Hello, dbdc-ga!
I understand your desire to move away from strict chiropractic work
and use your training in psychology to merge both aspects of your
education into an enjoyable career. I have put together some thoughts
for you. You may like all, some, or none of the following suggestions,
but I hope at least a few will be helpful. Some ideas may be a little
offbeat, but they may also spark some imagination!
Though many of the suggestions do involve an aspect of chiropractic
work, you can always entertain the though of supervising other
"hands-on" chiropractors while creating your own position for
psychological consulation.
==========
MEMORY RELEASE
"Body Memory - The Missing Key to Self-Healing."
http://hmrtec.com/bodymemory.html
(Note that Charles Daily is a former chiropractor!)
"Have you ever met an old acquaintance that seems to have gotten
younger and healthier since the last time you saw them? It doesn't
happen too often, but when it does, it's exciting. It tells us that
the body can let go of old habits and correct problems even at a
cellular level. This area has become very interesting to many people
in the fields of health and psychology, who feel that physical
patterns, which were considered unchangeable, are in fact less fixed
than we used to believe."
"One such researcher is Charles Daily, who over the past seven years
has been experimenting with a new approach to assisting the body to
release its internal limitations. After a long and successful career
in natural medicine, acupuncture, and chiropractic, Dr. Daily was
still concerned that most patients kept showing a characteristic
personal "syndrome" of complaints around which they defined their own
level of health as better or worse. Even after they were "healed" of
an acute crisis of illness, their bodies still had a tendency to fall
back into old problems as soon as they were challenged by stress in
their jobs or personal lives. He began to wonder why a given
individual would hold onto these vulnerabilities for so long."
"His research has led to the development of a new technique called
Holographic Memory Release, or HMR. Combining his knowledge of the
principles of both acupuncture and chiropractic, Dr. Daily has evolved
an efficient and non-invasive method for helping the body to perceive
and release its old habits or reactions. He observes that the muscles
and nerves will always attempt to handle a new problem by using an
available strategy learned at an earlier time. In other words, we keep
repeating patterns of "holding ourselves together" which were
established early on, often in childhood. The problem is that we were
often under extreme stress while we were attempting to respond to
life's challenges, and our ability to process information effectively
was compromised. These incomplete solutions were laid down in the
nervous system as "somatic memories" which then become unconscious
guidelines for how we stand, walk, and breathe."
Read more.....
=======
CHIROKINETIC THERAPY
"Chirokinetics -- The Inherent Psychology in Chiropractic Practice,"
by Edwin H. Kimmel, DC, DABCO, FICC, FACC.
http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/15/19/14.html
"The aim of chirokinetic therapy is to free the body of neuromuscular
tensions, thereby allowing an increased capacity for feeling. The
"muscular armor" is furthered softened utilizing neo-Reichian,
psychokinetic, myofascial and other modified muscular techniques.
Simultaneous work on the character structure and the physical
structure is recommended for more rapid progress."
"Grief, fear, rage, resentment, anger, and emotional pains that have
been held in by muscular rigidity since childhood begin to emerge into
consciousness as the physical contact with these tensions induces
relaxation. As the work progresses, structures soften and many chronic
tensions disappear. The participant becomes more open and direct, with
an increased capacity for health aggression, which furthers emotional
growth and maturity. In time the voice becomes more resonant,
expressions soften, postures straighten and become more relaxed,
movement is freer, and the capacity to experience profoundly
gratifying. Increased sexual feelings and tenderness occur as the
tensions begin to melt away. Positive changes are frequently reported
in every aspect of interpersonal relationships."
"These deep changes are not easily achieved. They come from sustained,
regular work with the body and the therapist. Such a psychostructural
approach enables the patient to surrender negative patterns, embarking
upon a new dimension of reality with physical comfort and emotional
growth. Neurokinetics, chiroenergetics, chirokinetics or
psychochirokinetics concern themselves chiefly with the release of
residual muscular tensions associated with long, buried psychological
traumas. It bridges the gap between mind and body, enabling patients
to get more closely in touch with their body and feelings. It induces
the release of muscular armor, thereby allowing for more mature,
socially acceptable behavior and further emotional growth. It will
frequently cause long dormant feelings, sensations and memories to
surface, as the muscular rigidity associated with that feeling is
softened and relaxed."
"Sometimes with the aid of a psychotherapist, the patient begins to
understand the repressed experiential trauma or emotion, and can then
deal with the feeling on a more realistic level."
"The true physician does not treat disease, he treats people. The true
physician never treats just a painful back, for example, he treats a
person that has a painful back and he understands that the back pain
influences the patient's total social behavior. The ramifications and
complexities of low back pain on a person's personal affairs,
economics, loves, hates, etc., may be more important than any other
local pain or disturbed physiology. Furthermore, different diseases
are produced by different personal problems, and different personality
types react in various ways to the same disease or discomfort."
