What if “my body doesn’t do that”?

How much should we be directing our healing?

Good morning, sunshines!

One of the things many people initially find so interesting about Network Care is the experience of feeling the care work on the table during your session, even without you “trying” to make it happen.

Many of us didn’t even know we were “supposed” to start taking deep breaths that move through the spine, until, on one of our first few sessions, we suddenly felt ourselves taking a breath so deep it almost hurts!

Many of us were surprised by the sudden urge to lengthen or re-adjust in our bodies on the table.  We are suddenly shifting around, flexing our feet and ankles or wrists.  And we had no idea that was “supposed” to happen.

Or maybe you were suddenly aware of temperature changes in the body as different areas of the body regain connection with the brain and obtain proper nerve supply. “This must be what they call ‘energy’!” you may have thought.

There are many ways that we initially experience Network Care that helps us realize that despite all the ways our bodies may have let us down in the past, we are wired for healing.  And this realization can be such a relief!

But what happens next in the process?  Is that our goal, to lay down on the table and replicate that initial feeling over and over again? If so, is it still “natural,” or are we controlling our process?

How much am I supposed to think?

Knowing that this initial experience is so important for many people who start care– to feel something happening without feeling that we are in control of it– is it even possible to keep having that experience? Now that we “know,” can we truly let go and just feel?

As we move through Level 1 (the first part of Network Care) into the more advanced levels of care, it becomes more and more helpful to engage the conscious mind in your experience of your healing. Focusing and consciously directing our bodies can actually bring your nervous system to new levels of health.  This, at the same time as we allow ourselves to feel and notice new things.

A new practice member recently expressed surprise in a workshop when she saw a fellow practice member moving and shifting her body on the table during the demonstration.  “Am I supposed to be doing that too?  Why doesn’t my body do that?”

Having this experience, of basically wondering if your body is “doing it right,” and then getting back on the table for your next session, actually helps move our process forward. What if your body does “do that,” (or something like it) but you just haven’t discovered it yet?  This unfolding process helps us learn about, experience, and express ourselves anew as we get healthier.

When you’re on the table this week, experiment with feeling what you feel and doing what feels “natural” to you, and then bring into your conscious mind a different possibility of what’s “supposed” to happen and try it out.  Allowing yourself to have a novel experience of your body in care establishes newneurological pathways for your continued healing and wellness.

Picture of Katie Ray

Katie Ray

Great day to you! I’m Dr. Katie Ray, founder of and chiropractor at New Day. Network Spinal™ changed my life–or I wouldn’t be writing to you about this right now!–and, 10 years since my introduction to this care, I remain an enthusiastic advocate and consumer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *