Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
A Holistic Approach
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST) takes a whole-person approach to healing and the interconnections of mind, body and spirit are deeply acknowledged.
This therapy can help your over-active nervous system to re-set itself so you can experience greater rest, peace, and wholeness. Instead of constantly running in “fight or flight” mode, you can slow down and relax in a way that supports self-repair and rejuvenation functions like sleep and digestion. This is particularly helpful in releasing trauma patterns and recovering from the daily stresses of living in the modern fast paced world. As your nervous system relaxes and functions better, you may feel more at ease in every aspect of your life, work, body, and relationships.
It is an effective form of treatment for a wide range of illnesses, helping to create the optimal conditions for health, encouraging vitality and facilitating a sense of well-being. It is suitable for people of all ages including babies, children and the elderly, and can be effective in acute or chronic situations. It is extremely useful for babies who have experienced a difficult birth as it gently helps them resolve any residue from the birth process.
In Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, the emphasis is to help resolve the trapped forces that underlie and govern patterns of disease and fragmentation in both body and mind. This involves the practitioner “listening through the hands” to the body’s subtle rhythms and any patterns of inertia or congestion. Through the development of subtle palpation skills and the ability to enter a deep quiet presence in themselves, the practitioner can read the story of the body, identify places where issues are held and then follow the natural priorities for healing as directed by the client¹s own physiology. The client’s physiology responds to the quiet resonance in the practitioner to support re-setting it to a slower, calmer pace that is optimal for healing and expression the health that is already present.
The intention of treatment is to facilitate the expression of the health that is present in the client’s system and so enhance the body’s own self-healing and self-regulating capabilities. This is done in a non-invasive way as the practitioner subtly and gently encourages the conditions that allow for the reemergence of motion and health. Furthermore, the practitioner’s deep and clear quality of presence can become a reflective mirror for the client and an invaluable cue for their potential for change.
Listen to Myrna give an interview at the 2016 North American Biodynamic Conference
In this presentation at the 2016 North American Breath of Life Conference, Myrna talks about some factors surrounding the human birth experience that establish fundamental patterns in our autonomic function and interpersonal relational tendencies.
Babies and Children
Children respond well to BCST because it is gentle, non-invasive, and effective in ways they can intuitively recognize. Even small children quickly get used to the work as they develop trust in their practitioner. Pre-verbal children may actually direct the practitioner’s hands to areas of discomfort. Children easily show the dynamics of their experience through movement and sounds. Much subtle work can be done by the practitioner during “playtime” in which the child is observed and assisted in completing unresolved challenges. Parents are often astounded at the way a crabby, hyperactive, or miserable child will fall into deep relaxation or sleep during treatment. The challenge, of course, is the busy toddler who won’t lie still. Here the parent can help out by holding the child as the practitioner makes even brief contacts on the spine, head, and sacrum. A little goes a long way with a child. Whatever can be resolved during infancy or childhood, often in only a few sessions, can potentially prevent decades of medical and psychological treatment later on. Resolution of misaligned forces makes us less accident-prone, because we are not “off-balance”.
During Pregnancy
BCST is not only safe but recommended during pregnancy, as it calms the nervous system of both mother and child, encouraging emotional bonding which can otherwise be short-circuited due to pre-natal and birth stresses and trauma. The Biodynamic approach can contact the Primal Midline of the infant’s delicate nervous system – the midline that holds our Originality, the state of perfection that enables us to be less affected by negative influences from our genetics. Also, although the growing prenate is highly conscious, s/he does not know the difference between mother’s thoughts and feelings and its own, so when Mom’s system is soothed and balanced during pregnancy, baby gains huge benefits.
Description of Sessions
Most often we will begin talking about your current experience and set an intention for the work of the session. Myrna will create a safe and comfortable atmosphere, and then usually you (adults) will lie down, fully clothed and covered with a blanket on a massage table. Myrna will, in collaboration with you, hold different parts of your body, often your head (cranium). sacrum or feet, always checking in to make sure you are comfortable and feeling safe as we negotiate our contact. Myrna will ask some questions about what you are experiencing as she tracks your subtle rhythms. Some sessions are mostly quiet, some involve more dialogue. By the end of the session people feel more open, relaxed, rejuvenated and often areas of pain or discomfort have shifted.
Myrna's Training
Myrna has been a practicing licensed Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist for thirteen years. She is a graduate of the Colorado School of Energy Medicine’s two year biodynamic training, and is a Registered Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist with the Biodynamic Craniosacral Association of North America. She is an approved teacher with this Association.
Book Your Session
To discuss this healing modality and arrange an appointment, please call Myrna at (250) 509-1033, or email myrna@myrnamartin.net. As of Jan. 1, 2019 Myrna’s rate for sessions is $150. Myrna is now located in Comox, BC.
Resources for Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
By Cherionna Menzam, Ph.D., OTR/L, LMT, BCST, RCST ®
People often ask me if I do energy work. This may seem like a simple question but, to me, the answer is complex and informative. First, I would say that all bodywork is energy work in that everything involves energy. We are made up of energy. Every tissue in our bodies emanates a bio-electric field. We respond to each other energetically, whether we are aware of it or not. I do not, however, consider Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy to be “energy work.” This beautiful bodywork involves attention to the physical body and is based on physical sensations, although it includes attention to the non-physical and energetic dimensions of our being.