidney cells, etc.  This information is expressed via, you guessed, vibration/tone.  Relating back to “number 1” then, what really differentiates you from the chair in the room is not the information you possess (every atom in the universe contains all the information that exists) but the information you express.
5. Learning happens through a chaotic process.  Whenever living systems encounter an experience their field goes into chaos.  After it goes into chaos there are essentially three possibilities.  First, the system goes into chaos, recognizes the experience as one it has already encountered (a frequency it already expresses), and goes back to the resting state with no negligible change.  Second, the system goes into chaos, recognizes the experience as a source of new learning (a frequency that it does not already express), integrates and processes the experience, and goes back to a resting state but at a higher level of complexity, i.e., learning/evolution has occurred.  Third, the system goes into chaos, recognizes the experience as a source of new learning, fails to integrate and process the experience, and stays in a state of elevated chaos.  This chaos leads to dis-ease.
6. Every part of the body is either directly or indirectly connected to every other part of the body.  It is physically impossible for one part of the body to move or distort without affecting every other part of the body.  Thus, it is erroneous to say something like, T5 is subluxated, or C1 is subluxated.  You may choose to access the subluxation through T5 or C1, but the entire body is subluxated.

The Potential Energy Theory of Subluxation integrates these advancements in our understanding of the dynamic nature of living systems to create a comprehensive model of the subluxation.  Here's how it goes.  When you have an experience, your system perceives this as vibration/tone.  This vibration/tone has two qualities.  Its amplitude, how big it is, and its frequency, the information it carries.  If you integrate the experience, that frequency activates a previously dormant piece of information, much like plucking the A string on a guitar which activates the resonance of an A string of another guitar, and the frequency becomes part of the musical matrix that is you (your field moves to a higher level of complexity).  Since you are an expression of the music that you are, if you increase the complexity of your field, you increase the complexity of you presentation on the planet, and you’ve just taken a little step along the path of evolution.  This is how learning occurs and I think that it is how evolution happens. 

That’s if you integrate the experience.  If you do not integrate the experience then instead of it activating a previously dormant piece of information, it ends up stored in the body.  This creates chaos in the body, and is the subluxation.  This chaos has many effects.  First, it creates incoherence in the electromagnetic field.  Second, it distorts the function of the neurochemistry, and finally, because your geometry (structure) is a perfect expression of the music that you are, it distorts the physical structures of your body.  That is, bones misalign, tension is created in all the soft tissue of the body, and yes, tension and compression of the nerve system results. 

I submit to you that the subluxation is not just a bone out of place or not just tension or compression on the nervous system.  Rather, it is holographic and expresses in every cell of the body and the field around you and interferes with every pathway that we know of which the body uses to express its intelligence.  This model incorporates advancements in science, current subluxation models, and both the “structural” and “tonal” approaches.

That is a very quick description of the Potential Energy of Subluxation.  If you want an extended version go to bgiseminars.com and look for the paper, “Subluxation and Chaos Theory”.  In future posts we’ll discuss further how this brings congruency to the different subluxation models, how this and an understanding of the geometry and tensegrity structure of the can bring understanding to the many techniques in chiropractic, and bring a unity and yet diversity to the chiropractic profession.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

A New Vision

I was recently teaching in New Zealand, and while there, I had the opportunity to speak at an all school assembly at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.  I created a Power Point presentation and intended to do a talk on merging the philosophy of chiropractic with quantum science, a topic that I am fascinated by and love.  As I began the presentation, I felt the students brace themselves to receive more information in their already overloaded minds.  I paused for a moment and thought; “Do they really need more information or would it serve more to open them to a vision of what is possible and thus give a deeper sense of purpose for learning all that is filling their minds?”.  Hands down the vision and purpose seemed more important.  I put down my remote and asked; “Do you want to play in the field of possibility?”  “YES!!!”  Was the overwhelming reply and we began to build Chirotopia.  I told them about the blog I was writing and asked them what their chiropractic utopia would look like.  It was amazing.  At first the input came with a little hesitation, but then as we added more and more to the list, excitement and momentum built and we were on a role.  A beautiful vision began to take form.  The feel in the room shifted from one of the typical student overwhelm, to that of excitement and joy of embarking on a great adventure, the adventure of building a better world through chiropractic.  At once there was a sense of purpose behind all that they were going through to become a chiropractor.  And even more, there was a vision of how chiropractic could play a major role in creating a world community of beauty, peace, integrity, respect, health, joy, freedom, and love. 

