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.