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Super Wellness & Chiropractic Relationships
By Simon A. Senzon, D.C

How often do you get your spine checked? If you are like me, then it is at least a few times per month (sometimes more based on life's stressors). And I am sure this will continue for the span of my lifetime. How about your patients or practice members? Most likely you have some form of wellness plan, or if you come from the old model, some type of maintenance plan. This is actually an important distinction and could truly make the difference between building a life-long relationship with patients or a more typical doctor/patient relationship. In fact, I would like to suggest that there are three models like this, maintenance care, wellness care and super wellness care. Each one

of these increases in the level of depth of human connection and caring that you create in your practice. After all, if some of these individuals are going to be in your life for the rest of your life, why not create the richest and most meaningful relationship with them as you can?

The old maintenance model has its roots in the rational/empirical paradigm. Lifetime chiropractic care is viewed more as changing the oil in your car so the engine doesn't fall out. A valiant service, no question about it, but how many people have life-long, cherished and meaningful relationships with their local Quick Lube mechanic? I personally enjoy chatting with the guys as they check under the hood and top off my fluids. I must confess, however, that I don't have very deep relationships there.

There are, of course, many great chiropractors that practice in the old model. Some have been practicing since before I was born. They probably even see patients that have been getting their spines checked since before my birth as well. I am sure that within those practices are some of the richest and most fulfilling relationships that any doctor could have with their patients. That is not in question. My point really goes to the model as it too often lends itself to the "Quickie Lube" scenario. What if we made the creation of this life-long relationship of mutual recognition and deep understanding explicit, as part of the culture that we create in our offices?

There has been a great deal written lately about the importance of the doctor/patient relationship, patient-centered care, and wellness care. As to the first two, I think that chiropractors have always been the pioneers in a more human-centered approach to the doctor patient relationship. In a recent email interview with Dr. Christopher Kent on the topic of this article, Kent wrote, "Research has shown that intent, expectation, and confidence can profoundly affect clinical outcomes. Chiropractors are masters at developing effective doctor/patient relationships. Chiropractic patients report extraordinary levels of satisfaction with their care." So, no matter what model chiropractors might use, their patients are very happy and that translates into greater clinical outcomes!

This leads to the third element mentioned above, wellness care. Does wellness care automatically lead to even greater outcomes and more satisfaction? And the real question is: Do the models that utilize wellness care focus on the kind of deep relationships that make for the richest of human interactions? Wellness has become very popular today, but I wonder how much of it truly embraces the importance of the relationship with the patient apart from the clinical applications. And I wonder how much of it is still reminiscent of the old model.

I write this for several reasons, to assist you to add greater depth to your relationships with patients and to introduce a deeper understanding of wellness. Let's call it super wellness. This can be defined as a level of wellness that encompasses greater overall health and well-being, an inner sense of knowing, a greater connection to the source of wisdom and intelligence, as well as healthier lifestyle choices, a deeper connection to one's purpose, healthier social relationships and also, authentic, rich and beautiful human relationships. It is this last aspect of the definition that I believe can be modeled in your practice by the way you speak, the information you provide, and the authenticity of your presence. But this extension of the wellness model is quite a stretch from what most chiropractors view as wellness.

For many, a wellness care model includes the chiropractic adjustment and other adjuncts that might assist the individual to better express their innate potential. As Kent notes, "Implicit in the philosophy of chiropractic is the goal of removing interference with innate expression. Wellness chiropractors employ clinical strategies centered on the correction of vertebral subluxations, and addressing the negative physical, biochemical and psychological stressors which cause such subluxations." Some research has shown that wellness comes more from within, and that the chiropractic adjustment may play a role in assisting the individual to pay more attention to their inner wisdom and then make healthier choices. In this regard, the chiropractic adjustment alone could be a form of wellness care.

This is an important distinction because there are some in the profession that want to use the term wellness itself to limit the power of the chiropractic adjustment. One recent article that I read claimed that unless chiropractors were providing educational advice for lifestyle changes, nutritional support, exercise trainings, etc., then they should not be allowed to use the word wellness! In regards to super wellness the emphasis really has more to do with how the individual transforms his or her life after the adjustment. The increased body/mind/spirit communication that results, and the increasing depth in all of their relationships, including the one with their chiropractor are the outcomes in this model.

