Coming Back to Yourself: Why I Keep Learning

Last weekend, I spent time in Amsterdam training with a grouLast weekend, I spent time in Amsterdam training alongside a group of chiropractors.

I went because I wanted to get better at what I do.

Not just to learn another technique or add something new to my clinical toolbox, but to spend time with people who challenge the way I think, ask different questions and remind me why I chose this profession in the first place.

It's easy, when you're busy running a clinic and looking after a family, to spend most of your time doing what you already know.

Occasionally, it's good to step outside that routine.

The Value of Being a Student Again

I've been practising chiropractic since graduating in 2010, but one of the things I still enjoy most is learning.

There is something refreshing about being surrounded by colleagues who approach familiar problems differently.

You find yourself questioning assumptions, revisiting ideas and considering whether there's a better way of doing something.

Not every new idea becomes part of the way I practise. Some deserve further exploration, while others remind me why I value the approaches I already use.

That's part of professional development too — learning to question rather than simply collect techniques.

Coming Back to Yourself

Something about the weekend reminded me of an idea I particularly like: coming back to yourself.

Life can become rather busy.

Between work, family and everything else competing for our attention, it's easy to spend our days simply getting through the next thing.

Sometimes we need a change of environment, a good conversation or an opportunity to learn something new to remember what matters to us.

For me, weekends like Amsterdam offer that opportunity.

They reconnect me with the curiosity that drew me towards chiropractic in the first place.

What This Means at Aceso

My approach to chiropractic has been shaped by many different teachers, experiences and conversations over the years.

I have a particular interest in Sacro Occipital Technique (SOT), cranial approaches and gentle, low-force methods.

But techniques are only part of clinical practice.

Listening carefully, examining thoughtfully, recognising the limits of what we know and explaining things clearly are just as important.

I want people coming into Aceso to feel that their concerns have been heard, that their examination has been considered and that the recommendations they receive make sense.

Continuing to learn helps me reflect on how well I'm doing those things.

More Than Another Course

The most valuable part of a weekend like this isn't necessarily coming home with something new to do on Monday morning.

Sometimes it's returning with a little more perspective.

A reminder to remain curious.

To keep asking questions.

To enjoy the process of becoming better at something, even after years of doing it.

And perhaps that's what coming back to yourself means to me.

Not becoming somebody different, but remembering why you started.

Chris Dunmall DC

Aceso Chiropractic, Buckinghamp of incredible chiropractors. The reason? I wanted to get better at what I do — not just in technique, but in how I live and serve. I wanted more ease in my body, more capacity to support our community, and to grow into the kind of person who can truly make a difference in others’ lives.

It reminded me of a beautiful quote by Yasmin Mogahed:

“Seek the ones who never stop caring, who break down your walls, and help you come back to yourself.”

That idea — coming back to yourself — is at the heart of chiropractic care.

The Journey Back

So many of the people who come to see us are doing their best to keep up with life’s demands: work, family, responsibility, performance. Somewhere along the way, their body begins to whisper — or sometimes shout — that something’s not right. Pain, tension, headaches, or exhaustion show up not as random events, but as signs that the system is under strain.

Chiropractic doesn’t add something into the body or force change upon it. Instead, it works with your body’s own ability to self-regulate and adapt. By reducing interference within the nervous system, the body can begin to express more of what it’s naturally capable of — coordination, balance, energy, calm. Over time, this allows people to reconnect with themselves and the things that make them feel most alive.

Healing Through Connection

The word salutogenesis means “the creation of health.” It’s a shift from asking “What’s wrong with me?” to “What helps me function better?”When we approach care through this lens, every visit, every breath, and every small change becomes part of a process of growth. Healing is no longer just about removing pain; it’s about creating greater coherence between your body and your life.

In Amsterdam, surrounded by colleagues who care deeply about service and self-development, I was reminded that we can only take others as far as we’ve gone ourselves. When we grow, learn, and connect more deeply — whether through chiropractic, breathwork, or community — we strengthen the field of health around us all.

So perhaps the real goal isn’t to get fixed, but to come back to yourself: to rediscover the strength, ease, and vitality that were there all along.

The content of this blog is for educational purposes and is not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it.