REST and NOURISH,
every cell in your body,
your nervous system,
your being.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, profound bodywork involving these subtle rhythmic fluctuations within the body . BCST works many levels of body, mind and spirit and can affect deep change in our being. This therapy can help regulate an over-active nervous system, this opens us up to experience a sense of peace, deep rest and wholeness.
Christina offers this beautiful gentle work to Adult, infants and children.
Craniosacral can be helpful for:
stress
chronic fatigue
neck pain
anxiety
fibromyalgia
back pain
depression
immune issues
pain anywhere in body
emotional trauma
post-pregnancy (post-partum) difficulties
post-accident trauma and healing
sexual trauma
autism
tinnitus
loneliness
sleep difficulties / insomnia
ear problems
hopelessness
unexplained pain
eye problems
anomie
menstrual cramps
TMJ
fear
sinus problems
migraines
shame
irritable bowel syndrome
headaches
carpal tunnel syndrome
Instead of constantly running in "fight or flight" mode, slowing down and relaxing become possible this then supports self-repair and rejuvenation functions. Which can support a sense of
wholeness/integration/embodiment
connection to spirit, god, all that is
connection with your life force
equanimity
greater ability to deal with life's challenges
greater connection to others and self
contentment
joy
transformation of the self
Craniosacral Therapists learn to sense where the body is relaxed and flowing with these rhythms. They also can detect areas that may be frozen, locked, or tight from stress and trauma, and help guide the body to remember its inert health and wholeness.
What does a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy session look like?
we will begin by talking about your concerns and your intention for the session.
During the session, you will be fully clothed, usually lying on a massage table. It is important that you feel comfortable and safe. I will ask you from time to time what you are experiencing, and help you to stay present with whatever arises for you.
When I touch you, I will check with you to make sure that you are ready and that the touch is comfortable. Sometimes it takes some negotiation to get the touch just right so you can deeply relax. I will guide you in this process which, in itself, can be very healing.
Craniosacral therapy involves a very light, gentle touch, often applied to the head (cranium) or sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine). At times, I combine this with other forms of bodywork, breath or movement work if it seems helpful. We will probably talk some during the session, although some sessions are much quieter than others.
Sessions usually last about an hour. During that time, I will quietly, gently hold parts of your body, listening to the subtle rhythms and tracking changes in your system.
During the session, you may…
• Relax so deeply that you fall asleep
• Enter a quiet state of meditation
• Feel as if you are dreaming while awake
• Experience memories or insights while on the table
• Enjoy a pleasant sense of warmth, softening, widening or floating
At times, you may experience other kinds of sensations as energy that has been held in the body is released. If this occurs, I will assist you in staying present with the breath and bodily sensations to facilitate the discharge and help you to integrate and benefit from the experience.
At the end of the session, you may…
• Feel relaxed, but also energized
• Find yourself breathing more fully and deeply
• Stand straighter and taller
• Feel more comfortable in your body
Who can benefit from BCST ?
Everyone potentially can benefit, though with some, the improvement may be more dramatic than with others. Because BCST builds health in the brain and nervous system, it is effective in assisting the prevention of chronic conditions, including the problems of aging, stiffness, dryness, memory loss, inflammation, immune imbalances. BCST also addresses injuries, even those that occurred long ago and that we had no idea were still affecting us. Birth trauma commonly affects one throughout life unless addressed, for example. And how many of us have not had a head or tailbone injury from sports, falls, violence, or auto accidents? Even recovery from minor surgeries, including dental work, which can create strains and anesthesia residues, can be supported by BCST. The beauty of the biodynamic approach is that it strengthens our whole system and creates a safe environment, so that the body can show these unresolved issues, and the BCST practitioner can facilitate a resolution. Our inner Intelligence is capable, when skillfully supported, of presenting the strains one at a time, in priority order, in a way that does not overwhelm the system but makes it increasingly stronger. We do not need to remember or relive our traumas in order to benefit from their resolution.
Is BCST safe during pregnancy?
BCST is not only safe but recommended during pregnancy, as it calms the nervous system of both mother and child, encouraging emotional bonding which can otherwise be short-circuited due to pre-natal and birth stresses and trauma. The Biodynamic approach can contact the Primal Midline of the infant's delicate nervous system - the midline that holds our Originality, the state of perfection that enables us to be less affected by negative influences from our genetics. Also, although the growing prenate is highly conscious, s/he does not know the difference between mother's thoughts and feelings and its own, so when Mom's system is soothed and balanced during pregnancy, baby gains huge benefits.
READ THIS ARTICLE FOR A MORE DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF BIODYNAMIC CRANIOSACRAL BELOW
Overview of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Based on the Teachings and Writings of Franklyn Sills
John Chitty, BCST, RPP
Colorado School of Energy Studies
www.energyschool.com
Table of Contents
Section One: Introduction................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements......................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of this Document............................................................................................... 2
Brief History of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy....................................................... 2
Section Two: Overview ...................................................................................................... 3
Main principles ............................................................................................................... 3
Education Overview........................................................................................................ 4
Theory............................................................................................................................. 5
Anatomy Study ............................................................................................................... 5
Midlines....................................................................................................................... 6
Rates............................................................................................................................ 6
Layers.......................................................................................................................... 6
Practitioner Skills............................................................................................................ 7
Applications.................................................................................................................... 8
Section Three: Clinical Practice.......................................................................................... 8
Stillness........................................................................................................................... 8
Inherent Treatment Plan.................................................................................................. 9
Orienting to Primary Respiration and Midline Movement............................................. 9
Transmutation ................................................................................................................. 9
Potency............................................................................................................................ 9
Fulcrums ....................................................................................................................... 10
Three-Stage Process...................................................................................................... 10
Skills of Conversation................................................................................................... 11
Related Fields of Study................................................................................................. 11
Embryology ............................................................................................................... 11
Pre- and Peri-Natal Therapies ................................................................................. 11
Trauma Resolution.................................................................................................... 12
Section One: Introduction
Acknowledgements
This article is directly informed by Franklyn Sills, RCST, Karuna Institute (Devon,
England, www.karuna-institute.co.uk/). Sills is author of the two-volume book,
Craniosacral Biodynamics (North Atlantic Books, 2001). This article is not written by
Sills; any errors or misinterpretations of his work are the responsibility of the author, not
Sills himself.
Grateful appreciation goes to Michael Shea, PhD, RCST, International Institute for
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (Juno Beach, FL, www.sheacranial.com) for all his
work on a much larger-scale project, “Standards for Practice,” (www.biodynamiccraniosacral.org/standards)
which provided an impetus and context for this much shorter
overview article.
Please note that this article does not have the formal endorsement of any group, other
teachers or schools, or any other party. It only reflects the opinions of the author, and is
offered to the public as a point of discussion. Please send any feedback or suggestions to
chittyj@energyschool.com. Future editions are expected as the article is gradually refined
by feedback, so continue to check this web site periodically for updates, using the date
stamp at the bottom of the page as a guide.
Purpose of this Document
The intention of this document is to summarize the content of the field of Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. Having a clearly stated overview of this practice supports
coherence, mutual understanding and continuity among practitioners, schools that offer
biodynamic programs, teachers, students, professionals in related fields and the general
public. Students can use this document as a checklist to ascertain whether the core
material has been presented in a course, and whether the basic direction of the program is
consistent with biodynamic practice expectations. A biodynamic craniosacral therapy
practitioner should be able to demonstrate familiarity and competence with all the topics
described in this document.
