Open Source Cranio

Tag: Membranes

  • Cranio Sacral Therapist and Student Newsletter 28

    October 21 -2007

    Questions and comments for this issue:

    + Arachnoid Mater, what the?
    + Case story from Jean McDonald.
    + 3D visualisation tips.

    Hello,

    I watched a very good movie the other day
    called ‘Reign Over Me’.  It stars Adam Sandler and
    Don Cheadle.  Surprisingly Adam Sandler does a
    spot of acting in this movie which makes a change
    from the, blowing beer out through his nostrils,
    sort of roles he usually plays.

    It is a good portrayal of how someone deals
    with post traumatic stress and the therapeutic
    process.  Have your tissues ready, the climatic
    scene had me tearing up like a little puppy.
    It is listed among the other DVDs I recommend here.

    There is a new cranio sacral book by James Nemec.
    I particularly like the dramatic byline on the
    article, ‘L.A. Playwright Creates an Enormous Wave
    with His New Book – Touch the Ocean.’
    http://californianewswire.com/2007/09/25/CNW482_184432.php

    Frédéric Cherri is doing great things in New
    Zealand.  Between himself and Ged Sumner they are
    cooking up all sorts of wonderful post graduate
    seminars.

    Visceral Intelligence with Jed. Equine
    Craniosacral with Judah Lyons. Craniosacral
    Anatomy with Paul Doney.  They have had such a
    strong response for their main 2 year course they
    have had to start another class.  It begins on the
    27th of November.  It’s all on their site at
    http://www.csti.co.nz

    Anyhu, let’s get on with the mailbag.

    ***QUESTION***

    Dear John,

    My question is about the meninges and in
    particular the arachnoid mater.  From the
    descriptions I have read I am not clear where
    exactly the arachnoid layer is in relation to the
    other layers of membrane and where CSF is in
    relation to it.  Is there CSF between the
    arachnoid mater and the dura mater?

    Any clarification would be gratefully received.

    Kind regards
    JP
    Scotland.

    MY COMMENTS:

    The confusing thing about the arachnoid mater
    is its web like tendrils or arachnoid trabeculae
    as they call them in my local, that extend across
    the sub-arachnoid space.

    ?

    Well I found them confusing anyway . . .

    Let me explain it to you in the way it was
    explained to me by a diesel mechanic many years
    ago. . .

    You’ve got your 3 layers of membrane that go to
    make up the meninges or membrane system.  Your
    outer most layer is the Dura Mater.  Dura meaning
    tough and Mater meaning mother.

    Tough Mother. Get it?

    Cracks me up every time.

    ??

    Suit yourself.

    Your inner most layer is the pia mater.
    Pia meaning soft or tender and Mater meaning
    Mother.
    Tender Mother.
    Sweet, but not funny at all really.

    Your pia is soft, thin and follows the contours
    of everything it covers.  So it goes down into all
    the sulci and over all the gyri of your brain.

    Your dura on the other hand is tough and forms
    this outer layer of the membrane system.  Think of
    it like a balloon.  Granted it would be an odd
    shaped balloon and certainly not one to bring to a
    kiddies party but balloon-like none the less. A
    balloon with vertical and horizontal-ish dividing
    walls.

    So you’ve got your outer layer and your inner
    layer and the bit in the middle is the arachnoid
    mater.

    Arachnoid meaning spider like and Mater meaning
    Mother.  It’s really the web aspect of spiders
    that it gets its name from.
    Spider-web-like- mother.
    That’s just creepy.

    The different descriptions of the arachnoid
    mater are confusing.  In one book it will be
    called a layer and the diagram will show it
    looking pretty much like the other two layers.

    Then in another book it will be described as
    being weblike and in the picture it won’t look
    like a layer at all.

    The thing is both are true, it is a layer and
    it is web-like too.  The closest thing I can think
    of to help you get a visual of it is Velcro.  Take
    an open strip of Velcro.  It doesn’t really matter
    which side, the stiff side or the fuzzy side.

    You will see that there is a layer and from
    that layer the furry stuff extends.

    It’s kind of the same with your Arachnoid
    layer.  It’s a layer from which the web-like
    tendrils extend.  The layer part adheres to the
    dura so the tendrils extend across the sub-
    arachnoid space to the . . . anyone?

    That’s right, the pia.

    And now it should be clearer where your CSF or
    cerebro spinal fluid, as I like to call it, is.

    No?

    Okay it is between the Arachnoid and Pia.
    Because of the way the Arachnoid layer is made,
    cerebro spinal fluid flows around and through the
    spider web of tendrils that extend from the layer
    part of the arachnoid layer.

    These tendrils actually help the whole shock
    absorber aspect of the cerebro spinal fluid.

    ***From JEAN MCDONALD***

    CASE STUDY OF JODIE July 2006

    Jodie is a lively six year old girl who likes to
    play with her little sister and friends and
    occasionally to spar with her big brother. She has
    a quiet confidence and definite sense of herself
    She is attending the local school and has just
    completed her last term and year at special school.

    Mum caught the Millennium bug while expecting
    Jodie, this occurred during the second trimester,
    so the much awaited lively baby was welcomed into
    the world to join brother – and the family was now
    four.

    The first year of life was busy but uneventful
    except for a throat infection at one year.  Being
    an experienced Mum some tendency towards being
    emotional was noted, these seemed to be around
    changes in Jodie’s life. When now shoes were
    bought Jodie would want to wear the old ones.
    Jodie didn’t like being touched on her head,
    having her hair or teeth brushed. Her hearing was
    also very sensitive.

