SEPTEMBER 11th - GOOD PEOPLE RESPOND TO EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES
On a cloudless Tuesday morning six years ago, terrorism altered our world.
Good people in NYC, Washington, D.C., and flying over Pennsylvania responded to this insult,
their actions propelled both history and healing.
Many remember the tremendous spirit of caring that transcended all boundaries and cultural strata. People couldn't give enough blood, food, money, time; the best of so many poured forward.
And then slowly, as time passed and accomplishments were checked off, the energies that had tasted the euphoria of good deeds craved a new outlet, and the most obvious example of energy transformed is the city of New York today.
After 9/11, some businesses and residents wanted to leave NYC and tourists crossed the city off their destination list.
Nothing could be further from reality today.
The city is a star, healed by the response of people to extraordinary circumstances.
Healing looks good in NYC.
Yet in the moments after 9/11 healing was still ahead.
As respite centers were set up to serve the recovery workers, over 1,500 chiropractors from around the country volunteered to provide adjustments. In 'Chiropractic Rescue and the American Tragedy: The Chiropractic Relief Effort at Ground Zero' the NY efforts were profiled in an article I co-authored with Dr. John Przybrylak.
As a way to honor that time and those caught in it, following are some excerpts from experiences in the heart of Ground Zero:
-Workers came because they benefited from the stress release and the ease that they would feel after the adjustment, they would tell their co-workers, and then many more workers came. Groups of police officers stripped their flack jackets off and each dropped a pile of guns at the foot of a chiropractic bench, it was unsettling to see an arsenal of firearms at the foot of an adjusting table. There were some state troopers who wanted to get adjusted but also wanted to keep their Kevlar vests on . They were guessing that my hands could penetrate where bullets couldn't reach.
-Doctors of chiropractic attended at five sites...one ...was just yards away from the debris that was the twin towers. Care was available non-stop around the clock to provide for all the workers, who came on their breaks and after their shifts. The pace was intense, four six-hour shifts daily, with fresh teams of chiropractors coming to replace the previous volunteers...it is estimated that over $1.5 million dollars in services were donated. Chiropractors stood shoulder-to shoulder delivering thousands of adjustments at Ground Zero. ...chiropractic sites were filled to capacity at 3 a.m....chiropractic sites had to be closed by the fire marshall for being too crowded. These five sites were opened .....from September until May 30, 2002, when all recovery work at Ground Zero was completed.
-From Dr. Donna Mutter:
"These brave men and women were so armoured, wrapped in large overalls and boots, and equipped with ropes, lights, guns, knives, cables, hard hats, gloves, and masks. They were covered in dirt and cuts and dust. Their bodies were exhausted from lack of sleep; emotions were raw from so much loss... loss of friends, brothers, and sisters, and from the frustration that no one was coming out alive. Recovering body parts of the dead and a few whole bodies was a living hell. The dust on their cloths and boots contained the ashes of the countless dead...I looked at my hands and realized these hands were touching ashes of the dead."
-New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly offered his appreciation:
"Over the course of eight months, close to two million tons of debris were removed from Ground Zero. The chiropractors played an important role in this incredible feat. Your professional treatment of thousands of rescue workers helped all who were involved in the recovery efforts to persevere."
-The chiropractic care that takes place in the field on an emergency site has a different rhythm than what occurs in many chiropractic offices. The assessment is thorough, but shorter, and each worker who came was fully assessed for vertebral subluxations every time because there might be a different doctor adjusting each time. Everyone was sore and pained but the emotional stress was preeminient and fear was present like an unwanted guest...
After getting adjusted, workers found they would be re-vitalized and ready to re-enter the wreckage, able to do their jobs more efficiently. To this day, many of these people and their families continue to be adjusted.
-And final thoughts from then-Mayor Giuliani:
"Last year's coordinated efforts at the World Trade Center site not only helped the rescue and clean up crews, but boosted the morale of New York City. ..Thank you for your ....tireless devotion."
My feelings six years later: healing is the ultimate response.
Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education purposes only.
