Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

The Power of Touch (Part 4)

2012-01-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

(Here's Part 4 of The Power of Touch, by Michael Shea series)

What to Expect

In a typical BCST session, the client lies fully clothed on a massage table while the practitioner sits beside him or her. The practitioner places his hands very lightly on the client's body, after receiving permission to do so. Unlike other forms of craniosacral therapy that focus on the head, BCST sessions work with the entire body. Practitioners maintain a light sustained contact for several minutes in each hand placement. Clients are encouraged to check-in with the practitioner, to be sure that they are at ease at all times during the session. The total time for a session is usually 45 - 60 minutes.

The efficacy of this work has not been formally studied and no claims can be made regarding treatment results. Anecdotal reports from clients, however, suggest that it may be an effective form of work for a wide range of health concerns. It has effects similar to those of massage therapy, such as reducing heart rate, lowering blood pressure, increasing blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxing muscles, improving range of motion, and increasing endorphin production(which affects the perception of pain). BCST may also hasten recovery from injury and lead to a more complete resolution of it.

BCST is suitable for most people of all ages, including babies, children and the elderly, and may be effective in many acute or chronic conditions. Properly trained practitioners in this method receive the designation Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist (BCST) y the International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings.

The Power of Touch (Part 3)

2012-01-10T19:03:00.000-08:00

(Here's Part 3 of The Power of Touch, by Michael Shea series)

A Healing Relationship

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the client and practitioner forming a good working relationship. BCST practitioners undergo a minimum of 700 hours of training to develop their perceptual and clinical skills. During sessions, practitioners focus their attention on clients, working with them to co-create an optimal healing environment. They attend to clients' need for warmth, hydration, and comfortable body positioning during sessions.

In this day and age, it is difficult to fully relax. We are overstimulated an rarely feel fully safe because of it. Much of this patterning comes from the ways in which we were held and nurtured in childhood and before. BCST practitioners help heal early wounding by using a slow and respectful manner to negotiate a touch that feels right to the client, one that feels comfortable and nurturing. While working, practitioners cultivate a contemplative state of mind and this translates in the quality of their touch, allowing clients to deeply relax. Clients can learn to change their perception of their physical body and thus reduce their symptoms.

Practitioners begin a session by sensing the rhythm of Primary Respiration in themselves and establishing a sense of feeling grounding, present and peaceful. While orienting to their own slow Tide and resting in stillness, they then attune to the subtle motion f the Tide in the client's body. The practitioner allows his own clam nervous system to resonate with the client's and the client's mind and body becomes more coherent. When practitioners detect disturbances in the various fluid motions, they attempt to empathetically sense the underlying trauma patterns and bring about a therapeutic resolution via careful facilitation of the fluids back to normal motion.

The Power of Touch (Part 2)

2012-01-10T18:52:00.000-08:00

(Here's Part 2 of The Power of Touch, by Michael Shea series)

Stress

All living organisms experience stress. Science is constantly learning about the impact that elevated stress has on our health, and numerous studies have shown how stress depresses the immune system and causes heart attacks, From a biodynamic perspective, our fluid systems become shaped by our experience in life, and stress interfere with our fluid rhythms. This is especially true early in life when we are more vulnerable and difficulties have a greater potential to become imprinted in the developing brain and body. These patterns change the density and shape of the fluids leading to abnormal physiology.

Helping the Body Heal Itself

Biodynamic craniosacral therapy (BCST) sees health as a state of dynamic balancing among body, mind and spirit. In this balancing process, our bodies utilize tremendous resources to overcome challenges. When we are stressed by the demands of the world around us, our nervous system tries to meet these challenges. "Adrenaline kicks in", our energy gets spent, and our bodies are not fully able to tend to our internal world for repair. In a biodynamic cranial session, practitioners help clients slow down and relax. In resting, our breathing slows, muscles soften, circulation increases, digestion improves and other internal self-care processes become alive. By working with deep internal fluid rhythms, practitioners engage deeper resources to foster healthy and balanced flow throughout the body. In doing so, practitioners help clients feel better, and this increased senses of everyday physical well-being can have wider implications emotionally and spiritually.

The Power of Touch (Part 1)

2012-01-10T18:35:00.000-08:00

(Many times, when I said that I treat by offering light, gentle touches on the body of my clients, people would just walk away in disbelief. Little do they know that compassionate human touch heals; and it heals very deeply too.

Thus, I'm posting the series of "The Power of Touch" written by my teacher, Michael Shea to all those who have never thought touching someone can bring about such tremendous transformation to another human being.)

The Power of Touch (Part 1) by Michael Shea

For thousand of years, people around the globe have relied on the healing power of human touch. Without nurturing touch, a baby is taumatized, the human heart aches, and the brain is damaged. In modern health care, diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical treatment have largely replaced "hands-on" care. Our body's tremendous capacity to heal remains largely untapped.

The Biodynamic Craniosacral Model

All life expresses itself as motion. In the human body, all cells subtly move together in rhythmic waves that travel throughout the body's fluid systems. The study of these rhythms began over 100 years ago, with biologists and embryologists but especially an osteopathic physician named William Sutherland. After years of study, Dr. Sutherland theorized that these rhythms were generated by a life force carried in the fluids. He called this force the Breath of Life, and the slowest and most stable rhythm that springs from it he called Primary Respiration.

Like the eye of the hurricane, motion is oriented around a core of stillness. In studying the human embryo, scientists have observed that all growth and ordered fluid motion is related to a center of stillness. All around this stillness, Primary Respiration guides the formation of the embryo and continues to work throughout our life to maintain normal balance in the structure and function of our bodies. When Primary Respiration is expressed in fullness and balanced to other important fluid tides in the body, a sense of wholeness and a perception of well-being are more fully able to manifest.

Deep Peace Living - A Deep Peace Prayer

2011-07-21T02:05:00.001-07:00

Here is an ancient Celtic prayer, with the last line added for that special craniosacral element.

Deep Peace of the Running Wave to You
Deep Peace of the Flowing Air to You
Deep Peace of the Quiet Earth to You
Deep Peace of the Shining Stars to You
Deep Peace of the Vast, Still Void to You

I offer this prayer to you and all of my cranio clients.

Deep Peace Everyone.....

Deep Peace Living - Objectives

2011-07-21T02:00:00.000-07:00

Deep Peace Living has three main objectives:

to provide Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy to clients with symptoms ranging from chronic stress problems to those with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD).
to guide and teach clients towards self-regulation
to help clients build their inner and outer resources for healing to take place.

I'm happy to observe, my clients are getting there. They are getting there.

Deep Peace Living - Origins (Part 2)

2011-07-21T01:34:00.000-07:00

Another book gave me a theme.

I was reading Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's "Full Catastrophe Living" when I suddenly realised that what I am doing in my cranio home clinic is somewhat similar to what Dr. Kabat-Zinn is doing in his stress clinic: that is to get patients/clients to find their inner resources for self-regulation to happen.

And, just like Dr. Kabat-Zinn's patients, I treat many clients coming in with symptoms ranging from chronic pain to depression and anxiety. They all have one common need: Peace. That is, to get back that peaceful state of mind before all their pain started.

And you know what? Biodynamic craniosacral therapy offers that kind of peace: a very deep peace from within is accessed again.

Therefore, I call my clinic, "Deep Peace Living" - a craniosacral stress reduction clinic.

It's a place where one finds deep peace again.

Deep Peace Living - Origins (Part 1)

2011-07-20T02:11:00.000-07:00

A book changed my life.

Because...if 6 years ago you were to ask me what is craniosacral therapy, I would have stared blankly at your face and asked, "What's that again?".

But that was before I read Dr. Andrew Weil's "Spontaneous Healing"; where Dr. Weil wrote a whole chapter about how effective craniosacral therapy is.

I was hooked. And I declared, "I am going to be a craniosacral therapist!"

At that time, there were no craniosacral courses in Malaysia yet. Somehow, in some mysterious way of how the Universe work, is that, once we make a firm decision on what we want to do, things started moving and changing towards that direction.

Interestingly, I found myself enrolled in the first craniosacral course held in Malaysia. That is, I went back to school, studying subjects that were totally foreign to me: anatomy, physiology, embrylogy and of course, the classic texts of cranio work.

Today, I've graduated, and am one of the biodynamic craniosacral therapy pioneers in Malaysia..

Whoever says dreams don't come true?

Our Brain Loves Stillness

2011-06-09T01:13:00.000-07:00

Our brain loves stillness. Ask any mother with a newborn baby. When the mother is calm and relaxed, chances are the baby would be calm and relaxed too.

But it's not just mothers (or fathers) who noticed this. Neuroscientists noticed this too. In fact, special MRI studies performed on seasoned meditators found that the orbitofrontal cortex (or the prefrontal cortex) of these meditators are activated during deep, still meditative states.

And why is this important? Because it is this part of the brain that regulates and stabilizes moods and emotions, and help us recover from disruptive and distressed states. This is the part of the brain that tells the hypothalamus: "Relax...it's ok, danger is over. Time to stop all those fight/flight and freeze alerts". Our hypothalamus dutifully follows the instructions of the orbitofrontal cortex (prefrontal cortex).

In order words, by dropping into stillness, we build and strengthen the neuronal connections to the limbic system (which contain the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, and amygdala) for self-regulation! This also means that all those fight/flight and freeze mode that is running so automatically below our conscious awareness get to be short-circuited! A good way to get our normal, fully functioning and regulated self back together again.

