The Vitalism Conference - 4/20/2009
As a member of the Board of Trustees of Life University, I just had the absolute privilege of participating and being part of a brand new and tremendously exciting program that creative and innovative President Guy Riekeman calls, “The Life Source Octagon – A Center for Infinite Thinking.”
The ‘Grand Opening’ event of the Octagon was a mind opening and spirit awakening “Vitalism Conference,” where 250 specially invited guests got to share two full days with legitimate academic scientists, researchers and philosophers from around the world.
The credentials of the PhD’s, MD’s, ND’s and DC’s who presented their research and points of view with regard to Vitalism where extraordinary - and from the time Co-Chair Rob Scott, D.C., PhD started introducing the speakers I was already feeling intelligently diminished, yet I was eager to listen to these geniuses as they expounded on their various postulates and proofs of Vitalism.
The platform presenters included Katrin Kaeufer, PhD from MIT, Ian Coulter, PhD from UCLA/Rand/Samueli, Monica Greco, PhD from Dept. of Sociology, University of London, Peter Fisher, Homeopathic Physician to HM Queen Elisabeth II, Joseph Pizzorno, ND, author of the Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, William Morris, Ph.D., President of the Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin, Amala Guha, Ph.D., Director of Complimentary Medicine and Supportive Care and Connecticut School of Medicine, David Koch, DC, Professor, Life University. Need I say more? Never in my career had I been around so much brain power, all of who were there to tackle a non-linear, non-didactic subject called Vitalism.
One thing was for sure, as I sat there copiously scribbling notes and trying to stay up to speed with the thoughts, understandings and proofs (clinical and actual), that were cascading down up me – and that was they were all speaking (knowingly or unknowingly) about fundamental Chiropractic Principle!!
There were discussions after discussions of the inherent self-organizing principles of a living organism and the power possessed by the human body of resolving disease. Time was also allotted to the antithetical posture espoused by the mechanists among us – the one that says the body makes mistakes and it is our job to correct those mistakes.
By the way, in my opinion at least, that is the thinking that has relegated the Chiropractic to the “treatment, manipulation, chasing symptom thinking that has fractionated our profession for all these years. The other side of course, was the research and delivery heard loudly and clearly at the Vitalism Conference, that the body is intelligent and can indeed heal itself from the inside and that all one has to do is to remove the obstacles of healing enabling the body to heal itself.
Yes, of course, that is the Vitalistic approach, one that I am finding more and more of our colleagues gravitating toward. The very idea that healing comes from within and not from without, that the human body has a built in intelligence to guide this process is, in and of itself, ground-breaking news to so many in our profession.
And, while an Article of this sort and length cannot hope to change the opinions of those who practice acute care vs. corrective and wellness care, it can hopefully stand for a wake up call for the future.
These scientists extraordinaire, clearly likened “Vitalism” to some sort of spiritual presence in all living things and mentioned the Yin and Yang, Pranna & Chi of some religions and healing cultures and of course the Innate Intelligence of our own. How many of our DCs and their countless number of patients understand that? Precious few, I am sad to report. When that shift is finally made, our profession will surely begin to emerge and our voice will finally be heard.
And, of utmost importance during the entire Conference was the collective statement by all presenters “that the success of an intervention with a patient depends on the interior condition of the intervener – meaning that the intent of the doctor has an extraordinary impact upon the results they attain. WOW!
Clearly, my overwhelming feeling came to be that there is a global “brain trust” now bringing to the world the same philosophy I heard way back in 1958 by a man named B.J. Palmer. Guess it took 50 more years for the momentum of our truth to leak out and perhaps it will take 50 more, but I believe that natural, holistic, chiropractic care is the future of the healing arts.
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