AJCC October 2000
Attitude Adjustment
By Gregg J. Carb, D.C. and Kevin Kelley
For the
past few years, this column has presented a number of topics relating to
clinical practice purely within the physical realm — examination
procedures and treatment methods for various conditions. Because the
mind and body are inseparable when it comes to the loss, restoration and
maintenance of health, for a change this issue will focus on the subject
of attitude and its role in the healing process. In many ways, it is who
you are, and how more than what you do, that makes the biggest
difference with patients. In exploring these important concepts and
presenting them to you, I have asked Kevin Kelly, an author and lecturer
on the subject, to add some further insight.
Stressed
Out
For my part as a chiropractor, I see many patients who’s
symptoms are caused by or aggravated by stress. In this case I am not
referring to physical stress/strain as exemplified by the forces of
compression, tension, torsion or shear. I mean mental and emotional
stress, which tends to follow its own set of laws as real and predicable
as any of the physical properties. Stress includes such feelings as
anxiety, worry and apprehension. These feelings are all subsets of fear.
Fear creates a negative energy.
Fear
Patients in pain often fear what may be wrong with them, if they
are ever going to get better, if the treatment they get will hurt, the
expense of care, losing time away from their busy schedules, and so
forth. Patients with fear need a lot of attention, appreciation and
understanding. These qualities are all subsets of love. Love creates a
positive energy.
An insensitive and unfeeling chiropractor can be technically
competent and help many patients, especially those who are already
receiving emotional support elsewhere, but many other patients will not
respond with the same careful degree of physical analysis and treatment
afforded to successful cases. Sound familiar? These patients also need
an attitude adjustment — they need more positive energy from love.
Acceptance
The best way to give love in the context of a doctor/patient
relationship is simply to be very accepting. Listen carefully, agree
whenever it’s appropriate, make no personal judgements, render all
treatment with the right intention, and show you care. That’s much
more than a person could hope to get from most other personal or
professional encounters in life. Also be very careful not to take the
credit for a patient’s improvement or the responsibility for their
failure. Be accepting and do the best you can, the rest is up to the
patient. This should clearly be known to both of you.
In pacing yourself for a long rewarding career free of burnout,
beware of the tendency of patients, with their negative energy, to drain
you of your positive energy. Nature always seeks to create a balance.
When you are in a room with a difficult patient and you engage that
patient, you often leave the room feeling drained. You are the vessel
with greater positive energy and they are the vessel with greater
negative energy. It is natural for them to take on some of your positive
energy and you to take on some of their negative energy. If you start
the day with a lot of positive energy it takes longer to feel this
effect, but if you start with little positive energy you will begin to
feel drained right away. If you start your day with negative energy, you
have nothing to give and you may even drain your patients. Then, no
matter what you do, they will leave feeling no better, or worse. Be
prepared to find a way to recharge your positive energy and discharge
your negative energy regularly to be the most effective practitioner you
can be.
Kevin, from your perspective, how do you think we can become more
effective with patients?
Initially, I believe that if we want to become more effective
around people, we must appreciate one major simple truth: People are
primarily Attention Seekers!
Attention!
Each person may possess billions of cells but all in all, we are
very predictable. We all work off the same drug. I got early exposure to
peoples’ “habits” in our family business in Ireland. I was seven
years of age. Every day, people from all walks of life came into our
shop. Barely able to see over the counter, it was fair to say I was
physically challenged but obviously not mentally. Day after day, many
people told me versions of their “life story.” Now years and many
seminars later, the findings remained consistent. The only difference
was my understanding of the situation and, of course, my age. They were
getting their fix. The drug was attention, a derivative of love.
Love is indeed the most potent drug available. No matter what
personal problem is being addressed, it is likely it stemmed from a lack
of love somewhere along the line. On the other hand, an abundance of
love empowers the individual. People will believe that they are more
than a passive element in the healing process; they are integral. They
realize that they are the problem and the solution. They take
responsibility for their health — the first step towards healing. The
probability of the patient completing their exercise regime is
geometrically increased. Doctors empowering people ensures that they
heal not just cure.