Thus, our brain loves stillness, and responds beautifully and therapeutically to stillness.

Now here's the wonderful news: Biodynamic craniosacral therapy induces stillness in the body and in the brain. And that is why, I always tell my clients, cranio sessions help "rewire" their brain such that their emotional brain gets regulated. This is so helpful for those with depression, anxiety, and panic attacks.

There's more: since numerous research have shown than unregulated, destructive emotions to be one of the major causes of many physical ailments, biodynamic craniosacral therapy, with its ability to induce stillness, can be a huge contribution in helping people to regain not just good physical health, but good mental and emotional health again.

And that is a most precious gift that biodynamic craniosacral therapists can offer to the world.

Heart Work

2011-02-16T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'm Touched...
Touched by my heart,
Touched by my blood,
And touched by my cardiovascular system

I listen to the beating of my heart,
I listen to the gushing of my blood in my arteries, in my veins;
the gush of living, pulsating, warm blood going through my whole body;
And I listen to that deep, deep mother blood in my womb,

Womb Blood....
Blood that holds so many memories....

And then heart, blood, breath mingles with Primary Respiration
I Breathe....
I Sigh....
I Smile....
My Heart,
My Blood
One Drop of Stillness

The shedding of old skin,
A new form begins.

(I started by wanting to write something about my 5 days in New Zealand, attending Michael Shea's "The Heart of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy" workshop. What came up was the poem above. It pretty much sums up my feelings I have about the course.)

Basic Biodynamic Process Video by Michael Shea

2010-12-14T23:22:00.000-08:00

Here's Michael Shea explaining the principle of "Orienting" in a biodynamic process. Enjoy!

Resources

2010-09-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

I see this most of the time: clients with resources heal faster and with deeper understanding about themselves; clients without resources heal very slowly, and some, none at all.

Colin Perron said it best: No Resource, No Get Better

What is the meaning of resources?

"Resources can by anything or anyone that supports and nurtures a sense of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being" - Dr. Peter Levine.

While it is true that everyone has resources, however, when a person has been traumatized, their resources can be lost or forgotten.

Hence, part of my work is to help my clients to discover and develop resources that support their healing journey. I've decided to dedicate my Happy Handsfeet blog as a resource blog for you and my clients, for without this support, any healing plan would be incomplete.

Remember to go to Happy Handsnfeet for resources towards a healthy, wealthy and happy life. Thanks for visiting!

Craniosacral Therapy Featured in Guang Min Daily

2010-07-24T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is great! My work is featured in the Guang Min Daily last Thursday. This should give some awareness about the work among Chinese-speaking Malaysians.

The Fluid Body and Craniosacral Therapy

2010-06-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a perceptual shift abut our physical body: Beneath the layers of our skin, human beings are a walking, breathing, beating, vibrating bag of fluids! More than 70% of our body is composed of water. Tissues are 70 - 80% water, blood plasma is more than 90%, bones are almost 25% and fat is 10 - 15% water.

There are two major categories of body fluids - intracellular and extracellular fluids.

Intracellular fluid (also called cytoplasm) is found inside all the cells of our body. Extracellular fluids consists of all other fluids in the body: fluid in spaces between cells and tissues; blood plasma and lymphs; fluids in bones, joints and dense connective tissues; saliva, mucus, sweat and urine.

Plus, here's what's true: we are all born from the merging of two great body of fluids. The embryo is fluid!

Why does Nature designed us this way?

Well, water is an excellent solvent, and the thousands of substances dissolved in it are used in the biochemical reactions that are the very basis of life. Water also distributes nutrients around the body and collects and delivers wastes. Water spreads heat from active areas to cooler areas, and act as shock absorbers to cushion sensitive areas such as the brain (actually, our brain floats in clear cerebrospinal fluid). Fluids also work as lubricants, so that tissues and organs slip past each other with minimal friction.

Then, there's more: Dr. William Sutherland discovered that the movements or currents in the fluids of the body are generated by deeper organized movement in the cytoplasm, and they function as a continuum in the whole body. He said that these movement originate from a force whom he called The Breath of Life; and the principal movement effect found in the fluids was called Primary Respiration. More importantly, Dr. Sutherland also said that not only could the fluids of the body hold trauma, but there are self-correcting forces located in the fluids!

Based on the characteristics of water, and the discoveries of Dr. Sutherland, it makes so much sense why biodynamic craniosacral therapist relates so much to the fluid field instead of focusing on tissue patterns. This is the uniqueness and strength of this model; which is based on the intention of contacting the continuity of all the fluids in the body, thus utilizing that self-correcting force for healing to occur.

And that is why, the fluid body loves and warmly welcomes biodynamic craniosacral therapy into its system. It feels very much like home.

