This is a challenging question to answer and every time I do I explain it differently. Sometimes I feel like I am "bang on the money" with the description and sometimes I feel like I am waffling off into woo woo land! I recently realized that this is because WHAT BCST is, is different for EVERYBODY just as every BODY is different! I noticed that even when I feel like I am waffling the listener will say "Oh yeh I get it"...and I think to myself HOW!? that sounded like a really bizarre description...but, it is almost like my description has tailored itself to the listener...just like a treatment will!
I shall now attempt to describe it for ALL of you!
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy has is roots in Osteopathy. In the 1800's an Osteopath by the name of William Sutherland "discovered" that bones and other tissues in the body had a rhythmic movement. He named this movement "primary respiration". He found that by applying pressure to areas of the cranium (and other parts of the body) this rhythm could be manipulated and areas of dysfunction could be encouraged to express more health.
In the 70s John Upledger an Osteopath further developed "CranialSacral Therapy" (CST) which still involved pressure and some manipulation and is still widely practiced.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) has been further refined from these practices. The touch is light and gentle involves no pressure or manipulation from the practitioner. The practitioner has an extensive knowledge of anatomy and physiology and has been trained to feel the rhythmic movements and feel the health and potential of the clients body with an awareness of the dysfunction too.
In "standard" Western Medicine, when we are unwell or in pain, we are told to focus on this pain ("Take this for your pain..there isn't anything more we can do"... "Oh you can't do what you used to because of this illness"...) and by doing so it gets bigger. Even worse is sometimes we are told to ignore the pain or issue, or that the pain is "all in our heads" which in-fact makes it more intense and become all consuming.
BCST works by helping clients focus on what feels good. It helps them focus on the HEALTH in their bodies while still acknowledging the discomfort.
Acknowledging the discomfort allows our body to be heard-to not feel ignored. But by giving health more attention and focus we can make it bigger thus increasing the bodys resources for beating the dis-ease, pain and trauma.
Try it. Next time you have a headache. Acknowledge that you have a headache. Notice where it sits and how big it is and what it feels like. Then move your awareness to what feels GOOD. Perhaps it is your hands or legs or heart. Notice how these areas feel, their size, shape, weight, what about them feels good? Imagine if your head could feel the same? It certainly has the potential to! After a while you may notice your headache isn't so intense, for some of you it may be completely gone.
Imagine having this occur for chronic pain and trauma! While hard to this on this scale alone, a practitioner trained in BCST can support your system to do this. A treatment can help your system learn to self heal.
Think of BCST like this….by giving ourselves a hug...its nice, it feels comforting….but having someone hug us and just be with us that can make us feel SO much better...BCST works in a similar way. In the presence of empathy a body and mind can heal.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy helps us to "hold space". In this space we can heal.
Thank you for reading, I hope this made sense for you.
Kate.