Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

"The smartest thing in the room is the intelligence expressed in our bodies."

Quick Info:

  • BCST is suitable for people of all ages, including babies, children, teenagers, adults and the elderly.
  • Adults – £60.
  • Mothers & Babies – £60.
  • Children (under 14) – £45.
  • Low Cost Clinic Tuesdays (9-5pm) – £40.
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What is BCST?

Simply put, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) is psychotherapy and counselling for the body. Our body holds the memory of our life experiences.  Bcst is based on the holistic approach that combines an understanding of the anatomy and it’s interconnections with the emotional, mental and physical aspects of our being.  Bcst brings awareness to you of the health in your body and the potential for change that is possible with this kind of awareness.
 
The session is guided by the patterns of restrictions held in the tissues and fluids within the body and is about surrendering to its priorities. The intelligent self-correcting principles within our bodily systems will choose the best way to heal.
 
A fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) surrounds our brain and spinal cord, enclosed by a membrane that moves with the craniosacral rhythms. If the rhythm is disturbed, the effects maybe felt in other places in the body.

Who can Benefit BCST?

A wide range of symptoms can be eased and helped with this light touch therapy including chronic pain, migraines, insomnia/sleeping issues, whiplash, post operative effects, ptsd, panic attacks, hormonal imbalances, digestion issues, anxiety, depression, concussion, Circulation disorders, Neurological, stroke, sinus disorders, back injury, sports injuries, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, ME/MS, fertility issues, panic attacks, anxiety, TMJ problems, Tinnitus, fertility issues, help resolve past trauma held in the body, depression, stress related disorders and much more, list is endless.

It is especially effective in supporting life-transitions such as pregnancy and post birth support, grief and chronic illness. It also helps lessen the side affects of the invasive treatments for cancer.

  • Pregnancy & Birthing – This therapy is well known for helping with the changes of pregnancy, labour preparation and as a means to support a woman’s body with recovery after birth. It can help relieve babies with the compressions and restrictions experienced during the birth process which then makes it easier for the baby to settle.
  • Children & Teenagers – BCST can support children with resourcing especially those who are on an Autism spectrum and ADHD. Teenage related issues can benefit, such as hormonal imbalances, skin conditions, growth pains, support with regulating strong emotions, anxiety, depression, stress related issues and stressful exam times. The therapy can be calming on their nervous system.
  • Trauma & Pain – BCST has an effective way of working with the body’s pain by calming the nervous system, which allows the body to feel safe and the pain signals to calm down. BCST can provide a powerful way into conditions that have their origins in trauma, such as birth issues, accidents and illnesses. Trauma experiences that have been too overwhelming to cope with can remain trapped in your system, if unresolved over time can lead to stress related symptoms, hyper vigilance, anxiety, depression and feelings of dissociation within areas of your body. BCST can help you by gently facilitating your body and brain to resolve held experiences without the need to revisit the trauma verbally. It can have a profound effect on the person’s relationship to themselves and how they relate to others. The ripple effects can be felt in the organs, hormones, bones, cells and this in turn assists the body to function more efficiently. As the primary orientation is towards the person’s inherent health, deep transformation can occur, a re-organisation that is neurological, physiological and psychological. It can be effective in unravelling options and choices in situations that may have appeared to be bleak.

What Happens in a BCST Session?

The treatment is carried out with the client lying fully clothed on a massage table and lasts up to 50 minutes. A case history will be taken in the initial consultation to establish the priority issue/concerns. The practitioner will often begin the session by placing their hands lightly on the clients feet and may move to the other areas of the body, often at the head, sacrum, diaphragm, joints or face.
 
The practitioner negotiates a spacious field by holding a non-judgemental and embodied presence. Through the hands and other sensory receptors, the practitioner feels and listens to the health in your body’s nervous system, connective tissues, bones and fluids. The practitioner is able to feel very subtle motions, contractions and held patterns that expresses how life experience has shaped its story.  Intuitively the practitioner becomes part of the conversation. 
The acknowledgment of this opens up options, choices and allows health to be expressed.  
 