Testimonial

2010-05-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

Here is another testimonial from a satisfied client.

"I'm feeling stable, and don't have that guilty feeling. I also do not beat myself up if I accidentally caused someone angry. My depression is almost gone too. Thank you craniosacral therapy. I am very grateful."
- Miss Chak, 40+, researcher.

(For more testimonials, please click here)

What BCST Therapist Do When We Are With a Client

2010-04-20T01:02:00.000-07:00

Many times, I was asked by curious friends and clients this question: How do we do it? How does a biodynamic craniosacral therapist help create change in a client's body by simply touching them?

The video below has part of the answer. I now introduce my tutor in New Zealand,....Michael Shea.

Embryology and The Breath of Life

2010-03-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

One of the many things I learnt from my cranio course is embryology. The discovery of a leading embryologist, Dr. Erich Blechschmidt caught my attention recently. He discovered that the ordering and organization of our early development does not occur due to genetics operating through DNA. In fact, he found out that genetic influences do not begin to fully operate until about 6 weeks after conception!

"Hereditary factors are important, but they are not the only condition for the process of diferentiation. The genes themselves do not perform the differentiation process" - Dr. Erich Blechschmidt.

What does this mean? Is there some kind of "formative force", independent from the genetic factors that lays down the code for the organization and differentiation of the human embryo?

Craniosacral therapists believe such a formative force exist, and they call it The Breath of Life. And, this formative force carries our essential blueprint for the formation and health of a human being; it carries the "original matrix" of the structure of what it means to be a human being.

Thus, the ultimate aim of a biodynamic craniosacral therapist is to facilitate the expression of this "original matrix" in tissues, fluids and organs such that our body can re-organize and re-regulate itself once more.

All these may sound a little New Age-like (or like a friend said, so Jedi-like), but the movement of the tissues and fluids due to the action of The Breath of Life can be palpated by trained hands, and can also be sensed by the clients themselves. To me, the understanding that our blueprint for health is still available for everyone fills me with hope for relieve, recovery and rejuvenation from illnesses.

I'm ever in awe of this miracle inherent in all of us.

(Photo above shows a 4 weeks human embryo.)

Michael Shea and the Asian Team

2010-03-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

That's our group photo with Michael taken at Blockhouse Bay Club. The Asian Team.

(I'm standing second from left)

Mothers and Babies Seminar

2010-03-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

This is it - the seminar me and my colleagues in Malaysia are waiting for. The Mothers and Babies seminar!

This is the seminar where we learn how to work with

pregnant women
mothers and babies (including newborns)
young children (including children with special needs like autism, development problem, ADHD, etc)

If only the general Malaysian public knows the benefits of BCST to these special group of people. What a change it would be to the quality of their life.

The Horizon

2010-02-20T18:32:00.001-08:00

The horizon...and more horizon...and more horizon!

My Journey, So Far.....

2010-02-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

Just came back from Blockhouse Bay, New Zealand for the advance training. This time, my teacher was the great Michael Shea, whom I've heard a lot from fellow colleagues.

What can I say? Simply, it has been an awesome journey to more biodynamic craniosacral territory. Michael's way includes nature, and emphasis is on the Long Tide and Stillness in sessions. There were also lots of work and discussions on embryonic dynamics in the therapy, something that I find myself drawn into a lot.

Then, there's fluids, and more fluids: yes, according to Michael Shea, there is an unofficial research results that says 92% of our body consists of fluids! We are a huge bag of fluid body! No wonder biodynamic cranio work focus so much on the fluid body.

Finally, there's Michael Shea himself: witty, humorous, wise, compassionate, humble; everything that a great teacher would be. More importantly, he listened to our concerns and problems without judgment. I felt inspired by his presence.

I came back, more eager than ever to start the practice.

(The photos above shows Michael Shea (with cap) having a discussion with a fellow colleague, and the venue of the seminar, the Blockhouse Bay Club. Yes, we had our seminar overlooking the sea! Horizon Power! )

While I was at the Occiput...

2010-01-11T23:46:00.000-08:00

My hands were at a client's occiput. Cranial bones shifting and changing in fluid-like motions.

I became aware of her knees; they felt happily relaxed and supple.

I sensed her innominate bones. They too felt good, both sides firmly placed on the therapy bed.

Her clavicles and shoulder joints started to appear. They felt nicely aligned too.

Then the hyoid bone showed itself; shimmering, perfectly suspended by a myriad of muscles. Beautiful.

I became aware of the expansion of the cranial bones along their sutures; spaces within the facial complex; sinuses feeling free to breathe...

The whole dura membranes appeared, first the dura tube, all the way to the straight sinus, leading to the falx cerebri. They appeared in the right amount of tension, expressing motility and motion. Wonderful.

Expressions of Health being unfolded right before my eyes (and hands).