Read more.....
========
POSTURE THERAPY
Postural Therapy is an area that can involve psychological and
physical attention to a patient's problems. Postural dysfunction may
begin with a simple misalignment or a serious injury. Whatever the
cause, the dysfunction can build upon itself and become severe enough
that a patient needs a practitioner that can understand the
psychological as well as the physical aspects of pain.
Refer to the Pain and Posture Clinic's website and articles about
postural therapy:
http://www.danke.com/Orthodoc/post3.html
========
CHIROPRACTIC SPECIALIST:
"Elizabeth Andrews Lecture." (24 May 1999)
http://www.converge.org.nz/amanz/elizabeth_andrews.html
"Elizabeth Andrews (BSc Hons, DC MMCA, LGSM, FRSA) is a specialist
chiropractor for musicians."
"Her two careers have given her enormous insight into the needs of
practicing musicians, particularly their physical stresses and
strains, and she is a firm believer in self-help and prevention."
"Elizabeth Andrews has studied remedial and sports massage,
reflexology, cranial osteopathy and Vega homeopathy, but her main
interests lie with applied kinesiology and various types of
chiropractic. She was invited to be trackside therapist for the
Nottingham six-day ultra marathon, after which she published Muscle
management (Thorson/Harper Collins), and she has taken part in several
exchange visits to Moscow, Kiev and St Petersburg to demonstrate
applied kinesiology and chiropractic."
"She has a BSc in chiropractic and psychology and was Chair of both
the Post-graduate Continuing Development Committee and the McTimoney
Chiropractic Association."
========
You might glean some interesting ideas by reading through the "Arts
Medicine Aotearoa New Zealand" newsletters at
http://www.converge.org.nz/amanz/index.html
The Mission:
"To encourage arts and health practitioners to work together towards
better prevention and management of health issues."
========
COMBINING YOUR TALENTS IN A COMPREHENSIVE FACILITY
Is there some way you could get satisfaction out of working at a
comprehensive treatment facility like the Southeastern Neuroscience
Institute?
http://snipa.neurohub.net/
You could be more than just a chiropractor, and more than just a
psychologist!
"Southeastern Neuroscience Institute specializes in adult and child
neurology, chiropractic, clinical psychology and neuropsychology
services."
"We under one roof offer diagnostic evaluations, testing, treatment
and consultation for injured workers, accident victims and others
whose health problems require neurological, chiropractic,
psychological and/or neuropsychological services. We also provide
independent medical, psychological and neuropsychological evaluations
for forensic (legal) purposes. We specialize in head, neck and back
pain."
=========
COMBINING PSYCHOLOGY AND CHIROPRACTIC INTO "CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGY"
FOR BRAIN INJURED PATIENTS
(This might allow you to get into more of a leadership, or overseer
position in a rehab facility, or become involved in advocacy. Dealing
with brain-injured patients certainly requires a background in
psychology!)
From "Place of Healing." Dr. John Dushatko.
http://angiejim.homestead.com/placeofhealing.html
"Dr. Duschatko has become very involved with brain injury advocacy and
rehabilitation. He is on the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury
Resource and Information Network of North Texas, and has presented at
the Brain Injury Association of Texas' State Conference on the subject
of brain injury rehabilitation."
Chiropractic Neurology:
"Chiropractic neurology is a field of health care in which the
treating doctor is a chiropractor who analyzes and treats based on
neurological findings and function. This type of doctor is sensitive
to the fact that the human organism is a unit and that successful
health care must be globally oriented rather than regionally oriented.
Patient examinations are oriented so as to determine the functional
strength of each part of the nervous system. Treatments are selected
to specifically strengthen the weakened areas and to avoid
strengthening the stronger areas until a balance is achieved.
Chiropractic neurologists are trained to pick up on even the subtle
changes and to introduce therapies that help bring brain development
into balance."
Drugs:
"Drugs are systemic. That is drugs act on all parts of the body that
they get to (due to physiological reasons some drugs may not get to
the brain for example but other drugs might.) This is one reason for
the side effects of drugs; the drug may be introduced to stop the
action of an area of the left brain stem, but because the drug is
systemic all areas of the body with the appropriate cell configuration
will be affected. Chiropractic neurology is valuable in part due to
the high degree of specificity that can be attained. This is very
important in reattaining nervous system balance. If an area of the
left brain stem needs strengthening, it is very important to not also
strengthen the corresponding area on the right."