    Mum and Dad investigated these symptoms and in the
    second year of life Jodie was diagnosed as having
    mild to moderate Autism.  During this year while
    at the playground Jodie had a fall which impacted
    on her head.

    Toileting problems had caused some upsets at
    school and that was one of the reasons I was asked
    to call and treat Jodie. On the first consultation
    in May 2005 Jodie’s posture was tending towards a
    forward bend at times with some busy movements of
    the legs, which suggested the possibility of some
    dural tube restriction. The CranioSacral rhythm
    was higher on the right side of the body, the
    respiratory diaphragm restricted and the left knee
    held more restriction then the right.  She liked
    being upside down, this was beneficial for her
    respiratory diaphragm and it helped me in gaining
    a supporting handle to her sacrum so that
    lengthening the dural tube in the spine was
    facilitated. Palpation of the respiratory
    diaphragm was followed by an exothermic release.

    Two Robot Toys were played with both of which
    continually “lost their heads”. Jody was
    inquisitive and I spoke about her manubrium at the
    top of her sternum which I treated. Her picture as
    a baby was on the wall and I talked briefly about
    when she was little.

    On the Consultation of 19th May the Temporal bones
    and Parietals were palpated and also down through
    the cranium to Maxillae. Jodie is keenly aware of
    teeth, and she had some questions about mine as
    one is slightly different in colour to the others,
    we talked about this referring to the
    discolouration being a result of medication. The
    conversation included when she was a baby and had
    a throat infection when medicine was needed to
    make her better. During this Jodie allowed some
    palpation work to be done on the temporal and
    parietal bones. Following that visit there was a
    period of screaming, with a retreat to her bedroom
    and under the duvet.

    The next visit mainly related to Jodie’s left ear,
    Lumber 5-Sacrum 1, Jodie’s squamous suture and her
    left foot.

    In the early visits Jodie was not inclined to
    chat, at the end when I was leaving Jodie would
    pick a flower for me. Gradually Jodie became more
    talkative and her speech more clear.  The strong
    sense of herself which Jodie has is clearly
    expressed in what she likes, her favourite
    colours, toys – characters and animals about which
    she has many stories. Increasingly Jodie was
    indicating the parts of the body on her toy
    characters which were “sore”. Playing with
    Question: Where?..Oh ..here?
    Answer:NO silly not there ,Here!
    Question: Like this? … Answer  Yes.

    Jodie would laugh and let off steam. Gradually
    verbal communication increased. At times teeth
    grinding was prevalent, some indirect approaches
    at mouth work were tolerated. Going inside the
    mouth resulted in a closing of the teeth on my
    fingers.

    Some treatments took place while Jodie was in
    Mum’s arms some involved the slide in the garden
    and some others while Jodie looked through her
    books. Following sessions where the dural tube was
    lengthened very often Jodie would have a tendency
    to want cuddles from Mum.

    More CranioSacral work has made Jodie receptive in
    the main part to having her head palpated.
    Her diagnosis has been lifted.

    Growth implies that stretching the membranes to
    allow more normal accommodation of the nervous
    system is required. This is monitored by Jodie’s
    Mum and myself.

    Jean Mc Donald
    www.jeanmcdonald.ie

    MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that great case story Jean.  I’m
    sure it will be an inspiration to all who read
    this newsletter.
    It will also be a beacon of hope for all the
    parents around the world who find their way to my
    websites looking for possibilities for their
    child.

    ***QUESTION***

    Dear Mr Dalton,
    I am writing to you in the hope that you may be
    able to help me.  I am having trouble visualising
    the anatomical structures associated with my
    craniosacral studies.  When I close my eyes all I
    can see are the pictures from the anatomy books I
    have studied.

    You have said in previous newsletters that we need
    to develop the facility to look at these
    structures from any angle with our minds eye.  I
    have never been very good at this kind of thing.
    I have difficulty reading maps, for example.

    Do you have any technique to help marry these flat
    images to what I am feeling with my hands and make
    my mental images more real.

    Kind regards,
    P.B.
    United Kingdom.

    MY COMMENTS:

    The first thing to do is let go of the notion
    that you are not very good at this.  If you are
    intent at getting better at cranio sacral work
    that thought is not going to help.

    Do your best to replace it with, ‘I may not
    have been good at this kind of thing in the past
    but that doesn’t mean I am not going to be good at
    it now.’

    Here are some exercises that may help.  Before
    you start it is a good idea to get both sides of
    your brain involved.  Any kind of cross body
    activity will help this.

    For example, while standing begin to ‘march’ in
    time.  Raise your knees and alternately touch each
    knee with your opposite hand. Progressively, move
    your elbows to each knee in sequence.

    Alternatives are to touch each heel behind your
    back with opposite hands.

    or tug each earlobe with opposite hands.

    You can also do what are called ‘lazy eights’.
    Draw a large figure eight [about 18cms long] on a
    piece of paper.  Turn the picture sideways. Hold
    your head steady, then place your finger at the
    centre of the eight.

    Keeping your eyes fixed on the tip of your
    finger start to trace the figure eight with your
    finger tip.

    It is the movement of your eyes that activates
    the hemispheres of your brain so make sure you
    move only them and not your head.

    Once you get the hang of this exercise you can
    do away with the paper.

    Feeling all integrated?

    Lovely.  Lets get on with the exercises.

    Start off with something simple and familiar
    like a teacup or milk jug.  Take a seat at your
    kitchen table and place the teacup in front of you
    with the handle facing away.

    Close your eyes and try and visualise what the
    teacup looks like from the other side.  The side
    you can’t see.  The side with the handle.

    If you draw a blank pick it up and look at what
    it looks like from the other side.  Then start
    again.

