DanaAtkin

I’ve come across a few lovely clients who have quite literally been put through the ringer by some people who have posed themselves as the be all and end all in the health and wellness world. Being confident in your profession is one thing, but arrogance and disregard for the health and wellbeing of others who put their trust in you is quite another. It’s incredibly frustrating that there are practitioners out there that call themselves “healers” but put clients in a holding pattern of fear (which by the way is often an emotional precursor to all the reasons that people go to see practitioners for in the first place). These clients are now at a point that they don’t know who to trust anymore. They’ve even gone against their own instincts so they’re not sure they can even trust themselves.

A practitioner who claims to be the “be all and end all” in their profession is troublesome for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there is no singular remedy, modality or practitioner who can be the answer to all of your concerns and in fact, it very often takes a complimentary, team approach. What works for me, may not work for you. We are indeed all individuals and what makes us unique also means that we each require a unique remedy. (I personally have a Remedial Massage Therapist, a Kinesiologist and a Chiropractor as my basic life/health care team. I then add and remove as required in order to be in the best possible shape for myself and my clients. This includes Doctors, Dentists, Acupuncturists etc – there is a place for each of these for me).

Secondly, if we presume to be the only person who can help someone, then we inadvertently hurt them by possibly holding them back from another practitioner who may have the last piece, or indeed the right piece of the puzzle for them. It is irresponsible. We are all human and we are all susceptible to life’s stresses so we cannot ever proclaim to be the master of any one way of being other than being human. That said, if we are not willing to do the work we set for our clients, then we are certainly in no position to ask them to do what we ask. Walking the walk, not just talking the talk. (I personally see a kinesiologist once per month, every month to work on my ‘stuff’).

This point also cultivates fear in the client as well as the practitioner. It is unfair to inflict fear upon anyone who is seeking assistance from us. It sets the client back, the client and the practitioner both begin to act out of fear. What we infuse often breeds somewhere within us. It is far better that a client receives the results they’re looking for and experience beyond their expectations – that, my fellow practitioners is how you create word of mouth. There is only an abundance of people you can assist so why only help one or two when you could help so many more? A client should never be only “yours”.

As a client, if you feel uneasy, unsure or if something just doesn’t feel right about the practitioner, the modality or the results you are getting (or not getting) you have every right to:

1. Ask your practitioner about any concerns you have around the results.
2. Walk away at any given point (note: some practitioners, such as kinesiologists, will only allow you leave mid-session if you are in a safe, healthy, calm state of mind to do so, it is our duty of care)
3. Not continue with your initial session if, once you’ve had the process explained to you, you’ve changed your mind.
4. To ask questions throughout all sessions if you don’t understand what is being said to you. (note: all good practitioners will only be too happy to explain things to you – we love sharing our passion)

This goes for practitioners and clients alike. Above all, trust your instincts and your own opinions. Never let someone else’s opinion overshadow your own. You know your body better than anyone else, your body knows what it needs to heal it’s self and it will either give you clear signs to steer away or it will give you clear signs that you’re on the right path. Trust your instincts, listen to you.