“Adjustment North of the Atlas”

In a recent group discussion, the team at The Centre for Powerful Practices discussed an old Practice Pointer from week 13 of 2005 (available in the archives of the members section on the Powerful Practices website) entitled “Remember... It All Happens North of the Atlas”.
Dr Henry Gillet, the Belgian Chiropractor considered by many as the father of motion palpation, would say “You must adjust the mental subluxation on every patient on every visit; that’s the one north of the atlas!”
He explained that many Chiropractors provide great adjustments to the spine, but they often fail to correct the mental subluxation. So how do you do that?

• First and foremost, STOP TALKING while adjusting. Idle chatter pollutes the healing environment and minimizes the level of connection.
• Be fully present and focused. Heighten your current awareness and block out distractions as if you are about to line up for a basketball foul shot or a golf drive.
• Allow the client to also be centred and focused at the time of the adjustment. One of the best ways of doing this is by asking them on the first (and subsequent) adjustment to focus on the release of electrical impulses throughout the nervous system as you adjust them. Apart from creating a healing intention, this will also have the effect of reducing the client’s chatter.

The more centred and focused the Chiropractor and the client are with each adjustment, the better they will connect to deliver that most important adjustment “north of the atlas”.