Beyond Maintenance is Wellness

When I first began playing the guitar, I was happy just to hold the strings down enough to create a clean sound. Then I just wanted to learn a few simple songs. It wasn't long before I became bored with that and was prompted to learn more complicated chords and songs and even some lead guitar. I also remember aspiring to play out to an audience and being nervous about the prospect of doing so.

Someone asked me recently if I still got nervous playing on stage. I think there will always be a few butterflies, but nothing that would keep me from getting up there on stage. Remembering all this got me to thinking about my progression to that point, and how it made a nice analogy to wellness care and to life in general.

When I was in school, I learned about three basic phases of chiropractic care: crisis care, corrective care and maintenance or preventative care. Within this progression of care, we initially try to help a person out of pain or whatever symptom s/he is experiencing. The objective then becomes to get the spine back to acceptable functioning, and finally to maintain it in that state.

If you look back at your life, you'd likely recall times when you may have been satisfied with the person you'd developed into with regard to emotional maturity, financial success, spirituality or relationships. But consider this, would that same level of personal development serve you now?

For instance, think back to a time when you were in your late teens or early twenties. What was the quality of the romantic relationships you had at that time? What kinds of behaviors did you engage in when in relationship at that time? If you engaged in a new relationship today without having grown or changed at all, do you think your old behaviors would contribute to the success of your current relationship or one that you are presently seeking?

I'm sure your answer would be a resounding no, unless you're still in your teens. I suppose if you were forty and still had the mentality of a teen, you might want to date one.

I think that in most aspects of life it is part of human nature to continually grow and learn. Whether in playing sports, a musical instrument, academically, scientifically or in relationships it's natural for us to strive for more and more depth of experience.

Wellness care is much like life in that respect. The goal isn't to fix you, get you back to where you were, or even maintain you in any particular place. Wellness care is about developing more evolved strategies for adapting and thriving in life.

One of my practice participants asked me an interesting question the other day that was one of several impetuses for this article. He asked if people ever graduate from care. In other words, do people ever get to a place when they can stop care? I explained that people can and do stop care when they reached their goals… or if they haven't.

What makes wellness care different than maintenance care is the fact that one can continually grow and set and achieve new goals. In fact, the University of California found that, tracked over a nine year period, people receiving Network care appeared to have no ceiling to the level of wellness they could achieve based upon self reported outcomes.

In my own experience, I find that when I receive care my life is better. Not only do I feel better physically and emotionally, I also notice that I continually grow in all areas of my life. I often wonder if that's not what life is about.

Light my fire!

I really wasn't nervous about it at all, since many of my classmates had reported doing it years before. In fact, I didn't even think about it at all until Tony Robbins began to talk about it in detail. He said that your basic stove may get up to about six or even seven hundred degrees while the hot coals we were to walk on that evening could be anywhere from twelve to twenty four hundred degrees. That little tidbit of information caught my attention.

The seminar I was attending was called “Unleash Your Power Within,” and it was directed toward breaking through the limitations we have that keep us from attaining our goals. The fire walk was really a metaphor for overcoming fears and perceived obstacles so that success, as defined by our goals, could be achieved. Hey, if you can walk on fire, what can't you do? The key to successfully making it across the course was to bring your self into, what Tony called, a “peak state.” It was also very important to remain focused, since failure to do so could result in burning your feet.

Throughout the weekend, we were asked to identify our goals and the limiting beliefs we have about achieving them; to develop strategies that create a different mindset and physisology to overcome those beliefs; and to create the ability to take ideas and convert them into action. I found it interesting that many of the concepts and strategies discussed were congruent to the types of ideas I share with my practice participants.

Most of us will, at least from time to time, have great ideas about what we want to do to achieve particular goals in our lives. Many times these goals never actually come to fruition. What's usually missing is the action step. The question then becomes, why or what is it that drives us to act? The answer is emotion. It's no coincidence that advertisements are directed toward eliciting our emotions. According to Robbins, researchers at the University of California found that monkeys could learn a task at an astoundingly greater rate when the pleasure centers of their brain were stimulated.

An easy way to achieve this peak emotional state is dancing to an upbeat song. Personally, I like to play the Jackson Five's I Want You Back or Sublime's Love is What I Got, before I affirm my goals for the day and my life. The more we achieve peak states, the more ingrained they become in our systems and the easier it is to re-access them. It's important to note that while people often feel like victims to their feelings, you may choose this state at any moment once you have a strategy to achieve it. Simply put, if you're feeling depressed, put on your favorite song and dance.

Another important step in the Robbins' workshop was for us was to identify how our limiting beliefs have affected our lives up to now and how they would affect us in the future if we didn't change them. Two of the most common and basic limiting beliefs we have are “I'm not good enough” and “I can't be loved.” It's easy to see how these types of beliefs might hinder our ability to achieve life goals. In the workshop, we went through a process of intensely focusing on the effects our limiting beliefs have had for us and really feeling this in our bodies. It was very similar to the “Suffering” stage from Donald Epstein's “Twelve Stages of Healing.” Robbins called this process Creating Leverage for Change. In other words, we must have the impetus for wanting to create a shift in our lives or we probably won't make it happen.

As I went through this process, focusing more and more on the negative outcomes my limiting beliefs have created in my life, I began to experience intense pain in my back. Upon reaching the pinnacle of this feeling, I shifted my physiology back to a peak state and began to visualize exactly what I wanted without the constraints of limiting beliefs. This part was very similar to Epstein's stage four, “reclaiming our power.” I was actually able to clearly visualize my ideal future, something that has eluded me for a majority of my life.

The seminar was a great reminder that we can choose our thoughts, state of physiology and the outcome of our lives. Now whenever I feel a little overwhelmed, I just think back to the moment before I walked across those hot coals, bring myself back to that mindset and realize that I can do anything I decide to do.

The questions we ask determine the answers we get?

In his private practice in the early 80's, Dr. Donald Epstein found that very gentle touches to specific areas along the spine could result in significant changes in a person's physiology. In addition, the people he treated had amazing shifts in their consciousness and transformation in their lives. Since his technique adopted ideas from a number of chiropractic theories, he called it Network Chiropractic. By monitoring results through his clients' reported outcomes, Epstein found that clients were not sustaining the shifts or changes that they'd experienced in his care. Consequently, he's been continually modifying and adding to the work he now calls Network Spinal Analysis.

One, if not the most significant developments in the evolution of Network Care has been the emergence of the spinal gateway. A gateway is a point where the areas of rapport or relative free energy contacted by the practitioner become more and more energetically sensitive. Practitioner contacts to these gateways assist the central nervous system in moving from stress physiology and defense posture toward one of adaptive self-assessment and reorganization. As the gateway develops, it becomes so energetically sensitive that a person will begin to respond well before an actual contact is made. If you observe Network practitioners working, you will notice them mindfully approaching the gateway from as far as a few feet away before making contact. These gateways even become sensitive to the thoughts of the practitioner and the person receiving care.

Over the last several years, I have read numerous texts and publications about the connection, power and influence of thoughts upon perception and outcomes. Deepak Chopra, Ekhart Tolle, Edgar Cayce, Catherine Ponder, Joseph Chilton Pearce and Louise Hay are just a few authors that come to mind when thinking about this work. While each author has a slightly different spin, I think they would all agree that whatever we focus upon in our lives tends to expand. Negative thoughts produce negative outcomes and positive thoughts produce a positive life experience. I'm sure we can all think of people that constantly focus upon the drama of their lives and continually create more of the same. Conversely, people who are positive most of the time seem to have an easy flow about their lives.