This document describes only the basic foundational concepts of Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. For a much more complete presentation, readers are referred to the
literature, particularly Craniosacral Biodynamics by Franklyn Sills, RCST, and Wisdom
in the Body by Michael Kern, DO, RCST.
This document is not intended to be a curriculum. Teachers and schools develop their
curricula based on many factors, of which this is only one. This document is also not
intended to be a full exploration of all the possibilities of therapeutic applications
suggested by the Biodynamic Craniosacral model. Instead, it is intentionally brief, so that
the reader can easily gain a general understanding of what is meant by, and included in a
biodynamic craniosacral education and practice.
Brief History of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is indirectly derived from the work of William
Garner Sutherland, DO (1870-1954) and his colleagues in the field of osteopathic Overview of BCST 3 3/29/13 medicine. Sutherland discovered a subtle tiny movement in the bones, membranes and
fluids of the body, which he thought resembled breathing and its cycles of expansion and
contraction. He developed therapeutic methods based on interacting with this movement
and found great clinical success with his patients, including a wide range of conditions.
Despite this effectiveness, his findings were not embraced by mainstream medicine of the
1950’s and 1960’s, for a variety of reasons. Exploration of his work therefore began to
occur outside the medical profession, leading to the development of Craniosacral Therapy
in several forms in the 1970’s, and also other derivatives.
Franklyn Sills had a background in Polarity Therapy and Buddhist meditation
practices when he attended osteopathic college in England in the 1980’s. His approach
reflected the osteopathic origins noted above, combined with significant input from these
other more esoteric sources. He developed his first curriculum in 1986 and published his
textbook Craniosacral Biodynamics in 2001; these became the basis for the current
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training content. Since the mid-1990’s, other
practitioners and teachers have also applied their knowledge and experience to the work,
contributing significantly to the evolution of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy into its
present form.
The term “Biodynamic” was first used by Rollin Becker, DO (ca. 1963) to describe
the force creating subtle movement in the body, and later by the embryologist Erich
Blechschmidt (1978) to describe a wholistic understanding of living systems. The term
“Craniosacral” (as in “craniosacral mechanism”) was first used by Sutherland’s colleague
Harold Magoun, DO, (1951) to describe the presence of synchronized, coordinated
movement in the head, spine and pelvis.
Section Two: Overview
Main principles
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a particular approach to the study of the creative
forces that organize the human body, their various forms of expression, and the
application of that study within the field of health care. It is based on the following core
concepts:
• The forces of nature include a subtle ordering principle that drives the creation,
development and maintenance of systems. The ordering principle acts as an
“intelligence,” in that events are not random but rather proceed according to
underlying laws of nature.
• Among the expressions of these forces is a subtle, polyrhythmic movement in stable
and palpable cycles known as “Primary Respiration.” This expansion-contraction
movement is omnipresent in nature, including living systems. Its origin and
mechanism are unknown. In humans, it can be palpated as a slow and subtle
widening-filling-rising and emptying-narrowing-descending throughout the tissues
and fluids, centered on and emanating from the midline. This movement is thought
to be an expression of the “Breath of Life,” a profound universal substrate of all
form that reflects a mystical, non-physical dimension. From its beginnings with
Sutherland (who first applied the Biblical phrase Breath of Life as a descriptor),
mysticism aspect has been continually reported by practitioners and is fully
acknowledged even though a scientific understanding of the cyclic movement
phenomena remains incomplete.
• Interactions with this movement can have remarkable health benefits. Interactions
are significantly a perceptual process, rather than a manipulative technique.
Therefore cultivating sensitivity to the subtleties of relationship and developing
increased perceptual capacity are cornerstones of Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy. The process by which perceptual experience affects the movement and the
client’s health is not yet understood scientifically, although the phenomenon is wellestablished
clinically.
• The forces that generate healing are the same forces that made the body at its
beginning, and they are always present within the system. The practitioner’s role is
to support the natural emergence of the ordering principle from within the system.
This contrasts significantly with the external-repair practitioner role often found in
modern medicine and manipulative modalities. Rather than trying to diagnose a
problem and fix it through interventions, the Biodynamic Craniosacral approach is
primarily to facilitate conditions in which the natural forces within the body and
emanating from the field external to the body are mobilized and optimized to selfcorrect
the condition from within. This approach has been shown to be remarkably
effective and safe for a wide range of conditions.
• Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is concerned with the whole system, rather than
the isolated function of any part. Health is considered to be an outcome of the total
environment, including all internal and external factors.
Education Overview
A Biodynamic Craniosacral education consists of becoming knowledgeable about
these forces and their effects on anatomy, and then cultivating the perceptual sensitivity
and practitioner skills to interact therapeutically with Primary Respiration. The
educational process is not considered one of achieving mastery within a fixed time frame
or curriculum, but rather an open-ended process of deepening inquiry with limitless
possibilities of more detailed information and more sensitive perception.
The established format for foundation training is fifty days, in ten modules of five
days each, the modules being taken ten or more weeks apart. This format gives sufficient
time to cover the material, at a gradual pace to deepen the perceptual skills. Shorter
courses are not supported for the purpose of gaining BCST status but are frequently used
for introductory classes and advanced training in specialized topics. Faster courses (fifty
days or more total, but not over an extended period of time) cover important material but
do not seem to provide space for perceptual deepening.
Because of the uniqueness of each practitioner/client interaction, measurable
competency evaluations are not as readily accessible as they might be in education for
some other health care practices. For example, testing via a written exam may be limited
in revealing competency in subjective areas such as perceptual skills or the student’s
capacity to interact therapeutically with primary respiratory movement.
In addition, a Biodynamic Craniosacral education may involve a higher degree of
hands-on interaction between teacher and student, compared to other educational
situations. For example the detection of Primary Respiration may be more likely to be
learned from direct contact under the hands of a skilled practitioner than from hearing
about the theories and variables in a lecture or reading about them in a book.
Becoming proficient in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy includes study in four
areas: Theory, Practitioner Skills, Anatomy and Clinical Applications. These areas are
interdependent in the education process, rather than being presented or learned
separately.
The area of practice management is not currently included in a Biodynamic
Craniosacral education. This important professional-development area includes such
topics as record-keeping, marketing, ethics, interactions with regulatory agencies and
related subjects. Learning and support in these subjects can be found elsewhere in the
health care training world.
Theory
In this area, students and practitioners explore the many and diverse explanations for
the expansion-contraction movement, and its implications. Many practitioners and
authors have speculated about these phenomena, beginning with Sutherland and
continuing in the present. The theoretical subject matter may include cosmology and
other science concepts, esoteric ideas and fundamental theories about the origin of health
and disease. Knowledge of the relevant literature can be helpful in developing a sound
theoretical basis for practice. It is generally accepted that the theory is still not yet
completely developed and that some mysteries relating to the expansion-contraction
phenomenon may never be fully explained.
Central to the theory is the concept of a progressive “unfoldment” of effects, from a
profound universal source to particular details of function. The original source first
manifests as a powerful, palpable stillness. From this stillness arises a very slow
movement centered on a vertical axis, which in turn engenders less-slowly-paced cyclic
movements that form and sustain the living system, and then faster (but still very slow
compared to other bodily rhythms such as breath or heart rate) movements that enable
adaptations to stress.
