Distant Cranio-Sacral Integration

as an integral part of Cranio-Sacral Therapy

 

During lockdown, many CST practitioners discovered and explored using CST at a distance to maintain valuable support for their clients at a time when psycho-emotional issues such as anxiety and mental health concerns were prevalent, as well as physiological problems. Those in the CST community who had already been working partly at a distance found it natural to offer the option to all clients, who could, of course, make their own decisions about whether or not it suited them to receive treatment in this way.

Those who had already experienced the powerful benefits of working distantly with clients were surprised to find that this was suddenly a controversial subject. On the Distant Cranio-Sacral Integration course at CCST we demonstrate how this distant Cranio-Sacral work, along with distant healing and other energy work, is completely underpinned by quantum science. Yet it seems that, because face-to face CST (our once-upon-a-time controversial ‘new’ alternative therapy), has gained a tenuous acceptance as a hands-on therapy, we dare not further stretch the bounds of our public credibility.

Cranio-Sacral Therapy, however, is founded in empirical evidence and has evolved from the work of those who dared to be different, to speak about the validity of their discoveries and teach them to others. The writings and teachings of Sutherland, Becker, Upledger, as well as current teachers such as Franklyn Sills, Thomas Attlee, Ged Sumner and Steve Haines all hint at an energetic component to our work.

The body is a coalescence out of an energy field matrix. The same way the sun is just a part of its huge gravity field that effects all planets around it and responds to the rest of the galaxy through dark matter and if only we could see with other eyes the universe would light up with streams of relational lines that reveal how preposterous it is that we think we are separate.” Perceptual Fields -foreground and background-Ged Sumner -Friday, November 18, 2011

As the above article taken from the Body Intelligence website explains, craniosacral therapists are trained to work with the relational and perceptual fields within which and from which our physical bodies are formed.

At CCST we have always acknowledged these perceptual fields and trained our students to work with them, both on and off the body. The energy matrix of the physical body is a key concept of our teaching and as such, working distantly through a relational and perceptual field is simply an extension of our existing core skills as craniosacral therapists.

Everything is energy. To deny the energetic aspect of CST is to deny the holistic aspect of the work that we do and the fundamental nature of everything in form, as well as the history of quantum science.

There is a wealth of research on the effectiveness of distance work, which is as valid for CST as for healing. Dr Daniel Benor MD, who founded The Doctor-Healer Networks in England and in North America and authored Healing Research, Vol. 1–3 together with many articles on wholistic healing, lists100 experiments made over the last 30 years. He concludes,

While distant healing appears to contradict our ordinary sense of reality and the laws defined by conventional science, there are theoretical paradigms that appear to offer explanations for healing”.

These studies of absent healing introduce Newtonian medicine to the action of mind from a distance, ‘non-local consciousness’ as Larry Dossey terms it. This is consonant with the theories of modern physics that postulate interactions between certain particles from any distance. These hypotheses have been supported by research.”

"Details of similar research and explanatory theories can likewise be found in the articles and books of Dr James Oschman, author of Energy Medicine: the scientific basis.

When using our craniosacral perceptual skills at a distance, our work still very much encompasses the sense of relational touch. The quality of the relational field being created and sustained depends, as with any hands-on treatment, on the depth of presence and awareness within the practitioner – qualities that are continually honed and refined by the very practice of Distant CS Integration.

Many attendees on the CCST courses in Distant Cranio-Sacral Integration have commented that they feel this training has enhanced their ‘in person’ perceptual skills and that their hands-on sessions have deepened as a result. During a session the conscious presence of the distant CST practitioner is the fulcrum, as with a hands-on treatment, around which the treatment process revolves. The practitioner’s awareness creates the container that meets the client where they need to be met and holds their process. These essential skills are continually sharpened and refined by the process of Distant CSI. In this respect, Distant CSI can be considered advanced CST.

This is most assuredly CST, not distant healing - which implies channelling or sending energy. Instead, we are engaging with and reading the system ‘off the body’ as we would in any in-person session.

No CST practitioner would deny that our hands are the tools of our trade and they function equally effectively as sensitive listening antennae when reading the body at a distance. We may ‘feel’ the same things as during an in-person session; for some the sensation may be even more apparent and the shifts and releases experienced by the client may equally be felt more clearly. Participants on the CCST distant courses have consistently commented upon how similar this feels to an in-person session, both as practitioner and recipient.

There is huge demand for distant CSI, both from the public wishing to experience it and from practitioners wishing to train. Over the past year or so, CCST has run nine courses so far, with an average of 35 students per course. This represents a total of over 300 CCST-trained distant craniosacral therapists worldwide, and there are undoubtedly many more besides.

Although global Lockdown has increased the demand for this work, it is clear from what participants have said that many were already working remotely, very effectively, to support clients who were physically unable to attend sessions, for whatever reason. To ignore or deny the efficacy and need for this work, would be to deny members the support of their Association and members of the public the opportunity to access this hugely beneficial therapeutic practice.

While the CSTA’s official definition of CST may refer to gentle touch, the subtle aspects of our therapy are clearly inferred in the text of the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The current definitions were arrived at and agreed upon amidst resistance and opposition from sceptics at the time and yet this did not deter the cranial community from being steadfast in their truth and forging ahead, despite this resistance. In what sense then should we shy away from the truth of what we are experiencing now? Now is the time to be fearless and take a quantum leap.

Distant CSI is an expansion of the practice of CST. Every practice evolves and consequently the parameters that define the practice must also evolve accordingly. This is growth. It is the nature of the universe. The chicken cannot remain within the confines of its cozy eggshell; it must crack open the shell and expand. Otherwise, it cannot be sustained by the universe. The current definitions of what constitute CST reflect a certain understanding of the practice. As the understanding has evolved and expanded, so too must the definition in order to encompass this broader understanding.

Forthcoming Courses 2017

  • Saturday 1st April 2017

    Introductory Day

  • Saturday 4th April 2017

    Introductory Course (London)

  • July 2018

    One Year Professional Training (Diploma Course)

  • October 2017 - July 2019

    One Year Professional Training (Diploma Course)

  • October 2017 - May 2018

    Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology - Foundation Course 

Forthcoming Courses 2017

  • Saturday 1st April 2017

    Introductory Day

  • Saturday 4th April 2017

    Introductory Course (London)

  • July 2018

    One Year Professional Training (Diploma Course)

  • October 2017 - July 2019

    One Year Professional Training (Diploma Course)

  • October 2017 - May 2018

    Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology - Foundation Course