The Critical Art of Preframing

Aligning Patient Wants with Your Chiropractic Purpose

If you’ve ever stood in front of a patient, laid out a detailed Report of Findings (ROF), and watched as they crossed their arms, frowned, or gave you the dreaded “I need to think about it”, then this newsletter is for you.

You already know you’re doing important work. Your adjustments help the body heal.

Your care plans are carefully designed for real results. So, why do some patients hesitate? Why do they leave without committing, or worse—disappear after one or two visits?

The answer is simple:

They walked into your office with one idea of what chiropractic is, and you didn’t preframe them.

What is Preframing—and Why Does it Matter?

Preframing is the art of shaping expectations before you present your care plan. It’s about ensuring patients understand:

1. What chiropractic actually is

2. What you do differently

3. What they should expect

If you don’t do this, patients fall back on their assumptions. And here’s the kicker—those assumptions don’t come from you. They come from:

• The medical system, which says health = no symptoms and lots of pills

• Society, which tells them pain-free = problem solved

• Other quick-fix solutions they’ve tried (and failed with)

So when you hit them with a plan for long-term correction, it feels like you’re speaking a different language.

Preframing changes this.

When done right, it aligns their wants (no pain, health) with your purpose (restoring function and optimizing the nervous system).

It eliminates surprises, reduces resistance, and positions you as the expert they trust.

The Psychology of Preframing

Before I give you the step-by-step strategy to preframe, let’s understand why it works.

Preframing taps into several core psychological principles:

1. The Framing Effect (Kahneman and Tversky)

People react differently based on how information is presented. If you present chiropractic as a “12-week treatment program,” it sounds like work. But if you frame it as “12 weeks to unlock your body’s healing potential,” it sounds like transformation.

2. Anchoring Bias

The first idea someone hears becomes their anchor point. If you don’t set the anchor early, they’ll anchor to their own (incorrect) assumptions.

3. Schema Theory

People process new information through mental frameworks, or schemas. Without preframing, they’ll force your recommendations into the wrong schema (e.g., “fix me like a pill does”). Preframing creates a new schema.

4. Priming

Subtle cues shape how people interpret information. Preframing “primes” patients to see you as the guide to long-term health, not just pain relief.

These psychological tools work every single time—if you use them.

Why Patients Leave Confused (and What to Do About It)

Here’s the problem:

Most chiropractors jump straight to the exam and care plan without doing any preframing.

Patients come in thinking:

• “I’ll get cracked, feel better, and leave.”

• “This will be like physiotherapy or massage.”

• “He’ll fix my pain in 1-2 visits.”

When you start talking about nerve interference, care phases, or long-term results, they get confused. Their mental picture doesn’t match what you’re saying, so they resist.

You lose them.

Preframing fixes this.

When you preframe, patients come into the ROF already understanding:

• What chiropractic does

• Why their body needs care over time

• Why you’re different

Instead of fighting resistance, you’re now confirming what they already believe.

How to Preframe Patients Like a Pro

Here’s the step-by-step breakdown: