Is It Safe?
By Gene Clerkin, D.C.
I have an article taped to my bathroom wall that is positioned where I have no choice but to look at it every day. It contains several of what author Dr. John Amarro calls the laws of life. The first one is called the law of attention, and it states, “Whatever you focus your attention on will grow.”
As Network practitioners and SRI facilitators, my colleagues and I put this law into practice every day. Practitioners of most modalities, at least those that I'm aware of, approach their work differently – they find what is not working and attempt to fix it. In general, they will go to the area of most fixation or stuck energy in order to break it free. First comes the diagnosis, what is wrong, and then comes the treatment. We work in completely opposite manners.
Unless you've been living under a large rock, I'm sure you've heard the advice, “think positive.” That basically means put your focus on what is working in your life instead of what is not working. If your focus is always on what isn't working or what you don't have then that generally becomes and continues to be your reality.
Transferring this advice to the practice of wellness care, instead of going to the area of stuck energy, or what's not working, we look for the area of free energy or, what is working. The light contacts of Network are designed to bring the brain's attention to what we call spinal gateways. Basically, these are areas of report or places where the nerve system is willing to accept input. Because the brain is focused on the free energy, it begins to grow and that is what will dissolve the stuck energy parts.
Somato-Respiratory Integration (SRI) is a self-awareness tool that uses focus, breath and movement to help the brain become more connected to internal body rhythms. As in Network, we are not forcing areas that are stuck; rather we are finding the areas that are able to move and bringing the brain's attention to them. Once again, by keeping the focus on what is working those areas will expand and spread.
I find the analogy of relationships most helpful in explaining this to clients. If you and I are in a relationship and I ignore you for a period of time we become “disconnected.” If I want to have a good relationship with you, I'm bound to realize that ignoring you is not the way to make that happen so I decide to try and open up communication with you again. The problem is that you are likely to be apprehensive about opening back up to me. If I am too forceful, I may hinder any chance at all of re-establishing our relationship. A better strategy is to begin by creating some safety between us first. As you feel safer, you will be more likely to trust me and open up once more.
Most every client I share this analogy with seems to think it makes a lot of sense. This is, by the way, what the whole idea of wellness is based upon. Why is it then that a majority of people adhere to the fear-based medical model in matters regarding their health and life? Remember, whatever we focus upon will grow. If we are afraid of our body and afraid of life we will constantly struggle against it.
Everybody's Doing It!
By Gene Clerkin, D.C.
This past Sunday, I was sitting in Panera Bread in Emory Village and saw one student offering up her prescription bottle to another. I was glad to see the second student deny the offer with a hand gesture and a shake of her head. The incident reminded me of a news special on the increased use of drugs on college campuses I had seen a few months ago on television.
Of course these students were looking to get high and party a little, right? Wrong. These kids were taking "study drugs." Apparently, getting ahead in school has become so competitive that students are willing to go the route of prescription medications to get good grades and get an upper hand. Ritalin and Adderall, the most commonly used study drugs according to the program, both fall in the same family as the street drug, crystal meth or methamphetamine.
It is reported that these prescription drugs, which are normally prescribed to people diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, help a student concentrate better and stay up all night studying if necessary. That's pretty handy when you're cramming for a test or finishing up a last minute paper. The problem is the long list of possible side effects that come along with this tidy package, including irregular heartbeat, very high blood pressure, anxiety, nervousness, headache, dizziness, insomnia, diarrhea, constipation, impotence, change in sex drive and liver damage.
What I find interesting is that most of the aforementioned side effects are the same symptoms that someone who is overstressed might experience. Understandably there's a lot of competition to achieve a high grade point average which ultimately could lead to a better job and more money. This, of course, means stress. It should be noted that the stress of doing better is the one thing that contributes the most the inability to do so.
When we're stressed, we essentially become disconnected from the higher brain. This has a significant effect on our ability to learn since that's the part of the brain that, among other things, assimilates new information. (I've discussed this concept in several previous articles.) It's no wonder these students are seeking learning enhancers, but the cycle of quick fix that these students are perpetuating to deal with what is going on inside of them is merely a reflection of the outside behavior of the rest of society..
Students may hear the “don't do drugs” message as preached by society, but what do they see? They see a society that is not driven by inner values, but one that is completely absorbed by outer or surface values. They've been indoctrinated in the belief that if it's not the “bad” or illegal drugs, then it's okay. Their parents' cabinets are filled with prescriptions, and they are bombarded with commercials telling them about medications to help them sleep, stay awake, get out of pain, ease their stomach, ease their anxiety and, yes, learn better. But what price will they pay?
On one hand, it seems a little ridiculous to me that our culture doesn't “get it,” but on the other hand, I can understand why. To begin with, pharmaceutical companies have woven a long-term and brilliant brain washing campaign into the fabric of a society that is already out of touch with their inherent ability to tap into their own potential. Couple this with the fact that the mechanistic or quick-fix philosophy seems to have a stronghold on modern society, and you have to wonder why people are even surprised when their kids use drugs.
What if these students were given alternative tools to release tension and better adapt to competitive educational stress? Maybe they would choose differently. I can only hope that our culture's small but growing number of vitalistic thinkers can begin to influence the beliefs and therefore the behaviors of students and society as a whole. Maybe that student who opted not to accept the study drugs that day at Panera is a sign of things come.
Can't You Fix The Pain First?
By Gene Clerkin, D.C.
Every so often, a client, especially one who's been to a chiropractor, will ask if I can “crack” their neck. My answer usually sounds something like this; “I could, but I'm not going to.” On the surface it might appear that I don't have compassion, but I assure you that I do have my reasons.
What would be the harm in a little thrust aimed at getting rid of the pain? In some ways there's no harm at all, but in other ways, it could be detrimental. I know that sounds a little extreme so allow me to explain.
Sometimes working within the Wellness model can take a bit of discipline. Since the medical or treatment model is by far the most prevalent model in our culture, most people expect you to practice in it even if you are a holistic or wellness practitioner.
To begin with, unlike treatment, wellness is not designed to fix you. It is designed to help you self-correct and create whatever change is needed in your life, among other things. For example, when raising children, if a parent always does everything for them and they never have to figure anything out for themselves, they will never learn and will most certainly have trouble becoming self-sufficient. Likewise, in a wellness practice, particularly with Network Care, instead of fixing a problem, a little guidance toward the source serves one better.
In the body and in life, if we are stuck or not moving, we need something to initiate change. If the energy is flowing properly in the body, it will then be available to create that change. When we are feeling pain, it almost always means there is stuck energy. A Network practitioner actually utilizes this stuck or stored energy as the fuel source to create change. Sometimes when an individual is in care s/he will begin to feel some discomfort as the brain becomes more aware and energy builds in her or his body. If we can help an individual access it, then it becomes their fuel for growth and change. The natural response, influenced by our culture, is to look for the practitioner to relieve the pain. I don't know too many practitioners, wellness-based or not, including me, who wouldn't like to “fix” it, but that one small thrust, or whatever procedure one might use, while easing the pain, might rob clients of an opportunity for transformation.
Just yesterday, I was confronted with a similar situation. This particular client had been progressing very nicely through care. The stuck energy had been steadily changing and moving up her spine and into her neck and she was feeling it. She immediately shared her uncomfortable symptoms with me, no doubt with hope that I could get rid of them. What we did instead was to work on helping her brain become more aware so it could do something with it. This will help her to create change in her structure which will ultimately help her create change in her life.
Of course, I did spend some time with her, explaining the concept which seemed to ease her concern and distrust of her body's process. I am no stranger to pain, and I know, from experience, that pain doesn't feel as bad as the fear that often accompanies it. It was interesting to watch her shift from a state of fear associated with “illness” behavior, to one with more trust, which is seen in wellness behavior.
The question always arises, “can't you help get rid of the pain and then work on wellness?” Many do but, at what cost? In our culture we are constanty bombarded with the fix-it mentality of the medical model. While it is perfectly ok and even necessary at times to get “fixed,” it is completely opposite the wellness model. Wellness is about learning how to listen to what the body is trying to tell us through its symptoms. One small detour could, and most likely would, derail much of the education I've provided to my clients and deter them from making what could be a major change in their lives. As tempting as it would be to be all things to everyone, I think it's too important to ignore the bigger picture that healing has to offer.