B.J. Palmer's Model of Consciousness

Dr. Matthew McCoy - Editor editor@jvsr.com
Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research
http://www.jvsr.com 

I am excited to announce the reprinting of Dr. Simon Senzon's paper: An Integral Approach to Unifying the Philosophy of Chiropractic: B.J. Palmer's Model of Consciousness, in the current issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research.

The article was originally published in the Journal of Integral Studies and I thank Dr. Senzon and the Editor of JIS, Dr. Allan Combs, for permission to reprint it. We felt that the article was significant enough that it warranted a wider distribution within the chiropractic community. Especially right now.

Much has been occurring in the profession both in the open and behind the scenes regarding the issue of "unity."

• Discussions and offers have been made between the ICA and ACA on the topic with the ICA rejecting the idea of merger but agreeing to work together to present a united front to the government and public.
• There have been dynamic changes and growth in the WCA with the added role of Dr. Gentempo as Director of Intraprofessional Affairs. This is a direct effort on the part of the WCA to improve communication and cooperation within the profession.
• There are positive changes in the COCSA leadership with the subluxation-based community being represented at higher levels.
• There is considerable pressure on the WFC to adopt the ACC paradigm statement so that subluxation-based care will be protected as they promote their agenda on the world stage.
• There are clear assurances from the WHO that they will make sure all interested parties within chiropractic have a voice in the activities of the WHO relative to chiropractic.
• And at the same time there has been a real effort on the part of the leadership involved in all these organizations to work together and much of it has centered on the unique role of vertebral subluxation in chiropractic a la the ACC Paradigm Statement.

But even more comforting is that in addition to the emphasis placed on the subluxation in the ACC Paradigm Statement there is an emphasis place on a fundamental "Principle" of chiropractic. The ACC statement reads in part:

"The body's innate recuperative power is affected by and integrated through the nervous system."

By design, luck, synchronicity, or whatever means it happened, Dr. Senzon offers a paper that:

"…links the various streams of thought within the profession that are oriented toward psycho-spiritual growth with those focused on physiological health only. It creates a bridge between the different camps in the profession, while allowing them to maintain their differences."

Imagine if we as a profession could agree on and present a united front based on chiropractic philosophy and science. All that would remain would be our art and work is underway to work on that as well.

Interestingly, much has been written over the years about the need to unify and merge all the different associations and how, if we did not do this, the profession would further splinter and that this would lead to greater disharmony and eventual destruction of the profession. The recent events relative to the WCA and the fears that its actions would further "split the straights" are also evidence of this concern.

I suggest that the opposite has happened amongst all this initial discord. Our profession seems to have more clearly focused on its objectives and direction. The various organizational leaders are actually speaking, meeting and developing strategies to work together. The various issues that divide us are becoming increasingly clear and seem to be amounting to concerns that can be broken down into reasonably workable problems.

How did this happen? I feel it is a result of certain individuals in each of the camps who have the foresight and understanding that we need to communicate and listen to each other, bridge these gaps, and move beyond the petty jealousies and infighting that has hampered serious growth in the profession. Further, the "Peyton Place" mentality and rumor mill that exists within the profession appears to be undergoing replacement by direct communication with one another to determine what is true and what is not. Are the seeds of an initial trust being planted?

Whether or not these seeds spring forth and bear fruit remains to be seen and we can only hope that the leadership of our profession stays the course and sees this initial dialogue through. It can only be assumed that the memberships of our various organizations along with the large disenfranchised proportion of the profession want this to happen. Perhaps if they continue to see our organizational leaders behaving maturely and with appropriate stewardship they will increase their support. What do we have to lose? After all nothing else has worked so far.

I strongly encourage you to read Dr. Senzon's paper and make it available to your colleagues and organizational leaders. His paper marks the final addition to the Volume 4, No. 1 issue of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and our next issue will begin posting shortly. This also marks the completion of the second online version of JVSR, which has the distinction of having the largest amount of content of any issue of JVSR ever published.

If you are not currently a subscriber to JVSR please become one so you can support this important work and benefit from the scholarly articles. If you are a subscriber to JVSR then we thank you for supporting chiropractic research and ask that you encourage other chiropractic colleagues to subscribe. Perhaps you could sponsor a subscription for a colleague or for a chiropractic college student? As always, I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions.

Regards,