There is a direct correlation between our state of mind and the questions that we ask ourselves. For instance, if a person who was depressed took notice, s/he would find that questions like, “Why is this happening to me?” or “What's wrong with me?” were at the forefront of his or her thinking. While there are very few people who don't feel down or depressed at times, and I can't think of too many people who truly like feeling that way, how often do we actually consider changing the questions?

Network Care is classified into progressing levels of care offering different strategies to correlate with a person's state at any given time, and Epstein has classified the different states people experience in the healing process, and ultimately in their lives, into four seasons: Discover, Transform, Awaken and Integrate.

Questions in the Discover season, or state, might include, “Why me?” “Why doesn't this end?” “Why did s/he do this to me?” and “Why do I keep doing this?” Questions in the Transform season, or state, might include, “How can I express more of my courage?” “What's on the other side?” and “How can I resolve this?” Finally, in Awaken and beyond, the questions might include, “How can I express more love?” “How can I grow the gratitude?” “What is the gift in this?” and “How can I more fully express my soul?”

As a practitioner, it is extremely important that I'm mindful and aware of my own state because it completely affects a participant's ability to progress. Basically, I have to monitor the questions in my own head while I'm working. For instance, if I'm working with people in the Transform level, attempting to bring them into Awaken, my questions must hold the space for that transition. If I ask myself, “How can I fix this?” which is a Discover question, it would actually hinder their progress to the next level. I actually would want to be asking an Awaken question to help move them from Transform to Awaken. By the same token, if participants are asking themselves Discover questions while working in Transformation, that will inhibit their progress as well.

In fact, the questions that we ask ourselves all the time in our daily lives completely affect our states of mind and existence. You can try this out for yourself. Spend the day tomorrow monitoring how you feel and what questions you are asking in you mind. If you don't like where you are, try changing the questions. Write me and let me know how it goes; I'd love to hear your feedback.

The reason we no we should but can't

I remember someone saying to me long ago that everyone's got to have at least one vice. I don't know if this is true, but it certainly seems that most of us do. The other day when that memory recurred to me, I began to think about how many different things we do that are essentially patterned responses.

I've had clients who have taken seminars designed around breaking patterns. This, of course, was based on the idea that patterns are bad. I've often wondered why we have them in the first place if they are not good.

I can think of plenty of patterns, or habits that I have, that seem to work pretty well for me. For example, I've found that I like to shave immediately after showering, but only every other day, or my face gets irritated. After that, I apply a moisturizer but only after I've cleaned my ears with a Q-tip, since my fingers would be too slippery otherwise.

I realize this is light fare and not very exciting stuff to share, but it's a good example of some simple habits I have that serve me well. I think that's really the question we have to ask ourselves after all, “Does this habit/pattern serve me or does it not?”

Sometimes habits are not only what we do but what we think as well. We may habitually get angry about the things in our life that we don't like. While anger may be the catalyst for our change, it may also create a physiology that deteriorates our health and well-being.

Our habits are really just conditioned responses. They make life easier in some ways, because once we learn something, we don't have to go and figure it out all over again. In other words, once the higher brain figures something out, that information is stored in the lower brain for easy access. If this were not the case, we'd be so consumed with figuring out our everyday routines that it would be a challenge, if not impossible, just to get through that day.

Some habits that may have served us at a particular time in our life may no longer serve us now. For instance, if an authority figure repeatedly raised his or her hand and slapped you when you were a child, it wouldn't take long before you reacted to protect yourself. Years could pass and you might find that someone completely different may reach over you for a coffee cup and you would respond in the conditioned manner from childhood, even if there were no threat.

To give you another example, maybe someone teased you about an outfit you were wearing as a child. You might have had a perfectly justified protective emotional response at the time. As an adult, however, if someone makes an innocent comment about your outfit, and you respond emotionally, in the same manner you did as a child, before you even have time to consider their motive, it would be just another example of a patterned response.

I think we can agree that patterns can be good or bad depending upon the effect they have on our lives. This is important, because the fact is that most diseases are lifestyle related and could be altered if not completely avoided by simply changing our habits and patterns. What's amazing is that even though everyone already knows this, it's still difficult for most of us to do anything about it.

I believe that one of the reasons for this is the amount of stress that perpetuates our culture. Stress has many devastating effects on us, not the least of which is its gripping effect on our ability to change habits and patterns that no longer serve us. In fact, a great indicator of someone's wellness is in his or her ability to adapt and change to an ever-changing environment.

When we are stressed, we are essentially in a state of defense. In that state, we can't fully access our higher brain, which happens to be the part that helps us assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of our behaviors. We know what to do yet we can't seem to do it. I'm sure everyone has experienced this at one time or another.

It's good to see that many people are beginning to seek tools that can help them deal with life's stresses more effectively. I also see many more practitioners and centers offering a variety of different programs in this arena. I would encourage everyone to find places like the Center for Holistic Health that address these needs, monitors one's progression and ultimately do what feels right to them.

One's ability to develop tools to release and adapt to stress more effectively will ultimately translate into increased adaptability and a better quality of life.

Is that 'energy work'?

I was manning our information table at the Atlanta Yoga Conference the other day when someone asked me, “Do you do energy work?” It's a question I've been asked many times in the past, and it seems simple enough, but my answer has changed several times over the last twelve years.

Initially, when I first began practicing, my answer to this question was a resounding, “No.” I didn't want to associate myself with “energy workers.” My stance was based on the ambiguity I perceived in most of the energy work that I had observed and experienced. This is not to say that it was in any way invalid. At that point, my focus was really in the physical and physiological realm, and I wasn't quite sure how energy tied into it. I also felt the term had a stigma associated with it that my mainstream clientele might shun.

After some time practicing, my answer shifted to, “Everything is energy work.” That was a pretty safe statement based on the fact that all physical matter, broken down to the molecular, atomic and subatomic levels, essentially is energy. I believe Einstein's famous E = MC 2 , supports this theory. Therefore, even if you are working in the physical realm, you are doing energy work, that is, if in fact Einstein's theory is true.

As I learned more and developed as a practitioner, I began to see how the tension that people held in their bodies was stuck, or stored energy. Through the physical, albeit extremely light, contacts I employed in my work, I could help the body to release that stuck tension, or energy. One could argue that this is indeed energy work.

In the last several years, I have come to realize the significance of energy and one's ability to really work with it. Given my former resistance, it's almost ironic that one of the main goals I have in working with clients is to help them become aware of their own energy.

While the physical matter that makes up our flesh and blood is really just energy, there is also a different energy that animates our physical body. You could think of the components of a light bulb, glass and filament, as your physical body. Obviously, without the electrical energy running through the filament, the bulb would not illuminate.

As human beings, we also have an energy that runs through, illuminates and animates us to the state we describe as life. If that energy becomes interrupted or blocked, the expression of life is inhibited. If it were to become completely blocked, there would be no life. Fortunately for us, it's not an all or nothing proposition. What is unfortunate is that most people are at least partially blocked.

After all this time I am still amazed to see the body take my input, consisting of light contacts and specific positioning, and reorganize itself to the point that it can dissipate stuck tension and energy. What's even more amazing is seeing how this release of energy can enhance a person's experience of life.

So now when I'm asked if I do energy work, I pause for a moment, smile and say, “Yes.”

How dare you hug in public!

One of the many things a Gate provides is a wonderful sense of support and community. You will often see people hugging. I've heard Donny tell the story of how the hotel where they held the first Gate did not want them back because there were too many incidences of “unprovoked hugging.” HA! A friend sent me this video of related content; I hope you enjoy it.

Watch it here or on YouTube.

The Universe is Intereacting With You

This past Labor Day weekend, I made my annual trip to Denver for the Transformational Gate healing seminars that are open to anyone in Network Care. For me, each Gate is a unique and wonderful healing experience. My past Gate experiences have always been inspiring, creative, awesome and fun; this year was no different.

I've always felt and have known that there is a cosmic connection that we all have the ability to tap into. I'm sure we've all had the experience of merely thinking of someone only to have them call that day. For me, this is a daily experience.

To give you an example, I just experienced this phenomenon moments ago. Earlier today, I was singing a few verses of a song to a friend to see if she knew the song I had referred to in our conversation. Just now, my thoughts wandered momentarily back to that episode and within a few seconds the same song began to play... out of a 1,700 song mix.

In The Biology of Transcendence, Joseph Chilton Pearce writes about idiot savants, people with well below average IQ's who are somehow able to access incredible amounts of information within a very narrow field. For instance, an automobile savant could name the make, model and year of every car in a crowded parking lot, with no prior knowledge of what cars were there or even an extensive knowledge of automobiles in general. There was a famous pair of “calendrical” savants who could tell you the day Easter fell on a thousand years ago. Again, these are people with no prior knowledge or even the capacity to understand any of the information they are conveying.

Pearce explains that, without the distraction of a constant thought stream, idiot savants can tune into informational “fields,” that are apparently out there and available, and become clear channels for information by using well-developed parts of their brains... Individuals like Edgar Cayce or Jesus must have been savants, just not idiots.

Earlier in August, I attended an SRI seminar that highlighted Epstein's twelve stages of healing. Some of you may know that I have been writing songs for the each of the twelve stages. If I sit down and try and write a song, it usually doesn't come to me. As Epstein was going over Stage Six, everyone's focus was on the same information. That's when it happened; in an instant I had the Stage Six song completely composed in my head. Where did it come from? I don't know but my best guess is that I tapped into an informational field created by the collective thoughts or consciousness of the group.

So, back to the Gate.... At the very end of the Gate seminar, they raffle off a certificate for a free Gate. Since I had brought a table with me, I was eligible to win. Just before they pulled the winning ticket, I turned to my friend Matt and said, “I won it.” Then, the moment before they drew the ticket, I knew that I had won. I felt it very distinctly in my body, as fleeting though it was. When my name was called, it was not so much surprising as it was a conformation what I had felt moments ago.

I've asked a couple of “participants” to share their experiences of the Gate. This was the first Transformational Gate for each of them.

The Transformational Gate
by Linda Lewis

I recently returned from my first Transformational Gate. What a wonderful experience! I doubt there is anything quite like it. It was all that I expected and more. Actually it is difficult to describe the Gate in words. It is something you feel, experience, and becomes a part of you. The Gate is a tremendous time of healing, change, and growth. And it is a lot of fun, too. It is like going to the biggest party you have ever been to, and being the guest of honor. And so is everyone there. Or a huge family reunion where everyone is so glad to see you, because you are a part of them. I am already looking forward to going again.

The entrainments are powerful, with so many being entrained at the same time. The energy in the room is incredible. There is a tremendous freedom in knowing you can feel and experience all that you need to in a loving, supportive, and nonjudgmental atmosphere. It is amazing to think of the amount of healing and transformation going on at the same time by so many. My heart felt like it would burst with gratitude just to be there.

As the weekend progresses, you realize how much is going on within yourself. Changes, growth, inspiration, liberation... so many things words are not enough to describe it all. Leaving unwanted patterns behind, gaining new strategies for truly living life in all its fullness. I experienced more love and compassion for myself and others. A wide open feeling for giving and receiving love. Feeling more often what I think of as bliss out of the blue, those times when I take a deep breath, and am flooded with a sense of joy and peace. Feeling more altogether. Sure, there are also more tears. That seems to go with the business of life. Seeing into the hearts of people, feeling their pain, and understanding. There was a time at the Gate during a singing meditation, the tears kept pouring down my face, and I knew they would never end. So I quietly went back to sit in a corner of the room. The next thing I knew several loving women had their arms around me. We hugged, we cried together. That's the Gate. It's a very loving, nurturing environment.

I also attended the SRI seminar. I wanted to stay for it not only to understand more about SRI so I could apply more of it in my life, but I anticipated it being a chance to assimilate the intensity of the Gate and relax before getting back to my routine. I was wrong! The seminar was also incredibly powerful and intense. We didn't just learn the 12 stages of Healing, we experienced them. I do SRI regularly, mostly the first 3 stages, the others in the book didn't seem to work for me as well. I will never doubt the benefits of SRI again. I wanted to get a better feel for my own rhythms. Now I seem to have more intuition, better instinct, for what I need to do with SRI and when. And I may go through several stages in a day. It works.

For myself, the Gate and SRI was a time of spiritual growth and connection. How one event can do so much still amazes me. I found places in myself that had shut down, closed off. Cracking through that armor doesn't always feel good, but oh, when it cracks open and the light shines in you and out of you, all you can do is bask in awe and gratitude.

At the Gate you laugh, you cry, you hug, you dance and you sing. It is a totally cleansing and fulfilling experience. I loved being there!


Swing, Gates, Swing
by Debora Ott

My friend Greg would snap his fingers and shout, “Swing, Gates. Swing,” whenever he'd hear a jazz riff that moved him and he'd pick up his guitar and jump in, like Double-Dutch, playing the changes and deepening the musical groove as it touched him from heart and soul. The explosion of notes blended bounced and rebounded with sound as it released from the players, shifting the energy in the room.

Last month, I attended my first Gate. Transformational as promised, filled with energy and sound. I got to jump in and play when my heart moved me. Got to jump in and play, tune up and in with 6 different NSA practitioners from around the country. In community, with row upon row of adjustment tables tended by angels, we got to be on the same sheet of music, rush without moving, be supported and encouraged to do the real work, learning to breathe like a slender reed in a whistling world.

Break it down: 2 plus days, rain, blue skies, mountains and sun. Fun. Six adjustments, SRI, Chi Gong, Yoga, Music, it was an end of summer camp for the soul. The Angel Wash, a final love note, was perfection. All the love coming back to me as I walked the line, eyes closed. A woman grabbed me and whispered, “Let your angel out,” and I did. There's nothing tentative about human nature, nothing tentative in the divine music of the soul.


The Gate
by Laurie Ledbetter

Wow, it is something... my body just feels so different. I had been having this major consciousness shift this past year with my studies in the Kabbalah that has taken me to a completely different reality. Now I feel like my body has caught up with it all, we are in sink. The heartmath is wonderful and is a great tool... but the "GATE” is like a total overhaul... Flushing out the shit... cleaning out the pipes... getting rid of a lifetime of calcification of the outer coating the soul. IT'S FREE AT LAST! Now the soul has got its body back! I definitely know where I will be spending at least one of my vacations every year. I think my next one is going to Eurogate at Como, Italy.

I wanna do it!

At one point in his private practice in NY, Dr. Donald Epstein no longer found the term “patient” to be an appropriate or accurate description of the members of his wellness practice. He decided to hold a contest in his office to see who could come up with the best word to describe his clientele. In case you are wondering, the winning term was “practice member,” and from that point on Epstein began to call his patients “practice members.”

This was an important shift, since the word patient is defined in the dictionary as “someone who is under medical care or treatment,” and medical care is, of course, the diagnosis and treatment of symptoms or conditions. In the wellness model, a person may seek care without any need or desire for medical treatment. S/he may even be without symptoms, since many people seek wellness care purely for the life enhancing benefits that go along with that type of care. These benefits might include:

Better adaptation to stress

* Increased positive feelings
* Decreased moodiness
* Less depression
* More interest in life
* Fewer concerns about small things
* Improved ability to think and concentrate
* Less anxiety

As I struggled to find an accurate descriptive term for the people who participate in my wellness practice, I wasn't completely comfortable using the term “practice member”; something about it seemed a bit strange to me.

Clearly, “patient” won't do, and whenever someone says anything to me about “my patients,” my standard answer is, “I have no patients”. While it may be a marginal attempt at a humorous pun, it is also very true. I had begun using the term “client,” but even that doesn't sound quite right either.

I recently met a couple of chiropractors who had just opened an office nearby. Apparently, they are practicing in the wellness model because they came up with what I think is the best term yet — “participant.” They don't have patients, they have participants. I like it so much that I'm going to use it for my practice.

Participation is one of the most important aspects of a person seeking care in the wellness model. Normally, when someone sees their medical practitioner, they take more of a passive role in the process. I know I've mentioned before how many times I've heard someone say, “My doctor put me on this” or “My doctor gave me permission to do this.”

Do you remember being a kid and saying, “I wanna do it!”? As children we strived for the ability of and the right to self empowerment. We wanted to do it, whatever it was, for ourselves, and if for no other reason, then to prove we could.

In the wellness model, people are empowered in their own process. They are the decision makers. Instead of having a procedure done to them, the practitioner acts as more of a facilitator, guiding them through the process of healing. They begin to develop a trust and understanding of their own body and a deeper connection to their motivations and joy in life.

They are true participants in their process and in life... and from now on that is what I shall call them.

What does that have to do with me?

A couple of weeks ago I went to see the debut of Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth. The evidence presented in this movie about global warming and its effects upon the future of the planet gives us an extremely powerful wakeup call. At least one would think so.

Despite the evidence, which, by the way, is universally accepted in the scientific community, our government refuses to see that there is a major problem requiring drastic action. Their response is to call it a natural swing, even though scientists are reporting record breaking numbers for heat indexes and tropical storms across the board.

As I looked at satellite pictures showing the melting of the polar caps, I wondered how we could let it get this far without noticing the changes. More importantly, upon noticing the symptoms of our modern society, I wondered how we could have sat by passively without altering our path.

While the evidence was shocking, I can't honestly say I'm surprised by the extent of the situation or by most folks apathy regarding it. In my observation, people generally see symptoms as an inconvenience to be pushed aside or swept under the rug as quickly as possible. The mentality of our culture has universally influenced our perceptions and resulting behaviors to the point of critical proportions.

Part of wellness is having an ever increasing awareness of what our body needs and wants. The more acutely aware we are the less need for more drastic or intense signals or symptoms to effect change. Better to hear the lion's roar than to feel his breath, as it were. To put it another way, you don't want a heart attack to be the first sign that you're too stressed. Unfortunately for many, it is the first symptom they notice. Sometimes, even such a drastic sign is not enough to illicit change.

Another aspect of wellness is one's realization of the relationship to the bigger picture of life. You affect everything and everything in turn affects you. This includes your relationship to yourself, others, to our environment and planet. We are so intimately connected to our environment that its health and function directly effect our own.

Just as a majority of the population fails to heed the warning of their own symptoms as a need for change, so it is with the symptoms of the planet. Generally speaking, if we feel like we are not responsible for the symptoms that we experience in our bodies, it only makes sense that the same dynamic would (and does) play out when it comes to our responsibility to what happens to the planet.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine about which issues would determine his political vote. One of his issues was how the political out come would affect his financial picture. I pointed out to him that if this global conundrum wasn't quickly addressed the economic views of any given politician wouldn't matter much. Global warming and the associated change in weather patterns will have devastating effects upon countless species, human life and ultimately our economic stability.

From that standpoint, it doesn't really matter whether you're left, right, Conservative, Liberal, Democrat or Republican. All of our political, religious, economic and financial concerns are minuscule when measured against the fallout continued global warming will wreck upon our current way of life.

Unless you've been living under a rock, (and you might be doing just that to try and stay cool) then you've most likely seen all the news reports of record breaking heat around the country and world. If only we could ignore it, maybe it will go away?

But that's not what's happening. Countless species are heading for extinction because they are unable to adapt to the quickly changing environment. While many people don't really care too much about it now, they may change their tune when it begins to affect the food chain. Damage and claims due to the weather are continually increasing causing astronomical monetary and human losses.

How many people have stopped to consider what is going to happen if, and more likely when, the polar caps melt? A multitude of coastal cities will be under water. (It's already beginning to happen.) What effect is that going to have on our economy?

When the symptoms become too great to ignore in our bodies or on our planet, we will eventually come to the point where we will be forced to make a change... if it's not too late.

Time out!

A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting with some friends who have two young children. The mother was telling me that her son, who we'll call Johnny, had some challenges with focus and attention currently not significant enough to warrant the label of ADD/ADHD. When I inquired about which methods or strategies she used to deal with the situation I was pleasantly surprised.

Whenever Johnny has difficulty listening or focusing, she sends him to his room for what she called a “sensory time out.” He goes to his room and bounces his back on his bed five or six times. He can also hug himself, or someone else, real tight. The method basically helps him bring his attention into his body.

After listening to her I said, “Oh my God, that's just like SRI” (Somato-Respiratory Integration). Of course, SRI is a little more involved but the basic concept of connecting to the body is the same.

Whenever we are not present, which includes times of depression, anxiety or inability to focus, among many others; we are effectively having a conversation in our head. When our attention is on the conversation, we have very little attention or presence in our body.

SRI utilizes a combination of breath, movement and focused attention directed to specific parts of the body. One of the many results is a deeper connection to one's own internal body rhythms. As I say often, it is impossible to be focused on your body rhythms and mental conversation simultaneously.

In my experience, I would say that an overwhelming majority of the people I work with are quite “disconnected” from their bodies. This isn't all that surprising to me based upon how busy our lives have become. What is a little surprising and somewhat disturbing is the fact that this epidemic is even affecting our children. The increasing numbers of children being labeled with ADD/ADHD is sadly alarming.

It is good to see that at least some other disciplines are beginning to take a body centered approach to this problem. I encourage everyone, adult or child, to seek a system like SRI that helps develop simple tools for increased body awareness, connection and focus.

Do you ever feel out of synch?

In his book, The Biology of Transcendence, Joseph Chilton Pearce discusses, among other things, how the millions of “frequency entrained” heart cells together create an electromagnetic field known as the heart energy.

I found his writings on this subject particularly interesting because the work we do with clients utilizing Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Resiratory Integration is based on exactly the principles Pearce illustrates.