Anatomy Study
Anatomy study in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy begins with the study of tidelike
movement. Various authors have speculated about the source of this movement,
without definitive conclusion. Proposals about esoteric concepts range from ancient
Oriental cosmology (such as Qi, Chi, Prana or life-force), to spiritual or religious
concepts (such as the Biblical “Breath of Life”), to modern quantum physics (such as
morphogenic or holographic field effects, non-locality and subatomic phenomena), and to
anatomical or physiological factors (such as bodily rhythms and pressures). Due to
whatever cause, mysterious forces (described by such terms as the “Breath of Life,”
“Potency in the fluids,” “the Ordering Principle” and “Intelligence”) coalesce to form the
embryological midline (the primitive streak and notochord). The same forces continue to
operate throughout life.
Anatomy study continues with exploration of three main areas:
Midlines
The midline anatomy is further differentiated based on perceptual experience. At the
core is a quality of stillness that does not seem to participate in the overall movement.
This has been called the “quantum midline” or, in yogic systems, the Sushumna or, in
Polarity Therapy, the “ultra-sonic core.” Secondly, the notochordal midline is formed.
While the notochord itself disappears, its vestiges are located in the adult within the
vertebral discs and spinal bodies. Thirdly, a fluid midline is formed within the ventricles
and later the spinal canal. Each midline relates in turn to its predecessor and has
important therapeutic implications, and much emphasis has been placed on developing
and interpreting applications for each midline.
Rates
Cyclic forces may be palpated as having various pacings (i.e., different rhythms
embedded within each other at different rates), and much attention has been given to
understanding the roles and functions of the different speeds of pulsation, particularly the
“Long Tide” (about 100 sec./cycle), the “Mid-Tide” (about 25 sec./cycle) and the
“Cranial Respiratory Impulse” or CRI, (about 6 sec./cycle). Cultivating the ability to
perceive and interact with various rates is a subject of great focus.
Usage of the term “Tide” is common in reference to rates because the movements can
be perceived as having tidal attributes such as filling and receding in a regular rhythm.
The analogy is also useful in acknowledging the embedded variations of rhythms,
comparable to waves on the surface of the ocean showing one pace, while deeper waters
may have different, coexisting currents and pacing.
Layers
The movement is also palpable in various anatomical layers, as described above. The
practitioner becomes familiar with the local anatomy of various parts of the body as a
way to interact with Primary Respiration as it manifests in bones, soft tissue, fluids,
functional systems and energetic presence. Throughout study, emphasis is always placed
on the fundamental wholeness of the system, and the underlying progression of Primary
Respiration from global to local expressions.
In addition to conventional anatomy, study has also involved esoteric and/or Oriental
anatomy including phenomena such as chakras or energy centers along the spine (a
traditional medicine concept from India), meridians (a traditional medicine concept from
the Orient) and the aura or energy field (a traditional medicine concept from many
sources). These esoteric anatomy topics are not part of the basic curriculum, but
references exist in the literature and these may be part of secondary study.
The interconnectedness of phenomena is of great interest in Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy, and the concept of layers includes the study of field effects. Perception of local
areas as parts of larger “units of function” is an important therapeutic skill. For example,
the “fluid field” could describe perception of different fluidic components operating as
one system, and “tissue field” could describe interrelated bones, membranes and soft
tissue operating as one integrated system. Similarly, perceptual experiences may include
subtle phenomena outside the body, of which the body is a part, with the whole perceived
as operating as one meta-system. For example, the “relational field” could describe the
sum interactive effects of the practitioner and client together.
Anatomical knowledge and perceptual skill are linked. The more the practitioner
knows the anatomy and physiology, including embryology, the more the perceptual
channels seem to open and useful phenomena seem to become accessible. The anatomy
of the client expresses its situation in spatial positioning and movement, with increasing
detail according to the degree that the practitioner is able to listen effectively and
precisely. Therefore anatomical study is a large portion of the material presented in a
biodynamic training, and is emphasized as an essential supportive complement to the
perceptual process.
In anatomy study for the purpose of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, the emphasis
is on living systems comprehended in their totality, rather than the isolation of specific
parts and functions viewed outside the living context. The ability to accurately visualize
subsurface and non-local phenomena is emphasized in support of the perceptual process.
The accomplished practitioner has a solid understanding of human anatomy, with
particular expertise in the following major areas:
The multi-layered centerline of the body
Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems, especially the Autonomic branch of the
PNS
Cerebrospinal fluid and the ventricles of the brain
Cranial Bones & Sutures
Meninges of the Brain and Spinal Cord (“Reciprocal Tension Membrane”)
Facial structures including the hard palate and the temperomandibular joint
Venous Sinus System in the Cranium
Vertebrae and their support structures
Sacrum and Pelvis
Fascia and Connective Tissue
Viscera
Circulatory Systems
Extremities especially the joints
Practitioner Skills
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy requires significant development of perceptual
skills, and this aspect is a primary focus of education as well as a lifelong heightening of
sensitivity. Sutherland and his successors gradually acquired the capacity to detect very
subtle phenomena via kinesthetic and other sensory means including what are apparently
forms of “seventh sense” perceptions of subsurface areas and phenomena. This
perceptual capacity has similarities to what has been termed “remote viewing” in
psychological research, including the ability to detect remote, non-local or very minute
phenomena.
Self-awareness is the foundation of perceptual skills. Practitioners learn to create a
stable basis for subtle perception by cultivating stillness and neutrality within themselves.
A quiet mental-emotional-physical state is established, enabling focused perceptual
access to subtle phenomena. Practitioners gain the sensitivity to “listen” to deeper levels
of experience in themselves and others.
Awareness of relationship is also central to the topic of perceptual sensitivity. The
practitioner is responsible for creating a safe relational field in which the client feels
secure and supported. Creating a functional therapeutic relationship is not a trivial matter.
It calls forth a wide range of subjects such as attachment issues, projective identification,
transference and counter-transference, intimacy issues, and communication skills
including semantics. Some writers have proposed that creating a truly effective relational
field surpasses most if not all other dimensions of the therapeutic process. Subtle
listening is not possible without a functioning relational field, because the practitioner
otherwise would be just palpating the client’s response to the practitioner in a stressed
environment, rather than palpating the client’s intrinsic condition directly.
When self-awareness and relational dynamics are conducive, the practitioner enters a
perceptual state where access opens to deeper forces. Symptomology, pathology and the
intention of “fixing” conditions gives way to listening to the deeper forces of wholeness.
A slow, deliberate, organized movement of expansion-contraction is detected beneath the
restless, chaotic surface expression of symptoms and conditions.
Applications
Over the course of many years, specific methods have been developed to address a
wide range of health conditions relating to particular body areas and symptoms. These
methods are learned as part of a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy education. This part
of the education provides strategies for dealing with particular problems, and also a
means of exploring the full spectrum of clinical possibilities in a systematic way. In
actual professional practice, protocols and step-by-step routines are less significant,
because the emphasis is on the uniqueness of the individual encounter rather than
generalities.
Section Three: Clinical Practice
The application of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a dynamic interaction
between practitioner and client, and therefore each session is unique. However certain
phenomena serve as foundations of practice, likely to manifest in some form in most or
all sessions. These phenomena are therefore studied in great detail in the educational
process, and then they are deepened through years of maturation in actual use. The
following is a description of key concepts in clinical practice, which are all represented
strongly within a BCST education and curriculum. Practitioners become familiar with
these concepts and competent in therapeutically applying them in diverse clinical
situations.
Stillness
Preceding and embedded within all processes of expansion-contraction is the
possibility of a third, more subtle stage. “Stillness” refers to this quiet primordial phase,
when neither of the more obvious movement patterns seems to be expressed. Sutherland
and his colleagues, as well as modern authors, have found tremendous significance in
perceiving and working with stillness. The experience of stillness is discussed throughout
the literature, and comments range widely. Stillness is considered to represent a dynamic
and vibrant field for dramatic opportunities of transformation. The phrase “Dynamic
Stillness” is used to describe a particular state cultivated in Biodynamic Craniosacral
sessions, in which remarkable transmutations may arise.