So how do you create this type of environment? One could argue
there are two principle ways.
1. Through the automatic consequences of being you!
2. Through the implementation of various techniques.
Being
You?
When you do what you love, you are in the zone. You find the job
stress free, enjoyable and personally rewarding. Working in such
circumstances, you automatically create an environment conducive to
healing. Even the least perceptive patient will know you know how! No
need to learn any techniques; they flow naturally.
Techniques
to Empower
Listening
is healing
As we asserted earlier, everybody craves for and loves attention.
So the first tip is self-evident listen first, listen second.
Active listening energizes your patients. It makes them feel
valued/ important. I have met so many Doctors who informed me that many
complaints dissipated just through consultation with the patient. Their
listening produced the placebo effect.
Listening with your eyes and ears appears simple, but can be an
elusive goal for many. As our processing power is far more efficient
than people’s rate of delivery, oftentimes, our attention goes AWOL
while people are speaking. Indeed our processing power is 4 times
quicker than our delivery. Thus 75% of the time our mind can switch off.
It is in this period that the damage can be inflicted.
An additional skill is the ability to repeat back to patients
their important observations throughout your conversation — everybody
loves to be “quoted” particularly from someone they respect.
Name
please!
A quick way to engage anyone is to include their name in the
conversation often.
Telling
people they know!
Whenever I am imparting information/advice on a one to one basis
with a client, all utterances are preceded usually by; “You know
yourself the importance of...” or “as you know...” or a variation
of same. This tends to take the sting out of your comments. Your style
changes from attacking to sharing. People will never challenge you on
this. More importantly, they will feel good as a result.
Tip: Tell them they know...they will never disagree.
Tell them
stories
Irish people tend to have a reputation for their ability to tell
stories. There is method in their madness! Instructing your clients
through the medium of storytelling dramatically increases the chance
that the content will be absorbed. Why? Stories captivate the
imagination. People can relate to stories far better than plain
instruction.
Have fun!
Obviously not at the patients’ expense! Laughter can release
endorphins into our system. Furthermore, it boosts the immune system by
increasing the amount of infection fighting cells in our body in
addition to reducing the amount of cortisol. In summary, injecting a bit
of humour into a consultation helps the patient.
Becoming
like them!
From years of observing people and their behavior, I believe
without reservation that people like each other who are like each other.
Accepting this, how do we become like others?
In some ways, many of the discussed techniques thus far help to
satisfy this challenge. Listening to people, repeating their words,
“sharing” rather than “attacking” all help to mirror a
person’s reality but we can go even further. We can mirror their body
language, voice projection and words. The key is to mirror; not to
mimic.
Body
Language:
As a very independent observer, it was fascinating to watch the
two conventions recently. Only one thing stuck in my mind as a
masterstroke.
It was Al Gore coming through the crowd, high fives been shared
with many delegates on the way to the platform to deliver his acceptance
speech. This, in my opinion, was the best and most effective part of his
presentation!
Why? He was showing people “I am just like you!” I believe it
worked; strategy or not.
Voice
Projection:
Did you ever find it difficult to build rapport with someone who
speaks in a slow deliberate way whereas your style is fast and pacy? How
do you connect? You have to mirror their style; in this case by becoming
a little slower and more deliberate. With practice this becomes natural.
You will notice a dramatic improvement in your consultations.
Words:
Simplifying it somewhat, I believe that all good communicators
use simple accessible language.
Back to CBP® OnLine
CONTENTS
Biomechanical & Neuro responses to Adjustment
Communicating From the Inside Out
Normal Values in Anatomy, Physiology, Disease and Chiropractic
Ambulatory Translational Traction
Percutaneous Radiofrequency Neurotomy...