Katinka van der Merwe believes that every patient deserves empathy as a crucial element of care. Through empathy, obstacles to healing can be overcome, and symptoms can be improved. Dr. Katinka van der Merwe was raised by a successful chiropractor outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. She immigrated to Dallas, Texas, at age 20 and received her Doctor of Chiropractic degree. Upon graduation, she set out to study postgraduate techniques that would allow her to treat chronically and acutely ill patients without any hope. Dr. Katinka has lectured extensively around the world and has been recognized by her profession for her outstanding contributions to chiropractic. In 2019, she received The Global Chiropractor of the Year award in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of “Taming the Beast: A Guide to Conquering Fibromyalgia”, “Putting Out the Fire: New Hope for CRPS” and co-author of the NYT best-selling book “Wakeup: Miracles of Healing from Around the World”. Dr. Katinka is the founder and CEO of The Spero Clinic in Arkansas. She has gained a worldwide reputation for her significant success in treating chronic and non-retractable pain syndromes. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx