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We live in a world that rewards performance. The louder you hustle, the more you’re seen. The more you achieve, the more you’re praised. But beneath that noise, something quieter often gets lost — your sense of self.
At Ground Chiropractic, we meet people who carry pain that doesn’t always start in the body. It shows up in the shoulders, the spine, the breath. But its roots run deeper. Sometimes, it’s the weight of expectation. Sometimes, it’s the pressure to be liked, to be useful, to be enough.
Adlerian psychology offers a different lens. It doesn’t ask what happened to you. It asks what purpose your patterns might be serving. That shift can be uncomfortable. But it can also be liberating.
Pain isn’t always mechanical. It can be expressive. A tight jaw might reflect unspoken frustration. A frozen shoulder might mirror emotional bracing. These patterns aren’t random. They’re protective.
Your body adapts to the roles you’ve learned to play. The reliable one. The overachiever. The peacekeeper. These roles shape how you move, how you hold tension, how you breathe.
When those roles are challenged, the body responds. Sometimes with discomfort. Sometimes with release. But always with honesty.
Pain can be clever. It’s not always there to punish you. Sometimes, it’s the body’s way of drawing attention to a role that’s outgrown its purpose. One that’s being carried out of habit, not necessity.
Most people equate safety with being accepted. Being agreeable. Blending in.
But blending in can come at a cost.
When we dampen our needs to avoid friction, the body often absorbs the impact. Postural tension becomes chronic. Movement shrinks. Breathing loses its rhythm.
This isn’t a moral failure. It’s an adaptive one.
Adlerian psychology suggests that belonging doesn’t require sacrifice. It invites contribution, not camouflage. And when that shift happens, the body tends to follow. Not instantly, but gradually. Breath opens. Movement becomes less guarded. Pain softens.
Many people believe they must prove their worth. Through productivity. Through helpfulness. Through being agreeable. That belief can be exhausting.
It can also be painful.
Adlerian thought challenges that idea. It suggests that belonging doesn’t need to be earned. You’re already part of the human community. You don’t need to perform for acceptance.
When that belief shifts, your nervous system often softens. Muscles let go. Breath deepens. Movement feels less restricted.
This doesn’t mean pain disappears. But it often becomes less charged. Less loaded with expectation. It no longer needs to be the messenger for every unmet need.
We don’t just adjust spines. We observe patterns. We notice how your body responds to stress, to stillness, to support.
Sometimes, the adjustment isn’t the most important part. Sometimes, it’s the moment you realise your body doesn’t need to brace anymore. That it’s safe to move. That it’s okay to take up space.
That awareness isn’t mechanical. It’s relational. It’s a recalibration of how you relate to yourself.
And that’s where change lives — not in chasing perfection, but in making room for permission.
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