Throughout the session the client may feel a range of sensations such as subtle movements, adjustments, tingling, nervous discharges, buzzing, warmth, heaviness, muscle twitches, waves of goosebumps, darting eyes, spontaneous big breaths, heat, cold, sensations of chills, rumbling of the tummy, often entering a deep state of rest, insights, the client may fall asleep or may feel nothing. A session may bring up old emotions or physical issues from the past which maybe held unresolved, as they surface and clear down. Everything that comes up is part of the healing process. It is client-led, the client’s system sets the pace and the order in which change occurs.
 
After the session, the body may continue to make adjustments in the following days, setting in motion a journey of recovery that can occur over a course of sessions and between sessions.
 
Through a series of treatments, the client often experiences more energy, resilience, and a movement away from limiting patterns either emotional or physical.  Clients have reported feeling calmer, lifting of brain fog, more relaxed, increased clarity, sleeping better, improved digestion, feeling recharged, whole, coping better with stressful situations, improved body awareness, stronger sense of self, a reduction in pain, an improvement in original health problem including in other health issues, optimistic and more resourced.
 
Although everyone experiences BCST differently it is usually a relaxing experience, people often report a strong sense of well being after a session. Please bear in mind that each person’s body and history is different and some of these conditions can have multiple causes, some of which may respond well to biodynamic craniosacral therapy and some may also require additional support from other forms of treatments, i.e nutritional.

A Brief History of BCST

In 1900s an Osteopath Dr William Sutherland discovered that underlying the more obvious body rhythms such as respiration, intestinal peristalsis, heartbeat, lay a more subtle pulsation, the breathing movement of body tissues, each follow their own particular rhythms. This consists of the cranial bones rhythm, the movements of the cerebral spinal fluids which feels like the ‘tides’, rolling in and rolling out, all very subtle, but important to the health. Dr Sutherland came to believe there is an important infrastructure of fluids and tissues that express an interdependent subtle rhythmic motion that is an expression of life at a cellular level, which is fundamental to the proper functioning of the body.

He wrote about an approach where no mechanical force from outside is used, but under the sensitive hands, the potency is trusted to initiate and carry out healing processes, referred to as the Intelligence of the body system.

It was Dr Upledger, in the 1970s who introduced the work outside of the Osteopathic community. He became interested after an incident that occurred while he was assisting a spinal surgical operation. Whilst holding part of the dural membrane system that enfolds the spine, it rhythmically moved under his fingers. This discovery led Dr Upledger to set out on his own path of clinical research and it has carried on evolving with the leaders in the field such as Dr Rollin Becker, Dr James Jealous and Dr Franklyn Sills.

The training is accredited by the Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists (PACT), a professional body which maintains standards and protects both craniosacral practitioners and their clients. A good foundation in anatomy and physiology is necessary in order to apply craniosacral work with competency. The Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists (PACT) recommends that you choose a Registered Craniosacral Therapist. This ensures they are fully qualified, meet the professional standards and follow the Code of Ethics. The association covers therapists in Australia, New Zealand, India, SE Asia and N. America.

Additional Information

From a western scientific perspective, BCST uses the energy within the body that directs each cell to do its job. Our cells make one big community which is called ‘our body’. This cells are imprinted by specific situations of how we first started out in life. The Cells then pass on their memory to new cells. Because the body is a living, changing organism sometimes the information that is passed on needs to be updated.
 
Physical trauma and emotional stress can impact the body in a negative way causing tissues to contract and can remain in that state for many years. Once these stressors build up, emotions become locked in the body as physical pain.
 
BCST connects directly with the quantum physics of your body. It is one of the most grounding forms of energy work with one foot placed firmly in the anatomy of the body and the other in the physiological force that directs your cells to do their job and work together as a unified field making you whole.
 
Craniosacral Therapy Association UK.
PACT – testimonials.
Further articles on BCST.

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Allowing your body to heal on its own terms is the fastest most efficient way to health.

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