on getting "kicked" in the back

One question that people keep asking me is what happened during my trip to the horse kicking veterinarian turned self taught chiropractor. Well, i suppose i didn't answer right away because it wasn't quite as much of a story as i thought it would be, or that the story would be difficult to explain in writing, but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Though the clinic was relatively small, set inside an office building in downtown Sapporo, it's layout was quite open and it was clear from the start that it was designed to "process" a significant amount of people at a time. The waiting room had about 8 rows of benches, two wide, much like a church or chapel. This is not by accident, the clinic is called The Healing Light of Christ or something along those lines and they hold regular church services there.

Past the reception counter, there was three rooms made from and separated by curtains. The two off to either side were changing rooms, one for women, one for men. The nurse ushered me into the men's changing room and instructed me to remove my shirt and wait. So i did.

As i sat there, shirtless, a rather large man in his late twenties entered, removed his shirt and sat next to me. The next ten minutes was in complete silence except for the pain induced groans and grunts of the man. It seemed like an hour before the nurse came in and we moved on to the main room.

It was a large, white room that is mostly empty except for the bench going around the room. The doctor sat on a white square box near the far side of the room, a chair in front of him and a small worktable beside. The other patient sat in front of the doctor first. I took a seat on the bench just behind them so i could see what i was getting myself into.

The doctor put white powder, baby powder or something similar, down the man's spine and ran his finger down it to see if it was straight. He then began to tap the patient's back using the second knuckle of his middle finger with a sort of "zzzhuup...ktchsssss" vocalization. Like he was building up energy then releasing it as he hit his patient's back. In 5 minutes, he was done. The patient left, satisfied supposedly, and it was my turn.

It felt both good and bizzare. My lower back tingled as he "slammed" it into it's proper position. I left feeling like my body was lighter than before, but the real effect of it didn't hit me until 4 or 5 hours later. I felt drained of energy. All i could do was rest and relax. The next day, i felt light again, full of energy.

So, i guess the whole bit about him not touching his patients' back is a bit of a stretch, but he was using some sort of energy in his procedure. Overall, it was worth it. I'd probably go again.