Be attuned to the patient and in harmony.

There is no greater honour for a chiropractor than to be given the trust to adjust somebody. The thing is, this happens so often that we as chiropractors forget that. We forget the trust it takes for someone to allow us to put a force into the most magnificent and important part of their body, their spine.

It really is quite incredible what you do on a daily basis, the trust you build with patients and the life changing results you have.

However, familiarity breeds contempt and we must be vigilant with ourselves not to forget just what it is that that we are doing.

Adjusting by nature is a destructive act. Those forces acting outside the body are destructive forces. Every time you put a force into a patients spine it has the potential to be destructive.

It is imperative therefore that we mitigate the level of destruction.

Mitigating destruction does not mean to completely remove the potential for harm. We do have to trust the innate intelligence of the body receiving the adjustment, that it will cope with the force we give it. But in the same breath we must respect it and give it our best intention.

My number one tip for helping with that intention is ‘harmony’.  Become attuned with the person you are working with, be in harmony with their body before you adjust.

Before I go on, have you ever broken a patients rib? Now some of you are shocked and many of you I know are quietly saying ‘yes’.
Rib breaks are a classic example of being out of harmony with the patient, it is not always too much force, it is often poorly directed force combined with the patient bracing and tensing at the wrong time, culminating in the fracture.

Why say this? Well it is clear to see what happens when we are out of balance and therefore by example think of the opposite. That time when all you needed to do was set up for the adjustment and ‘it went’. This is an example of harmony with the patient.

This topic is one that takes a few hours to teach and something I cover on all my adjusting seminars but for the purpose of this weeks blog I want to share with you one top tip to help you at your adjusting tables immediately.

Pause.

1.       Once you have set up and are ready to apply your adjusting thrust, pause.

2.       Hold your breath and wait for the patient to go though one breathing cycle.

3.       Then join your breath in harmony with them.

This allows you to sink into their body’s routine, to harmonise, to connect. And ultimately deliver an incredible adjustment.

A simple concept but one that will take your adjusting to another level.

With love,

Tom