As the session came to a close, I posed the question; “OK, now how do we get there?”.  For many it was an internal quest, to live their lives with this vision.  Then there was the realization that in starting the dialogue there is power.  And in sharing the vision there is even greater power.  To that purpose, I have included the list generated below.  It is by no means complete, nor may it match your thoughts on what a chiropractic utopia would look like. It is a work in progress.  Please feel free to add to the list.  Give feedback.  Share your thoughts. 

You may notice that the ideas generated were, for the most part, about what it would look like once Chirotopia was created.  As I read the list, I find myself envisioning what it would be like to live in such a place and wonder and if it will happen in my lifetime.  Whether I will live to see it or not doesn’t matter.  Starting the journey is what’s important.  In the next installment to this blog we begin building Chirotopia.  It will be a major undertaking but I am confident we’ll get there.

Enjoy reading the vision of Chirotopia as seen through the eyes of the next generation of chiropractors.  Thanks to those who contributed to the vision!

Chirotopia - A world of no limits
You create your own reality.  So you may as well create a good one.

       Every parent is inspired to have their newborn receive chiropractic care.
       There is only opportunity.
       Respect for all living things including the environment and self.
       People seek chiropractic care for full expression of their optimum potential.
       Morality not legislated but a natural expression of each indivivual.
       No one knows what Panadol is.
       People choose not to take drugs simply because it is not within them.
       Science and spirituality are known to be an integral part of each other.
       There is infinite space for new discoveries.
       Total engagement in education so that testing, is no longer necessary.
       Space where people, who are dying, can transition in peace and with dignity.
       Currency of service instead of money, (resource based economy).
       Human dignity is respected.
       In each adjustment, the receiver and the deliverer truly experience the beauty of integration/evolution.
       Everything comes from a place of unconditional love.
       Chiropractors truly become the light bearers.
       Chiropractic Sanctuaries created as a place to express higher vibrations and serve people not from a place of just healing but of expressing their full potential.
       People living there full expression rather thinking they need to go somewhere to get it.
       Healing is not necessary because there’s no healing to occur, that is no sickness and dis-ease.
       People come to chiropractic from an empowered place instead of one of need.
       Risk is encouraged.  Dare to dream and take the risk to make it so.  Challenges are seen as 
opportunities to grow. 
       The song of the soul is loudest, that is, all songs are felt, expressed, heard, and honored.
       All food is soma.
       Each individual is 100% connected to their infinite potential and so no adjustment is needed.

Whose torch are we choosing to carry.   Why carry the torch of the health care system, why not carry the torch of Chiropractic.

The Chiropractic Idea

There exists the chiropractic that is and then the idea of the chiropractic that could be.  This is about what could be.  The desire to write this stemmed from a question that I asked at a Vitalism Conference hosted by Life University a few years ago.  Essentially the conference was intended to find common ground amongst some of the different vitalistic approaches (representatives from chiropractic, homeopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, Naturopathy, holistic medicine were in attendance) and to have a dialogue about how to affect change in the health care system.  As you can imagine, one of the recurring themes of the conference was how to “carve” out our niche in the current health care system.   As the topic came up again and again I began to get a little frustrated because it seemed to me that the conversation was more about how to fit in as opposed to evolve the system.   Now you may be thinking, “Well, of course that’s what dominates the conversation.  That’s our main concern.”  Perhaps it is an important issue to consider but is it the most important?  For me, it’s not.

Since its beginning chiropractic has had to function in a system that is not of our own design.  Throughout the Vitalism Conference I just kept wondering, “what if chiropractic had been discovered and developed in a different environment?”  What if the therapeutic model had not been established?  What if science and spirituality had not been at odds?  What if we started all over and instead of trying to fit into the current model, we created a chiropractic world of our own design?  This is what this blog is about.  It’s a vision of what is possible, not only for the chiropractic profession, but for all of humanity.  It is a vision of a chiropractic utopia.  I invite you to join the vision.  If enough of us see the possibility, perhaps it will become a reality.