And I only was at the occiput. This, is the beauty of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy.

A Craniosacral Therapist, At Last!

2010-01-02T00:48:00.000-08:00

As I write this, it's already 2 Jan 2010, the second day of the new year.

I remembered clearly, how one fine day in February 2008, I made a decision that changed my life's direction: I made the decision to start my training as a biodynamic craniosacral therapist. At that time, I did not know what I was jumping into; only that Dr. Andrew Weil (he wrote about cranio work in his book, "Spontaneous Healing" and recommended the therapy like anything) couldn't be wrong, plus, a strong gut instinct telling me this was what I want to do all my life.

So, I dived right in, with a mind totally focused on my target: to know, to understand and to be skilled in cranio work. I attended classes, did homework, and invited friends and strangers to come for practice sessions. I also buried myself in books I never thought I would read - anatomy and physiology books! All these started at 2008.

Since craniosacral therapy is totally unheard of in Malaysia and even in Asia, I decided to create this blog, http://biocraniosacral.blogspot.com in 2009 so that friends, strangers and those coming for my sessions would know what the work is all about. I was still a student then, still undergoing the rigorous training required for all craniosacral therapy students.

I remembered telling my teachers that I felt like Alice, of Alice in Wonderland, being drawn towards the rabbit hole, tumbling down, meeting all kinds of weird and strange experiences. Only in my case, it was not a rabbit hole, but a craniosacral hole, where right at the bottom is the essence of the work, pulling me like a magnet, deeper and deeper into its magical mysteries... . And, the rabbit is either one of my teachers, Ged, Steve or Adida, taking turns to entice me further!

Oh, what a wild adventure it has been. I fumbled, I stumbled, I fell, and I stared right into memories buried into my cells, hoping they'll never appear, but they came up all right. Pain and suffering. But with lots of help from family members, classmates, teachers and practice clients, I persevered.

And so, on the last day of the training, I told Steve, I felt like I'm out of the rabbit hole. I came out, a different person, a wiser and stronger person, ready to take on the challenges required of a professional therapist.

In 2010, I emerged, fully equipped, as a full-fledged biodynamic craniosacral therapist.

New Cranio Book Coming Up!

2009-12-08T22:43:00.000-08:00

I'm excited. There's not many books on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. So, when I received word from Steve about his (and Ged's) book coming out next year, I just got to post the link to their work. Here it is : www.cranialintelligence.com.

Steve in "The Breakfast Show"

2009-12-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of Steve being interviewed by the NTV7 crew in The Breakfast Show.

Steve Haines on "Why Biodyanamic Craniosacral Therapy"

2009-12-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of my teacher, Steve Haines, explaining the work. Enjoy!

How to Describe BCST as Simple As Possible

2009-11-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Many times, when I said that I'm a Biodyanamic Craniosacral Therapist to average Malaysians, I got a blank stare. "What the heck is that?" they thought.

Then, I remembered that most of them know about chiropractors and their work, and since both chiropractors and craniosacral therapists placed importance in alignment of the spine and bones, I came out with a short description about what Biodyanamic Craniosacral Therapy is all about: "A BSCT session acts like a chiropractic session minus the twists and the click-cluck". (Of course both therapies are different but this shortens the otherwise long description of BCST and we are all running out of time here.)

Now, when I said that, light bulbs seemed to light up in their heads. Then they asked, "But how do you do that without all those twisting and turning?"

Aha..me, the craniosacral therapist, am able to do this by utilizing and facilitating the formative forces found naturally in the body. And it is this formative forces within the body that does all the work of aligning the spine and joints, of freeing up the cerebrospinal fluids, and normalize the functions of the central nervous system.

Therefore there is no need for twisting and turning, and that dreadful click-cluck sound.

Testimonials

2009-09-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

"My back pain was bad and I could not get up from my bed in the morning. It was an 8-9 on a scale from 1-10. I have been to 6 different doctors to ask for opinions and solutions for my back problems. I was adviced by orthopedic doctors that I have to swim minimum 3 times a week and a minimum of physiotherapy twice a week. For over 20 sessions with physio treatments, my back pain has very little relief. Within 4 healing sessions with Khema-Yen, my back pain was much relieved. Now I am combining my swimming and Craniosacral Therapy with Khema-Yen and my back maintain on a 1-3 scale, believe it or not! Therefore, I will recommend this to my friends, as I believe everyone should take care of himself or herself more!!"
- Miss Lian, 20+

"I feel safe and comfortable during all Craniosacral sessions with Khema-Yen. I enjoyed all sessions as I felt sensations in different parts of my body - warm waves of energy, tingling in my fingers and toes. Before starting Craniosacral Therapy, I had morning pain and stiffness in my fingers and these symptoms subside gradually. Now my fingers are free from the morning stiffness and pain."
- Cats, Cake Decorater, 35 years old.