    Once this starts to get easier then include the
    environment the teacup is in.  When you visualise
    what the teacup looks like from the other side
    include the whole picture.

    As well as seeing the other side of the teacup
    you will see the other side of the room.  The side
    of the room that is behind you.

    You will know you are making progress when you
    can see the other side of the cup, including the
    other side of the room and including yourself
    sitting there visualising it.

    Wha?

    From the other side of the teacup you are in
    the picture, right?

    Next, think of your minds eye like a camera.
    This time, instead of seeing the other side of the
    teacup, circle around the teacup with your minds
    eye to the other side.

    Make sure you see the different facets as you
    go.  If you have trouble with this do it for real.
    Open your eyes and slowly circle the teacup to the
    other side taking careful note of how it changes
    as you move.  Then go back to the other side close
    your eyes and start again.

    Next, try and visualise what the teacup looks
    like from above.  If you find this hard, stand up
    and look down on the cup.  Take it all in, fix it
    in your minds eye, then sit down, close your eyes
    and try again.

    Next, try and visualise what the teacup looks
    like from below.  If you find this hard, pick up
    the cup and look at it from below.  Put the cup
    back down, close your eyes and try again.

    To include what the environment the teacup is
    in, and looks like from below, imagine that the
    kitchen table is made of glass.

    If you can’t imagine what that would look like
    take the cup out of the way and put your head on
    the table looking up.

    If any friends or family are around it might be
    worth explaining to them what your are doing.
    Other wise it might look to them like you have
    been staring intently at the china for no apparent
    reason and now you are having a little kip on the
    kitchen table.

    That done, sit down again and try and visualise
    what the teacup looks like from below including
    the view of the room from that perspective.

    Once you get the hang of this, introduce
    movement.   Imagine what it would look like if you
    were looking at the cup from above and then circle
    downwards until you were looking up at the cup
    from below.

    As before, if you have trouble visualising this
    then do it for real.  Stand up and look down on
    the cup then circle downwards all the time looking
    at the cup, taking in the changing perspective and
    being careful not to bump your head on the table.

    Next, get under the table and see what it looks
    like from below.  Fix it in your mind.  Take your
    seat again and imagine what the underside of the
    table looks like.

    Next imagine your minds eye being able to see
    through the table.  So you should be able to see
    the underside of the teacup again. Practice going
    back and froth with this. See the underside of the
    cup then pull back to seeing only the underside of
    the table then go through the table again to the
    underside of the cup and so on.

    Do the exercise with objects of progressively
    more complex shape.  Work up to an organic object
    like a house plant.

    When you feel like you are doing well with
    this, introduce a second object. It will be easier
    if you use objects of contrasting shape in the
    beginning.  So instead of using two teacups use a
    teacup and a box.  That way the curves of the
    teacup will contrast nicely with the angles of the
    box.

    Go through the above exercise again.

    When you start to introduce movement, make sure
    that you can visualise both objects
    simultaneously.  In the beginning you may find
    that you can only visualise one object or the
    other.

    Also, make sure that you can visualise how they
    move in relation to each other.

    Repeat the exercise until you can see the two
    objects from all perspectives in your minds eye.
    Then add a third object and start again.
    Repeat the process until you can hold five objects
    in your minds eye.

    Next put a tablecloth on the table and put the
    five objets on it.  Allow space between each
    object.  Take a corner of the tablecloth and pull
    it gently.  Take note of how the objects move as
    you pull the tablecloth.

    Close your eyes and try and replay what you
    have seen in your mind. Then try and see it from
    different angles.  If you get stuck open your eyes
    go to the angle you can’t visualise and watch it
    for real.  You may need to get someone else to do
    the tablecloth tugging.

    This tablecloth exercise will give you a good
    idea of what effect restrictions have on
    structures in our bodies.

    Once you get into the swing of this kind of
    visualisation you can do it anywhere.

    Take whatever you are looking at and see if you
    can visualise what it looks like from all angles.
    Cars, buses, trains, trees, buildings.

    When you feel like you are mastering this you
    can progress to remodelling in your head.

    Start with your living room.  Move the
    furniture around in your head. Try and imagine
    what the furniture will look like in different
    places.  What will fit where?

    If it’s not too difficult physically move the
    furniture to the places you imagined and see if
    you were right.  Did that table fit in that corner
    and so on.

    Another very useful exercise you can do is to
    make models of the structures you are trying to
    visualise.  You don’t have to get all fancy with
    it and it doesn’t have to be pretty.  You can use
    pipe cleaners and card bord boxes or anything you
    find it easy to work with.

    I once had a student that was convinced she was
    ‘no good at art’ and so couldn’t make models.  We
    talked about it and focused on what she thought
    she WAS good at.  Eventually she admitted she was
    good at cooking.  So after a little persuasion she
    went on to make some fantastic models made out of
    food.

    And finally get yourself a copy of Edward
    Muntinga’s DVD.  He has packed it with some
    excellent animated 3D models of the structures we
    work with.
    http://www.3dcranio.com/
    it will help a lot.

    So that’s it for this issue.

    Till the next time.

    Your Mate,

    John D.

  • Cranio Sacral Therapist and Student Newsletter 29

    November 22 – 2007

    Questions and comments for this issue:

    + Cranio sacral therapy on FaceBook.
    + Working with energy.
    + Reframing.
    + Cerebral palsy and the blueprint
    + More on the arachnoid mater from Al Pelowski in South Africa.

