Do you have clear boundaries?
The most effective chiropractors are those who show up with clearly defined boundaries between what is theirs and what is the patient's.
It's yours to tell the chiropractic story. It's theirs to accept or reject some or all of it.
It's yours to offer recommendations that you think will produce the best results. It's theirs to follow or ignore them.
It's yours to tell the truth, even if it's not what the patient wanted to hear. It's theirs to act on your suggestions (now or later) or to dismiss them.
It's yours to adjust their spine as artfully as you can. It's theirs to allow that energy to facilitate your shared intentions or to sabotage your efforts.
As Client Eastwood's Dirty Harry observed, "A man's got to know his limitations." When you steal a patient's responsibility, you're burdened with the same guilt as if you'd stolen their wallet.