He describes how a single heart cell placed under a microscope will pulsate evenly for a time before it eventually fibrillates and dies. When a second cell, also fibrillating, is placed in spatial proximity, the two cells actually stop fibrillating and resume their regular pulsing in synchrony with each other.

The fact that the two cells weren't touching indicates the presence of a field that appears to transform disorder into order, entraining to the rhythm of life. Pearce goes on to talk about the concept of entrainment:

When brain and heart frequencies entrain, they enter a synchronous, resonant, or coherent wave pattern. Though rare in adults, such entrainment is critical to full development of our human nature, and new research is revealing how this can be achieved. In the example opening this chapter, entrainment between two heart cells lifted them from chaos into order. The same entrainment of heart frequencies occurs between mother and infant during breast-feeding and other close body contact. In a state of full frequency match, the body, brain, and heart produce a single coherent frequency pulse or wave form, and a similar resonance occurs between infant and mother.

The heart certainly has intelligence, though this calls for a new definition of the word to differentiate it from cerebral intellect. The heart's intelligence is not verbal or linear or digital, as is the intellect of our head, but rather is a holistic capability that responds in the interest of well-being and continuity, sending to the brain's emotional system an intuitive prompt for appropriate behavior. Intellect, however, can function independently from the heart – that is, without intelligence — and can take over the circuitry and block the heart's more subtle signals.

The procedure that someone in Network Care receives is called an entrainment. The entrainment is designed to help a person to release defensive patterning and synchronize with the body's peaceful inherent signals. In this care, the body actually develops respiratory and muscular waves that break the patterned responses dictated by the previously locked structure.

If someone is in defense, and a majority of people are, it is difficult if not impossible to overcome the survival-based logic of the intellect and fully connect with the wisdom of the heart.

Energy of unresolved events, stresses and perceptions held in the body limit our flexibility as well as our ability to pick up the subtle but important internal cues that help us adapt to an ever-changing environment.

Advanced Network Care is all about bringing greater awareness and connection with the heart rhythm. As the heart signal becomes more pronounced, individuals receiving care report being more fully able to make healthier choices for themselves, being more compassionate, vital, creative, self aware, and responsible to human culture.

You're only hurting yourself

This morning, just as I sat down to write this article, a telemarketer called and asked, “May I speak to the person in charge of your printer supplies?” I politely replied, “Can you please take us off your list?” He told me if I didn't want to receive phone calls I should just disconnect my phone, and then he hung up without giving me a chance to reply. I had to laugh at his logic though.

I found the incident particularly funny since I was going to write about telemarketing calls for this month's newsletter. Last week, I got a telemarketing call from someone representing a copier company. Since I've received calls from this company before, I recognized the script. It reads something like this: “This is John, yeah, we're sending out the catalog. We just need to check the serial number on your copier, could you check?”

Of course, I don't have a copier, which is what I told them the first several times I got the call. I usually try to be as pleasant as possible, but my mischievous side takes over now and again and I'm likely to say, “Copier, what are you talking about? Who did you say this was? I don't know what you're talking about.” I suppose it wasn't really right for me to have fun at the expense of the person on the other end of the line trying to make a living, but nobody's perfect.

The fact is I really feel disappointment for that person, not because he is making his living telemarketing, but because the script he is required to read leaves him doing it in a dishonest fashion. I imagine that he doesn't realize the significance of being out of integrity, but I have no doubt he experiences its effects.

Integrity is an aspect of wellness we don't often hear about since it is not often discussed.

I recall my good friend and colleague Dr. Wayne Leyshon referring to this many years ago when he said, “Your life doesn't work when you're out of integrity.” It immediately made sense to me even if I didn't understand how it tied into wellness at the time.

People experiencing greater wellness initially feel a more peaceful state of mind, less depression and anxiety, and an increase in positive feelings about themselves. As they progress, they report quality of life changes such as confidence in dealing with adversity, more guidance by their inner voice and, of course, compassion for others. I think it's safe to say that compassion and deceit are incongruent.

But here's the catch — while wellness means ever expanding levels of awareness in your body, your life and the world around you, the more wellness you are experiencing, the more intolerant you will be of things that are incongruent with your body, mind and soul. This concept can be expanded to include all of humanity. When I was a kid, I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read, “As long as there is oppression, no one can truly be free.” While I was certainly not in support of oppression, I didn't realize at the time how it had any effect on me. From a spiritual sense, we begin to realize that we all come from the same Source, and to hurt another is congruent to hurting yourself.

I don't think it's possible for someone to feel true compassion for others and, at the same time, try and trick or deceive them. When you are aware of your body you immediately feel your own physiological reaction to all of your thoughts and actions, positive or negative. When you are living and acting without (or “out of”) integrity, you can't experience a state of inner peace and the physiology indicative of it. When we have a physiology of dis-ease and a relative disconnection from really feeling our body, eventually we will experience some kind of symptom as a way for our body to get our attention.

By sacrificing his integrity in order to boost sales, the telemarketer is unknowingly deteriorating the quality of his own life. I don't know him personally, but I would be willing to bet that it is showing up in some fashion, whether in physical symptoms or life situations. My hope for him and for all of us is that we recognize the symptoms as signals for self reflection and change.

I can't commit to that: Making healthy choices

One day a guy — let's call him Bill — called after having been referred to the Center for Holistic Health by a friend. Bill was experiencing back pain and was beginning to have trouble lifting his leg. Previously, when this had happened, Bill would see his chiropractor and that would take care of it. Bill then returned to his normal life. Only this time, it wasn't going away.

I invited him in for a consultation to further discuss his situation and determine some options. It turned out he'd been experiencing similar symptoms off and on for about fifteen years. He also shared with me that he'd been going through a particularly stressful time in his life.

I talked to Bill about how stress physiology and its global effects manifest in the body. He already knew that stress causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, shallow respiration and a tightening of the spinal muscles. He didn't even seem surprised to hear that it causes a reduced blood supply to the higher brain. This was probably because he was also experiencing some mental forgetfulness. Bill appeared to resonate with my description of Network Care and the effects it would have on stress physiology. Finally, he asked me how many visits he would need to commit to.

Those of you who know me or have read my articles understand that I'm not a proponent of the quick fix. We all shape our health over time. Since the factors involved in creating health — or dis-ease for that matter — are various and cumulative, why would we assume that years of patterns could be shifted and “fixed” instantly? In addition, the last thing I would want to do is remove his body's warning system without any learning or change in behavior on his part.

Based on his history, I told Bill that he'd most likely be looking at a couple of visits a week for several weeks to complete basic care. Bill said, in an extremely pleasant manner, “I have to be honest; I'm just not someone who can commit to that.” I appreciated his honesty, and, since I don't subscribe to the kill the messenger philosophy, I was able to tell him I had no attachment to his decision as to whether or not to begin care. Basically, he was saying that he had a history of not being able to commit to something like this and in order for him to do it he would have to change his normal behavior; he just wasn't sure he could do it. What is interesting here, of course, is the fact that Bill's inability to change and adapt in his life is most likely the cause of his discomfort, and exactly why he really needs care.

Clients have heard me say many times that the degree of flexibility in one's structure is directly proportional to the degree of flexibility in one's life, and this situation was a perfect example. Inflexibility in one's structure directly effects neuro-peptide binding on the cellular level. This, in turn, has an effect on one's available behavioral responses. For more information on the subject, refer to The Molecules of Emotion by Dr. Candice Pert.