Inherent Treatment Plan
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is based on the idea that the sequence of change
leading from disease back to health is already present in the client’s system. Therefore
the practitioner is concerned with creating a relationship with the inner resources of the
client more than attempting to figure out what will solve the problem from the outside.
This attitude is a major paradigm shift in health care. The Inherent Treatment Plan may
be expressed as a palpable expression of intrinsic forces within the body or the field
around the body, patterns of movement in the fluids or tissues, arising of dynamic
stillness within existing conditions, arising of psycho-emotional material, or many other
forms.
The Inherent Treatment Plan implies that all conditions represent forms of health,
even in a disease state. In this perspective, the client’s system has developed an adaptive
strategy to manage stress, and this strategy embodies tremendous wisdom even if it may
also be pathological. A fixation pattern may be painful or disabling, but it is still in
service of the larger survival imperative and is driven by an inner wisdom.
Comprehending and applying this line of thinking has very significant implications.
Orienting to Primary Respiration and Midline Movement
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy involves a dual interaction for the practitioner.
One focus is on Primary Respiration and its expressions, while a simultaneous attention
may be occupied with a local area. The practitioner develops the ability to support the reestablishment
of a relationship between these two. Disturbances or disease conditions are
seen to arise when Primary Respiration has been obscured or contained due to the forces
within local tissues becoming preoccupied with managing life experience in some way.
Great emphasis is placed on restoration of a relationship between the local disturbance
and the underlying forces that carry the original intention and ordering principle for every
function and anatomical area.
Transmutation
A mysterious shifting of tissues and other phenomena has been reported repeatedly.
Within a three-stage process, or when tissues recover their natural relationship with
midline movement, remarkable changes have been observed. Congestion seems to give
way to openness, tension to fluidity, intransigence to adaptability, and a variety of similar
changes may be observed.
Potency
Perception by the practitioner may deliver a basic distinction between the presence of
life force and vitality, or its relative obscuration by stasis, compartmentalization or other
forms of non-movement and fixation. Great interest is placed in detecting, recognizing
and supporting the potency or intelligence that is always present. For example, the client
may be palpated as expressing more or less potency, and treatment may be organized
around uplifting the presence of potency in a local area or in the whole system.
Fulcrums
The term “fulcrum” is used in several ways in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. It
means a point around which movement or structure is organized. Fulcrums can be
palpated and they offer a specific therapeutic interface with a pattern of disturbance in the
body.
The natural movements of expansion and contraction are centered on “naturally
shifting fulcrums,” which are points along the midline reflecting the body’s original
ordering design. These have also been called “biodynamic fulcrums.” There are specific
natural fulcrums for each layer of the system.
Fulcrums are also created to manage stress in the body. These “biokinetic” or
“inertial” fulcrums are specific anatomical locations around which the system creates
adaptations, to support accommodation and compartmentalization of a disruptive force
and minimize its effects on the whole system. Inertial fulcrums generate distortions in the
potency-fluid-tissue field and compensatory tension patterns as well as compression and
strain. Inertial fulcrums require a certain measure of potency; when the pattern is
released, this bound energy becomes once again available to the system.
The term fulcrum can also refer to psychological or emotional points of reference,
such as a belief system, attitude or expectation. In addition the term is used to refer to the
points of orientation that a practitioner creates to create a centered and grounded presence
in preparation for a session.
Three-Stage Process
Arising from the writings of Rollin Becker, DO (2000), the “three-stage process”
describes a way to work with inertial fulcrums, for most or all locations or symptoms.
The three stages are:
Seeking: the client’s system initially shapes itself, within the context of overall cycles
of expansion-contraction, to express a particular pattern. This shaping may seem to
organize around specific anatomical locations (the phrase “biokinetic fulcrum” or
“inertial fulcrum” is used to describe the place of organization), take on particular forms,
and move in particular directions that are not necessarily asymmetrical or aligned with
the midline. The practitioner gently observes this first phase of the three-stage process
using the full spectrum of perceptual skills and anatomical knowledge. Through
perceptual and manual interaction and support provided by the practitioner, the first stage
may reach a completion in its own time, leading to the second stage.
Stillness: in the second stage, a state of balance arises. The movements find
fulfillment and the forces behind the movement find equilibrium. In the stillness phase,
the client’s system seems to rest and rebuild, gather resources for healing, regain vitality,
re-orient to the midline and prepare for change. A sense of expansion and spaciousness
may arise, as well as a sense of discharge of the held forces. The stillness phase can
continue for an extended period of time and offers remarkable benefits both locally in the
problem area and systemically throughout the whole person. Overview of BCST 11 3/29/13
Reorganization and Realignment: in the third phase, Primary Respiration infuses
tissues and fields with the ordering principle. Movement returns to the local area and/or
the whole person, in ways that may not have been anticipated. The inherent treatment
plan is expressed, and the practitioner again provides a supportive witnessing role. The
new movement has an identifiable relationship with the underlying midline movement, as
tissues that were disoriented or immobilized recover their natural relationship with
Primary Respiration and the ordering influences within the midlines.
Skills of Conversation
When working with the faster tidal pacings (CRI and Mid-Tide), various
interventions have been devised to facilitate release of inertial patterns and re-orientation
to primary respiration. Collectively these are called “skills of conversation” in
recognition that Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is much less about manipulative
techniques than it is about subtle perceptual interactions.
Skills of conversation include:
Disengagement
Lateral Fluctuation
Directing Fluid and V-Spread
Traction
Releasing Force Vectors
Related Fields of Study
Embryology
The forces that created anatomy and physiology are still operating throughout life and
guiding all tissue repair. Perception of these forces is of great interest in Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. Phenomena such as the organizing midline, spiraling shapes of
fluid dynamics, and epigenetic, pre-personality archetypal patterns may be encountered
as the practitioner becomes more skilled with the advanced perceptual capacity related to
interacting with embryological forces. Interacting with these formative patterns can have
great therapeutic benefit because the client’s system becomes more able to access its
original intention, instead of organizing around subsequent, disturbing life events.
Pre- and Peri-Natal Therapies
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy recognizes the significance of life’s earliest
experiences. Many patterns in the adult originate with experiences before, during and
after birth. The birth experience itself is acknowledged to have disproportionate
importance, because it is such a dramatic transition, often entails life-or-death moments,
and/or is frequently affected by erroneous cultural belief systems. Examples of erroneous
cultural belief systems include the perception that babies are less than sentient or not
impressionable, that interventions and anesthesia have no lasting negative effects, and
that maternal bonding is insignificant or of secondary importance. Difficulties in the
earliest times of life can create lifelong inertial fulcrums. Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy is closely aligned with the emerging field of pre- and peri-natal psychology,
which specializes in resolving the effects of infant trauma in babies and adults, and
advocates changes in modern medical birthing practices in favor of a more gentle,
natural, respectful model.
Trauma Resolution
Because inertial patterns are often the result of trauma, and because many medical
conditions have a basis in autonomic nervous system processes, Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy is closely interested in methods of trauma resolution. Some of the more popular
of these methods fall outside the scope of practice of the core curriculum of the BCST
training, yet practitioners and students inevitably expand their understanding in the field
in order to provide a full-spectrum service to their clients. A BCST training includes
basic verbal skills, and practitioners then augment this training with postgraduate courses
depending on the intended nature of the practice and other factors
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, profound bodywork involving these subtle rhythmic fluctuations within the body . BCST works many levels of body, mind and spirit and can affect deep change in our being. This therapy can help regulate an over-active nervous system, this opens us up to experience a sense of peace, deep rest and wholeness.
