Dr. Aidan Kinsella and her team at Verve Wellness Studio have created both a chiropractic practice and a community on Cortland Avenue. They offer a technique called Network Spinal Care. While Network is becoming more mainstream in chiropractic colleges across the country, most people aren’t familiar with the term.
Aidan explained what Network Care is and how it’s different from traditional chiropractic care. She talked about how she and her partner, Marisol, have grown a community through listening to the needs of the people they serve to help them feel more fully alive.
Network Care is a technique of chiropractic practice developed by Dr. Donny Epstein. He used the term to describe the network of the spine, spinal system, and the nervous system that can be energized to self-adjust and self-correct to bring a greater sense of wellness to the body.
In a traditional chiropractic practice, the spine is manipulated to reduce tension and reawaken neural passageways.
With Network Care, we look at the relationship between what’s going on in your body and what’s going on in your life.
The patterns of tension we have in our spine, our posture, and the pain that shows up in our body has a direct relationship to the patterns that occur in our day-to-day experiences. Tension and pain in the body come from the mental, emotional, and physical experiences we’ve been through.
What makes Network so unique is that over time, we help the body rediscover its unique wave patterns in the spine, bringing a greater sense of wellness and balance.
Photo Courtesy of Verve Wellness Studio
There are two waves we refer to in Network Care. The first is the wave of breath. We call it the respiratory wave. This wave refers to the ability of the brain and the body to move breath smoothly from one end of the spine to the other. The respiratory wave creates a connection, an awareness, and a sense of ease throughout the whole system.
The second wave that moves through the spine is a rocking, undulating wave we call the psychosomatic wave. This wave creates a re-patterning in the nervous system.
For two parts of the body to move in rhythm and time with each other requires an enormous amount of awareness and coordination in the nervous system. When the waves’ energy is disrupted, dis-ease and discomfort emerge. Network Care works to unblock those areas of disruption to allow the waves to move freely once again.
Everyone has a wave pattern unique to them. We each have a specific mathematical algorithm for how we generate movement in our body.
When we work with this unique signature that is you and how you organize yourself in response to the life force that moves through your spine, it re-patterns and the wave flows more freely.
The spine re-patterns the energy waves where we have developed habitual patterns of tension.
The different physical, chemical, and emotional stresses of life have shaped us. They’ve shaped how we carry ourselves.
When we work with this wave and how it moves through our spine, it suspends that protective shaping for a moment. In reality, a more authentic expression of who you are is actually what’s governing your body and your nervous system.
So is this like chiropractic care with energy work?
Yes, because it’s about the amount of available energy you feel you have and how that connects to what’s happening in your body.
Your body mirrors what’s happening in your life circumstances. When things feel effortless or in flow it’s because we have enough energy. And when things feel hard, like you’re pushing all the time or things are just falling apart, it’s about finding more available energy in your body.
And the spine is a modulator for that.
I don’t heal you – all I’m doing is holding up a mirror to let your system see itself so it’s able to make a more resourceful choice in the moment. From that, the body can learn how to adapt more effectively and efficiently. Those changes really come from within you.
Photo Courtesy of Verve Wellness Studio
We work in an open room with four tables. We’ve chosen that layout because change happens in the space between us. Your first visit is in a group, as are all the classes we hold.
Recently, my partner, Marisol, and I looked at what was working and what was not working in our treatment model. We realized that we were practicing this work within an old model of going to the doctor’s office and letting someone tell you what’s working and what’s not.
When Marisol and I stepped back, we saw that the people who got the most out of the care we provide were the people who recognized this as a “we” thing.
As a result of this realization, we’ve shifted our model to make it more congruent with what we saw people respond to – which is connecting to a group.
Maybe they came to one of our events, or maybe they went to one of Dr. Epstein’s workshops and weekend immersions. Some made friends with people they met in the practice and then brought friends from their life here to share in the practice of health. We recognized that the people who seemed to benefit most from our care were having a shared experience.
We defined the “benefit of the care” as something that spills over into multiple areas of people’s lives. Those who reaped the greatest benefits also continued to renew why they were coming. Maybe they came in with a shoulder thing initially, and now that’s resolved. And then they used the care to support them through something that was emotionally challenging. Then they used the care to cultivate more creativity. They also used the care because they realized it helped them be more present, compassionate, and loving in their relationships with others.
We created a way for people to renew their why by helping them reconnect with why they kept returning and how the care was benefiting them.
One example is Molly Kittle, who hosts a monthly event here called STORY. Through the course of coming for care and renewing her “why”, Molly felt called to create an event that allowed people to use their voices to connect with others in more authentic, brave, and creative ways.
We have the space, so we offered it to her to experiment with this idea and see what came of it.
Now, one evening a month, about 20-30 people gather here in this space and some volunteer ahead of time to share a story. Molly offers coaching for people if it’s the first time they’ve done something like this. It’s so moving to hear people being brave by using their voices and stories to share a part of themselves they don’t usually let people see. Not everyone has to share a story, lots of people simply come to listen.
You can find out more about STORY and see a calendar of this free event by registering on the website Connect with Story.
Photo Courtesy of Verve Wellness Studio
People have a few different ways to get started with us. Verve 101 is the first visit for anyone interested in Verve. Those are group appointments where people can learn about how the treatments work and see a demonstration before they book a session. We also have classes 2-3 times a month.
You can find us at:
Website: VerveWellnessStudio.com
Facebook: Verve Wellness Studio
Instagram: @VerveWellnessStudio
1231 Cortland Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94110
Call or Text: 415-695-4440
Register for a free STORY event
Photos and Video Courtesy of Verve Wellness Studio
Jen Baxter is a content writer and strategist helping companies creatively craft the story of their business online. You can see more of her work at JenBaxter.com.