So, wellness can take many forms; in the form of maintenance care where wellness is a byproduct, in the form of wellness care with adjuncts where the practice member could be consciously supported through many other avenues of health, through the form of chiropractic alone, where the adjustment serves as the catalyst for greater wellness (which incidentally was the way I learned about wellness—from the inside out!) and finally in the form of super wellness care where every facet of the individual's life is impacted by the adjustment and the environment that they received it in is designed to foster this.

Before talking about some practical applications to create a culture of deep connection with practice members and patients from the outset, it is important to further clarify the new model. In a recent discussion with Dr. Donny Epstein about this, he told me that the most important thing is to question whether it is a life long restorative relationship, like that with your dentist or attorney, or is it a life-long re-organizational relationship. To clarify this he offered four important points that he considers to be the central theme of a life long relationship;

1) It adds perceived value to the individual according to her needs/values. Therefore, the practitioner needs to be aware of what the individual perceives, and what is of value.

2) You know something about who the person really is and accept them for who they are, regardless of the behaviors which at times reflect perhaps reduced resources.

3) You help the practice member self assess and help them experience and observe the inner dimensions and find their gap (the gap is the distance between who they are now and who they must be for what is being asked of them, not for what it is they want to do!)

4) You help them to fill these gaps and then go back to number one, two and three.

It is this type of connection and communication that allows this new model to envelop the old. This approach actually takes the term wellness care to its limits because it centralizes the role of the chiropractor in assisting the practice member to continue to evolve. It establishes a life-long relationship because it is built on more than trust and expertise, but depth and caring. Should we add Epstein's points to our definition of super wellness? Epstein calls it Re-organizational Healing/Living because it asks patients not only to reorganize their nervous system, but to reorganize how they relate to the invisible forces in their lives that led to the life they are currently living.

How can we support this process through a deepening bond of respect and caring, of super-wellness and life-long friendship? Well certainly there are the basic boundaries that separate the doctor/patient relationship, ethical as well as social boundaries. While respecting these, something more can blossom. This is something that is deeper than the typical education about health and the correction of subluxation, even deeper than the power of the innate intelligence to heal the body and merge with the universal intelligence.

I consider this deeper because it goes to the magic of the interpersonal relationship, the "We." There is nothing like it. When two individuals truly understand each other and can mutually resonate with one another, humanity itself grows brighter. Who we are with others defines some very essential element of who we are as humans.

And this can translate into practice very easily because your practice already does this. The adjustment itself creates an inner resonance that reverberates throughout the individual's body, life and spirit, but it is primarily an event on the outside. It is the inner understanding and what goes with that, which is the essence of the life-long relationship. This can be shared in many ways, through your daily conversations that pierce the surface of life's daily woes, an education campaign that helps the practice members understand how their chiropractic adjustment reverberates through their own life and every individual that they touch, and a culture of super wellness.

And it is this modeling of your own humanity that teaches so much. At the end of our conversation, Epstein said, "Ultimately the impact of chiropractic today for a better world tomorrow is to achieve the effect of well individuals making well choices influencing other people. Chiropractors are poised due to their clinical skills in helping the organizing wisdom of the body or of life to self regulate or correct subluxations and self regulate life in a more aware, conscious and uniquely ‘human' way.." I would add that one central aspect of this ‘human way' is through relationships that are authentic, where offering your fullest humanity to every single patient you serve inspires them to offer their own humanity to the world.

A New Development in Patient Care
Life University is currently researching a new model of care, called wellness development. The goal of wellness development is to determine what each individual's health goals are and whether they are within target for achieving optimal performance in every aspect of their life—emotionally, physically, socially and mentally.

Each individual is at a different stage of development. The average 15-year-old is in a different stage of physical, mental and emotional development than a 35-year-old. Currently there's not much research available on those benchmarks of development.

"If we have those benchmarks, we can discuss the individual needs of the patient and identify if they are within their target area," says Dr. Tim Gross, dean of clinics at Life University. "If they aren't within their target, we can help them get there."

The wellness development concept takes a full look at a human being's needs. This method of care will be incorporated into the university's wellness coaching training and within the model of the university's new clinic, the Center for Health and Optimum Performance.