    Hello John,
    If you were one of the many therapists that
    sent me your profiles to have them listed, then
    have a look here to see I got everything right.
    Right picture, right spelling, right on man! (or
    Woman!)
    http://www.open-source-cranio.com/therapists/listing.html

    Speaking of right on women, Rene from New
    Zealand let me know about a cranio sacral therapy
    group on Face book.  I’ve had a look and think it
    is a spiffing idea.  It’s great to be able to put
    faces to names and connect with fellow therapists
    across the world.

    Yes, it is a bit of a pain signing up and
    creating a profile but worth it, no?
    http://www.facebook.com/

    Now. . .
    . . . this newsletter is slightly different to
    others in that half the content is on my website.
    The reason for this is the inclusion of video and
    images.

    The first article is about how I use energy
    when I am working and includes a detailed diagram
    of energy flow.  There is also an amazing video
    illustrating how you can work with high levels of
    energy and not have it affect you.  Be a good egg
    and let me know what you think.
    You can read it here.

    The second article is about how to use
    reframing to help you when you hit a wall in
    practice or study.  In fact you can use reframing
    in all aspects of your life.  The article starts
    off with a great little video which illustrates
    the power of a reframe.
    You can read it here.

    I’ll wait while you go and have a look at them.

    Finished?

    Okay then, let’s get on with the mailbag.

    ***QUESTION***

    Hi John

    I would like to know a bit more about working with
    Cerebral Palsy. What is the best approach?  Is
    there any chance for the person to recover some of
    their functions or is it too much to ask to the
    body? I suppose it requires to go back to the blue
    print. Your comments about the blue print in the
    last newsletter were very interesting. My only
    problem is that I am a kinaesthetic kind of person
    and images don’t talk to me very much. Could you
    tell me how the blue print feels so I know that
    what I feel under my hands is the blueprint or
    something else. This would be very useful for me.
    Thank you.
    Odile, Brisbane.

    Odile Grisel

    Home

    MY COMMENTS:

    Hello Odile,
    Thank you for your email.

    I have had some good success with cerebral
    palsy and I’ve had some no-change-at-all’s.  When
    I think about what was common among the successes
    the main thing was that the people were young.
    Under 3yrs old.

    When treating cerebral palsy I generally find
    myself working with the nervous system.  From the
    hemisphere of the brain involved out to the
    periphery.  Following the nerves, working to
    enhance the integrity where it is diminished.

    I have heard some therapists say they find lots
    of limb unwinding very useful to unlock the
    central restrictions.  I haven’t found that myself
    but pass it on in case you find it useful.

    I never think of treatment in terms of, ‘Is
    this too much to ask of the body?’  At this stage
    I have seen so many apparent ‘miracles’ that I
    know the body is capable of anything.  So it is
    never a case of CAN this happen but more a case of
    IS it going to happen?

    It can often be a blueprint problem, which
    leads me to your second question about describing
    what the blueprint feels like without using
    images.

    I had to put my thinking cap on for that one.
    Here’s what I got.  To me, the blueprint feels
    very whispy and mist-like, but not moist. It feels
    like touching a smoke ring that pulses with
    flexion and extension and releases like solid
    tissue.

    Phew!  Okay I’m going to take my thinking cap
    off now because my head is hurting.

    ***FOLLOW ON COMMENT FROM AL PELOWSKI***

    Hallo John and thanks for the latest issue!
    Gets me going on my deck in early morning Joburg
    visualising teacups…

    I especially wanted to comment, to give a
    different slant on what you said about the spider
    web mother.

    So here goes.  Let me know what you think of this
    version.

    Starting with the nervous system’s generative
    membrane, the ependyma, all else follows.

    Leaving out the details..just remember that most
    membranes grow in a doubling process.  They grow
    with a potential space between.  The space is
    where canals and tissues form.

    The primitive ependyma lining the neural tube is
    doubled.  The inner layer keeps its name but the
    other layer becomes the pia between the two layers.
    Ependymal cells differentiate to form the brain &
    spinal cord.  The pia also doubles to form a
    potential space for blood–pia intima and  pia
    externa, it provides a capillary network for the
    brain.

    Some bits of pia are left in the ventricles bound
    up with the ependyma  and together form the
    choroid plexi the outer layer of pia, the ‘pia
    externa’ is doubled as well its outer layer
    becomes the arachnoid between are pulled out fine
    reticulin fibres–the spider web the arachnoid
    sprouts little cauliflower-like buds as it grows-
    granulations.

    The ependyma, pia and arachnoid grow out of each
    other and are referred  to as the ‘leptomeninges’
    in many texts.  They are epethelia–derived from
    the zygote wall they are closely related to the
    inner linings of organs and to the epidermis all
    epithelia share a wide variety of peptides and
    receptors.

    “As the inside, so the outside.”  Gut / brain /
    skin growing more slowly along with the rest of
    the body, the dura is not  epithelial, but
    connective tissue related to bone and blood.  it
    comes to form the fascial sac around the arachnoid
    mater.

    A whole different animal.   It doesn’t need to bath
    itself in CSF.  But it too is a doubled membrane
    and its potential space becomes canalised for
    venous blood.  The arachnoid graulations become
    surrounded by and incorporated into the inner
    layer of dura as it grows.

    The granulations (like the choroid) contain highly
    specialised cells which are involved in transport.
    some cells can move waste out of the CSF into the
    venous return.  Others will to abstracting
    material from the blood into the CSF.

    All this gets more interesting when you see how
    the 4th ventricle foramina form as the ependymal-
    pial separation occurs.  the whole thing is
    designed to link qualities of blood and CSF
    without haphazard mixing.

    The leptomeninges can only survive and function in
    the amniotic-CSF environment, inside and out.  The
    dura doesn’t mind blood at all and never comes
    into touch with CSF.

    Keep it up

    Al

    >>>MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks for that Al, you describe things real sweet.

    So that’s it for this issue.

    Cheerio for now.

    Till the next time.

    Your Mate,

    John D.

  • Cranio Sacral Therapist and Student Newsletter 39

    April 4 – 2009

    Questions and comments for this issue:

    + Special report from Mary Hegarty in Cape Town on autism.
    + Any results with tinnitus?
    + Treating children on Ritalin.
    + Working with the sphenoid.

    Hello,
    Apparently there are as many creatures on your
    body as there are people on Earth. Feel free to
    use that one at your next dinner party. Here is
    the video to back it up.     I wanted to call it,
    ‘Your Micro-organisms and You.’ but the makers
    weren’t that keen.

    If you are interested in developing ‘Virtuoso Touch’
    have a read of Jesse Arana’s article on palpation.
    He is a big fan of John Upledger. If that doesn’t
    put you off too much he has some interesting
    perspectives and observations.

    In fact it was Jesse who let me know about Casa BESU
    in Portabelo, Panama. This is an initiative by 4 cranio
    sacral therapists to bring cranio sacral treatment and
    training to the local community in Portabelo. It is a
    great project and fits right in with my vision for
    Open Source Cranio.

    And while we’re on the subject of inspiring people,
    get your tissues ready and have a look at this video of
    Nick Vujicic     who faces obstacles I can’t even imagine
    every day of his life. His message is great,
    ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’

    Stanford University has launched a video series from
    7 of its faculty members in the fields of neuroscience,
    bioengineering, brain imaging and psychology.
    I haven’t had a chance to look at them all yet but
    the ones I have seen are interesting.

    My Masterclass DVD series is coming along nicely.
    I have put a 10 minute video compilation of extracts
    from it on this page.
    You can also sign up for a Review Edition or an advance
    copy there too.

    Before we get into the mailbag here is a special report
    from Mary Hegarty on work she was doing with a boy
    diagnosed with autism in Cape Town.

    ***SPECIAL REPORT FROM MARY HEGARTY IN CAPE TOWN***

    Alpha School Case Report: The Boy with the Pencil
    August 2007

    The week ends with a bang on Friday as we enter the
    Alpha School for Learners with Autism! Noise abounds,
    footsteps echo off high ceilings and stairwells; pots
    and pans clang and clatter in the kitchen; raised voices
    reverberate greetings and admonitions, songs and laughter,
    tears and tantrums.

    Among the 65 days students, who are predominantly boys
    between the ages of 5 and 18, most (85%) come from
    disadvantaged homes. What all have in common is autism.
    The spectrum is pretty wide. Some can language, read,
    and count; others do not speak. Some have a
    ‘high functioning’ label, while others need help
    with basics, even the toilet.

    Our CST outreach program focuses on children under 12.
    Teachers and their aides are a tremendous resource,
    generously sharing information about what happens in
    the classroom and on the playground when we are not there.

    This is R’s story, ‘a lethargic boy with a dislike of
    gross motor activity,’ as described in a 2005 psych
    report. Back then he was often anxious and tearful
    on the school bus, becoming sullen upon arriving at
    school. He might scream for up to 20 minutes at a
    stretch twice a day. He would hit himself during
    tantrums on the floor.

    At home, bedtime was problematic. R would often lay
    awake for three hours before falling asleep at 11pm.
    He could dress and undress and use the toilet. He
    was not fond of sharing. He was able to use scissors
    and a pencil. He would examine objects obsessively.
    I met R in November 2005, when he was 9 years old,
    and began working with him in the classroom. While
    his teacher read a story, I supported R’s right kidney.

    He would not allow contact with two hands. After the
    story R wanted to go home, though when I asked
    permission he said I could come back to see him.
    Soon after the 2006 school year began, R’s teacher
    said that his tantrums had stopped and he was
    showing a marked improvement.

    I met with his parents in February and explained CST
    to them. They were keen for R to continue in the
    program. By this time, R was allowing more contact
    for longer periods during CST sessions. I could hold
    his liver and kidney areas with no fuss, though he
    continued to be less enthusiastic about cranial
    contact when I tried to hold his frontal bone,
    sphenoid and parietals.

    Early in March 2006, R came to school very charged.
    That day he refused treatment, saying ‘GO AWAY!
    Not today!’ Not to be deterred, I sat beside him
    briefly, offering verbal support without physical
    contact. I promised to return in a week’s time.

    The next few days would bring a devastating loss to
    R and his family. On the evening of R’s 10th birthday
    his dad was struck by a taxi and killed instantly
    while riding his bike home from work.

    The following Friday, R did not want me or CST, but
    his teacher insisted. A classmate supportively held
    R’s hand and accompanied us to the OT room. There R
    leaned against me and stared blankly at the colourful
    posters hanging on the wall. Moving onto a big red
    physio ball, I gathered him into my lap, rocking
    gently. My hands made a sandwich of his mid-thoracic
    spine and his heart/solar plexus.

    After 20 minutes, we joined his classmates on the
    playground. He sank onto the picnic bench, leaned
    against me and cried. Another 20 minutes passed
    and R gazed skyward, lifted his arms and became very
    agitated. We walked back to the classroom, where he
    began to settle.

    We enjoyed a couple of good sessions before the
    winter holidays, but by the time Term 3 began,
    R’s tantrums had begun again. Concerned, his
    classroom teacher, the school psychologist and
    I paid a home visit to the humble cinderblock
    cottage bordering the airport, where we listened
    for two hours to his mom’s non-stop story. It was
    clear that the entire family was in crisis.
    I was just a volunteer practitioner working with
    one family member. That would have to be enough.
    Since that home visit, I created a routine when
    working with R. I announce my arrival at school
    to R and ask his permission to return in a while.

    For the next year and a half, on good days I would
    sit beside R and watch him draw (he’s becoming
    quite the artist!). If I’m lucky he allows contact
    somewhere on his back for a brief period, and in
    rare circumstances on the cranial vault. I ask
    about his family. On a not-so-good day, R tells me
    to go away! On those days I sit beside him without
    touching… but I DO NOT GO AWAY!!!

    When R’s class was invited to join in an art
    program at a nearby school, R refused to participate,
    even though he loves to draw. In his collapsed world,
    venturing into unknown waters is too threatening.

    On a rainy Friday in August 2007, I arrived on time
    to see R’s classmates filing into the media room to
    watch a video. R had stayed behind in the classroom
    to draw on his own. His teacher said R did not sleep
    the night before. I pulled up a chair and remarked
    that he must be exhausted. It was just the two of us,
    the room was quiet. R wore a track suit made with
    slippery fabric, and I decided to try massaging his
    back, neck, shoulders and arms. No protest. For the
    next 35 minutes, bent over his desk, R surrendered to
    cranio sacral therapy… cranium, spine, sacrum.
    At one point he relaxed the grip on his best friend,
    the pencil, melting into the moment. The silence
    was exquisite. When I left I whispered a promise to
    return next week. I’ll be there!

    The following is a poem I wrote this year inspired by R…

    *Kwansaba: Curious Boy with the Pencil
    Curious Boy grips the pencil too tight
    his silent friend during dark feral nights
    these days nights last all day long
    taxi smashed bicycle… dada’s dead and gone
    guns shoot outside, mummy’s on her knees
    pencil draws blue sky, happy birds &bees
    bad lines rubbed out before anybody sees

    Mary Hegarty
    24 January 2009

    *KwanSaba is a cross-cultural poetic form dedicated
    to Kwanzaa. Each poem addresses one of the seven
    principles of Kwanzaa: Umoja (unity); Kujichagulia
    (self-determination); Ujima (collective responsibility);
    Ujamaa (cooperative economics); Nia (purpose);
    Kuumba (creativity); and Imani (faith), and consists
    of seven lines of seven words each. Every word used
    contains no more than seven letters.

    MY COMMENTS:

    Great report Mary. As always I am so impressed
    with the work you and your fellow therapists are
    doing in South Africa. Well done.

    ***FORUM QUESTION***

    Has anyone had any long term success treating
    Tinnitus? I treated a long term sufferer and it
    was gone within 20 minutes but came back that
    afternoon, two further sessions have shown no relief.
    Karen
    Australia

    MY COMMENTS:

    Hello Karen,
    I have had good success treating tinnitus and its
    big brother menieres disease. Here is a case history
    of a woman I treated with menieres in Brisbane in 1997.

    Not all cases of tinnitus will respond to cranio
    sacral work but I have found that it is easy enough
    to identify these cases in the initial assessment.

    A common thing I have found in people with tinnitus
    is their membrane systems are very tight. They often
    feel to me like their membrane system is a half size
    too small for their body.

    This can be throughout the whole membrane system or
    just in specific parts of it.

    Why this causes the tinnitus has to do with the
    sensitivity of the ear drums to vibration. Let me
    explain. If you were standing in the corner of a
    room whispering and I was standing in the opposite
    corner trying to listen, the 3 little bones in my
    ear – ossicles – that connect to my eardrum would be
    moving a couple of microns.

    Remember a sheet of writing paper is 100 microns
    thick so a movement of a couple of microns is tiny.

    When a membrane system is very tight it can feel
    like an over-tightened guitar string that is
    reverberating.
    This minute vibration is what causes the occicles
    to vibrate minutely and this tiny movement is what
    causes the noise – tinnitus.

    I have found that as the membrane system begins
    to ease the tinnitus diminishes.

    Because you got a positive result the first time
    you treated the person it means the tinnitus is
    being caused by restrictions in the person’s
    system. I suggest you go through your case
    history notes to see what you worked on in that
    first session.

    Something you did will have caused the symptoms
    to diminish. It is possibly something small you
    didn’t register as being part of the primary
    lesion. It may not fit your idea of what is wrong.

    For example, you may have done an ear pull
    in the first session and felt a good release. In the
    subsequent 2 treatments you may have done ear pulls
    also.
    What you may have forgotten is that you did
    some work on the sacrum in that initial session
    but because there was an improvement in symptoms
    and you got such a significant release with the
    ear pull, you may have neglected the sacrum work.

    Of course I’m not saying that is what happened.
    I am offering it as a possibility.

    ***QUESTION***

    Hi John,
    I recently treated a teenager with ADHD who has been
    on Ritalin since about age 6. While I’ve treated kids
    with variations on the condition before, this is the
    first time I’ve come across a system influenced by
    Ritalin. It felt to me like a massive dose of caffeine,
    but it seemed to reverberate outside as well as inside
    the system, which is a new experience for me. It felt
    like treating two systems at once. Any comments or
    experiences with Ritalin to report?
    Keep up the great work.
    Joseph McGuire
    Ireland

    MY COMMENTS:

    Hello Joseph,
    I’ve had quite a bit of experience with kids on
    Ritalin and the many other drugs that are prescribed
    for ‘difficult’ kids. Here is a case history of
    one such child I treated in Brisbane in 2004.

    Ritalin has a particularly strong effect on the
    system because it is, well, a really strong drug.
    If it was administered intravenously it would have
    the same ‘hit’ as cocaine.

    That’s not just folksy hearsay, Ritalin actually
    has the same pharmacological profile as cocaine.

    So when you make contact with a system that has been
    distorted with Ritalin for a long time you can feel
    all sorts of strange resonances, counter currents,
    compensations, rhythm echos and the sort of feeling
    you were describing.

    The way to work with it is the same as working
    with any drug. You treat as much as you can see
    through the haze the drug causes in the person’s
    system.
    When the symptoms improve and under the guidance
    of the prescribing Doctor, the medication is reduced.

    With less medication, more of the restriciton
    pattern will reveal itself. You continue treatment-
    symptoms improve – medication is further reduced
    and so on.
    Eventually there is no medication and no symptoms.

    Happy days.

    If you want to read more about the effects of
    Ritalin there is a good little article reproduced
    from ‘The Observer’ on the South African Institute
    of Cranial Studies website here.

    ***QUESTION***

    Dear John!
    I hope you don’t mind me asking you a question,
    concerning cranio-sacral. I just had a young female
    patient here, for cranio, she had a spine-operation
    6 months ago. And as I tried the lateral strain, the
    whole structures became somewhat swirly and blurry…
    and I had no idea what to do – haven’t felt this before
    (ok, some swirls are ok, but this was totally blurry…
    it felt as if the whole head swam in my hands)… so I
    just tried to hold on, until it got a bit calmer.
    Have you ever experienced something like this?
    What is your opinion, what to do in a case like this?

    Lots of greetings,
    Iva
    Croatia

    MY COMMENTS:

    Hello Iva,
    I am happy to answer your questions and I’m glad to
    see cranio sacral is flourishing in Croatia.

    Based on what you have written about trying the
    lateral strain, I am going to assume you were working
    with the woman’s sphenoid when this ‘blurry-ness’
    happened.

    This could be for a number of reasons. Firstly
    you were working with the sphenoid. William Sutherland,
    the grand daddy of our work, was fascinated with
    the sphenoid and considered it to be the ‘master cog’
    in one of his his mechanical models of cranial bone
    motion.

    I can understand why he was so into it as I have
    found the sphenoid to have a very strong energetic
    signature and can have a significant effect on the
    whole cranium and the rest of the body.

    The first time I experienced this I was working
    someone in a standard kind of treatment situation.
    Quiet room, eyes closed. We were about half way
    through the session. I had been at the person’s
    head for about 10 minutes and focusing on the
    sphenoid for about 5.

    Suddenly it felt like the sphenoid just lit up.
    The superior surface reminded me of a console on a
    space ship or something like that, with colored
    flashing lights turning on and off in sequence.

    I had to open my eyes to check the person’s head
    wasn’t glowing. It wasn’t. They were lying with
    their eyes closed, deeply relaxed – they may have
    even been asleep.

    Inside their head everything was gang busters.
    It felt like there was a brass band going off
    in there.
    As I observed the ‘lights’ on the sphenoid I
    began to get the feeling that there was an order
    and a pattern to the way they were flashing
    and moving.
    Them it began to dawn on me that there was a
    progression to what was happening almost like some
    kind of program running.

    It went on like this for about 5 minutes and
    then as abruptly as it started, it just stopped.
    All the lights went out and the sphenoid settled
    back into a very smooth and solid rhythm.

    When the person returned the following week they
    reported a significant improvement in their
    symptoms.

    I have had similar kinds of experiences with
    lots of different peoples sphenoids since.

    Being a science fiction fan it’s no surprise
    that my brain translated what I was feeling in that
    person’s sphenoid in terms of space ship consoles
    and flashing lights.
    In your case, it sounds like, your brain
    translated what you were feeling as ‘blurry-ness’
    and that swimming feeling in your hands.

    The significant thing is that something important
    was happening in the woman’s system. Over time
    you may find that you experience the same kind of
    thing with more people.

    In my experience bodies are capable of the most
    amazing and from our perspective, shocking, things.
    I have been treating people for 15 years and I am
    still coming across new responses.

    The responses may be new but the feeling of being
    taken by surprise is the same. Over time I have
    learned to become familiar with that feeling of
    being shocked and surprised by a new response.
    From what you have written it sounds like you
    are on the way to doing that too.

    You said you held on until it ‘got a bit calmer’
    I suggest you held on until YOU got a bit calmer.
    Because that is what I have found works best in
    dealing with new responses, not getting pulled
    into them.
    If you can get a bit of distance from what is
    happening you can see that the persons body is
    taking advantage of your support and is getting
    on with it. It just happens to be in a way that
    you haven’t seen before.

    Lastly I would wonder how the spinal surgery fits
    into all this? Was it involved in the sphenoid
    resettling you described? Was trauma from the
    surgery working itself out and you were feeling this
    from the sphenoid or was the sphenoid involved more
    directly?
    I have come accross a few cases of trauma arising
    from the positions people were put in or rough
    handling during surgery that had nothing to do
    with the actual surgery itself.

    So that’s it for this issue.

    Till the next time.

    Your Mate,

    John D.

  • Sciatica

    + Which technique should I use? – September 05

    + Comment from Al Pelowski, principal tutor with The South
    African Institute of Cranial Studies. on sciatica- October 05


    Hi John,
    Found your web site very useful and your URL easy to remember.
    I use it as my virtual business card. I have been treating a man in
    his late fifties with sciatica. I have had some success but feel I
    could achieve more.

    Can you recommend any techniques that you have found
    particularly useful for sciatica?
    Thanks
    J.P.
    Brisbane.

