A beautifully-specific upper cervical adjustment, with
ease and grace flowing through the humble chiropractor,
enacts great healing. With this stimulation, the nerves are
urged to adapt or “rewire.” The Vagus nerve and parasym-
pathetic branch of the nervous system are stimulated so
the nervous system can become more balanced. Nerve
pathways that are repetitively stimulated can grow, mold,
solidify, or change. New nerve connections can be formed
and old coping patterns can dissolve. This all has an effect
on the participant’s physical physiology, emotional well-
being, and mental cognition.
This is called “neuroplasticity” and it’s a big part of what
chiropractors help to facilitate. Vitalism is the idea that we can
heal from the inside-out, and neuroplasticity is the science
that describes the how of that statement. We know now that
when pathways are stimulated within the nervous system and
brain, we stimulate a process called “synaptogenesis.” No new
nerves are formed per say, but new nerve connections most
certainly are! This means that if we want to feel more stable or
flexible or adaptable in our body, then we need specific mind-
body practices to guide us towards those outcomes.
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The bigness of vitalism
7 Ways we can stimulate coherence and integrity within your body:
A rock has Consciousness. A bacteria has Consciousness. A
human has Consciousness. The amount of Consciousness
available is always 100%. This means that in every mo-
ment, Consciousness is available. Our ability to perceive,
sense, experience and indeed express this Consciousness is
largely decided by our vessel for experiencing life, our body.
The human body is the most advanced form used for
Conscious expression that we know of. While a rock has
Consciousness, its ability to express it is pretty limited.
We, however, can move and digest food and talk and run
and scream up into the sky. We could even do all that at
the same time if we wanted to (though I would not suggest
it!). This is because we have different cell-types, tissues, or-
gans, organ systems, etc., within us. We are differentiated,
multimodal organisms that can perform a wide variety of
functions. What directs this medley of communicating
functionality is the nervous system.
The body is a complexity that will only be understood
by simplicity. This simplicity is that the nervous system is
what connects it all. Our nervous system allows organs to
communicate with one another. It enables healing on
a cellular level. It is the network that connects all of the
matter of the human body to the central nervous system.
The central nervous system, in turn, is connected to a
Consciousness that is beyond our comprehension. Inherent
to our very anatomy, is a bigness that words cannot even
begin to describe.
Thus, the integrity and coherence of our nervous system
determines our ability to perceive and express Consciousness.
Life is the expression of Consciousness, moving through
matter. Forces are necessary for Consciousness to do work
on the matter, for any interaction to take place. When a
“corrective force” is utilized and the mind-body receives
it, expressed Consciousness can be increased. This is why
chiropractic adjustments work and can bring about core
level healing. We must always remember that the intention
and the love inherent to that force is essential.
7 Ways we can stimulate coherence and integrity within your body:
Breathwork—To settle or reset the nervous system.
Example: Belly Breathing. Bring palm over palm over your belly
button and take deep breaths, feeling your belly push outwards
with the inhales and inwards with the exhales.
2. Meditation—To create more coherence within the
nervous system.
Example: Mercy Meditation - Visualize white-light rising up
through your lower three energy centers, then down from your
upper three, centering and mixing the light in the heart-center.
3. Functional Stretching—“Proprioceptive
Neuromuscular Facilitation.”
Example: Cervical Resistance Stretches. Place one hand on top
of your head and lightly pull your head and neck in a direction
to gently stretch specific neck muscles.
4. Functional Movement—Activate big muscle groups
and posterior chain.
Example: Uphill Hiking. Find a hiking or urban route with
plenty of elevation gain and practice taking conscious steps
with your spine neutral and upright and your core engaged.
5. Core Activation—Develop core awareness for proper
posturing and spinal cord balance.
Example: Pelvic Tilt. Lay on your back with your knees bent.
Pull your belly button in towards your spine and tuck your tail-
bone, pushing your lower back into the floor beneath you. Hold
for three seconds and repeat.
6. Emotional Processing—Finding safe-space to
verbally express feelings or productive ways to process
the energy.
Example: Community groups. Reach out to close friends and
other like-minded individuals who want to have real and
meaningful conversations. Find a Pathways Connect group or
create a group.
7. Mindfulness—Letting go of limiting belief systems.
Slowing down to find stillness and presence in each life
experience.
Example: “The Clarity Strategy”—Utilize the key concept from
this book to fortify the belief that no matter what happens in
our life, we are never truly alone. There is a Consciousness
awaiting our embrace.
We can recognize the greater potential of a
Consciousness yearning to be expressed through the nervous system
and the physical body. This vitalistic expression of force wants us to
heal, always and in all ways. As the wiring of the brain adapts and
evolves, so too does our relationship to this Consciousness. The conduit changes
and we become a more whole and integrated version of
ourselves. Vitalistic inputs have a profound effect on our state of
being. We can go to the chiropractor, but we can also show
up for ourselves and do the mind-body work that we know
will serve us in between visits. We can trust that these
repetitive inputs will affect our neuroplasticity in a favor-
able way. When we do the things that create coherence and
integrity within our nervous system, our life experience
changes. We can perceive more. We can express more. We
can experience more. We can open up the floodgates to a
greater interaction with Consciousness.
When we expand this internal coherence outwards, into
our families, friend circles, communities, and the rest of
the world, the collective exponentially benefits. This is the
“big idea” that chiropractic philosophy sets forth. This is
the bigness of vitalism.
Cameron Brownley, DC, CACCP