HOW DO YOU LISTEN TO INNATE? The subject of "listening to Innate" is probably one of the most confusing aspects of the chiropractic philosophy. B.J.'s writings on the subject are extensive yet tend to be confusing and misunderstood by most chiropractors. (I guess that is not so surprising inasmuch as the Bible, although the Word of God, is oftentimes misquoted, misunderstood, and misinterpreted!) However, we are not excused from understanding certain principles which are not easily understood. Every aspect of our chiropractic philosophy should be understood. By grasping this part of the philosophy we gain a better understanding of the innate intelligence of the body. A better understanding of the philosophy makes us better chiropractors and in many ways better people. One of the truly great things about chiropractic as a philosophy is that it is not merely something to discuss at a cocktail party or to theorize about in the college classroom. It is something that is applicable to life. It better enables us to understand the human body and our role in taking care of our own and our patients' bodies. Last, but not least, it makes us better chiropractors. It is amazing that chiropractors will spend hours in post graduate patient management and technique seminars but will rarely ever crack a philosophy book or listen to a tape after chiropractic college. Being a good chiropractor is largely a matter of how you think. Your action logically follows your thought. As R.W. Stephenson said "the difference between a good chiropractor and a poor one is that the good chiropractor has numerous principles in his head, the poor one only a few." After that somewhat lengthy introduction let us get to the topic. How do you listen to Innate? First we must understand that if there is communication between the innate intelligence of the body and our educated mind it is on a one-directional basis. We do not "talk to Innate." The ii is not a genie who grants us wishes. It is not a god to be prayed to or to whom we make supplication. The ii is not a person or being. It is a principle which organizes, coordinates, and controls every function in living organisms. The principle is the same in a one-celled animal as in a human being. The only difference is the amount and the arrangement of the matter. The principle of gravity is the same for a feather and a rock. Both will fall to the ground (in a vacuum) at the same rate. The configuration of their respective matter is different but the gravitational pull acts on both in an identical manner. It is important to understand that we cannot "speak" to the ii. This lack of understanding of the philosophy has given rise to a technique. If the technique is effective in locating and correcting subluxation, it is in spite of its false basis rather than because of it. Here is a perfect example of why an understanding of the philosophy is important in making us good chiropractors. The ii of the body does communicate with us on a regular basis. We are educatedly made aware of our innate needs on a daily basis. The innate intelligence communicates to us that the stomach is empty: we call it hunger pangs. It communicates to us when we should empty our bladder and our bowels. It communicates to us when the fluid level of the body is low and we educatedly are aware of that need as thirst. These are normal, natural functions which we take for granted yet they are examples of the ii communicating with the educated brain. Certain dietary "cravings" may be the ii of the body communicating to the educated brain the need for some nutritional substance. It may also be a strictly educated desire, i.e., certain people always craving chocolate or a physiological dependence on tobacco or alcohol. We can see that it is often difficult to determine whether a physical desire is an "innate communication" or an "educated habit" pattern. Such confusion has arisen from B.J.'s idea of "thot flashes" or innate flashes as he sometimes called them. As a result of these "innate flashes" the chiropractic philosophy and many of B.J.'s brilliant articles were given to us. B.J. described how these "thots" came to him often during the night and as a result he would get up, take in hand the pen and paper on the nightstand next to his bed and write. This may lead us to believe that "good" thoughts or constructive ideas originate in the innate brain and that all other thoughts occur in the educated brain. That is simply not true. All thought that manifests itself as ideas and words originates in the educated brain. However, the educated brain cannot function without "thought" or innervation from the innate brain. But then no organ can function without receiving mental impulses from the innate brain. An educated thought is as much a product of the innate brain as is a drop of bile. Neither organ (educated brain or liver) could function without a message from the innate brain. The liver is the organ responsible for all bile production and the educated brain is the organ responsible for what we call "conscious thought." The following schematic helps to explain this principle. With that in mind, we must still resolve the question of what B.J. meant by innate flashes or innate thoughts and how they were better than any other thought. If we take the schematic we have already used we can see that interference can affect the quality and quantity of that which is produced by the organs. Whether the product of the organ is bile, or a thought or idea, it is affected by interference. Vertebral subluxation affects the quantity and/or quality of the bile. Disease of the liver, whatever its etiology, can also affect the product. With regard to our subject, the output of the educated brain, both quantity and quality are affected by interference. Vertebral subluxation reduces the function of the entire body including the educated brain. One function of the educated brain is to adapt us to our external environment. For this reason it can be affected by the external environment like on other organs. Stress, worry, and lack of sleep will affect