| 1. Look in the Yellow Pages. One morning, more | | | | continued to serve me well in my 25-plus years |
| than 30 years ago, I woke up with lower back | | | | of practice. |
| pain. I moved a bit... yes, it was definitely a pain, | | | | 6. Don't necessarily seek out leaders in the field. |
| rather sharp and intense. I'd never had back pain | | | | This advice may seem odd, but the only |
| before of any kind, but the first thought I had | | | | disappointment I have ever experienced was with |
| was, "I need a chiropractor." Where did that | | | | a local leader of my favorite chiropractic |
| thought come from? I didn't know anybody who | | | | technique. Upon my return to Seattle to establish |
| was under chiropractor care, I had had almost no | | | | a practice, I sought out colleagues in my particular |
| thoughts about chiropractors, with the single | | | | discipline, and eventually started receiving care |
| exception that my mom once told me that her | | | | from one who was on the national organization's |
| best friend saw a chiropractor. But without any | | | | teaching staff. Unfortunately, he never got around |
| hesitation, I grabbed the Yellow Pages, looked up | | | | to addressing my reason for choosing him, and I |
| chiropractors, and found one that was in my | | | | moved on. |
| neighborhood. That was a plus because I didn't | | | | 7. Stand in line at the grocery store and wait for |
| own a car, so I would be able to walk to my | | | | someone to hand you their chiropractor's card. |
| appointment. | | | | We encourage our patients to refer friends and |
| 2. Return to someone who has helped you in the | | | | family, but you'd be amazed how many people |
| past. A year or two later I was in a bicycle | | | | have come in over the years simply because |
| accident. I was pedaling down a hill as fast as I | | | | someone near them in line at the bank or |
| could on my 2-speed bike (sitting and standing) in | | | | hardware store or supermarket handed them a |
| order to get through the light at the bottom, and | | | | card. Timing is everything. |
| maintain my momentum for the hill right | | | | 8. Hire an associate doctor and exchange |
| afterwards. But just as I entered the intersection, | | | | treatments. Okay, this isn't going to work for |
| the light turned yellow. I slammed on my brakes | | | | anyone other than a chiropractor, but hey, it |
| as hard as I could, but not fast enough to avoid | | | | worked for me. Spend 4-1/2 years in chiropractic |
| the car making a left turn in front of me! I flew | | | | school and get free chiropractic care for life. Not a |
| through the air and woke up to an emergency | | | | bad arrangement. Think about it. |
| tech kneeling over me. At the hospital I was given | | | | 9. Read a book. In 1999, after sixteen years in |
| a card with the signs of concussion to watch for | | | | practice I was feeling a bit uninspired. My reason |
| and sent home. Well, that seemed inadequate! So | | | | for going to chiropractic school--to help people |
| I called my chiropractor and returned for care. His | | | | unfold their maximum human potential--was being |
| exam revealed a serious misalignment of my | | | | overwhelmed by what I saw as the diminishment |
| neck which he subsequently corrected. | | | | of chiropractic's potential. Sure, we were more |
| 3. Get a referral from a friend. By now almost | | | | accepted by the mainstream, but at what cost? |
| everyone knows someone who sees a | | | | Now people thought of chiropractors as being |
| chiropractor. But back in the 70's this was not the | | | | strictly for neck pain, back pain, headaches. |
| case. While I was attending a theater-related | | | | Where had the big picture gone? During this time, |
| workshop, I met a fellow student who told me | | | | I read The Molecules of Emotion, by Candace |
| about a particular method of chiropractic and | | | | Pert, Ph.D., in which she describes how our |
| encouraged me to seek out that type of care. | | | | system of emotional intelligence has focal points |
| Not long after, I found myself in New York City | | | | throughout the body, including the gut and the |
| and located a chiropractor on Long Island. So | | | | spine. In her appendix I read about something |
| every week I took the train out to East | | | | called Network Chiropractic. If there were |
| Rockaway. This time around my choice was not | | | | something in my profession which incorporated |
| solely about being able to walk to my | | | | her exciting revelations, I had to check it out. So I |
| appointments. | | | | called the phone number listed given, and found |
| 4. Different coast, different doc, same technique. | | | | out that an introductory seminar was being held |
| My twenty-something wanderings later took me | | | | three weekends hence. Talk about serendipity! |
| to Seattle. Since I had been perfectly happy with | | | | That weekend re-inspired me, and initiated a |
| the care I received in New York, I sought out the | | | | journey of ever deeper and deeper healing work. |
| same technique in Seattle. By this time I was | | | | 10. Choose a compatible relationship, not a |
| becoming intrigued by the possibility of actually | | | | technique. Over the years, no matter what |
| having a "real" career (and not just dabbling in | | | | approaches I have taken with my patients, the |
| theater). When I asked this chiropractor, "Do | | | | colleague I return to again and again is, quite |
| people get stronger, overall, over time?" his eyes | | | | simply, a good friend. We first met long before |
| lit up (someone got it!), and I knew where I was | | | | she entered chiropractic school. In fact, when I |
| headed. | | | | hired her to fill in for my office manager who was |
| 5. Find someone who has related knowledge | | | | on maternity leave, she was in pre-med and |
| you're interested in. Before I left Seattle to | | | | heading for medical school. Over the years, we've |
| attend chiropractic school in St. Paul, Minnesota, I | | | | worked together numerous times, gone our |
| had read of a chiropractor there who was | | | | separate ways for a few years, then |
| knowledgeable about Oriental philosophy and | | | | reconnected once again. I suggest to my patients |
| methods of healing. This was something I had long | | | | who are moving to another location that they |
| been reading about, so I tracked him down and | | | | interview several chiropractors and see which |
| began care. This chiropractor became a true | | | | one(s) they feel rapport with. The human |
| mentor, and what I learned from him has | | | | connection trumps everything else. |