I remember many years back, I was a young hospital theatre anesthetic technician. I recall one particular anesthetist who, as he placed the mask on the patient would say over and over, ‘deep breaths’, ‘deep breaths’ in a deep, calming and reassuring voice. Now if you’ve ever had an anesthetic I’m sure you’d agree it’s far from calming, in fact it’s downright frightening so when you hear such a re-assuring voice along with his firm, gentle touch you can’t help but feel calmer, more re-assured…like you’re in safe hands.
Hi, this is Dr. Andrew Arnold (Chiropractor) from Million Dollar Wellness.
So, this brings me to present day. It’s been 30 years since that experience and I can still see the doctors face and hear those words.
We know placebo is a huge part of the healing process.
We also know the power (and responsibility) we have as practitioners in directing a patient’s thought process and belief.
Since that time, I went on to become a Chiropractor and have now been in practice over 20 years.
I often see new patients who have never seen a Chiropractor. They don’t know what to expect, i.e. cost, time off work, type of treatment etc. and this may create anxiety on top of anxiety.
Our job as practitioners is get that ‘vote of confidence’ within the first minutes. They need to feel re-assured, calm and have a clear expectation around number of visits, cost and exactly what’s going to happen next. They need to know it’s a collaborative process where they do have a say.
Our job is look, sound and feel re-assuring. We need to show unwavering confidence.
I realized this is no different to that anesthetist all those years ago. Irrespective of what actually happened next, he was able to manifest a positive delusion state where the patient thought, ‘you know what’, it’s ok to take a breath, I’m going to alright.
I realized I had the power to direct a patient’s thoughts, which would impact their beliefs and change their entire health trajectory.
My words, tone, emphasis would help manifest subliminally, a new reality for my patient.
I realized this had to founded on integrity. I had a responsibility. Potentially they could start living their lives based on the seeds I sowed in these early consultations.
I realized if my ‘best practice’ model was x number of initial visits and that they would feel a certain level of improvement at visit 3, then 5 etc. then there was a good chance this would be manifested. If I said to them our maintenance ‘formula for success’ is mthly Chiropractic adjustments then guess what, this becomes their formula for success.
So, with great power comes great responsibility.
If this makes you question what you are currently doing, GOOD! I want to challenge you but here’s a thing. The best way to navigate and test this for yourself is to adopt the ‘less is more’ policy. Go with your gut and invite your patients to do the same. You can always do more. Over time you will start to see your patient’s tipping points and start to know with absolute certainty how to guide your patient’s belief systems.
In time you will sleep easy knowing your patients are on the right trajectory and that you have truly made a profound difference in their thinking and beliefs.
About the Author:
Dr. Andrew Arnold (Chiropractor) is a Chiropractor and the Million Dollar Wellness Mentor.
Founder: Cranbourne Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centreand Million Dollar Wellness
Andrew is married to Dr. Linda Wilson, the Stress Specialist and has two children, Isaac and Bella. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.