Christina offers this beautiful gentle work to Adult, infants and children.
Craniosacral can be helpful for:
stress
chronic fatigue
neck pain
anxiety
fibromyalgia
back pain
depression
immune issues
pain anywhere in body
emotional trauma
post-pregnancy (post-partum) difficulties
post-accident trauma and healing
sexual trauma
autism
tinnitus
loneliness
sleep difficulties / insomnia
ear problems
hopelessness
unexplained pain
eye problems
anomie
menstrual cramps
TMJ
fear
sinus problems
migraines
shame
irritable bowel syndrome
headaches
carpal tunnel syndrome
Instead of constantly running in "fight or flight" mode, slowing down and relaxing become possible this then supports self-repair and rejuvenation functions. Which can support a sense of
wholeness/integration/embodiment
connection to spirit, god, all that is
connection with your life force
equanimity
greater ability to deal with life's challenges
greater connection to others and self
contentment
joy
transformation of the self
Craniosacral Therapists learn to sense where the body is relaxed and flowing with these rhythms. They also can detect areas that may be frozen, locked, or tight from stress and trauma, and help guide the body to remember its inert health and wholeness.
What does a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy session look like?
we will begin by talking about your concerns and your intention for the session.
During the session, you will be fully clothed, usually lying on a massage table. It is important that you feel comfortable and safe. I will ask you from time to time what you are experiencing, and help you to stay present with whatever arises for you.
When I touch you, I will check with you to make sure that you are ready and that the touch is comfortable. Sometimes it takes some negotiation to get the touch just right so you can deeply relax. I will guide you in this process which, in itself, can be very healing.
Craniosacral therapy involves a very light, gentle touch, often applied to the head (cranium) or sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine). At times, I combine this with other forms of bodywork, breath or movement work if it seems helpful. We will probably talk some during the session, although some sessions are much quieter than others.
Sessions usually last about an hour. During that time, I will quietly, gently hold parts of your body, listening to the subtle rhythms and tracking changes in your system.
During the session, you may…
• Relax so deeply that you fall asleep
• Enter a quiet state of meditation
• Feel as if you are dreaming while awake
• Experience memories or insights while on the table
• Enjoy a pleasant sense of warmth, softening, widening or floating
At times, you may experience other kinds of sensations as energy that has been held in the body is released. If this occurs, I will assist you in staying present with the breath and bodily sensations to facilitate the discharge and help you to integrate and benefit from the experience.
At the end of the session, you may…
• Feel relaxed, but also energized
• Find yourself breathing more fully and deeply
• Stand straighter and taller
• Feel more comfortable in your body
Who can benefit from BCST ?
Everyone potentially can benefit, though with some, the improvement may be more dramatic than with others. Because BCST builds health in the brain and nervous system, it is effective in assisting the prevention of chronic conditions, including the problems of aging, stiffness, dryness, memory loss, inflammation, immune imbalances. BCST also addresses injuries, even those that occurred long ago and that we had no idea were still affecting us. Birth trauma commonly affects one throughout life unless addressed, for example. And how many of us have not had a head or tailbone injury from sports, falls, violence, or auto accidents? Even recovery from minor surgeries, including dental work, which can create strains and anesthesia residues, can be supported by BCST. The beauty of the biodynamic approach is that it strengthens our whole system and creates a safe environment, so that the body can show these unresolved issues, and the BCST practitioner can facilitate a resolution. Our inner Intelligence is capable, when skillfully supported, of presenting the strains one at a time, in priority order, in a way that does not overwhelm the system but makes it increasingly stronger. We do not need to remember or relive our traumas in order to benefit from their resolution.
Is BCST safe during pregnancy?
BCST is not only safe but recommended during pregnancy, as it calms the nervous system of both mother and child, encouraging emotional bonding which can otherwise be short-circuited due to pre-natal and birth stresses and trauma. The Biodynamic approach can contact the Primal Midline of the infant's delicate nervous system - the midline that holds our Originality, the state of perfection that enables us to be less affected by negative influences from our genetics. Also, although the growing prenate is highly conscious, s/he does not know the difference between mother's thoughts and feelings and its own, so when Mom's system is soothed and balanced during pregnancy, baby gains huge benefits.
READ THIS ARTICLE FOR A MORE DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF BIODYNAMIC CRANIOSACRAL BELOW
Overview of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Based on the Teachings and Writings of Franklyn Sills
John Chitty, BCST, RPP
Colorado School of Energy Studies
www.energyschool.com
Table of Contents
Section One: Introduction................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements......................................................................................................... 2
Purpose of this Document............................................................................................... 2
Brief History of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy....................................................... 2
Section Two: Overview ...................................................................................................... 3
Main principles ............................................................................................................... 3
Education Overview........................................................................................................ 4
Theory............................................................................................................................. 5
Anatomy Study ............................................................................................................... 5
Midlines....................................................................................................................... 6
Rates............................................................................................................................ 6
Layers.......................................................................................................................... 6
Practitioner Skills............................................................................................................ 7
Applications.................................................................................................................... 8
Section Three: Clinical Practice.......................................................................................... 8
Stillness........................................................................................................................... 8
Inherent Treatment Plan.................................................................................................. 9
Orienting to Primary Respiration and Midline Movement............................................. 9
Transmutation ................................................................................................................. 9
Potency............................................................................................................................ 9
Fulcrums ....................................................................................................................... 10
Three-Stage Process...................................................................................................... 10
Skills of Conversation................................................................................................... 11
Related Fields of Study................................................................................................. 11
Embryology ............................................................................................................... 11
Pre- and Peri-Natal Therapies ................................................................................. 11
Trauma Resolution.................................................................................................... 12
Section One: Introduction
Acknowledgements
This article is directly informed by Franklyn Sills, RCST, Karuna Institute (Devon,
England, www.karuna-institute.co.uk/). Sills is author of the two-volume book,
Craniosacral Biodynamics (North Atlantic Books, 2001). This article is not written by
Sills; any errors or misinterpretations of his work are the responsibility of the author, not
Sills himself.
Grateful appreciation goes to Michael Shea, PhD, RCST, International Institute for
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (Juno Beach, FL, www.sheacranial.com) for all his
work on a much larger-scale project, “Standards for Practice,” (www.biodynamiccraniosacral.org/standards)
which provided an impetus and context for this much shorter
overview article.
Please note that this article does not have the formal endorsement of any group, other
teachers or schools, or any other party. It only reflects the opinions of the author, and is
offered to the public as a point of discussion. Please send any feedback or suggestions to
chittyj@energyschool.com. Future editions are expected as the article is gradually refined
by feedback, so continue to check this web site periodically for updates, using the date
stamp at the bottom of the page as a guide.
Purpose of this Document
The intention of this document is to summarize the content of the field of Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. Having a clearly stated overview of this practice supports
coherence, mutual understanding and continuity among practitioners, schools that offer
biodynamic programs, teachers, students, professionals in related fields and the general
public. Students can use this document as a checklist to ascertain whether the core
material has been presented in a course, and whether the basic direction of the program is
consistent with biodynamic practice expectations. A biodynamic craniosacral therapy
practitioner should be able to demonstrate familiarity and competence with all the topics
described in this document.