Many times in life, we get attached to a story about ourselves, or an explanation of why things are the way they are regardless of the relevant truth. Our inability to change our story and adapt to the ever- changing landscape of life can wreck havoc on our physiology. If we are brought up with a particular belief system and those beliefs no longer work for us or match our evolved body/mind it creates a mental struggle and results in a defensive physiology and associated inflexibility of structure. Many of the symptoms we experience are a direct manifestation of this mechanism.

If we think about it and look back on our lives, how many times have we changed what we thought or believed about religion, politics, relationships and life? How many times have we reconsidered — in the light of new evidence or heightened awareness – what our choices might be? That is what you might call growth.

This is Dr. Gene. What's this Doctor's Specialty?

Several months ago, a client took me to an open house where she worked. She had an awkward time introducing me because she was unable to explain our professional relationship. She said something like, “This is Dr. Gene Clerkin; he's my back doctor,” or “He helps me learn how to breathe.” While I love and appreciate her as a client, I couldn't help but think that if a great client — who I believe understands the benefits and methodology of this work — has trouble formulating a description of Network Care, then everyone else probably does too.

While most of our clients are successful in achieving their goals and are happy with the amazing results they can experience with care, they often can't explain it to other people. This is not the ideal situation for a referral-based practice using a methodology little known to the general public. That being said, I thought it would be helpful to share a couple of easy explanations for Network Care with you.

First, Network Care is a profound healing work that helps to the body transform from a state of stress physiology to one of ease, safety and wellness. People in Network Care experience significantly greater physical, emotional and psychological well-being. They also develop the ability to make healthier choices and have a happier more productive life.

Or one could simply say, Dr. Gene is my wellness coach. His techniques help me get more in tune with my body, reduce stress and enhance my life.

In God we trust: Vitalistic Principles

The other day, I had a conversation with someone about healing which eventually became a conversation about spirituality. I recalled being back in school and working on cadavers. While staring in amazement at the masterpiece that is the human body, I remember very clearly saying to myself, “Wow, there's no way this just happened by mistake.” I believe that was one of the most defining moments of my future beliefs, personally, spiritually and professionally.

D.D. Palmer, the healer who created chiropractic, based his philosophy on a major premise. It states that there is a universal intelligence in all matter constantly giving to it all of its properties and actions, thus maintaining it in existence. In other words, without intelligence, matter could not exist. This sounds a little strange, but most theists might unknowingly agree and call that Universal Intelligence God.

I always liked the analogy that Reggie Gold, D.C. used to illustrate this principle. It went something like this: If we found a watch on the sidewalk, we could choose to believe that the elements in the structure of the watch came together randomly to create the intricate timepiece.

While anything is possible, I doubt most people would dispute the fact that the watch was, in fact, designed and assembled by the watchmaker. Why then would we think that the universe, in its grandeur, or the human body for that matter, could be anything but designed intelligently? Either the universe operates randomly or with intelligence as Palmer's premise supports.

If we do support that premise, then it must logically apply to all levels of the web of life. Our decisions about how we interpret our body's symptoms and what actions we might take are completely influenced by whether we trust what's happening. In other words, when we exhibit “symptoms” we all must ask, “Should I trust that my body knows what it is doing?”

One of the great things about having a major philosophical premise to work from is that it can be applied in all situations including how one eats, things one does for oneself, one's relationships, the environment, and everything else. People who are experiencing wellness have a tendency to trust in the process of life.

To me the principle is really a spiritual one that applies to all aspects of life. The question is, do we trust in the process, or are life's flavors met with fear and struggle?

*Note: This article is not meant to support either the creationist or evolutionist point of view.

Serendipidy: God's Guidance

As people work toward developing strategies to increase wellness, they experience a wide array of positive changes. One of my favorite changes in clients is an increase in serendipitous events in their lives. It is a characteristic that increases in relation to the degree of wellness a person is experiencing. In reference to Network Care, it shows up more in higher levels of care or when a person develops greater somatic awareness and strategies.

Several years ago, I wanted to get a PA system. I had been playing guitar and singing for several years and wanted to take it to the next level. At the time, it seemed a rather large purchase and I was unsure about whether I could justify spending the money. I called several music stores to price the particular system I was interested in, until I found a store that had the system for three hundred dollars less than all the others. I decided to go there, check it out and see what happened.

I was able to hook up and try out the system, and since the guy at the counter was a musician as well I asked him to play a song so I could see if it was what I was looking for and get a better idea of the sound quality. After he finished, he mentioned that I could take the system home and return it if I didn't like it. I figured I had nothing to lose. When he rang up the charge for the system, he realized it was on sale and was going to cost even less than I had expected. He didn't get any argument from me.

Because he mentioned that he played regularly at a local Atlanta establishment, I asked him how he got started and what I could do to get some gigs. Another customer overheard our conversation and handed me the business card of a local booking agent. He said if I called him he could set me up with some paying gigs which I thought was quite fortuitous.

I paid for the system, loaded up the car and headed for home. When I turned on the radio, Poison's “Rose” was playing. It had been about ten years since the last time I heard that song, but what I thought was really interesting and significant was that it happened to be the same song the music store guy played for me when he demonstrated the system. I immediately took that a positive sign that I had made the right decision in purchasing the system.

Later on, I sent a demo tape to the booking agent and began playing out shortly thereafter. The PA system paid for itself in less than a couple of months. Because music has been such an enjoyable experience for me, it turned out to be one of the defining decisions of my life.

I share this story with you because most of the time when we have decisions to make we refer to the conversation in our head in which we repeat the same thought patterns over and over, for the answer. The other alternative, and one which occurs more frequently in someone experiencing wellness, is to refer to our bodies and to the serendipitous guidance provided by the universe.

When we are “in our heads” our thoughts and behaviors are usually associated with fear and stress physiology. When we are not stuck in our heads, our guidance comes from observation and trust which is less available in a stress physiology. One of the aspects of wellness is choosing to make decisions based on trust rather than fear. In a defensive physiology our decisions tend to be more survival based and the wisdom of the body and our connection to a transcendent source are less available.

Personally, I believe these serendipitous events are occurring all the time. We just have to be aware enough to realize they're happening. Once you are, these coincidences don't seem so random or strange anymore. It's nice to see and experience this as one of the many benefits of a greater degree of wellness.

Community: An important aspect of healing

Every few months, the Network practitioners from the Southeast will get together and offer a “Clear Day.” Participants can do some yoga, SRI and have the opportunity to get entrained three times. Basically, it's a wonderful and gently structured day that is dedicated to peace and deepening your inner connection. Each time we have a Clear Day, I'm reminded of another important aspect of healing; building community. Sometimes, when we are on a personal healing journey, our friends or families don't really understand what we are engaged in so it's nice to connect with other individuals who do.

Seeing everyone interacting with each other at the last Clear Day, I was reminded about this very important aspect of a connected life - community. There is a banner posted in the bathroom at the Center that reads “How to Build Community”, followed by a hodgepodge of various community building ideas. I thought I would share them with you.

Turn Off Your TV, Leave Your House, Know Your Neighbors, Look Up When You Are Walking, Greet People, Sit On Your Stoop, Plant Flowers, Use Your Library, Play Together, Buy From Local Merchants, Share What You Have, Help A Lost Dog, Take Children To The Park, Garden Together, Support Neighborhood Schools, Fix It Even If You Didn't Break It, Have Pot Lucks, Honor Elders, Pick Up Litter, Read Stories Aloud, Dance In The Street, Talk To The Mail Carrier, Listen To The Birds, Put Up A Swing, Help Carry Something Heavy, Barter For Your Goods, Start A Tradition, Ask A Question, Hire Young People For Odd Jobs, Organize A Block Party, Bake Extra And Share, Ask For Help When You Need It, Open Your Shades, Sing Together, Share Your Skills, Take Back Your Night, Turn Up The Music, Turn Down The Music, Listen Before Your React To Anger, Mediate A Conflict, Seek To Understand, Learn From New And Uncomfortable Angles, Know That No One Is Silent Though Many Are Not Heard, Work To Change This.

List courtesy Syracuse Cultural Workers

Does Everyone Have Subluxation?

A couple of years ago I had a booth at a local town festival. At one point, a girl who looked to be in her mid twenties came up to me and said, “I already know what's wrong with my spine. I have subluxation.” She assumed, of course, that because I was stationed at the booth with a spine model that I was there to find out what was wrong with hers. In fact, I was actually out there to tell people how they could enhance their lives regardless of what, if anything was “wrong” with them. That's when I stopped bringing my spine model out to trade shows and festivals.

I had to chuckle to myself though. Apparently, the chiropractor she had gone to told her she had a condition called subluxation that would be a detriment to her health and wellness. While that was most likely true, the reality was and is that everybody has subluxations. Her chiropractor and every other chiropractor practicing could find the same condition in almost every single person that walked through their doors.

The fact is, that when you seek health practitioners' advice about symptoms you're experiencing, no matter what type of practice they have there's a pretty good chance they'll find what they're looking for within their own practices model for diagnosis and treatment. For example, if you see a medical doctor, s/he will find an imbalance in body chemistry. The acupuncturist will find blocked energy channels and a disturbance of chi, and the chiropractor will find misalignments of the spine altering nerve function and so on. There is nothing inherently wrong with this.

Our Decatur office is located very close to the ever-expanding Dekalb Medical Center. While driving by the other day, I noticed a sign out in front of the new maternity center that read “patients in labor.” Seemed normal enough at first, I guess, but it certainly speaks to a matter of perspective and brings up an interesting point.

By definition, the word “patient” refers to someone who, based on presenting symptoms and perhaps following a battery of tests, has been diagnosed, and is being treated for a disease or ailment. By using the word patient to describe women in labor, the implication is that having a baby is equivalent to having a disease or ailment. (This, by the way, is why I prefer to use the word client instead of patient.) In our culture, even birth and death have been pathologized when in fact they are as natural as natural can be. In fact, most symptoms that the body displays are not about what's “wrong,” rather they are created by the body to serve its own purpose and to convey information. One of the reasons I like offering a wellness approach is that it's not based on eliminating symptoms or having to find something wrong in order for it to be applied.

Most “health” modalities look at a symptom as an enemy that must be controlled and vanquished. Here's what author Donald Epstein has to say about our predisposition to avoid taking responsibility for our own health and listening to our bodies in his book “Healing Myths, Healing Magic”:

"If we have a physical symptom or psychological distress, traditionally our goal is to battle it, cure it, or control it. Unexplainable and uncontrolled expressions of emotion, symptoms, breath, or body are considered problematic and require intervention by a specialist. Once the specialist applies her magical treatment to assist us in achieving comfort, this allows us to continue living our life as we normally do, without making changes to our story: attitudes, beliefs, or lifestyles that may have contributed to the problem in the first place.”

The application of both Network Spinal Analysis and Somato-Respiratory Integration is based on enhancing the parts of the body that are working well. Most times, people in this type of care find resolution of their symptoms and the insight and strength to help them create the change that their body so desperately needs.

Stress! It's an epidemic!

The other day, a man stopped in to the office to inquire about holistic care. When I asked him what his goals were, he said “I don't know. I'm basically healthy.” By healthy he meant that he'd only been on four different medications for the past twenty years. As we spoke, I noticed he constantly looked away and up in the air. He also had trouble maintaining his train of thought. After significant investigation, I was able to pry more information out of him – it turned out that his back, feet and ankles hurt every day.

I proceeded to perform an examination which, among other things, consisted of noting where and how much tension he was holding in his body and also to measure the level of his body awareness. I was not surprised to find all the parameters I use to measure tension were at their highest levels. As I went through this exam with the client, I pointed out the different areas of tension to help him establish body (somatic) awareness. The client couldn't feel anything.

When you think of it, it's amazing that anyone could have had that much tension and be absolutely unaware of it. This degree of disconnection is called Alexithymia. The chief manifestations are difficulty in describing or recognizing one's own emotions, a limited fantasy life, and general constriction in the affective life. Alexithymia is a disturbance in affective and cognitive functioning that is common in psychosomatic disorders, addictive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

People like this are generally rigid and unable to change or adapt. They are also less likely to be in tune with their environment and their relationships. Since they lack awareness and disregard their body's signals, they are unable to adapt or change even if their behavior or their life in general is not working.

While this particular client was one of the more extreme cases I've seen, this relative disconnection is quite common. In fact, almost every one I see has some degree of disconnection or lack of awareness in his or her body. The effect this has on our culture and society cannot be underestimated.

When we are in a perpetual stress mode, all of our attention is on the conversation in our head and we miss out on the subtle cues and wisdom of our body. This “disconnect” — which inhibits our ability to grow and adapt to an ever changing environment — is a detriment to us as individuals and to society as a whole. The very frightening fact is that this disconnection from our internal cues, our inherent rhythms and ultimately our humanity is at epidemic proportions. It is wrecking havoc with our physiology, our environment and our species. Someone should alert the authorities! Hey wait, that's us!

How to choose holistic health

This morning, on the way to the office, I heard a story about a study that was conducted by the National Academy of Science which found that fluoride, which, as most know, has been added to our drinking supply to help strengthen our teeth and bones, might actually be harmful to us instead of being helpful for our teeth and bones as originally thought.

Every time I hear one of these studies I have to laugh to myself as I think, I could have told you that. But how would I know that without having done a study myself?

Very often, clients that consult with me are seeking advice about their diet, exercise program or what types of holistic procedures they should try. Instead of telling them what I think they should do, I prefer to arm them with the ability to reason their own solutions.

Many practitioners will give rote advice about diet and exercise regimens. That would be great if it weren't for the fact that no two people are the same. While a specific diet might be great for one person, it might not work for another. Then how do we know what's best for us?

I recommend a combination of sound reasoning and listening to your body for its own specific needs.

There are two basic methods of reasoning - inductive and deductive. Inductive reasoning is based on gathering bits of information, considering them, and then reaching a conclusion. Deductive reasoning is based on the logical thought progression from a major premise or accepted idea to smaller concepts or conclusions. If your major premise if faulty, you can expect that all other ideas stemming from it will be false too. Likewise, faulty bits of information would render inductive reasoning ineffective.

For example, there was a time when the accepted truth was that the world was flat. Anyone disagreeing would most likely be burned at the stake or at the very least be ridiculed. Now we know otherwise because every day as new knowledge is gained it replaces previous understandings and subsequent advice or procedures based upon those truths or understandings.