the educated brain's function. My three-year-old distracting me as I write this article will also "interfere" with the proper function of the educated brain. In addition to these factors there are diseases of the brain, chemical imbalances and alcohol and drugs that create interference. The mental impulse as it leaves the innate brain is perfect but the interference caused by the above "taint" it so that the quality and/or quantity of the thought is less than what it was intended to be. If you think of the educated brain as an organ like the liver and its product being analogous to bile the entire concept is not difficult to understand. What B.J. appears to have meant by an innate thought is that it was a thought or an idea that came from the educated brain with little or virtually no "taint" from interference. It was the educated brain functioning in a coordinated, proper manner, being a perfect or close to perfect expression of what it was intended to be (at least at that particular point in time). Just as a drop of bile is produced in the exact quantity and perfect quality, if there is not interference, so are many thoughts that have not been diluted or altered by either nerve interference or other activities within the educated brain. The more able you are to focus on one subject the better your ability to concentrate. The ability to concentrate is allowing "innate thoughts" to flow. This is partly why B.J. had so many "innate flashes." He was totally focused on chiropractic. His innate flashes or thoughts came more in the evening or in the middle of the night because there was less interference at that time. PSC was closed, Mabel was asleep, the phone was not ringing. Darkness also tends to black out many of the things that would interfere. How do you "listen to Innate?" Like many aspects of chiropractic, it is so simple most people miss it. It does not take incantations or trances. It is not a supernatural or metaphysical activity. Just remove the interferences (whether mental, physical or chemical) and allow the innate intelligence of the body to express itself.
PATIENT EDUCATION IS IT IMPORTANT ANYMORE? In the past patient education has always been the key to a successful practice. During the period from 1920 through the mid-1970's those chiropractors who were the best communicators built the largest practices. Those that had no ability to educate their patients failed in practice (this group represented a considerable percentage of chiropractic college graduates). Certain chiropractic entrepreneurs like Jim Parker and later Sid Williams saw the need to teach chiropractors how to communicate chiropractic to their patients. There are literally thousands of successful chiropractors in practice today who would have failed had it not been for these two men and others like them. To my knowledge, Sherman College was the first chiropractic institution to incorporate courses in Patient Education and Communications into the curriculum. It was done because those that began the school saw that good, competent chiropractors often failed in practice, or worse, incorporated non-chiropractic procedures to survive. But times have changed. It is not necessary anymore to educate patients in order to build a successful practice. Years ago there were not as many chiropractors and there was not a community awareness of chiropractic. Chiropractors were not allowed to advertise, so word of mouth was the only way to get new patients. Insurance plans did not pay chiropractic care, consequently fees had to be within the range of the average person's pocketbook. The chiropractor had to see more patients in order not to starve. All that has changed. For the most part, people are no longer hesitant about going to a chiropractor. Insurance pays big fees. It is interesting that many chiropractors who built successful practices by educating patients no longer find it necessary to do so. Those building new practices do not need to educate their patients in order to become successful. It is simply not necessary any longer to educate their patients in order to build a successful practice IF your idea of a successful practice is making "megabucks." You may need to advertise heavily because uneducated patients do not refer. If your idea of a successful practice is treating personal injury cases, bad backs, and stiff necks it is not necessary to educate. For some reason it seems that people with these type of problems naturally gravitate to chiropractic. If you are satisfied with a symptom-treating practice that sees patients only when they feel bad then patient education is not essential. If you want to be a third-rate therapist then you do not need to concern yourself with communicating chiropractic to anybody. BUT, it is necessary to educate your patients if you want to take care of large numbers of patients. People will not go regularly to a chiropractor and refer others unless they understand what chiropractic is. If you want to see people for health rather than disease treatment then you must educate. If your desire is to adjust children and families so the young ones have an opportunity to grow up healthier than their parents, you must educate the parents. They have to understand that chiropractic is not for bad backs and stiff necks. If you want to see people understand this great principle, then you must communicate it to them and do it effectively. They do not learn it by osmosis. In fact you have to do a better job than chiropractors in the past have done because there are many more "third-rate therapists" out there advertising heavily and miseducating the public. Patient education is necessary to neutralize the effect they are having on the community. Patient education is just as necessary today as it was 10, 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Only it is necessary for a different reason. Then you could not build a "successful" practice without it. Today it is necessary because people need to know what chiropractic is. Are you effectively educating your patients? Furthermore, do you care enough?