"After every facilitated craniosacral session, I always experience a sense of well being and connectedness. I am also more aware of what is happening in my body and more recently, trusting the information I am receiving from my body. It helps me listen better - internally. Craniosacral, to me, is very gentle, healing and restful to my entire being."
- Leila, manager, 40 years old.

"Khema-Yen has been working on a few problems that I was experiencing, some of which since teenage years like my mensrual pain/cramp, knee cap "cracking" sound by using Craniosacral Therapy. Cranio practitioners are trained to understand the human body. Khema-Yen is a very dedicated healer/practitioner as she is sensitive to my body's response, and during the process, she was gentle and I felt guided by her assistance to know/listen to my body. As a result, I felt closer and more connected to my body. During the process I felt safe. I saw improvement in my menstrual experience. I am very grateful and thankful to Khema-Yen's assistance. I highly recommend anyone to experience her sessions."
- Miss Lai, Financial Planner, mid-40s.

"Thank you for giving me the 8 cranio treatments. It's amazing how the results are coming out positive. When I started to hear my knees making "noise" when I climb the stairs a few years back, I had no choice but to visit an orthopaedic doctor when the pain came and did not go away. The X-ray showed a wear off joint and the doctor declared that I have to take glucosamine for my whole life. I did not wish to as eating a supplement may mean developing stones in my kidney and may be overworking my liver. So, I continue to be stubborn and ran on the treadmill with the pain.

When you did the 8 sessions, the knee cracking sound was reduced to such a volume that I had to really listen to it quietly. The pain was gone and I can walk up Bukit Kiara which has a 30 degrees slope. It's amazing!

More than just this improvement. Back 4 months ago, I was travelling heavily, eating outside food filled with MSG and fats. Loosing 20-25 strands of hair during a hair wash. After the 6th craniosacral therapy session, I am happ that it's only about 10 strands lost during a hair wash. Thanks to you working on the head sessions.

I told my friends that this therapy is not hocus pocus because in every session, I learn where is my diaphragm is connected to other key organs and also the potion on my brain that controls my mood swings. It's a clinical course - full of advance medical biology, diagrams, etc. I would highly recommend anyone who wants to learn bodywork to take this course. Whoever invented this therapy -CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU!!!"
- Cassie, Technologist, 43 years old.

Craniosacral Therapy

2009-05-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

(The article below is extracted from: National Institutes of Health, Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons. A Report to the National Institutes of Health on Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United States, NIH Publication No 94-066, 148-149. I find it very helpful in explaining craniosacral therapy to those not familiar with the work.)

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, hands-on treatment method that focuses on alleviating restrictions to physiological motion of all the bones of the skull, including the face and mouth, as well as the vertebral column, sacrum, coccyx and pelvis. Concurrently, the craniosacral therapist focuses as well on normalizing abnormal tensions and stresses in the meningeal membrane, with special attention to the outermost membrane, the dura mater, and its facial connections. Attention is also paid to alleviating any obstacles to free movement by the cerebrospinal fluid within its membrane compartment and to normalizing and balancing perceived related energy fields. This approach is derived from experiments of John Upledger, an osteopathic physician and researcher (actually to be more accurate, the origins of craniosacral therapy is from the work of an osteopath called Dr. William Sutherland who named his work cranio osteopathy. It is John Upledger who transformed the work into the craniosacral therapy we have today. Other osteopaths like Dr. Franklyn Sills and Dr. Rollin Becker also revolutionize the work into the biodynamic model which I am currently learning - comments mine).

The most powerful effects of craniosacral therapy are considered to be on the function of the central nervous system, the immune system, the endocrine system and the visceral organs via the autonomic nervous system. This therapy has been used with reported success in many cases of brain and spinal cord dysfunction. Although these successes have not been documented in formal studies, they have been observed subjectively or anecdotally by both patients and therapists. Most prominent among these success reports are cases of brain injury resulting in symptoms of spastic paralysis and seizure. Other ares of claimed success include cerebral palsy, learining disabilities, seizure disorders, depressive reactions, menstrual dysfunction, motor dysfunction, strabismus (a vision disorder), temporomandibular joint problems, various headaches, chronic pain problems and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Craniosacral and Birth

2009-04-29T23:55:00.000-07:00

Here are two pictures of my teacher, Ged Sumner giving birth! (Thanks Elaine for sharing the photos with everyone in class!)

One of the many things craniosacral therapists talk about is birth trauma and its effects on the body. This is what Ged said in our notes:

"Craniosacral therapists take a lot of interests in birth as it moulds who we are. Birth leaves an imprint. The passage down the birth canal is so profound it leaves a trail in our tissue field. It programs the psychoneuro-endocrine-immune system and quickens the life force in us to be ready for life's experiences. We all move through this in a unique way....So, in the natural order of things, we all have birth patterns. Our character as individuals is influenced by these patterns and sets up the particular orientation to the world around us. The patterning affects us on all levels: psycho-emotionally, perceptually, structurally and physiologically.

