Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy has its roots in Osteopathy, but in the past twenty years or so it has developed into a unique modality. It concerns the diagnosis and treatment of the Primary Respiratory System.

It was discovered around the turn of the last century by an American Osteopath named William Garner Sutherland. Studying the sutures of the cranium (the joints where the bones of the skull connect to each other) he could not escape the conclusion that they were designed to accommodate movement; though conventional anatomy stated that the sutures of the cranium were immovable. Further investigation revealed that underlying the more obvious body rhythms such as respiration, intestinal peristalsis and the beating of the heart, lay a more subtle pulsation. This pulsation was expressed by certain structures and processes as the core of our being; coherent enough to be defined as a system in its own right.

Dr. Sutherland saw the Primary Respiratory System as containing our fundamental life force, which he called the 'potency of the Breath of Life’. The fluctuation of the fluids within and around the brain and spinal cord takes up the 'potency of the Breath of Life,' distributing it throughout the rest of the body as a type of respiratory movement. As such, the Primary Respiratory System represents a link between conventional anatomy / physiology and its seemingly intelligent design.

We are not normally aware of the subtle motion of Primary Respiration. During treatment, clients sometimes become aware of it for the first time as they grow more relaxed and still. Biologically, the Primary Respiratory System consists of the structured living water that makes up 70% of the adult body. The Primary Respiratory System seems to work as a self-ordering and self-correcting principle within the body, underlying the integrity of all the other systems. Restrictions, either within the Primary Respiratory System itself or elsewhere in the body, disturb the natural fuidity of it's tidal motion. These disruptions diminish our sense of well being and eventually lead to ill health.

A common misconception is that Craniosacral Therapists work only with the head. In fact, treatment usually includes working with the whole body. By detecting disturbances in the various motions of the Primary Respiratory System, the trained therapist is able to form an image of underlying trauma patterns and facilitate a therapeutic resolution. This is all done using a gentle touch, which does not so much manipulate or massage the body, as invite into action our inherent expression of health contained within the fluids.

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy encourages the body/mind to tell its own story through the fluids, rather than focusing on that day’s symptom presentation with a pre-ordained treatment regime or protocol.

The therapist identifies and reflects the client’s patterns of restriction (or interference) with their heart and their hands. This is rather like a counselor bringing awareness to their client by verbally reflecting behavioral or emotional patterns. The process of transforming these patterns may be accompanied by the expression of associated sensations, feelings and emotions. 'Feeling tones' connected with the original trauma or injury are held in the fluids. The fluids may spontaneously decompress or decompensate as the stress dissipates throughout the body and its physiological systems. This allows the kinetic and emotional energy of the event - which has become inert or stuck in the fluids - to be contained and then transformed by the whole body when held in stillness by the therapist.

Great care is taken to create a reasonable pacing in a safe secure therapeutic environment so the process of resolution does not become stressful to the nervous system or the body.

Since it's inception, this sphere of therapy has expanded from correcting structural problems to include energetic, spiritual and emotional dimensions that give Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy an important role to play in the emerging paradigm of mind/body medicine. Using Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, we may approach the problem of etiology (causes) in a different way from conventional medicine. We can approach the living fluid process directly and - respecting its wisdom - listen for the answers we seek and witness the expression of our inherent health more fully.

This article was adapted from “Listening to the Living Process” (2000) by Matthew Appleton, a Craniosacral Therapist living in England. It was edited by Michael J. Shea, PhD.

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