Hemisphericity:
"Hemisphericity is the term used to indicate an imbalance in
functional ability or efficiency between the two halves (left and
right) of the brain cortex. Because of brain interconnections,
hemisphericity can show up as high blood pressure, hemorrhoids,
differences in flexibility from side to side, double vision, ringing
in the ears, sprained ankles, and a multitude of other conditions.
Hemisphericity is important to the chiropractic neurologist as
decreased function on one side of the brain is often a major component
of problems in the body."
==
Also read "Brain injury patients now turning to alternative medicine
for treatment," by Krista Hopson. University of Michigan Health
System. (April 1, 2003)
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/tbicam.htm
Some excerpts:
"An estimated 5.3 million Americans currently live with disabilities
resulting from traumatic brain injury - damage to the brain caused by
a sudden physical assault on the head - according to the Centers for
Disease Control. And the recovery process can take months or years,
depending on the severity of the injury. Often, patients with a
traumatic brain injury experience chronic motor and cognitive
impairment, in addition to seizures, and sensory and visual deficits,
which affect mental and physical functioning."
"The chronic nature of traumatic brain injury symptoms, in addition to
the lack of definitive treatments for the injury, have turned more
patients toward CAM therapies in recent years, says investigator
Sharon McDowell, M.D., a lecturer in the U-M Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation."
"It really underlines the high level of frustration that traumatic
brain injury patients feel about the chronicity of their problems and
the few proven therapies available to them," McDowell explains.
"However, while there are some good CAM therapies available. Many of
which we even recommend such as meditation and manual muscle
therapies. But a lot of therapies are not good for patients with this
type of injury. So, it was important for us to find out what CAM
therapies patients are turning to, especially if they were not
doctor-recommended."
"The patients revealed that the CAM therapies they most commonly
utilized were massage therapy, meditation, herbal medicine and
chiropractic care. Both massage therapy and chiropractic care were
used by patients to treat pain, while meditation was practiced for
affective disorders and herbal medicine was taken for cognitive
deficits."
=========
NETWORK SPINAL ANYLSIS AND SOMATO RESPIRATORY INTEGRATION
Would you be interested in using you psychology and chiropractic
background to help pain patients with this method?
(I don't know anything about this so it may be a bit off the
wall...you would be in a better position to know if it is a viable
healing method)
Donald Epstein's Mainpage:
http://www.donaldepstein.com/mainpage.htm
See sections on the Healing Process, Spinal Analysis, Somato
Respiratory Integration and Frequently Asked Questions.
==========
USING PSYCHOLOGY AND CHIROPRACTIC MANIPULATION TO HELP WITH
HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
"An evaluation of chiropractic manipulation as a treatment of
hyperactivity in children," by Giesen JM, Center DB, Leach RA. J
Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1989 Oct;12(5):353-63.
Pub Med
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2607226&dopt=Abstract
Mississippi State University.
The principle aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of
chiropractic manipulative therapy in the treatment of children with
hyperactivity. Using blinds between investigators and a single subject
research design, the investigators evaluated the effectiveness of the
treatment for reducing activity levels of hyperactive children. Data
collection included independent evaluations of behavior using a unique
wrist-watch type device to mechanically measure activity while the
children completed tasks simulating school-work. Further evaluations
included electrodermal tests to measure autonomic nervous system
activity. Chiropractic clinical evaluations to measure improvement in
spinal biomechanics were also completed. Placebo care was given prior
to chiropractic intervention. Data were analyzed visually and using
nonparametric statistical methods. Five of seven children showed
improvement in mean behavioral scores from placebo care to treatment.
Four of seven showed improvement in arousal levels, and the
improvement in the group as a whole was highly significant (p =
0.009). Agreement between tests was also high in this study. For all
seven children, three of the four principal tests used to detect
improvement were in agreement either positively or negatively (parent
ratings of activity, motion recorder scores, electrodermal measures,
and X-rays of spinal distortions). While the behavioral improvement
taken alone can only be considered suggestive, the strong interest
agreement can be taken as more impressive evidence that the majority
of the children in this study did, in fact, improve under specific
chiropractic care. The results of this study, then, are not
conclusive, however, they do suggest that chiropractic manipulation
has the potential to become an important nondrug intervention for
children with hyperactivity. Further investigation in this area is
certainly warranted.
PMID: 2607226 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
========
The following reference page may spark some ideas on other future
directions that might interest you!
"Common Careers in Applied Human And Sport Physiology."
http://academic.wsc.edu/nss/hhps/careersahsp.htm
===
I hope I have hit on some suggestions that are interesting to you.
Please let me know if I can provide further clarification *before*
rating this answer and I will be more than happy to help if I can.
Good luck in your future endeavors!
umiat-ga
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