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What is Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST)?

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) is a gentle non-invasive, hands-on session for the whole body.  Performed on a massage table, the client is fully clothed and the practitioner touch is light and still.  The session focus is to support the inherent health of the whole being, especially the nervous system (NS).  The NS dictates all of the body’s functioning, constantly sending and receiving information.

BCST practitioners understand how an optimally functioning healthy nervous system performs.  We are trained for years on how to use acute perception skills to perceive subtle physiological changes.  We also are aware of the energetic map that underlies one‘s basic health and symptomology.  We believe that health is never lost no matter what the ailment.  We use our ability to identify the parts of the nervous system that are not functioning optimally and our awareness of the “always available health” in the body to assist the system in bringing itself back into balance. This supports greater ease and helps the body decrease symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions About BCST

Find answers to questions you may have about who can benefit from craniosacral therapy and how it works.

What is a Session Like?

Sessions will vary from practitioner but generally your session will begin by sitting and talking with your therapist about any of your health concerns. Together you will discuss a brief health history and what you would like to get out of the session.

During the session, you will be fully clothed, sitting in a chair to start and then lying on a massage table in a supported and comfortable way. It is important that you feel comfortable and safe at all times so you will want to ask for any adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, etc. Your therapist may ask you from time to time what you are experiencing, and will help you to stay present with whatever your experience is.

When the session begins your therapist will check with you to make sure that you are comfortable. Then there will be a period of dialogue before your therapist makes physical contact with you. Sometimes it takes some time and dialogue to get your comfort  just right so you can relax. You will be guided through this process. Establishing comfort is an important first step that ensures that what unfolds in the session is about you and not occurring in reaction to a feeling of lack of safety with the therapist or comfort on the table.

When contact is made the therapist will check in again to make sure the touch is right for you. Session work involves a very light, gentle touch. Your therapist may begin at your feet, at your head (cranium) or on your sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine). During your session, depending on your areas of concern, your therapist can go to any area of the body that needs to be worked with, using the contact that feels best for you.

Sessions can last anywhere from a half hour to an hour or an hour and a half depending on the therapist you are working with and your needs. During that time, the therapist will quietly, gently hold parts of your body, listening to the subtle rhythms and tracking changes in your system. In this process the therapist will listen for your body’s expression of the order of priorities for this particular session which will lead to your desired outcome. It is important to note that while a single session can have noticeable effects, it often takes multiple sessions to achieve the results you are seeking.

During the session, you may:

  • Relax so deeply that you fall asleep
  • Enter a quiet meditation-like state
  • Feel as if you are dreaming while awake
  • Experience memories or insights while on the table
  • Enjoy a pleasant sense of warmth, softening, widening or floating

At times, you may experience other kinds of sensations as energy that has been held in the body is released. If this occurs, just stay present with your breath and bodily sensations and allow this energy to discharge. The session quite often involves a process of letting go of patterns that inhibit your health and vitality. Once these patterns begin to shift, the therapist may notice changes in your fluids, tissues, bones and potency. You may experience a sense of integration in your body, mind and spirit.

At the end of the session, you may:

  • Feel relaxed, but also energized
  • Find yourself breathing more fully and deeply
  • Stand straighter and taller
  • Feel more comfortable in your body
  • You may be surprised to feel a new sense of peace and ease as you leave the office to return, renewed, to your life
  • Notice an improvement in your sleep patterns

No matter what your experience, your therapist will take some time with you after you are off the table to check in about how you are doing. This is a great opportunity to find words for your experience and reflect on how differently you feel after your session. The effects can also be felt even after you leave your session.

Take time in the next 2-3 days just to notice how you are in the world.

  • What is the quality of your sleep that night?
  • How is your digestion?
  • How is your overall experience of life?

By paying attention to the lasting effects of this work you will be able to gauge what the ongoing use of this work might offer you.

Learn More

Want to learn more about craniosacral biodynamics? Browse our resource library of experiential exercises, videos, books and articles.

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