July 2005

New life, new choices

by Dr. Madeline Behrendt

I've had a bit of a secret life over the past few months.

Having an injury kept me grounded for awhile, and as I looked around my town for new ways to engage my energy, I found something magical ‑‑ film.

Any moments that I'm not involved in chiropractic I'm now involved in film.

I recently directed, wrote, and produced my first short film. I absolutely LOVED it. But I think you all understand how much chiropractic is a part of my make‑up and my achievements. So, my next goal is to create a documentary on infertility, from a chiropractic approach. Would you like to see that?

People are such funny creatures. If something appears on a screen ‑‑ either TV or film ‑‑ it suddenly has credibility whether it has substance or not. Chiropractic experienced the upside of this when the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research infertility research series was a TV news feature for more than eight months in 2004. I'm still getting e‑mails about this!

Our real job as chiropractors is to connect. And since so many people process information visually, it seems only natural to connect by extending the conversation about chiropractic to film. So I'm doing it.

For those unfamiliar with the process of making a film, it makes opening a private practice look really easy! But, as film and practice are both arts, they share some of the same elements in creating success.

Rules for success

#1: If you want to be successful, you've got to go out and create your success. YOU'VE got to do it. As filmmaker David Munro writes in The San Francisco Chronicle: "Seven years it took to learn that it's not enough to be talented, and devoted, and in it for the right reasons. You have to take the wheel of the car of your destiny, and point it in the direction you want to go. You have to learn business, commerce, politics. You have to reach out to people outside of your oh‑so‑clever artistic tribe...and not expect them to come fawning to you."

#2: It's all about the story. It's all about people and how their lives are challenged, transformed, and also ‑‑ just like yours and mine ‑‑ that universal bond we share about what's really important.

How much momentum and energy do chiropractors derive from their practice members' successes, and knowing they helped change someone's life for the better? Neophyte or old‑timer, how often do each of us still get choked‑up or blown away or so moved that we think about how lucky we are to help people through chiropractic? Many of you have shared your stories with me, so I know the answer is "very often." Not so different from watching a great movie is it?

#3: You must have passion for what you do. Pure and simple, blood and sweat are required in committing to any kind of art and the creation of a life driven by that art. Passion is a must to get through those times when nothing is working no matter what you try, when everything that was perfect suddenly drops away, when the 25th person you poured your heart out to walks away unmoved. Passion is also required for the good times, to really experience the sweetness when everything falls in to place, when synchronicity is happening everywhere, when life is so good you can push yourself through to new levels. And when "everything requires time" is inconvenient, passion can help you stay sane.

In addition to what chiropractic and film share, as a filmmaker, I have a new life and new choices.

I went to the Sundance Film Festival this year, and yes, it was as cool as you can imagine. As the premiere independent film festival, Sundance is devoted to promoting and supporting independent filmmakers and stories that are not being told yet. My only disappointment at the festival was the presentation/discussion about science in films ‑‑ a few of the speakers started fighting about who was right (who was more "scientific"). I realized that even in an environment committed to independence and new ideas, "science" is still a very polar topic, and it is not just chiropractic, but anything that challenges the status quo. Yet, I'm not going to let that disappointment influence my film work, because my choice is that my audience is the public ‑‑ not the battling authorities.

So, that's my latest news. Hope you enjoyed the update. Know that I'm looking for great stories, so please feel free to contact me if you have a story about chiropractic and infertility or a great chiropractic story to tell. I can't wait to hear about it. And someday, chiropractic will be on a screen near you!

(Dr. Madeline Behrendt is chair of the WCA Council on Women's Health and associate editor of the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research [JVSR]. An author and speaker, she is committed to connecting women to chiropractic and chiropractors to women, and may be contacted at mbdcawe@aol.com)