I heard once that every year scientists learn more about the human body than in all previous years combined. Given this, it might be worth noting that our current healthcare system leans heavily toward inductive reasoning. The Physicians Desk Reference, which is published by pharmaceutical companies, lists all information known about the medications they distribute including uses and side effects. It's interesting to note that the mode of action for almost all of the medications listed is unknown. In other words, they don't know how they work. Why not, you ask? Simply, because as much information as we have learned about the human body we still don't know much at all. If we did, then our healthcare system might not be in such shambles.

Great. So now what? If we can't rely on compiled information or conflicting research studies, how are we supposed to make healthy decisions for ourselves and our children? To sum it up in one word: Think!

Using a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning, we need to make conscious decisions based on what actually makes sense, not on what somebody else tells us. Information is a good thing, but it must be used with wisdom and common sense.

For instance, let's consider what we put into our bodies. We don't need a study to tell us that synthetics or chemicals ingested or absorbed in the body are going to be harmful. Logically, we would want to eat wholesome (preferably organic) foods and stay away from anything that has preservatives or other chemicals or food that is processed including fast food. Bottom line, you don't need a research study or a course in nutrition to deduce this.

Last, and most importantly, we must listen to what our body wants and needs. Remember, we are all unique and have different and specific requirements. No expert knows your body like you do. Most of my work is based on helping clients to develop an awareness of their body and its needs. When they develop that internal awareness then they automatically make healthier choices that are right for them.

A great spiritual teacher once said “You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, or you can teach him to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” Personally, I'd rather teach my clients how to fish for themselves.

The Law of Attraction

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.

Can't you fix the pain first? Seeking Alternative Care

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.

The Prescription Drug Epidemic

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.

How We Create Mental Stress

The other day, I was visiting with a friend and watching her daughter play with a slinky she had just gotten. She did all the things a child might do with a slinky, including pretending it was a jump rope. Unfortunately, the jump rope idea resulted in the slinky breaking in two. The girl looked at me, smiled, and said, “Look, now I have two.” What an enlightened perspective that was!

It reminded me of something I've repeated to my clients more than a few times. It's not about what happens, it's about your story about what happens. Your story is what determines your physiological response which, in turn, has a profound effect upon your health and your life.

I recently had an interesting conversation with a client, which illustrates this point perfectly. She felt she had been betrayed by people who were very close to her and wanted my opinion as to whether she was justified in her stance. I told her that I wouldn't comment on whether or not she was right and they were wrong. What I wanted to talk about was how it was affecting her- a question for which I already knew the answer.

Her response on the entrainment table was uncharacteristically subdued. When she got off the table, she asked me how I thought she did and I told her that I didn't think she was completely present. She agreed and proceeded to tell me how this drama was making her feel so badly.

When our story about how life or our life situations should have turned out doesn't match what actually happens, we tend to engage in an internal conversation about it. Whenever this happens, the physiology shifts to “defense” which makes it much harder to access the higher brain. This is important to consider, because the higher brain is the place where we assimilate new information or, if you will, a new story.

If the higher brain is unable to process information, it will be stored in the body and held as a physical anchor. Many of us walk around holding onto these anchors for years, if not our whole lives.

Even if we are justified, it's important to understand that it is our choice whether or not we decide to be offended. The problem with choosing to be offended is that, right or wrong, we are the ones who are negatively affected. On the other hand, if we step back and observe our response, we have the opportunity to change it. That doesn't mean we need to agree with what has happened, we just need to be mindful of what is happening to our body and its physiology. We need to make a choice.

I doubt that the little girl was very mindful of her physiology; however, she could have easily chosen to get upset about the slinky and she did not. It was nice to see her choose a story in which everything turned out alright.

An Epidemiological Phenomenon: Cardiovascular DIsease

I made my annual trek north to New York over the holiday season to see my family and friends. It's always a time when I can connect and reflect upon how grateful I am for the people in my life. The familiar comfort and the strong feeling of peace and ease in my body that flowed from it reminded me of two things — just how important our relationships are in the landscape of our lives, and how comfort enables us to express our true selves and thereby sustain a healthy physiology. These realizations and reflections prompted me to write this article.

Once upon a time, a client of one of my colleagues insisted that he “didn't want to become dependant on anyone,” in relation to starting Network Care. My colleague responded by saying, “we all need each other.” I've thought about that statement many times over the last several years relative not only to my wellness practice, but to my personal life as well. The following study suggests that we really do need each other, for while we are able to survive alone, our relationships do play a major part in our ability to thrive.

The Center for Disease Control found that residents of a small town in Pennsylvania had the lowest incidence of cardiovascular disease in the country. Prior to their on-site investigation, they expected to find very health conscious, physically fit, vegetarians. What they found instead were drinking, smoking, relatively out of shape people who went home every Sunday for momma's home cooking. The CDC tracked these people for years and found that when they moved away from their home base, their incidence of cardiovascular disease returned to the national average. They determined that the socio-cultural family dynamic was the major factor in predicting cardiovascular disease.

I have a close friend who has a very strong family connection. In fact, they get together frequently and celebrate every important event in their lives. While I'm a bit envious of my friend, I do feel lucky to work in a profession that affords me many close relationships. In fact, I've said many times that my clients feel like family to me and I'm convinced that even if we do move away from our families we can strive to have the same type of connection with everyone in our lives.

From a spiritual perspective, it has been said that the Divine is present in all of us. It follows then, that by strengthening our connections to each other we are strengthening our connection to our Source. As the new year begins and we vow to eat better, exercise regularly and do more healthy things for ourselves, let us remember how important our relationships are as well.

Why don't New Year's resolutions work... for me?

It used to be that resolutions were “in” insofar as they were the traditional thing to do with the arrival of the New Year. The usual suspects include: “This is the year that things are going to change for me;” or how about “I'm going to exercise more regularly, make healthier food choices and let go of some of the stress.” In the last couple of years I've heard people complain that they don't make New Year's resolutions anymore because they never keep them.

You want to do something though. Who doesn't want to break old patterns and experience growth and improvement in their life? But what can you do that really works? And why is it that sometimes, even though we want to create change, we just can't seem to, and even if we do it doesn't seem to last?

The sad fact is we live in a culture that doesn't support staying connected and in tune with our physiology and our internal cues. Conversely, it supports a perpetual state of stress physiology. I find it ironic that while healthy habits are good defenses against the ill effects of stress, it's the stress itself that increases the likelihood that we won't participate in them. Why?

Physiologically speaking, if you are stressed, the blood supply to the higher brain is diminished rendering it less accessible. Functions associated with this part of the brain include love, creativity, understanding, self-reflection and the ability to consciously alter behavior based upon it. If the functions of your higher brain are inhibited by a stress physiology, it stands to reason that your ability to follow through with your goals or resolutions will be compromised.

Our degree of wellness is closely linked with our physiology and our ability to adapt our behavior in response to new information. On his Lifetime Wellness CD series, Dr. Donald Epstein states that “People don't get well from making healthier lifestyle choices; people who are experiencing wellness will make healthier life choices because they are well.” Based on this statement, the inability to initiate and adopt healthy lifestyle choices would indicate, at least to some degree, a lack of wellness.

Logic dictates that if we want to create changes in our lives and make different choices, it behooves us to incorporate methods that enhance wellness. Then, if we wanted to make a resolution, we would have a better chance of actually achieving our goals. And if we didn't want to, those changes might just occur anyway.