This document describes only the basic foundational concepts of Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. For a much more complete presentation, readers are referred to the
literature, particularly Craniosacral Biodynamics by Franklyn Sills, RCST, and Wisdom
in the Body by Michael Kern, DO, RCST.
This document is not intended to be a curriculum. Teachers and schools develop their
curricula based on many factors, of which this is only one. This document is also not
intended to be a full exploration of all the possibilities of therapeutic applications
suggested by the Biodynamic Craniosacral model. Instead, it is intentionally brief, so that
the reader can easily gain a general understanding of what is meant by, and included in a
biodynamic craniosacral education and practice.
Brief History of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is indirectly derived from the work of William
Garner Sutherland, DO (1870-1954) and his colleagues in the field of osteopathic Overview of BCST 3 3/29/13 medicine. Sutherland discovered a subtle tiny movement in the bones, membranes and
fluids of the body, which he thought resembled breathing and its cycles of expansion and
contraction. He developed therapeutic methods based on interacting with this movement
and found great clinical success with his patients, including a wide range of conditions.
Despite this effectiveness, his findings were not embraced by mainstream medicine of the
1950’s and 1960’s, for a variety of reasons. Exploration of his work therefore began to
occur outside the medical profession, leading to the development of Craniosacral Therapy
in several forms in the 1970’s, and also other derivatives.
Franklyn Sills had a background in Polarity Therapy and Buddhist meditation
practices when he attended osteopathic college in England in the 1980’s. His approach
reflected the osteopathic origins noted above, combined with significant input from these
other more esoteric sources. He developed his first curriculum in 1986 and published his
textbook Craniosacral Biodynamics in 2001; these became the basis for the current
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy training content. Since the mid-1990’s, other
practitioners and teachers have also applied their knowledge and experience to the work,
contributing significantly to the evolution of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy into its
present form.
The term “Biodynamic” was first used by Rollin Becker, DO (ca. 1963) to describe
the force creating subtle movement in the body, and later by the embryologist Erich
Blechschmidt (1978) to describe a wholistic understanding of living systems. The term
“Craniosacral” (as in “craniosacral mechanism”) was first used by Sutherland’s colleague
Harold Magoun, DO, (1951) to describe the presence of synchronized, coordinated
movement in the head, spine and pelvis.
Section Two: Overview
Main principles
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a particular approach to the study of the creative
forces that organize the human body, their various forms of expression, and the
application of that study within the field of health care. It is based on the following core
concepts:
• The forces of nature include a subtle ordering principle that drives the creation,
development and maintenance of systems. The ordering principle acts as an
“intelligence,” in that events are not random but rather proceed according to
underlying laws of nature.
• Among the expressions of these forces is a subtle, polyrhythmic movement in stable
and palpable cycles known as “Primary Respiration.” This expansion-contraction
movement is omnipresent in nature, including living systems. Its origin and
mechanism are unknown. In humans, it can be palpated as a slow and subtle
widening-filling-rising and emptying-narrowing-descending throughout the tissues
and fluids, centered on and emanating from the midline. This movement is thought
to be an expression of the “Breath of Life,” a profound universal substrate of all
form that reflects a mystical, non-physical dimension. From its beginnings with
Sutherland (who first applied the Biblical phrase Breath of Life as a descriptor),
mysticism aspect has been continually reported by practitioners and is fully
acknowledged even though a scientific understanding of the cyclic movement
phenomena remains incomplete.
• Interactions with this movement can have remarkable health benefits. Interactions
are significantly a perceptual process, rather than a manipulative technique.
Therefore cultivating sensitivity to the subtleties of relationship and developing
increased perceptual capacity are cornerstones of Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy. The process by which perceptual experience affects the movement and the
client’s health is not yet understood scientifically, although the phenomenon is wellestablished
clinically.
• The forces that generate healing are the same forces that made the body at its
beginning, and they are always present within the system. The practitioner’s role is
to support the natural emergence of the ordering principle from within the system.
This contrasts significantly with the external-repair practitioner role often found in
modern medicine and manipulative modalities. Rather than trying to diagnose a
problem and fix it through interventions, the Biodynamic Craniosacral approach is
primarily to facilitate conditions in which the natural forces within the body and
emanating from the field external to the body are mobilized and optimized to selfcorrect
the condition from within. This approach has been shown to be remarkably
effective and safe for a wide range of conditions.
• Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is concerned with the whole system, rather than
the isolated function of any part. Health is considered to be an outcome of the total
environment, including all internal and external factors.
Education Overview
A Biodynamic Craniosacral education consists of becoming knowledgeable about
these forces and their effects on anatomy, and then cultivating the perceptual sensitivity
and practitioner skills to interact therapeutically with Primary Respiration. The
educational process is not considered one of achieving mastery within a fixed time frame
or curriculum, but rather an open-ended process of deepening inquiry with limitless
possibilities of more detailed information and more sensitive perception.
The established format for foundation training is fifty days, in ten modules of five
days each, the modules being taken ten or more weeks apart. This format gives sufficient
time to cover the material, at a gradual pace to deepen the perceptual skills. Shorter
courses are not supported for the purpose of gaining BCST status but are frequently used
for introductory classes and advanced training in specialized topics. Faster courses (fifty
days or more total, but not over an extended period of time) cover important material but
do not seem to provide space for perceptual deepening.
Because of the uniqueness of each practitioner/client interaction, measurable
competency evaluations are not as readily accessible as they might be in education for
some other health care practices. For example, testing via a written exam may be limited
in revealing competency in subjective areas such as perceptual skills or the student’s
capacity to interact therapeutically with primary respiratory movement.
In addition, a Biodynamic Craniosacral education may involve a higher degree of
hands-on interaction between teacher and student, compared to other educational
situations. For example the detection of Primary Respiration may be more likely to be
learned from direct contact under the hands of a skilled practitioner than from hearing
about the theories and variables in a lecture or reading about them in a book.
Becoming proficient in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy includes study in four
areas: Theory, Practitioner Skills, Anatomy and Clinical Applications. These areas are
interdependent in the education process, rather than being presented or learned
separately.
The area of practice management is not currently included in a Biodynamic
Craniosacral education. This important professional-development area includes such
topics as record-keeping, marketing, ethics, interactions with regulatory agencies and
related subjects. Learning and support in these subjects can be found elsewhere in the
health care training world.
Theory
In this area, students and practitioners explore the many and diverse explanations for
the expansion-contraction movement, and its implications. Many practitioners and
authors have speculated about these phenomena, beginning with Sutherland and
continuing in the present. The theoretical subject matter may include cosmology and
other science concepts, esoteric ideas and fundamental theories about the origin of health
and disease. Knowledge of the relevant literature can be helpful in developing a sound
theoretical basis for practice. It is generally accepted that the theory is still not yet
completely developed and that some mysteries relating to the expansion-contraction
phenomenon may never be fully explained.
Central to the theory is the concept of a progressive “unfoldment” of effects, from a
profound universal source to particular details of function. The original source first
manifests as a powerful, palpable stillness. From this stillness arises a very slow
movement centered on a vertical axis, which in turn engenders less-slowly-paced cyclic
movements that form and sustain the living system, and then faster (but still very slow
compared to other bodily rhythms such as breath or heart rate) movements that enable
adaptations to stress.
Anatomy Study
Anatomy study in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy begins with the study of tidelike
movement. Various authors have speculated about the source of this movement,
without definitive conclusion. Proposals about esoteric concepts range from ancient
Oriental cosmology (such as Qi, Chi, Prana or life-force), to spiritual or religious
concepts (such as the Biblical “Breath of Life”), to modern quantum physics (such as
morphogenic or holographic field effects, non-locality and subatomic phenomena), and to
anatomical or physiological factors (such as bodily rhythms and pressures). Due to
whatever cause, mysterious forces (described by such terms as the “Breath of Life,”
“Potency in the fluids,” “the Ordering Principle” and “Intelligence”) coalesce to form the
embryological midline (the primitive streak and notochord). The same forces continue to
operate throughout life.
