Before You Explain Chiropractic, Do This First

Many chiropractors believe the key to chiropractic practice growth is learning how to explain chiropractic more clearly.

We attend seminars, listen to great speakers, and come away thinking that if we could just explain the nervous system, the adjustment, and the philosophy clearly enough, patients would finally “get it.”

But there’s a problem with this approach.

Patients are often not ready to hear your explanation yet.

Before someone accepts advice, guidance, or a care recommendation, their brain is silently asking three questions.

If these questions are answered in the wrong order, even the most compelling explanation of chiropractic will fail to land.

In this episode, I break down the three hidden questions every patient asks before committing to chiropractic care — and how understanding them can dramatically improve your communication, patient trust, and ultimately your practice growth.

Key Takeaways From This Episode

• Patients evaluate whether they feel understood before they evaluate your explanation.
• Trust must be established before patients consider a care recommendation.
• Chiropractors often explain chiropractic too soon.
• Using patient language and reflective listening builds trust quickly.
• When connection and trust are established, the explanation of chiropractic becomes far more effective.

The Three Questions Every Patient Is Asking

Whenever a patient is reading your website, watching your social media content, or sitting across from you in your practice, their brain is subconsciously asking three questions:

Do you understand me?

Do I trust you?

Can you help me?

Most chiropractors start by answering the third question.

They jump straight to explaining how chiropractic works.

But the brain doesn’t evaluate solutions until it first feels understood and safe.

Understanding this sequence can completely transform the way chiropractors communicate with patients both online and in practice.

Why Explaining Chiropractic Too Soon Hurts Practice Growth

Many chiropractors believe that if patients simply understood chiropractic better, they would start care and stay under care.

But when chiropractors jump straight to explaining chiropractic before patients feel understood or trust the doctor, the message often creates resistance instead of clarity.

Understanding the order of patient communication can dramatically improve chiropractic marketing, patient trust, patient retention, and long‑term practice growth.

The Psychology Behind Patient Trust and Decision Making

Communication research shows that people resist persuasion when they feel someone is trying to push a solution too quickly.

Psychologists call this psychological reactance.

When patients feel understood first, that resistance drops dramatically.

Neuroscience research also shows that the brain evaluates the trustworthiness of the communicator before evaluating the message itself.

In simple terms, the brain is asking:

• Is this person relevant to me?
• Is this someone I can trust?

Only once those questions are answered does the brain begin evaluating the recommendation.

Practical Ways Chiropractors Can Apply This

In this episode you’ll learn practical strategies you can apply immediately in your website copy, social media content, and patient conversations, including:

• How to help patients feel understood by using their language
• Why summarising what patients tell you instantly builds trust
• The power of reflective listening and thoughtful follow‑up questions
• The three trust‑building principles from persuasion research
• How to communicate chiropractic in a way that reduces resistance

These insights help chiropractors communicate more effectively with the families they serve and create stronger patient relationships.

Why This Matters for Practice Growth

Practice growth doesn’t come from having the most technically accurate explanation of chiropractic.

It comes from connection, trust, and clarity.

When patients feel understood and trust the person guiding them, the explanation of chiropractic finally lands the way it was meant to.

And when that happens, patients are far more likely to begin care, stay under care, and refer others.

If you want your message to resonate more deeply with the families you serve — whether on your website, your social media, or in your practice — this episode will change the way you communicate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t patients respond to explanations of chiropractic?

Patients rarely evaluate the explanation first. They first evaluate whether they feel understood and whether they trust the person explaining it.

What builds trust with chiropractic patients?

Trust grows through clear communication, social proof, authority, and genuine listening — all signals that the brain interprets as safety.

What is the best way to communicate chiropractic to patients?

Start by showing patients you understand their concerns, frustrations, and goals. Once trust is established, the explanation of chiropractic becomes much easier for patients to accept.

Episode Transcript

00:02:23:04 – 00:02:45:01
Good morning. Good afternoon and good evening, folks. Hey, welcome to another episode of the Marketing You Practice podcast. The podcast where I had the pleasure of simplifying the marketing and the mindset so you the chiropractic can increase your impact, your income and your enjoyment in practice too. Now, today I want to talk about something that quietly shapes almost every piece of communication that we have with patients.

