Meet the Doctor

Dr. Karyn Yape

I guess I have always been driven. As a child, I used to push myself no matter what I was doing. I wanted to be as good as or better than anyone or everyone else I was around at the time, at anything. I would see someone do something and go do it too. Whether it was playing baseball with the boys in little league or getting the high score on a test, I always gave it everything I had.

Usually I got what I went after, at least until I got old enough to care what other people thought. I passed through a few years of junior high and high school (the dark ages), when I let this change. While everyone's experience at these ages is different, the one thing I think most of us have in common is that this is the time in your life when we have to decide who we think we are and what this means for our relationships with other people. Are you willing to do what it takes to be popular or are you going to stay true to yourself regardless of popularity? Are you going to go along with what other people think or are you willing to take a stand? Is individuality more important than popularity? Figuring out the answers made this time in my life really tough and also lonely. I remained driven, but it showed itself in a different way. Being driven made me different at a time when being different was not okay. It was a trade off. I was driven academically and athletically, but that made me stand out. While this should have also helped me be proud of myself and built my self esteem, it didn't. It made me feel like a social target at times. I was my own outstanding self, but that caused me pain. I wanted to fit in, and in trying to do so, I hurt my concept of myself so deeply I would spend years trying to get it back.

I graduated high school third in my class, but the highest ranking female. I went on to college afterward. I always knew I would go to college. There was never a doubt in my mind, even as a little kid. I was meant to help people, and college was a way to find out how. From an early age, I wanted to be a doctor. My parents thought other careers would be more appropriate for a girl (even in the 70's). For a time, I did consider what they told me and followed their advice until I found myself at a Crossroads. The crossroads ushered Chiropractic into my life. When Chiropractic showed up, I changed my course and ended up at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, IA. College was a sometimes turbulent, sometimes wonderful time in my life. I was at Grand Valley State University first. There was a lot of adjustments to be made. I went from a small town to a growing, diverse communtiy of college students. You either learn to stretch or shrink. I chose to stretch myself and I grew a lot as a person. Time and again, the same old question kept popping back up. Stay the same or be different than you have ever been? Do what's popular or do what is right for you? It's funny how often both sides of that question oppose each other. Of course, I learned a lot academically from GVSU, but the most valuable lessons I learned were about people. I learned that you can have completely different backgrounds or belief systems and still be friends with people. Sometimes, the people you have the least in common with become the ones you are closer to and are the most like family. While I will always be grateful for the academic education I received while attending there, the lessons I learned about people are the ones I take with me every day, into every encounter with other people. The most important thing I learned is that being myself was not only okay, it was all I ever had to be. People liked me anyway.

At Palmer College of Chiropractic, it was another time for stretching and growth. It had the potential to be polarizing or something that drew people together. I was challenged on every level. But one thing that happened at Palmer was the experience of knowing that I was exactly where I was supposed to be, when I was supposed to be there. It was a feeling. I knew I was supposed to be a Chiropractor. I knew I had the power to change my life and other people through chiropractic. But once again, tolerance is tested. People fell into two camps-my way or the highway is one, the other is to listen and learn to respectfully agree or disagree with the other person. Its the same question again. Is it better to go along with what the majority thinks or do what I think is right, even if I may be standing alone? In the end, I chose to be different. I chose to be myself. The experience in my office as a practice member (did you notice I didn't say patient? I don't like that word.) is different than in other offices. That is by design. Being a practice member in my office is like being part of a family. My most valued relationships in the office are long term, with people bringing in their own families. I help you take care of yourself so you can take care of other family members better. But like any family, there are rules. We laugh a lot, we tease sometimes, but one thing I am very serious about is your health. I can help you find your health again, but you have to follow the rules. If you want better health for yourself, for your kids, for your family I can help you. If there are things you loved to do that you no longer can do because of pain or illness, I can help you. But you have to follow the rules. Taking this to another level, this is a place where being yourself is encouraged, your individuality is respected and nurtured, and your kids can be their own unique selves, and loved for it. If you've been looking for a place like that, you've found it here at Crossroads Chiropractic Center.