[Ed: For anyone new – or not so new – to the Gonstead System, what  Dr.Story has to say in these few paragraphs is priceless. If you follow these suggestions, you will be on the road to be a successful Gonstead chiropractor.]

I have been using Gonstead exclusively in my practice for the past five years. I have noticed that students and new graduates tend to stop using Gonstead because of frustration with the “learning curve.”  If you combine a technically difficult adjusting method with the stress of beginning in practice, you are prone to following the path of least resistance, which is to simply quit trying. In this article I hope to give the new graduating doctor the benefit of my first five years of practice and outline five secrets to sticking with the Gonstead technique.

  1. Dedicate yourself towards success with this technique. A funny thing happens when you set your mind on one thing; you get it. Anyone unfamiliar with the idea of making a decision for the purpose of achieving a particular goal should read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
  2. Visualize yourself making a perfect adjustment. Olympic and professional athletes are constantly  “seeing” themselves succeed in competition. If you can see it happen in your mind, then you will be able to translate that into real life later on.
  3. Spend all the time necessary to finding the subluxation. When you are ABSOLUTELY sure, without question or doubt that you are on the right segment, it is easier to “go for it” on the adjustment. The best way to build confidence in adjusting is to also become better at finding the subluxation.
  4. Get adjusted by a successful chiropractor. Get adjusted on a regular basis for your overall health, but there is a side benefit to this. You can ask questions and experience what your patients are experiencing.  Find someone that you can emulate.
  5. Seminars help you get motivated. Every time I have been to a Gonstead seminar, I have learned something new, even if I had the same instructor.  During school, I learned Gonstead from a local doctor that was kind enough to share this information with numerous students.  All of us gained a wealth of information about the Gonstead technique, without having to travel too far. Focusing in on improving your technique is a wonderful way to stay motivated about Gonstead.

The most important thing to remember is that by using the Gonstead technique, you are offering a unique service to your patients.  Just as it is a unique thing to see McGuire hit a home run, or Jordan fly across the court, it’s a unique thing to correct a subluxation with an adjustment.  Gonstead is simply a unique way of approaching the art and science of subluxation correction. Don’t get frustrated. Keep your nose to the grindstone and use these 5 secrets to help you shorten the “learning curve.” It’s helped me survive the first five years.