00:02:45:20 – 00:03:09:15
Now, one thing that I’ve noticed over the years is that chiropractors, we’re always searching for better ways to explain chiropractic. We go to seminars, we listen to great speakers. And when someone stands up and delivers a beautiful explanation of chiropractic, the nervous system, the power of the adjustment, the body’s innate intelligence, we think to ourselves, that’s it. That’s the way that I need to explain chiropractic.

00:03:09:15 – 00:03:32:05
That’s what’s holding me back from practice growth. So we go back into our practice determined to become a more eloquent communicator. But here’s the thing that we often miss when we’re sitting in that audience at a chiropractic conference. The explanation lands so well because we already believe it. Okay, we already have years of context around chiropractic. We already understand the philosophy.

00:03:32:05 – 00:03:59:02
We already trust the person speaking. And because of that, when they talk about the nervous system, the power of the adjustment, it resonates immediately. Okay. But our patients don’t have that same context. Okay? And this is where the disconnect happens. So chiropractors spend an enormous energy trying to be perfect or to create the perfect explanation of chiropractic when the real issue isn’t the explanation at all.

00:03:59:02 – 00:04:25:20
Okay. The real issue is that there are two questions that patients need answered before they’re ready to hear it. Okay. And if those questions are answered first, even the most beautiful of explanations of chiropractic will not land. Now, let me give you a really simple example. I want you to imagine that you’re walking down the street and you see somebody standing on the corner up on a little soapbox, okay?

00:04:26:10 – 00:04:46:13
They’re passionately preaching about religion. They’re explaining their beliefs with absolute conviction, the certainty they have. There’s a truth in what they’re talking about as well. They’re telling everybody that walks past that they have the answer, okay, now maybe even they’re doing a pretty damn good job explaining it. But what are most of us do in this situation? We walk right past.

00:04:46:13 – 00:05:08:17
We barely slow down. And it’s not because we don’t believe what they saying. Okay? And it’s not even necessarily that they’re wrong. Okay. It’s because to things are missing. Now, the first thing is, is that there’s no trust, okay? They’re a complete stranger. Why would we trust them with something that’s so damn important? And the second thing is, there’s no specificity, okay?

00:05:08:17 – 00:05:36:08
They’re not speaking to you. They’re just broadcasting a message to anyone who happens to walk by a car. There’s no sense that they understand your life, your struggles and your situation. So even if they do have a powerful message, what ends up happening is it doesn’t land. And here’s the uncomfortable truth. Many of us as chiropractors are accidentally doing exactly the same thing in our marketing and our communication with our patients.

00:05:36:21 – 00:05:58:05
We metaphorically stand on our own soapboxes, on our websites, on social media, and sometimes in our communication with patients and we broadcast messages about chiropractic to the world. We explain how chiropractic helps the nervous system. We explain the benefits of care, we explain the power of an adjustment. And the mistake we’re making is that we’re jumping straight to the solution.

00:05:58:05 – 00:06:23:13
And when we do that, we skip over the two questions that the brain of our patients and our prospective patients is silently asking first. Now, when someone is listening to you, whether on your website or on social media or sitting across from you in your practice, their brain is silently asking three questions. Okay, now the first question is this is do you understand me?

00:06:24:01 – 00:06:43:23
The second question is, do I trust you? And the third question is, can you help me? Now, most of us as chiropractors start with answering question number three. Okay? That’s what the person was doing on the soapbox. On the corner, though, answering the question is, can I help you? And we do this by explaining that we can help.

00:06:44:07 – 00:07:12:15
But if the first two questions haven’t already been answered, the brain isn’t ready to hear the solution. Okay, if we don’t answer those first two questions. First, our solution will not land. Okay. Now, let me share a little of the psychology behind these questions. The brain, our brain, a patient’s brain is always scanning for safety before it accepts influence, before someone can accept advice, guidance or solution.

