Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

What is Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy?

BCST is and advanced therapy that combines a Western scientific understanding of the body with mindfulness skills, a unique type of touch and an appreciation of the body’s ability to heal itself.

The therapy has its roots in the discoveries made by Osteopath Dr William Garner Sutherland in the late 1800s. He developed an approach to Osteopathy known as “the Cranial Concept”.

These original concepts have been refined and extended to become the Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy of today.

“Touch is incredibly profound, and sets of deep, physiological reaction in the body.” ~ Ged Sumner

You’re in Safe Hands

Biodynamic touch is a particular type of touch. It is light and reverential. There is never any pressure, manipulation or force. Your therapist is trained to create a calm, still and embodied presence. This type of touch and presence enables you to feel safe, supported and held. This sense of safety allows your brain to switch from flight or fight to rest and repair. It is in this state that healing and change can begin to take place.

“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” ~ Peter A. Levine

What to Expect

Your therapist will ask you about your health history and current concerns before asking you to sit or lay fully clothed on a treatment table. They will make gentle contact with your body and guide you to explore sensations.

As your awareness amplifies, you are able to notice the tensions and deeply held restrictions. These are unconscious and habitual. When your brain becomes conscious of them, it can then create change. Clients report noticing feelings of release, small movements and adjustments a well as temperature changes and a deep sense of relaxation or relief.

Trauma

Experiences that are too overwhelming or traumatic to cope with can remain in your system, locking your body in a ‘fight or flight’ state. The long-term effects of this unresolved trauma can include feelings of dissociation, stress and hypervigilance and can lead to illness and disease. BCST works particularly well with trauma by gently facilitating your body and brain to resolve held experiences without the need to revisit the original traumatic incident.

Who Can Benefit?

Practitioners generally work with a wide variety of clients. They therapy is gentle which allows it to be used during pregnancy, after childbirth, with newborns, young children, adults and the elderly. Clients seek treatment for an extensive range of symptoms including pain, fatigue, stress related conditions as well as difficulties with sleep and digestive issues. Other clients are interested in improving general physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Focus on Health

A core principal of BCST is that health is always present in every body. Sometimes when the focus has been on illness, pain or pathology, it is possible to lose a connection with the underlying feelings of health, comfort and ease. ECST can help you reconnect to the health and vitality inside you.

What Makes BCST Unique?

• BCST is gentle, non-invasive and no force or manipulations are used in the treatment
• The therapy is client led, the treatment pace is set by you and the requirements of your body
• BCST acknowledges the whole person and that emotional, mental, spiritual and physical health are all interconnected
• The understanding of the body’s intelligence to heal and facilitate self repair is central to the therapy
• Clients report feeling deeply listened to on all levels
• BCST is a progressive therapy that embraces the latest findings in medical science and the wisdom of traditional healing arts

Benefits of BCST

Clients often experience more resilience, energy, calmness and mental clarity. After a series of treatments many people notice an improvement in their symptoms, experience greater vitality and a sense of well being. Clients report

• A reduction in pain
• Better overall health and improved immunity
• Improved sleep and digestion
• Feeling more energetic
• Feeling calmer and more relaxed
• Coping better with stressful situations
• Improved body awareness
• Feeling more connected and aware

FACT Registered Therapist

PACT formed in 2000 to represent registered practitioners in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy in New Zealand and Australia. We now have members in Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, India and the Pacific Rim.

PACT recommends that you choose a Registered Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, as indicated by the letters RCST. This ensure that they are fully qualified, meet the professional standards and follow the PACT Code of Ethics.

For more information or to find a registered practitioner in your area, visit the PACT website: www.bcst.info