Good people in NYC, Washington, D.C., and flying over Pennsylvania responded to this insult,
their actions propelled both history and healing.
Many remember the tremendous spirit of caring that transcended all boundaries and cultural strata. People couldn't give enough blood, food, money, time; the best of so many poured forward.
And then slowly, as time passed and accomplishments were checked off, the energies that had tasted the euphoria of good deeds craved a new outlet, and the most obvious example of energy transformed is the city of New York today.
After 9/11, some businesses and residents wanted to leave NYC and tourists crossed the city off their destination list.
Nothing could be further from reality today.
The city is a star, healed by the response of people to extraordinary circumstances.
Healing looks good in NYC.
Yet in the moments after 9/11 healing was still ahead.
As respite centers were set up to serve the recovery workers, over 1,500 chiropractors from around the country volunteered to provide adjustments. In 'Chiropractic Rescue and the American Tragedy: The Chiropractic Relief Effort at Ground Zero' the NY efforts were profiled in an article I co-authored with Dr. John Przybrylak.
As a way to honor that time and those caught in it, following are some excerpts from experiences in the heart of Ground Zero:
-Workers came because they benefited from the stress release and the ease that they would feel after the adjustment, they would tell their co-workers, and then many more workers came. Groups of police officers stripped their flack jackets off and each dropped a pile of guns at the foot of a chiropractic bench, it was unsettling to see an arsenal of firearms at the foot of an adjusting table. There were some state troopers who wanted to get adjusted but also wanted to keep their Kevlar vests on . They were guessing that my hands could penetrate where bullets couldn't reach.
-Doctors of chiropractic attended at five sites...one ...was just yards away from the debris that was the twin towers. Care was available non-stop around the clock to provide for all the workers, who came on their breaks and after their shifts. The pace was intense, four six-hour shifts daily, with fresh teams of chiropractors coming to replace the previous volunteers...it is estimated that over $1.5 million dollars in services were donated. Chiropractors stood shoulder-to shoulder delivering thousands of adjustments at Ground Zero. ...chiropractic sites were filled to capacity at 3 a.m....chiropractic sites had to be closed by the fire marshall for being too crowded. These five sites were opened .....from September until May 30, 2002, when all recovery work at Ground Zero was completed.
-From Dr. Donna Mutter:
"These brave men and women were so armoured, wrapped in large overalls and boots, and equipped with ropes, lights, guns, knives, cables, hard hats, gloves, and masks. They were covered in dirt and cuts and dust. Their bodies were exhausted from lack of sleep; emotions were raw from so much loss... loss of friends, brothers, and sisters, and from the frustration that no one was coming out alive. Recovering body parts of the dead and a few whole bodies was a living hell. The dust on their cloths and boots contained the ashes of the countless dead...I looked at my hands and realized these hands were touching ashes of the dead."
-New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly offered his appreciation:
"Over the course of eight months, close to two million tons of debris were removed from Ground Zero. The chiropractors played an important role in this incredible feat. Your professional treatment of thousands of rescue workers helped all who were involved in the recovery efforts to persevere."
-The chiropractic care that takes place in the field on an emergency site has a different rhythm than what occurs in many chiropractic offices. The assessment is thorough, but shorter, and each worker who came was fully assessed for vertebral subluxations every time because there might be a different doctor adjusting each time. Everyone was sore and pained but the emotional stress was preeminient and fear was present like an unwanted guest...
After getting adjusted, workers found they would be re-vitalized and ready to re-enter the wreckage, able to do their jobs more efficiently. To this day, many of these people and their families continue to be adjusted.
-And final thoughts from then-Mayor Giuliani:
"Last year's coordinated efforts at the World Trade Center site not only helped the rescue and clean up crews, but boosted the morale of New York City. ..Thank you for your ....tireless devotion."
My feelings six years later: healing is the ultimate response.
Be Spine Tingling,
Dr. Madeline Behrendt
iwomenfilm@gmail.com
For information and education purposes only.
posted by Dr. Madeline at
10:53 AM
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