Difficulties arise when birth has been experienced as a traumatic event and the newborn's system cannot recover. The trauma energy and memory then becomes embedded within the birth patterns."

The effects of birth is not that new to me because it is also emphasized in my Metamorphosis work. But the things I learnt in my cranio class takes it a whole level further. I can hardly wait for Feb next year because that last seminar would be focused entirely on pregnant women and their babies. I wonder what we will learn then.

Craniosacral Therapy and Autistic Children

2009-03-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

(The article below was emailed to me by a friend, Fezia. Unfortunately, none of us know who the writer is.)

A recent study from the University of Miami showed effectiveness of craniosacral therapy, a form of osteopathic manipulation, for autistic children. In craniosacral therapy, the bones of the skull are adjusted along with subtle adjustments of the spine, all the way to the sacrum. Craniosacral Therapy, or CST, is different from chiropractic manipulation in that the adjustments are very subtle and are aimed at improving the flow of cerebrospinal fluid down the spinal canal. This fluid has been demonstrated to cycle with a pulse of 12 beats per minute. This pulse can be felt in the area of the sacrum (near the tail bone).

The goal of craniosacral therapy is to improve the ease with which the cerebrospinal fluid circulates and to help hold the skull bones and the spine in adjustment. The study showed improved concentration, socialization, and less self-stimulation behavior after a course of craniosacral therapy. This has been my experience, as well, watching children receive the therapy.

Chiropractic manipulation has been used for autistic children. I know of no formal clinical studies on its effectiveness, but have referred children for this therapy and been pleased with the results. Naturally, without clinical studies, the results could be due to the parents expecting it to work, so we cannot say for sure that the technique works of its own.

Sometimes, technique work by giving opportunities for natural healers and patients to interact. Unlike drugs, which can be more obviously separated from the prescriber, body therapies are more fused with the person administering the treatment. Some body therapies are more inspired than others. Nevertheless, a developing literature is finding body therapies very effective for many medical conditions.

We have been doing a pilot study of reiki massage for autistic children. The preliminary results are encouraging, especially when the parents are taught to do the reiki along with visualization in between formal appointments with the therapist. The use of reiki by parents and therapist appears to encourage communication, especially non-verbal communication. Children are more calm and have less self-stimulation.

Important to remember with healing methods that are non-pharmacological, is that their effectiveness is a complex mixture of technique, therapist, expectation, and communication.

- anon

After a Craniosacral Therapy Session ...

2009-03-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

(Many times after a craniosacral session, I would tell my practice clients about the possible healing effects of the session. The article below, written by Dr. Rollin Becker, accurately describes this situation wonderfully!)

Most of the time, when a patient feels something after they leave your office, it has to do with the work going on for their particular problem. For the next two to three days or a week, they can actually feel worse because you have given orders to the tissues, the fascias, the connective tissues, which like to do the loudest screaming. You woke them up. An unhealthy tissue does not wake up and say, "Oh, joy, peace in the world!" It wakes up and says, "Who the hell told you to disturb me?" Sometimes they come back at you and they complain very bitterly.

As a rule, if I sense a person will perhaps respond that way, I very quietly warn the patient that she can either feel ten times worse or better, and I don't know which it will be. I tell her that if she needs to, call me, and I will explain it to her because I have observed what took place in those tissues after I finally quit listening to them, and I have a pretty good idea where they are going to end up complaining and what they are going to complain about. In this way, I can encourage the patient to just wait it out for the rest of the week, and the patient will.

And the funny thing is that while some area is complaining louder than it did, the patient has the strange feeling that maybe it is alright. Often the patient will say something like, "I never hurt so bad in my life, but I got six rooms of furniture cleaned for the first time in a month."

So always listen for a "but I ...". It helps you to understand where you are.

- Article selected from Life in Motion: The Osteopathic Vision by Dr. Rollin Becker

The Benefits of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

2009-03-09T23:53:00.001-07:00

There is so much to what Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) can do! One of its special wonders is that this therapy builds health in the brain, the nervous system and the bones. Hence, it is effective in helping to prevent chronic conditions like the problems of aging, stiffness, dryness, memory loss, immune imbalances and even injuries from falls or accidents. And it had been shown to be very effective with children with special conditions too.

Below is a whole list of symptoms that respond well to BCST. The same list can be found in www.craniosacral.co.nz.