Anatomy study continues with exploration of three main areas:
Midlines
The midline anatomy is further differentiated based on perceptual experience. At the
core is a quality of stillness that does not seem to participate in the overall movement.
This has been called the “quantum midline” or, in yogic systems, the Sushumna or, in
Polarity Therapy, the “ultra-sonic core.” Secondly, the notochordal midline is formed.
While the notochord itself disappears, its vestiges are located in the adult within the
vertebral discs and spinal bodies. Thirdly, a fluid midline is formed within the ventricles
and later the spinal canal. Each midline relates in turn to its predecessor and has
important therapeutic implications, and much emphasis has been placed on developing
and interpreting applications for each midline.
Rates
Cyclic forces may be palpated as having various pacings (i.e., different rhythms
embedded within each other at different rates), and much attention has been given to
understanding the roles and functions of the different speeds of pulsation, particularly the
“Long Tide” (about 100 sec./cycle), the “Mid-Tide” (about 25 sec./cycle) and the
“Cranial Respiratory Impulse” or CRI, (about 6 sec./cycle). Cultivating the ability to
perceive and interact with various rates is a subject of great focus.
Usage of the term “Tide” is common in reference to rates because the movements can
be perceived as having tidal attributes such as filling and receding in a regular rhythm.
The analogy is also useful in acknowledging the embedded variations of rhythms,
comparable to waves on the surface of the ocean showing one pace, while deeper waters
may have different, coexisting currents and pacing.
Layers
The movement is also palpable in various anatomical layers, as described above. The
practitioner becomes familiar with the local anatomy of various parts of the body as a
way to interact with Primary Respiration as it manifests in bones, soft tissue, fluids,
functional systems and energetic presence. Throughout study, emphasis is always placed
on the fundamental wholeness of the system, and the underlying progression of Primary
Respiration from global to local expressions.
In addition to conventional anatomy, study has also involved esoteric and/or Oriental
anatomy including phenomena such as chakras or energy centers along the spine (a
traditional medicine concept from India), meridians (a traditional medicine concept from
the Orient) and the aura or energy field (a traditional medicine concept from many
sources). These esoteric anatomy topics are not part of the basic curriculum, but
references exist in the literature and these may be part of secondary study.
The interconnectedness of phenomena is of great interest in Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy, and the concept of layers includes the study of field effects. Perception of local
areas as parts of larger “units of function” is an important therapeutic skill. For example,
the “fluid field” could describe perception of different fluidic components operating as
one system, and “tissue field” could describe interrelated bones, membranes and soft
tissue operating as one integrated system. Similarly, perceptual experiences may include
subtle phenomena outside the body, of which the body is a part, with the whole perceived
as operating as one meta-system. For example, the “relational field” could describe the
sum interactive effects of the practitioner and client together.
Anatomical knowledge and perceptual skill are linked. The more the practitioner
knows the anatomy and physiology, including embryology, the more the perceptual
channels seem to open and useful phenomena seem to become accessible. The anatomy
of the client expresses its situation in spatial positioning and movement, with increasing
detail according to the degree that the practitioner is able to listen effectively and
precisely. Therefore anatomical study is a large portion of the material presented in a
biodynamic training, and is emphasized as an essential supportive complement to the
perceptual process.
In anatomy study for the purpose of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, the emphasis
is on living systems comprehended in their totality, rather than the isolation of specific
parts and functions viewed outside the living context. The ability to accurately visualize
subsurface and non-local phenomena is emphasized in support of the perceptual process.
The accomplished practitioner has a solid understanding of human anatomy, with
particular expertise in the following major areas:
The multi-layered centerline of the body
Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems, especially the Autonomic branch of the
PNS
Cerebrospinal fluid and the ventricles of the brain
Cranial Bones & Sutures
Meninges of the Brain and Spinal Cord (“Reciprocal Tension Membrane”)
Facial structures including the hard palate and the temperomandibular joint
Venous Sinus System in the Cranium
Vertebrae and their support structures
Sacrum and Pelvis
Fascia and Connective Tissue
Viscera
Circulatory Systems
Extremities especially the joints
Practitioner Skills
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy requires significant development of perceptual
skills, and this aspect is a primary focus of education as well as a lifelong heightening of
sensitivity. Sutherland and his successors gradually acquired the capacity to detect very
subtle phenomena via kinesthetic and other sensory means including what are apparently
forms of “seventh sense” perceptions of subsurface areas and phenomena. This
perceptual capacity has similarities to what has been termed “remote viewing” in
psychological research, including the ability to detect remote, non-local or very minute
phenomena.
Self-awareness is the foundation of perceptual skills. Practitioners learn to create a
stable basis for subtle perception by cultivating stillness and neutrality within themselves.
A quiet mental-emotional-physical state is established, enabling focused perceptual
access to subtle phenomena. Practitioners gain the sensitivity to “listen” to deeper levels
of experience in themselves and others.
Awareness of relationship is also central to the topic of perceptual sensitivity. The
practitioner is responsible for creating a safe relational field in which the client feels
secure and supported. Creating a functional therapeutic relationship is not a trivial matter.
It calls forth a wide range of subjects such as attachment issues, projective identification,
transference and counter-transference, intimacy issues, and communication skills
including semantics. Some writers have proposed that creating a truly effective relational
field surpasses most if not all other dimensions of the therapeutic process. Subtle
listening is not possible without a functioning relational field, because the practitioner
otherwise would be just palpating the client’s response to the practitioner in a stressed
environment, rather than palpating the client’s intrinsic condition directly.
When self-awareness and relational dynamics are conducive, the practitioner enters a
perceptual state where access opens to deeper forces. Symptomology, pathology and the
intention of “fixing” conditions gives way to listening to the deeper forces of wholeness.
A slow, deliberate, organized movement of expansion-contraction is detected beneath the
restless, chaotic surface expression of symptoms and conditions.
Applications
Over the course of many years, specific methods have been developed to address a
wide range of health conditions relating to particular body areas and symptoms. These
methods are learned as part of a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy education. This part
of the education provides strategies for dealing with particular problems, and also a
means of exploring the full spectrum of clinical possibilities in a systematic way. In
actual professional practice, protocols and step-by-step routines are less significant,
because the emphasis is on the uniqueness of the individual encounter rather than
generalities.
Section Three: Clinical Practice
The application of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a dynamic interaction
between practitioner and client, and therefore each session is unique. However certain
phenomena serve as foundations of practice, likely to manifest in some form in most or
all sessions. These phenomena are therefore studied in great detail in the educational
process, and then they are deepened through years of maturation in actual use. The
following is a description of key concepts in clinical practice, which are all represented
strongly within a BCST education and curriculum. Practitioners become familiar with
these concepts and competent in therapeutically applying them in diverse clinical
situations.
Stillness
Preceding and embedded within all processes of expansion-contraction is the
possibility of a third, more subtle stage. “Stillness” refers to this quiet primordial phase,
when neither of the more obvious movement patterns seems to be expressed. Sutherland
and his colleagues, as well as modern authors, have found tremendous significance in
perceiving and working with stillness. The experience of stillness is discussed throughout
the literature, and comments range widely. Stillness is considered to represent a dynamic
and vibrant field for dramatic opportunities of transformation. The phrase “Dynamic
Stillness” is used to describe a particular state cultivated in Biodynamic Craniosacral
sessions, in which remarkable transmutations may arise.