00:07:12:15 – 00:07:52:23
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The nervous system wants to know two things Am I understood and is this person safe to trust? Now, psychologists have actually studied what happens when someone jumps too quickly into a solution. And there’s a term for this this resistance that people feel when someone is trying to persuade them before understanding them. Okay. It’s called psychological reactance. Okay. And research shows that when communication evokes empathy, when people feel understood, and that that resistance drops okay, and people become far more open to guidance, this is like I’m far more open to starting chiropractic care.

00:07:52:23 – 00:08:24:04
In other words, when people feel understood first the nervous system relaxes a kind of becomes more receptive to new ideas. Now, the second thing that the brain evaluates is the person delivering the message and research again in social neuroscience shows that persuasion is strongly influenced not just by the message itself. That is how eloquently you’re communicating chiropractic, but by by the perceived trustworthiness and relevance of the communicator.

00:08:24:04 – 00:08:53:23
Okay. So in simple terms, the brain is constantly asking, is this someone I trust? Is this someone relevant to me? Now, only once those questions are answered does the brain stop evaluating the recommendation. Okay, now you could think about this sequence as connection, confidence and commitment, or simply understanding trust and then help. Okay. The key point to remember here is that the order matters.

00:08:54:09 – 00:09:19:06
So question number one we want to be answering is, do you understand me? Okay. So before people care about what you know, they want to feel seen. They want to know that you understand their frustrations, their fees. They want you to know that you understand what they’ve already tried, what life is like dealing with an issue that is affecting the family or their well-being.

00:09:19:22 – 00:09:49:17
Now, psychology research consistently shows that when people feel understood, their resistance to influence drops, okay? And the openness to guidance really increases. Okay. So how is it that we actually create this feeling now? Again, it’s not about being clever with words. It’s not about having the best explanation of chiropractic. It’s about showing the patient that you genuinely understand their experience.

00:09:50:10 – 00:10:18:24
Now he’s six practical ways to create a feeling of being understood. The first is to make sure that you’re using the patient’s language. Okay. One of the fastest ways to create connection is to use the same words that your patients use, not clinical language, but use their language. For example, our parents are regularly or rarely. Rather, parents are rarely saying, you know, I’m concerned about my child’s nervous system regulation.

00:10:18:24 – 00:10:40:14
I get that list. Somebody is incredibly educated about chiropractic. Instead, they’re coming in saying things like this My baby’s not sleeping, you know, she’s constantly unsettled. We feel like we’ve tried everything or he’s always getting sick. Now, when people hear their own language reflected back to them, the brain immediately thinks, this person gets me. Okay, let me say that again.

00:10:41:02 – 00:11:12:18
When people hear their own language reflected back to them, the brain immediately thinks This person gets me. Now, the second thing you can do is name the frustrations. Patients often feel relief simply when somebody acknowledges how frustrating their situation has been. Okay. And again, you can do this by simply saying something like this. A lot of parents who come in here feel exhausted because they’ve been trying everything to help their child sleep and nothing seems to work.

00:11:13:05 – 00:11:36:21
Well, maybe something like this. Many people who find us have been dealing with stress or tension in their body for years, and they just want to feel like themselves again. When somebody here is their frustration acknowledged, the nervous system relaxes and they feel seen. And this is important in the journey of them having understood or being able to understand chiropractic.

00:11:37:09 – 00:11:56:22
Now, the third thing that we need to do is that we need to address the fears they haven’t said out loud. Now, often our patients carry concerns they haven’t yet expressed, and maybe they haven’t even formally understood it. But it’s kind of going on as a background conversation. Parents are thinking things like, This is something actually wrong with my child?

00:11:57:06 – 00:12:25:20
Is this going to affect their development? Am I a bad parent? Are we missing something important? Okay, adults might be thinking, is my body breaking down? Am I getting worse? Am I ever going to be able to get away from this? Now, when we speak to those fears directly, patients feel deeply understood. Now, for example, one of the things parents often worry about at this stage is whether their child is going to keep struggling with the sleeping or being unsettled.

