Craniosacral Therapy Training UK & USA

A variety of craniosacral therapy training programmes exist in North America and the UK.

• During 2014 in New York, Franklyn Sills will offer a foundation course in craniosacral biodynamics www.stillpointcst.com/course_overview.html. Completion of which leads to a diploma and accreditation from the Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America and the Craniosacral Therapy Association of the United Kingdom.
• The Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association www.craniosacraltherapy.org provides a curriculum for training therapists and offers courses across North America. The courses cover introductory to advanced topics.
• The Langara College of Higher Learning in Vancouver, British Columbia www.langara.bc.ca offers a certificate in craniosacral therapy. The part-time programme runs from September to June with preferred students being health or community health professionals and massage or other complementary medicine therapists.
• In the UK, the Craniosacral Therapy Association www.craniosacral.co.uk/training has accredited 5 schools, which offer courses of several days, or complete 1 to 2 year programmes.
• The College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy www.ccst.co.uk - integrates the differing forms of the modality into one approach, known as integrated cranio-sacral therapy.
• Craniosacral Therapy Educational Trust www.cranio.co.uk - provides training in the biodynamic approach.
• Karuna Institute www.karuna-institute.co.uk - offers the biodynamic approach to craniosacral therapy training, as well as core process psychotherapy.
• Resonance Trainings www.resonance.org.uk - focuses on the teaching of self-awareness skills, which reflect the principles of the "Breath of Life"
• Anglian School of Craniosacral Therapy www.craniosacral-training.co.uk - a diploma course provides training in the analytic and intuitive techniques of craniosacral therapy.

Patients like cranial sacral therapy because of its gentleness, and are requesting this type of therapy more frequently. Practitioners can either use the modality to supplement their existing professional practice, or gain employment as a registered craniosacral therapist in a variety of healthcare settings.

Based on anatomy and physiology and used as an alternative to traditional medical treatment, cranial sacral therapy also known as craniosacral therapy is a form of gentle, non-invasive bodywork; the principles of which were developed by John Upledger, an osteopathic doctor at Michigan State University in the 1970s.

Cranial sacral therapy supports the body's own propensity for repair and self-healing. Practitioners use specific hand positioning techniques and palpation skills to release tension or restrictions in the patient's craniosacral system. This can lead to improvements in the functioning of the patient's nervous system, increases in the mobility of inflamed joints and relieve headaches.

During the 1880s, William Sutherland and other osteopaths in the UK developed a similar treatment known as biodynamic craniosacral therapy, which employs skills such as palpation, subtle listening, mindfulness, stillness and silence, and acknowledgement of the principles of the "Breath of Life" or the life-force in the body of a patient. More recently, both types of craniosacral work combined to form integrated craniosacral therapy.

A limited amount of scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of craniosacral therapy exists. A 2013 study demonstrates its effectiveness in a small group of migraine sufferers in Iceland - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23337558. Practitioners also use this modality to treat a variety of medical conditions including: back pain, chronic stress, vertigo, scoliosis, brain injuries, chronic pain, learning disabilities and fibromyalgia. A descriptive outcome study of NHS patients of all ages from new born babies to adults in the UK shows that the therapy is effective in treating headaches, migraine, depression, anxiety, neck problems, back ache and restless infants www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21214395