It is a journey, BUT. . .
There are stops along the way!
The other day a friend of mine, also a chiropractor, was talking to me about some challenges she was experiencing in working with one of her clients.
“At first she seemed really interested in my care, but now she’s saying she just wants to be out of pain as fast as possible. She doesn’t get that it’s a journey.”
I remember that I used to hear this a lot in chiropractic school from other students who were interested in learning and practicing Network, but doubtful about whether they could “sell it” to your average person.
“I love Network, but how will you explain it to people?” I would often get asked.
The implication was not just that Network is different than regular chiropractic, but that your average person will be averse to it because they just want out of pain.
People are very simple, so the argument went, and they basically want a quick fix. They don’t want to be taken on some long, expensive, never ending “healing journey” by a glorified back-cracker 😂
Because I was someone who as a patient had experienced Network as a somewhat “quick fix” in that I felt the difference and saw the potential with it right away, I never quite understood the concern.
After all, if someone had told me 15 years ago that what I needed was a lifelong physical, emotional, mental, spiritual “journey,” when I just wanted to feel better, I would have been out of there! 😂😂😂 (and not writing this message to you right now!)
Therefore, I want you to know that I not only sympathize with you when you tell me about everything that hurts, and how overwhelmed you are, but I that I also know that part of the genius of Donny Epstein’s creations, the chiropractic and the breathwork, is that I can help you now, not just later.
Yes, healing IS a journey. But there are plenty of very important, and enjoyable, “stops” along the way.
The first two “stops” on the journey are what we call Stage 1 (Suffering) and Stage 2 (Polarity) in Donny Epstein’s 12 Stages of Healing.
When you need to get off at the Stage 1 “stop” for a little while, you are either A) In tons of pain and feeling helpless and overwhelmed or B) Super disassociated and disconnected from your pain and possibly deep into addictions and distractions.
If you’ve ever been in that place of deep suffering, helplessness, or agitation and you SUDDENLY get a deep breath and feel like YES you are somehow going to live another day, THAT’s what I think of as the first stop on the healing train 🚂
And It might not always be that dramatic for you. You might not know how disconnected you were UNTIL you get that sudden, wave of deep breath through Network Spinal care or through Stage 1 Focused Breath.
When we’re on the healing train, we need to get off at the Stage 1 “stop” really, really often. All the time. It’s that important. Especially when you are new in care. But, you’ll need and want to get off there plenty of times later on too. It’s just that helpful and feels that good (once you know what to feel for)!
Stage 2 (Polarity) is another very important “stop” (that often comes second).
An example of a need for the Stage 2 “stop” is when you start feeling better. But then you feel worse. And then you feel better. Or maybe your shoulder starts feeling better, but your lower back feels worse, for example.
Here, your nervous system is starting to learn how to self-regulate out of fight or flight, and starting to pick up different signals from the body and send them to the brain. But it’s not very good at it yet, and there’s tons of judgement and resistance that also tends to come up.
When I take care of you, I like to give you and your nervous system plenty of chances to stop the journey, get off the train, and have a look around the Stage 1 and the Stage 2 “stops.”
Once you know what to feel for, it actually feels really good– and quite a lot like “getting out of pain”! 😉
Always talk to me if you have questions or thoughts about how we navigate our ride on the healing train together.
I’m biased, of course. So OF COURSE my goal is for this ride to be so good, and bring so much to your life that you can’t imagine your life without it! 💖☀️🌍
Love you New Day, and I’ll hope to see you at your adjustments tomorrow.
