By Renee Masur

For a while I went to the chiropractor regularly, not because I had any physical issues, but because the first session was a gift from a friend. At the time, my emotional well-being had been hit by a truck, and though I didn’t realize immediately, I needed healing. The chiropractor gave me a space to feel open and vulnerable and acknowledge the things that I had been avoiding that kept myself from moving on. He was not the spine-cracking chiropractor most people think of when they hear that word. He worked with energy and encouraged people to always eat well, move well, and live well.  I know there is a lot of controversy about alternative medicine, I want to talk about one aspect of this process that really spoke to me. 

The Triad of Change 

The Triad of Change is a way of making effective choices that will benefit other aspects of your life. If one aspect of your life is suffering and you want to change, no matter how hard you focus on it, it sometimes just doesn’t turn out the way you wish it would. 

For example, I have been struggling with my weight for most of my adolescent life. My behavior was making me choose all the wrong things, even though I knew that gorging on food would NOT make me feel good. 

Instead of focusing on trying to change my behavior, Dr. Norm told me that I should try to change one of the other aspects of my life on my Triad of Change. Working on another side of the triangle that wasn’t as difficult, would eventually affect the other aspects. This meant I could work on structure or perception. I always find structure to be the one that needs the most explanation, but I understand it as my body movement. If I spend most of my day in one immobile position, I need to start moving more. Along with these bad behavioral issues, this meant my physical activity was also a bit of an issue. As a result, perception was the most achievable way to go. 

Instead of trying to look at weight loss as a way to quit being unhappy, I had to look at it another way. Trying to avoid something still means you are focused on that thing. My perception was looking at what I didn’t want, rather than what I did want. 

What do I want my future to look like? How do I want to feel? 

Looking at my life this way made the other choices, concerning behavior and structure, so much easier. The other sides of the triangle shifted with me as my perception did. 

This approach is a great way to deal with any issue, no matter which side you are trying to change. Identify your issue, choose a change that will take less effort, and everything else will fall into place.