00:12:26:04 – 00:12:48:23
Okay. So when we say that to them, again, we just reflect back to one of the things that parents often worry about at this stage is whether their child is going to keep struggling with sleep or they will they eventually settle that one sentence. When you reflect that back to them, when you bring to the surface the underlying frustration, it creates enormous amounts of trust.

00:12:49:19 – 00:13:14:20
The fourth thing that you can do is you can show that you understand the impact on their life. Okay. So health challenges are rarely just about the symptoms. They affect our practice members daily lives. Parents feel exhausted. Families might feel stressed. Someone might feel like they don’t have the energy that they used to. Now, when you recognize the impact on someone’s life, patients feel deeply understood.

00:13:14:20 – 00:13:37:06
Okay, we could say something like this. For example, when your child is in sleeping well, often the whole household feels it. Or when the nervous system is under constant stress. It can affect everything from your sleep to your focus, to your energy. Now, you’re not just hearing the symptom. When you say these statements as well, you understand the person behind the entire problem.

00:13:37:16 – 00:13:59:14
Now, the fifth thing that you can do is that you should summarize what you’ve heard. One of the most powerful communication tools is simply reflecting back what the patient told you. So, for example, so if I’m hearing you correctly, your baby’s been unsettled now for several months. Sleep has been really inconsistent and you’re feeling exhaust and you just want some answers.

00:14:00:09 – 00:14:26:20
When you practice, members hear their story summarized accurately, they feel deeply understood. Okay, now the sixth thing that you should be doing, if you want your practice members to feel understood, is asking curious follow up questions. Research from Harvard Business School has shown that when people ask thoughtful follow up questions in their conversations, okay, they constantly write it as more likable and more understanding.

00:14:26:20 – 00:14:54:06
In other words, simply asking good questions signals genuine interest questions just like this. When did you first start noticing this? How has this been affecting your family? What have you already tried so far? These type of questions tell the brain this person actually cares about understanding may okay. So again, let’s look at some other examples as well. I want this to be practically and able to be kind of take home ready for you as well.

00:14:54:18 – 00:15:23:12
So on your website, instead of opening with technical explanations about chiropractic, speak directly to the experience that families are having. Okay, something like this. If your baby’s sleeping well, if your child seems Concerta unsettled or you feeling like you’ve tried everything and nothing is working, you’re not alone. Many families find us after months of searching for answers. Now, the parent who reads this is going to feel understood before chiropractic is ever needed to be mentioned.

00:15:23:12 – 00:15:44:12
It opens them up to hearing chiropractic and again a social media instead of starting off with information about the nervous system. In today’s video, I’m going to share three benefits of chiropractic. Start with the least experience. You might say something like this. Have you ever feel like your child isn’t fully settling? Like their body is always on the edge?

00:15:44:22 – 00:16:06:24
Now, when you say something like this, what you’re doing is you’re entering the patient’s world first. So he’s an in office example when you’re communicating 1 to 1 with your patients, perhaps a new patient. A very simple way to help patients feel understood is to start by using the information that they’ve already given you, instead of ignoring the intake form and asking What brings you in today?

00:16:07:00 – 00:16:26:01
Remember, the patient has just spent time writing all of that down. So the first thing you can do is show that you’ve actually read it. Okay. Highlight a few key points from the form and repeat back to them using their own words. For example, something like this I see here that little Abby isn’t sleeping well. She’s constantly unsettled.

00:16:26:01 – 00:16:47:04
She’s dealing with reflux. Feeding has been difficult. And the doctors have told you that it’s colic and it will likely pass with time. And then simply say this. Tell me more about that. In that moment, several powerful things are happening to parent. Firstly, realizes that you took the time to read what they wrote. They feel seen. They feel heard.

00:16:47:16 – 00:17:17:08
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And the conversation starts from a place of understanding instead of interrogation. A very simple way to help parents feel understood is to start by using the information that they have already given you. Okay. So here’s a key insight to remember. Understanding isn’t demonstrated by explaining chiropractic. Well, it’s demonstrated by showing the patient that you understand them. Now, let’s move on to question number two.

00:17:17:08 – 00:17:45:20
And this is do I trust you? Because once someone feels understood, their brain then asks. The second question is, can I trust you? Now, trust is not built on information alone. It’s built through signals that the brain recognizes and indicators of safety and credibility. Now, one of the most influential researches on persuasion psychology is Robert Shields and he’s author of a book called Influence.

00:17:45:20 – 00:18:08:16
If you haven’t read it, you should read it as well. Now tell Dany identified several principles that explain why people trust some individuals and some messages. For chiropractors, there are three principles that show up constantly when we’re wanting to build trust with patients. These were referred to as the three building blocks of trust. The first is authority. Okay?

00:18:08:16 – 00:18:40:05
Now people trust those people who demonstrate expertize, not arrogance. Okay? They want to see clear competence. Now, this might look like you explaining things clearly, demonstrating knowledge, sharing your experience, educating patients in a calm and confident way on your website. This might include your experience, your training, explaining your philosophy of care, outlining your clinical process. Okay. These aren’t about bragging the signals that tell the brain that this person knows what they’re doing.

00:18:40:19 – 00:19:07:02
The second one that we should be using is social proof. Humans are wired to look at what other people are doing when making decisions and trust grows. When people see evidence that others have already trusted you. Okay. In practice, this could look like patient testimonials, patient stories. It could look like reviews. It looks like examples of patient progress when people see others benefiting from your care.

00:19:07:02 – 00:19:35:20
The brain naturally thinks maybe this could work for me too. The third thing that builds trust is what child refers to as liking. Okay. People trust people they feel connected to. Which means trust grows when patients feel like you genuinely care. You listen carefully. You communicate clearly. You’re relatable. And you’re human. Okay? This is why storytelling works so well in communication.

00:19:36:02 – 00:20:02:19
And it’s why simply being present and attentive in practice builds enormous amounts of trust. Okay. So if you want to evaluate your communication, ask yourself this. Do patients see clear signs of my expertize? Do they see evidence that other people trust and benefit from my care? And do they feel a genuine human connection with me? Trust is not built on one big moment.

00:20:02:19 – 00:20:30:06
It’s built through dozens of small signals. And when those signals are present and a patient feels understood, the nervous system relaxes. Okay. And now they’re ready for the third question. And this is, can you help me? Only now is the brain ready for the solution. Okay. And this is where we as car park is often static, but it’s where we should finish once a patient feels understood and trusts you.

00:20:30:06 – 00:20:54:17
Okay. Your recommendation is going to land very differently. Instead of sounding like persuasion, they sound like guidance. Okay, now, when you explain how chiropractic works, what their care plan will look like, what progress might look like, the patient is not going to be resistant. They’re going to be leaning in as well. So why is it that we as chiropractors often get this wrong?

00:20:54:17 – 00:21:20:05
Okay, we get it wrong because we deeply care about helping people. So we naturally start with the solution. But great communicators start with connection because connection opens the door to trust and trust opens the door to help. Now, here’s some practical reflections for you as well. I want you to take a moment and ask yourself, does my website show patients that I understand them okay?

00:21:20:06 – 00:21:46:20
Does my communication build trust or do I jump too quickly into explaining how I can help? Now, when you answer these questions in the right order, your message is going to become significantly more powerful. All right. So let’s bring this to a close. It’s important to remember that people rarely reject solutions, since they reject solutions, though, from people that they don’t yet understand or trust.

00:21:46:20 – 00:22:11:15
Okay. Let me say that again. People, your patients, your community rarely reject solutions. Chiropractic makes sense, folks, but they do reject solutions from people that aren’t yet understood or don’t yet feel understood by all trust. So the next time that you’re communicating, whether it’s online, whether it’s in practice, remember the hidden conversation that’s going on inside your patients mind?

00:22:12:06 – 00:22:27:23
Do you understand me? Do I trust you? And can you help me answer those questions in that order? And everything will change. All right, as always, folks. Thanks for all that you do. Keep saving lives and I’ll see you back here next week. Bye.