Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
“To find health should be the object of the doctor. Anyone can find disease.”
— A.T. Still, founder of osteopathy
What is Craniosacral Therapy?
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) is a gentle yet profound form of body/mind therapy that combines modern knowledge and traditional wisdom. It utilises gentle, non-manipulative touch and attunement to subtle bodily rhythms to facilitate healing.
A Focus On Health
A core concept of craniosacral therapy is its focus on health. Health is ever-present in the living body: no matter our experience, illness or condition, health can be found. Orienting to health enables us to step into spaciousness and freedom, rather than the suffering of trauma, pain, and disease. Accessing these inner resources invites therapeutic changes from within the client, rather than imposing them from without.
Holding the Whole
One of the most beautiful things about cranio work is its capacity to hold the whole being: physical, emotional, mental, energetic and spiritual. As such, many issues can be worked with, from alleviating physical complaints to supporting one’s psychological journey through life.
Brief History and Development
The essence of craniosacral therapy is timeless. However, the form we now know began to take shape in 1899, when a young osteopath named William Garner Sutherland was examining a dis-articulated temporal bone. In a flash of insight, he heard the words,
“Beveled like the gills of a fish,
indicating articular motion
for a respiratory mechanism.”
He thus came to realise that — contrary to mainstream medical belief — the bones of the cranium are designed to move, to subtly “breathe”: a phenomenon he called “primary respiration”. This realisation set him forth on a life journey in which he gradually developed an approach to healing he called “osteopathy in the cranial field”. The basis of this approach is the subtle yet palpable motion of the body’s bones, membranes, fluids and nervous system.
The following one-and-a-quarter centuries since Dr. Sutherland’s first spark of realisation have seen much development of this concept. A number of gifted practitioners and authors have contributed to develop and refine his pioneering work into what is now called “biodynamic craniosacral therapy” (BCST). These include Dr. Rollin Becker, Dr. James Jealous, Franklyn Sills, Michael Kern and Michael Shea. Many of these have shown the intrinsic unity between craniosacral work and the world’s spiritual and healing traditions.
One of the truly exciting things about BCST is its capacity to adapt, change, deepen, and expand. It does this while always remaining true to Dr. Sutherland’s core understanding: that the body is designed to subtly “breathe”; that impairments of this motion lead to ill health and disease; that this motion reflects an Intelligence he called the Breath of Life; and giving way to this Intelligence is to return to original health.
Dr. Sutherland once humbly stated: “All I have done is pull aside a curtain for further vision.” The vista that this “pulling aside” has revealed is vast indeed, and BCST continues to benefit and grow from the vision it has revealed.
Temporal Bones:
“Beveled like the gills of a fish”
for Primary Respiration.
“Within that cerebrospinal fluid there is an invisible element that I refer to as the ‘Breath of Life...’
Visualize a potency, an intelligent potency, that is more intelligent than your own human mentality.”
— William Garner Sutherland
“The human body is composed of complex interflowing streams of moving energy. When these energy streams become blocked or constricted we lose the physical, emotional and mental fluidity potentially available to us. If the blockage lasts long enough or is great enough, the result is pain, discomfort, illness, or distress.”
— Robert Fulford
A Unique Medicine For Our Age
Craniosacral therapy, and particularly its biodynamic form, is a unique medicine for our age. In a world dominated by restless activity, stress, and consumption, it provides a remedy of rest, stillness, resource and regulation. Amidst the constant shouting of the world, it provides the gift of listening; amidst the chaos, the gift of coherence.
To read more about the gifts of cranio work, click here.
What Makes Craniosacral Therapy Unique?
— It emphasizes gentle contact, stillness, “non-doing” and self-healing
— It acknowledges the whole person, and the profound interconnection between physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health
— It integrates modern science with the wisdom of traditional healing arts
— It focuses on “returning to health” rather than “removing disease”
Craniosacral therapy can be used to support a wide range of conditions. It is especially suited for people seeking help with states of nervous system dysregulation, anxiety, stress, insomnia, pain, gut health, tension, and headaches.
BCST is also an ideal modality for working with babies and children.
What It Treats
First session:
$145 (~ 90 minutes)
Follow-up sessions:
$120 (~ 60 -75 minutes)
Suitable For:
— Trauma
— Stress & Tension
— Headaches & Migraines
— Pain Conditions
— Anxiety & Depression
— Digestive Issues
— Insomnia & Sleeping Difficulties
— Injury & Surgery Recovery
— General Wellbeing & Vitality