Inherent Treatment Plan
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is based on the idea that the sequence of change
leading from disease back to health is already present in the client’s system. Therefore
the practitioner is concerned with creating a relationship with the inner resources of the
client more than attempting to figure out what will solve the problem from the outside.
This attitude is a major paradigm shift in health care. The Inherent Treatment Plan may
be expressed as a palpable expression of intrinsic forces within the body or the field
around the body, patterns of movement in the fluids or tissues, arising of dynamic
stillness within existing conditions, arising of psycho-emotional material, or many other
forms.
The Inherent Treatment Plan implies that all conditions represent forms of health,
even in a disease state. In this perspective, the client’s system has developed an adaptive
strategy to manage stress, and this strategy embodies tremendous wisdom even if it may
also be pathological. A fixation pattern may be painful or disabling, but it is still in
service of the larger survival imperative and is driven by an inner wisdom.
Comprehending and applying this line of thinking has very significant implications.
Orienting to Primary Respiration and Midline Movement
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy involves a dual interaction for the practitioner.
One focus is on Primary Respiration and its expressions, while a simultaneous attention
may be occupied with a local area. The practitioner develops the ability to support the reestablishment
of a relationship between these two. Disturbances or disease conditions are
seen to arise when Primary Respiration has been obscured or contained due to the forces
within local tissues becoming preoccupied with managing life experience in some way.
Great emphasis is placed on restoration of a relationship between the local disturbance
and the underlying forces that carry the original intention and ordering principle for every
function and anatomical area.
Transmutation
A mysterious shifting of tissues and other phenomena has been reported repeatedly.
Within a three-stage process, or when tissues recover their natural relationship with
midline movement, remarkable changes have been observed. Congestion seems to give
way to openness, tension to fluidity, intransigence to adaptability, and a variety of similar
changes may be observed.
Potency
Perception by the practitioner may deliver a basic distinction between the presence of
life force and vitality, or its relative obscuration by stasis, compartmentalization or other
forms of non-movement and fixation. Great interest is placed in detecting, recognizing
and supporting the potency or intelligence that is always present. For example, the client
may be palpated as expressing more or less potency, and treatment may be organized
around uplifting the presence of potency in a local area or in the whole system.
Fulcrums
The term “fulcrum” is used in several ways in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. It
means a point around which movement or structure is organized. Fulcrums can be
palpated and they offer a specific therapeutic interface with a pattern of disturbance in the
body.
The natural movements of expansion and contraction are centered on “naturally
shifting fulcrums,” which are points along the midline reflecting the body’s original
ordering design. These have also been called “biodynamic fulcrums.” There are specific
natural fulcrums for each layer of the system.
Fulcrums are also created to manage stress in the body. These “biokinetic” or
“inertial” fulcrums are specific anatomical locations around which the system creates
adaptations, to support accommodation and compartmentalization of a disruptive force
and minimize its effects on the whole system. Inertial fulcrums generate distortions in the
potency-fluid-tissue field and compensatory tension patterns as well as compression and
strain. Inertial fulcrums require a certain measure of potency; when the pattern is
released, this bound energy becomes once again available to the system.
The term fulcrum can also refer to psychological or emotional points of reference,
such as a belief system, attitude or expectation. In addition the term is used to refer to the
points of orientation that a practitioner creates to create a centered and grounded presence
in preparation for a session.
Three-Stage Process
Arising from the writings of Rollin Becker, DO (2000), the “three-stage process”
describes a way to work with inertial fulcrums, for most or all locations or symptoms.
The three stages are:
Seeking: the client’s system initially shapes itself, within the context of overall cycles
of expansion-contraction, to express a particular pattern. This shaping may seem to
organize around specific anatomical locations (the phrase “biokinetic fulcrum” or
“inertial fulcrum” is used to describe the place of organization), take on particular forms,
and move in particular directions that are not necessarily asymmetrical or aligned with
the midline. The practitioner gently observes this first phase of the three-stage process
using the full spectrum of perceptual skills and anatomical knowledge. Through
perceptual and manual interaction and support provided by the practitioner, the first stage
may reach a completion in its own time, leading to the second stage.
Stillness: in the second stage, a state of balance arises. The movements find
fulfillment and the forces behind the movement find equilibrium. In the stillness phase,
the client’s system seems to rest and rebuild, gather resources for healing, regain vitality,
re-orient to the midline and prepare for change. A sense of expansion and spaciousness
may arise, as well as a sense of discharge of the held forces. The stillness phase can
continue for an extended period of time and offers remarkable benefits both locally in the
problem area and systemically throughout the whole person. Overview of BCST 11 3/29/13
Reorganization and Realignment: in the third phase, Primary Respiration infuses
tissues and fields with the ordering principle. Movement returns to the local area and/or
the whole person, in ways that may not have been anticipated. The inherent treatment
plan is expressed, and the practitioner again provides a supportive witnessing role. The
new movement has an identifiable relationship with the underlying midline movement, as
tissues that were disoriented or immobilized recover their natural relationship with
Primary Respiration and the ordering influences within the midlines.
Skills of Conversation
When working with the faster tidal pacings (CRI and Mid-Tide), various
interventions have been devised to facilitate release of inertial patterns and re-orientation
to primary respiration. Collectively these are called “skills of conversation” in
recognition that Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is much less about manipulative
techniques than it is about subtle perceptual interactions.
Skills of conversation include:
Disengagement
Lateral Fluctuation
Directing Fluid and V-Spread
Traction
Releasing Force Vectors
Related Fields of Study
Embryology
The forces that created anatomy and physiology are still operating throughout life and
guiding all tissue repair. Perception of these forces is of great interest in Biodynamic
Craniosacral Therapy. Phenomena such as the organizing midline, spiraling shapes of
fluid dynamics, and epigenetic, pre-personality archetypal patterns may be encountered
as the practitioner becomes more skilled with the advanced perceptual capacity related to
interacting with embryological forces. Interacting with these formative patterns can have
great therapeutic benefit because the client’s system becomes more able to access its
original intention, instead of organizing around subsequent, disturbing life events.
Pre- and Peri-Natal Therapies
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy recognizes the significance of life’s earliest
experiences. Many patterns in the adult originate with experiences before, during and
after birth. The birth experience itself is acknowledged to have disproportionate
importance, because it is such a dramatic transition, often entails life-or-death moments,
and/or is frequently affected by erroneous cultural belief systems. Examples of erroneous
cultural belief systems include the perception that babies are less than sentient or not
impressionable, that interventions and anesthesia have no lasting negative effects, and
that maternal bonding is insignificant or of secondary importance. Difficulties in the
earliest times of life can create lifelong inertial fulcrums. Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy is closely aligned with the emerging field of pre- and peri-natal psychology,
which specializes in resolving the effects of infant trauma in babies and adults, and
advocates changes in modern medical birthing practices in favor of a more gentle,
natural, respectful model.
Trauma Resolution
Because inertial patterns are often the result of trauma, and because many medical
conditions have a basis in autonomic nervous system processes, Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy is closely interested in methods of trauma resolution. Some of the more popular
of these methods fall outside the scope of practice of the core curriculum of the BCST
training, yet practitioners and students inevitably expand their understanding in the field
in order to provide a full-spectrum service to their clients. A BCST training includes
basic verbal skills, and practitioners then augment this training with postgraduate courses
depending on the intended nature of the practice and other factors
