Dr. Ken Erickson has been in private practice as a chiropractor since 1997. Dr. Erickson also holds advanced degrees in Clinical Neurology and in the fields of Health Psychology and Health Science. He has lectured internationally throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Before pursuing a career in the healing arts, Dr. Erickson was the youngest person to have achieved the status of Master Electrician and operated a company that handled all of the local hospital’s electrical needs. Ken is also a Powerlifting Champion and holds multiple black belts in the Martial Arts.
Ken starts our conversation by saying that from his earliest memories, he was always fascinated by what lies beneath the surface. He says once something became popular and mainstream, he wasn’t really interested in it.
In his work as a Chiropractor, Ken meets patients wherever they are at. As he says, his job isn’t to fix their lives. Ken talks about his personal and professional evolution over the years. He says he used to have a lot more answers and solutions, but now he’s much more humble. When he’s working with a patient, his attitude is how can we make a little improvement, day by day, or moment by moment, and can we make things a little better and alleviate some of the suffering. Ken sees health as an interconnected web – everything is having an effect on everything else.
As long he can remember, conflict has been a part of this life. And this created in him a lot of fear, which later created anger. Ken says he was always drawn to helping others because that made him feel better.
Later, Ken talks about the challenge of going back to college to be a chiropractor after working in the trades for 10 years. It was a long road for a kid who never really liked school. However it wasn’t the learning part that he didn’t like, rather it was that he didn’t see it as relevant in his life.
Ken has studied and practiced martial arts for many years. He shares some of the life lessons that he’s taken away. One of the first big lessons is the idea of letting go. He says that as little babies, we have a grasping reflex We’re born knowing how to grasp and hold on to things, but letting go is a lifelong lesson. Holding on can be a challenge we face in relationships, jobs or even beliefs. He says there will always be another opportunity if we are willing to let go. He wonders how many of us are walking around with emotional wounds because of our unwillingness to just “let go.”
Another major life lesson for Ken is that we are never really stuck, because things are always in motion. Most people are looking for the big, massive movements and changes, however we are always capable of making a small micro movement, even if it’s imperceptible to the eye. Over time, the little things can produce profound changes and even create a whole new life. For Ken: “small incremental changes lead to big changes.”
You can learn more about Ken and his work right here: https://www.harborlightwellnessofwny.com/
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