Network Spinal Analysis:
A Chiropractor’s Perspective on
the Body/Mind Connection

WHAT IS NETWORK SPINAL ANALYSIS?

Network Spinal Analysis is a leading-edge application of chiropractic methods available to anyone who wants a freer, more flexible, and more vibrant spine and nervous system.  The shape, position, tone, and tension of the spine directly and indirectly affect our perception of life, the way we meet life, and the way we recover from life’s circumstances.  The ability of the spinal system to remain flexible, adaptable, and free from mechanical tension and interference is essential to the healing process.

      The intent of Network Spinal Analysis is to locate and correct the subluxations (misalignments and resulting muscular tension) of the spine to empower the nervous system to express a fuller range of its healing potential.  Network Spinal Analysis is not designed to remove uncomfortable situations from the patient’s physiology or to help a person feel better (although this commonly happens).  Network Spinal Analysis was not developed to cure any emotional or physical condition.  The aim is to provide powerful assistance to the body’s own self-regulatory and self-healing capacities through the spinal adjustment.

      My colleagues and I have found that as a natural consequence of receiving Network Spinal Analysis, the nervous system often reexperiences the events that are the source of the suffering with new insight, as mechanical tension on the spinal system is released and the nervous system remembers the position the spine wasin when traumas of the past initially occurred.

HOW IT BEGAN

My awareness of the relationship between the spinal structures and the patient’s mental and emotional health began with the understanding that traumatic events could result in spina ldistortion.  At the beginning of my clinical practice, I had no idea that the significant correction of the spinal distortion could have a major impact on a patient’s emotional and mental state, and experience of the world.  In this chapter, I will describe some clinical situations that occurred in my practice, forever deepening my understanding of the spinal system as a modulator of consciousness, and of the dynamic relationship between traumatic events and the spine.  These insights lead to the development of the work now called Network Spinal Analysis.

      In my efforts to maximize the body’s own self-corrective capacities in response to the force I applied to the spine in chiropractic technique, I discovered that not all subluxations of the spine were the same, and that the priority of addressing them needed to be explored. As I developed a sequencing of adjustments called a phasing system, and increased the precision of the timing type, and location of force applied, emotional responses became more common. Later in the development of the technique, patients’ spines began to undulate or wave.  This was more often associated with altered states of consciousness, spontaneous emotional releases, and reduction of spinal tension. Further exploration of the significance of the body’s self-generated wavelike motions and postures lead to the development of Network Spinal Analysis as it is presented in this chapter. There are two wave forms which may be generated during care, a respiratory and a somatopsychic (as compared to a psychosomatic) wave.  Both are natural, spontaneous, and appear to be tools to dissipate energy and exchange information.  Research has suggested that the appearance of these phenomena are positive influences for health and overall well-being.  (Epstein, 1996)

HOW IT WORKS

In my practice as a chiropractor, I have found that the shape, position, tone and tension of the spinal system are directly related to the shape, position, tone and tension in a person’s life.  It makes sense that when the spine loses its flexibility and natural contours, so does a person’s life experience.  A person with a spine that is less flexible and unable to recover from its experiences will most likely be stuck in one perspective.

      When the spine cannot enjoy its natural, full range of motion, the body/mind is limited in the types of experience that it can have, as well as the ways it can express itself on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.  At the same time, it will be predisposed to certain types of experience while being unable to respond to others.  When your back and head are bent downwards, you may experience defeat or depression. When your spine is ramrod straight with the head pulled back, you will be more stoic and both emotionally and mentally rigid.  When your head is tilted slightly upwards with full natural curves in your spine, you will be at peace, regardless of what is happening in your life.  In this latter position it is actually difficult for you to experience anger or upset.

      In addition, when a person has experienced a marked emotional, mental or physical trauma, certain parts of the spinal musculature will take on a characteristic tone.  If someone experiences a significant loss (such as that of a loved one, a relationship, finances) their spinal musculature will tense.  This is a natural process, but one that results in difficulty if the spinal system does not reset itself shortly after the experience. If the person’s spine and nervous system do not recover from the event, then the musculature will take on a characteristic thickness associated with the length of time since the trauma occurred. This is not unlike observing the rings within a felled tree.  We can determine how old the tree is by counting the number of rings.  Someone who has had experience examining trees for their characteristic ring patterns can determine the types of traumatic events that the tree survived in its past, such as periods of drought, disease, or forest fire.  Similarly, a skilled examiner can determine the nature of the trauma and the approximate period in a person’s life when the situation occurred.

      The body’s movement and tension reveal its history to the trained observer or clinician.  This occurs when if the person does not consciously remember the traumatic event that is expressed in the postural physiology.  The nervous system will wall off the affected regions from the rest of the spine or body through restricted movement, tense musculature, restricted breath, and pain.  It does this for as long as it needs to protect the rest of the nervous system, spine, and body from the traumatic history in that area.  It maybe years, if ever, before the nervous system can allow for a safe exchange of information, respiration, and movement between this particular region and the rest of the body-mind.

      When the body is encouraged to reposition itself in the tension pattern pattern that was originally associated with a traumatic experience,the body unwinds into and then out of the mechanical tension.  With a movement of the body from high tension to low tension, an emotional release occurs.  With this release there is a return to a more peaceful and natural state of less tension, freer movement, and fuller respiration.  Resolution of the tension may occur on many levels, including the mental and emotional realm, which is never separate from physical tensions.

      I propose, based upon the model of Panjabi (1992), the following explanation for the process described above.  The spine maintains integrity by the cooperation of its component systems.  These systems are the passive system (the spinal bones), the active system (the spinal muscles), and the control system (the nervous system).  When energy or information overwhelm the spine and nervous system, as in traumatic experiences, it may be stored as tension in at least one of these component systems.  Muscle tension, altered spinal curves and limited motion of the spine or extremities are examples of such adaptations.

      An additional component is the emotional subsystem.  The emotional subsystem is not located in any one place, as are the other systems.  Instead it is a functional system derived from the tension and restricted motion of the body tissues. I theorize that this tension and restricted motion are processed through the nervous system, and experienced and understood as emotion or attitude.

      The emotional subsystem shares information and energy with the other subsystem, and it must be able to dissipate its stored tension effectively for spina lstability to develop.  The emotional subsystem may eliminate its tension through vocalization or through transferring the tension to the spinal muscle which can release it though spinal motion, freeing the spinal bones to assure their natural range of motion.  The less impaired the other spinal systems are the more capable the emotional system will be to release itstension and share its information easily and safely. Network Spinal Analysis facilitates this process by removing impairments to the optimal functioning of the spinal bones and muscles.

WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS

A retrospective study was recently conducted at the Medical College of  the University of California at Irvine.  The study involved 2,818 patients in the U.S. and internationally.  The results demonstrate that Network care is associated with statistically significant, profound, and consistent improvement in patients self-reported health and wellness in many areas, ranging from general emotional well-being to improved work performance to making lifestyle changes and improving relationships.

      Additional studies are in progress to assess Network patients longitudinally, and papers further detailing the results have been submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication.

For more information about this and other research projects involving Network Spinal Analysis, contact the Association for Network Chiropractic or Robert Blanks, Ph.D., at University of California at Irvine, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Room 322 MedSurge II, Irvine, CA 92697-1275, (714) 824-4984,

E-mail: mdobson@uci.edu.