Allegies
Arthritis
Asthma/Bronchitis
Autism
Back Pain
Birth Trauma
Bladder conditions
Bone Disorders
Breathing Difficulties
Cerebral Palsy
Chronic Fatigue
Colic Premature
Dental/jaw/TMJ trauma
Depression
Digestive Problems
Emotional Issues
Exhaustion
Fibroids
Fluid Retention
Headaches
Hormonal Problems
Hyperactivity
High Blood Pressure
Infertility
Insommia/Sleep Disorders
Joint Disorders
Low immunity
Menstrual Pain
Migraines
Morning Sickness
Muscular Pain
Nervous Disorders
Neuralgia
Post Natal Depression
Premature Birth
Sciatica
Sinusitis
Stress
Stroke
Visual Problems

Phew! This list is staggering! What a lot of good work can be done with BCST!

(Note: The photo above shows Dr. Sutherland giving a cranio session to a client.)

The Origin of Craniosacral Therapy

2009-03-06T01:05:00.000-08:00

It all began around the start of the 20th century when a final year osteopathy student named William Garner Sutherland was examining a set of human skull bones. As he was looking at a disarticulated temporal bone, a sudden thought struck him: Bewelled like the gills of a fish and indicating a primary respiratory mechanism!

Now at that time, the standard anatomy texts said that adult cranial bones do not move because their joints (sutures) had become fused. However that bizarre thought indicated otherwise. Like a true scientist, Sutherland went all the way out to experiment on himself whether the cranial bones really do not move or do they?

His results after many years of research were astounding. In 1939, Dr. Sutherland announced to his colleagues and the world about his discovery that cranial bones do indeed move; in fact they are part of the rhythmic patterns expressed within the body which Dr. Sutherland called the primary respiration. Thus, he developed a technique of freeing primary respiration to generate health and well being. Dr. Sutherland called his work cranial osteopathy.

Naturally Dr. Sutherland was ridiculed and laughed at because the theory at that time was this: cranial bones do not move. It was only in recent years that researchers confirmed Dr. Sutherland's findings with X-ray films of living skulls that show cranial motion. Dr. Sutherland was right after all! What a major paradigm shift!

In the early years, cranial osteopathy was only taught to osteopathy students. It was only in the mid-1970s that an osteopath called Dr. John Upleger began to teach the skills to non-osteopath. It was Dr. Upleger who changed the name from cranial osteopath to cranialsacral therapy to differiente the practitioners who did not come from an osteopathic background.

Later, osteopaths like Dr. Rollin Becker and Dr. Franklyn Sills evolved the work further and developed the Biodynamic Craniosacral model.

Today, I'm part of this great heritage, thanks to my teachers Ged Sumner, Steve Haines and Adida Shahab. I'm deeply honoured and grateful.

What is Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy?

2009-03-06T00:36:00.000-08:00

Human beings have several kinds of rhythms in their body. For example, we have the cardiac rhythm, in which the heart beats 60 - 80 times per minute; and the respiratory rhythm in which we inhale and exhale 15 - 20 times per minute.

But less obvious were the rhythm in the body called primary respiration motion, a phrase coined by Dr. William Sutherland who discovered the work.

In a healthy person, this subtle rhythm can be detected as an expansion and narrowing of the cranial bones, and a lengthening and shortening of the spine. In fact, these subtle motions are a network of interrelated system that involves

the cerebrospinal fluid
the central nervous system
the membranes surrounding the central nervous system (the dura membranes)
the cranial bones
the sacrum

In other words, our living tissues and fluids "breathes" in certain rhythmic patterns of expansion and contraction that is palpated and detected by sensitive hands. Hence, Dr. Sutherland called it the primary respiration because it is the most fundamental and essential feature of human life and health.

What causes our tissues and fluids to move that this? After many years of research, Dr. Sutherland concluded that it is produced by the body's inherent life force (biodynamic craniosacral therapists called it the Breath of Life), and it is this inherent life force that cause the rhythmic pattern of the system described above.

Which brings us to the role of the therapist of this work: the role of a biodynamic craniosacral therapist is to offer a touch and space that facilitates the expression of this inherent life force, thus allowing primary respiration motion to move freely again in the body system.

Health emerges.

About Biocraniosacral.blogspot.com

2009-03-01T02:59:00.000-08:00

This is the sister blog to happyhandsnfeet.blogspot.com. I've decided to create a special blog totally dedicated to my craniosacral work because this is what I shall be focusing in the future.

I am very honoured and humbled to be part of the craniosacral community. It has brought me hours and days of intrigue and wonder whenever I do the work. Yet, there's plenty of frustrations too as I try to palpate the tides and understand what is going on in my practice client's system. Hair-pulling experiences!

Yes, today, I am still a student and can hardly wait to be a full-fledged biodynamic craniosacral therapist.

So if you happen to stumble or being recommended to this blog, welcome! I shall try to explain this simple, yet paradoxically, complex healing system to you, together with my adventures in craniosacral therapy!