We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Valerie Girard DC. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Valerie below.

Alright, Valerie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

Defining moment: I graduated with a degree from UCSB in Directing in Theater Arts in 1977. Once out of school, I realized that I needed a different direction for my career. Through a series of interesting events, including meeting my summer romance on the beach because our dogs were fighting over a dead squid, I went to visit him at this chiropractic college to attend a party with his classmates. I walked into the party, looked around, and instantly knew this was my tribe. and that I needed to become a chiropractor. With $1.5K to my name, I jumped in and paid for the first trimester, hoping for the best. $$ showed up when needed from recently initiated Fannie Mae, and including a great story about my dad coming through with $$ at a critical moment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The profession of chiropractic was blooming when I first got out of school. I was very interested in being a holistic practitioner, so I took seminars in non-force chiropractic, deep tissue muscle release, nutrition, homeopathy, and kinesiology, as well as becoming a researcher for a profound discipline called TBM. These all gave me the keys to developing my own specialized work called PanHarmonic Healing. I was also taught to read lab work from a more holistic perspective that has allowed me to solve patient issues that were more physiologically based. I developed detox programs and holistic ways to treat infections, glandular deficiencies and digetive issue, including a simple treatment for hiatal hernia, which plagues many people and modern medicine does not have an answer for.

Because I am an athlete, I take special pride in getting my patients and athletes back to the sport or exercise they love as I think this is a very important part of wellness.

I also realized that many problems were emotionally based, so I developed a system of diagnosing and treating underlying emotional and energetic issues that allows patients to process their emotional issues somatically in 10 minutes. This is a great boon to practice results.

Practicing for 40+ years has taught me more about the body than I can describe here. I depend on my intuition to guide me in problem-solving, which in turn allows me to discover new pathways for healing. I love going to work for this reason, as it’s always heartwarming to help my patients be pain-free and able to enjoy their lives, while I continue to learn about the body.

I feel so blessed for the faith that so many have in me to keep them healthy and mobile.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think, first and foremost, that being a good listener is key. then, ask the right questions: “How can I help you today?” is my go-to. Once you get the focus, pause for a moment to tune in with your intuition to see what needs attention first. Most patients present with multiple areas of concern. I pause and see where my attention is drawn first.

I think for me, it has also been important to observe the patterning of how patients go out of alignment. One of my classmates suggested to me that the body heals in layers and that there are patterns to how it prefers to be healed. Recognizing patterns saves time and gets better results.

If any practitioner has a way to develop their intuition, this one attribute, which I have nurtured for the past four decades, is the absolute key to my success. No two sessions are alike. I also know that emotions, stress and traumas are stored in the body and therefore need to be addressed, which I do in minutes with my version of cross-fiber muscle work and my somatic-emotional healing system.

One of my teachers told me to treat my patients like family, which I do. Forty years later, they are still with me. My oldest patient is over 98 years old (she comes weekly and literally hops on the table for her treatment.)

I am SO grateful that I was guided to this profession. It has given me so much joy and satisfaction, and has been profitable. I now work 2.5 days a week and see 50+ patients. Works for me!

Well, I had to pivot from being a theater director to becoming a DC. But guess what? Once I got my practice going, I started doing theater and ended up producing and directing 10 performance pieces in Santa Barbara and LA. Being a Doctor of Chiropractic gives me energy. I then have time to write, paint, do music and any other form of creativity. I also believe in engaging in some athletic activity each day, whether it’s tennis, biking, swimming, hiking or yoga.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://drvaleriegirard.com
• Youtube: quantumwhisperer. (meditation)
• Yelp: Valerie Girard Santa Barbara Chiropractor