October 15, 2024
Episode 204 – Dr. Don MacDonald – Chiropractic Visionary
“We have no idea what the potential of your body is in your nervous system and your life. Nobody knows. Right now, you’re like a dirty lightbulb. The light is in you, the light’s still there you just gotta start cleaning off all the crud that’s on top of it so it can shine.” – Dr. Don MacDonald
- Dr. Don MacDonald is a chiropractic visionary who has been transforming lives in his practice since graduating from Palmer College in 1997. He has studied and learned from some of the greatest inspirational leaders both in and out of the chiropractic world.
- After struggling for the first five years, he grew his practice into a highly successful, vitality focused clinic. He has since been coaching other chiropractors to practice in a more neurological approach and Dr. Don now wants to pass on this great gift by offering others mentorship on what it takes to be successful and help communicate their vision of health to the world.
- Alongside his wife Brandi, they’ve created the Vitality Shift, a revolutionary program that changes the game for chiropractors everywhere. Together they have been helping chiropractors around the world, reframe the way they work, get their message to the market and increase their revenue by fully embracing the Vitality message of Chiropractic.
- Listen in to this episode as Dr. Don and Patrick go deep into the far-reaching benefits of chiropractic care. Don shares the four streams of chiropractic he uses in the training he offers his fellow chiropractors including the concept of co-regulators. He offers guidance for how we can be safe co-regulators for others and the #1 activity we can undertake to improve our overall state of well-being. Dr. Don and Patrick discuss the polyvagal theory, stress, danger cues, better mental health and the undeniable importance of getting better connected to our bodies for improved well-being.
- Show Notes
- [00:42] Patrick introduces his returning TEDM guest and good friend, Dr. Don MacDonald.
- [02:10] Dr. Don and Patrick get down to business to talk about health and wellness! They start their conversation with “polyvagal” – what the heck does that mean?
- [07:13] Dr. Don outlines three main components of why it is important for us to have more awareness and understanding about our bodies. When we can connect to what danger and ease each feel like in our bodies, we can better focus on how to generate more ease and a more healthful state of being.
- [10:32] Our bodies are often driving habits and conditions which we misidentify as coming from our mind or willpower. When we experience stress or trauma it is often stored in our body, so the breakdown of awareness to our body can sometimes cause us to dissociate from it. If we can use our mind to elevate our protective state from going into shut down mode to having a calmer more relaxed experience it brings our body to a feeling of safety and a regulated state.
- [14:00] Patrick describes his own reaction to high stress situations and relates it to his work with horses. We all have a default reaction, however Dr. Don highlights that we can teach ourselves to achieve a state of calm within the storm through self awareness and self mastery.
- [17:27] The Ghostbusters of chiropractic! Don describes three of the four main streams of chiropractic that he uses to help fellow chiropractors. The nervous system has a language that is often below our awareness and working on staying regulated creates a better experience for us and those around us!
- [20:27] Dr. Don explains how he can help patients in two ways: by linking up the cause of pain with posture and through the social engagement system (this is made up of five cranial nerves which control facial expression, eye movement, smell, voice, hearing, head movements and vagus nerve.) When we are in a more regulated state, we are more social, and our energy projects more positively.
- [24:20] Stress will eventually break us down if left unchecked in our body. Patrick shares how chiropractic care and maintenance help his state of being to be lighter and more positive. Dr. Don shares the fourth stream of chiropractic care which is the power of co-regulation. Having regulated people around us, helps us to dial things down. It further supports self-regulation activities like exercise, writing, or a hot bath to bring our nervous system into a beneficial state. It’s important to connect with safe people in our lives to help us reset. Don observed that isolation in 2020-21 was more damaging to his patients than any physical illness.
- [31:00] Dr. Don offers guidance on how we can be safe co-regulators for others and reminds us that our pets can also provide co-regulation for us.
- [36:52] When we’re feeling “off” or feeling down and we don’t know why, chiropractic care can help us to elevate our overall health and sense of well-being. Dr. Don explains that the more we are connected to our body, the more we want to look after it.
- [39:48] Dr. Don explains how safety cues and danger cues affect our regulation. Things such as crappy food, alcohol and drugs are all dangers cues going to our nervous system which takes us away from our ability to create, innovate, and collaborate.
- [43:20] How we feed our soul is just as important as what we feed our body. Who we surround ourselves with and what we listen to, will affect how we regulate or deregulate our nervous system.
- [47:04] Don and Patrick talk about the hierarchy of physical and mental self-care and how they work synergistically.
- [49:41] Dr. Don shares the #1 activity we can undertake to improve our overall state of well-being, connect with our body, and improve our capacity to self assess. Patrick shares what works for him to achieve this.
- [54:14] The difference between wellness and fitness. Patrick and Don both weigh in.
- [56:40] Trauma in our body can manifest later in life, and Dr. Don explains why we’re best to look after it quickly rather than ignore it.
- [58:20] Being of contribution is incredibly inspiring to Don and his wife Brandi as they get to share their new work around the world and witness the great results. It’s having an exponential impact.
- [62:10] Mind your wake. Be intentional about how you show up in the world. Within the last year, as Dr. Don has begun teaching other chiropractors, his leadership has become more intentional, and his game has elevated.
- [67:00] During the process of study, Dr. Don also discovered he has dyslexia. Patrick highlights the blessings of it!
- [68:31] Dr. Don shares some final thoughts and guidance around self-awareness and surrounding ourselves with safe people.
- Selected links and people mentioned from this episode:
- Vitality Shift
- Dr. Stephen Porges – Polyvagal Theory
- Dr. Joe Dispenza
- The Informed Chiropractor
- Dr. Chris Honey, TEDM Episode 188
- Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
- Connect with REIN Canada
- REIN Canada
- [email protected]
- REIN Channel
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