    >>>MY COMMENTS:

    Glad you like the site.
    I’m going to answer your question in two parts. Let me start by
    saying no one technique is ‘the’ technique for ANYTHING.

    Techniques are ways we get a handle on the bigger picture.
    And the biggest picture is what you need to be available for.
    I am putting it like that because describing it as ‘looking’ for
    the biggest picture is way too active, eager, inefficient and INTURSIVE.
    You need to ask yourself, what is really going on here?
    Why has this person got these particular symptoms?
    Why are the symptoms in this configuration?
    What’s the root cause of this situation?

    Symptoms generally manifest physically, meaning they show up
    in the person’s body.  But that doesn’t mean the CAUSE of those
    symptoms is exclusively physical.

    Often EMOTIONAL issues will express themselves as physical symptoms.
    It doesn’t just stop there, often the root cause of what is going
    on has a physical component, caused by an emotional component
    but the root cause is not emotional it is something DEEPER.

    That may sound spooky or kooky to you depending on your slant
    but I have seen it time and again, where the root cause was deeper
    than physical and emotional issues.

    How can that be?

    Let’s go through it one layer at a time.
    Physical problems.
    These problems are characterised by very physical causes and
    descriptions,  ‘The tentorium cerebelli is pulled inferiorly here,
    causing pressure there . . .etc’.
    Regardless of the source of a pattern of a restriction, it will show
    up physically.  Becoming accurate in identifying the extent and
    complexity of physical restrictions takes a lot of practice and is
    a prerequisite for working with the deeper causes.

    Emotional issues/causes.
    Restrictions in the emotional aspect of the person can have causes
    like, a person may need to leave a partner or job or it may be an old
    emotional abuse.
    Emotional restrictions are more difficult to identify accurately
    because it’s very easy to start theorising about the person’s problems
    instead of simply receiving the information from the person’s body in
    the same way you do with physical patterns.

    Core problems
    These relate to how the person sees themselves in their lives, their
    relationship with themselves, with God, with their idea of God.
    A feeling that they’re off track.
    And no, you don’t need to know what their track is.
    Core problems can feel like fundamental disharmonies within the
    person.  They are the hardest to perceive because they are so deep
    in the person.
    Your ability to see and work with these core issues comes with lots
    of practice and humility.
    Their revelation occurs in the dynamic between you and the person
    and what you have to offer each other.

    Are you with me?

    It generally works its way through the layers something like this.
    A disharmony in a person’s core will affect them emotionally and
    in turn affect them physically.
    For example someone might think they are fundamentally bad.
    This could manifest emotionally as anxiety and paranoia, which
    could manifest physically as headaches and chronic fatigue.
    The skill comes in being able to assess where the root cause of
    the problem is.

    Before you go charging off into the great mystery, let me add this.
    It can be as easy to go the other way and start looking for deep
    emotional and core issues as the root cause of a purely physical
    problem.

    ‘I just twisted my knee Mate!’

    Now the second part of my answer is purely physical.
    There are lots of different ways of creating sciatica.
    It’s a pain, which means there have to be nerves involved.
    The pain generally is in the lower back and travels down one
    leg or the other, sometimes both.

    Have a look at, [in books and with your hands] the lumbar plexus,
    the sacral plexus.  How are the nerves on both sides of the spinal
    column as they leave the vertebral foramina?

    Scan the nerves up as far as the thoraco-lumbar junction.
    Remember tight membranes can pull vertebrae together and pinch nerves.
    Consider how long the person has been getting the pain?
    Getting a sense of when and how the pattern of restriction was formed.
    So, look particularly at the dural tube.
    How are the membranes running?
    Most particularly how is the cerebro spinal fluid moving?
    Find ways to help it come into a harmonious flow.
    It’s all about flow.

    Top

    ***COMMENT FROM AL PELOWSKI***
    – On additional physical causes of sciatica.

    John,
    Some of the rootlets of the sciatic nerve pass through the psoas
    muscle – a noted emotional contractor- – slightly bent over posture,
    unable to fully extend hips without pain, affected leg externally rotated.
    Another sciatica tip: usually on right side, I-C Valve, Caecum.

    Yet other possibilities: Leg length differences, real bony differences,
    or more likely due to rotations in the leg from protecting an old sprained
    ankle or twisted knee — most commonly external rotation in the foot
    where there has been damage to the ankle lateral colateral ligaments
    — resulting in compression of the S-I joint and thus irritation of the epineuria.
    “from the ankle joint to the knee joint…etc” Remember the tune?

    Yo. Ta for newsletter. Much food for reflection
    A

    >>>MY COMMENTS:

    Thanks Al. All very useful places to look for the mechanics of
    the physical manifestation of sciatica.

  • B1.11.0 – The Cranio Sacral Sysytem overview.

    << Back to Basics 1 syllabus

    *As with all anatomy I suggest you search for each new term on google then click on the ‘Images’ tab at the top of the page. Look at as many different pictures of each structure, from as many different angles as you can. Then look at it on the Visible Body. This will help you get a 3 dimensional image of the structure in your head.

    The cranio sacral system is a physiological system within the body. Along with the Respiratory and Cardio-Vascular systems, it forms one of the three primary life systems.

    The Cranio Sacral System consists of –
    ❍ Fluids
    ❍ Membranes
    ❍ Fascia
    ❍ Bones

    Each is a recognised anatomical structure but outside Cranio Sacral Therapy they are not treated as one integrated system.

    CEREBRO SPINAL FLUID

    A clear colourless fluid which surrounds and bathes the central nervous system, creating the environment within which the brain and spinal cord grow, develop and function. It provides nutrition and drainage for the brain and spinal Cord also. It is in continuous motion, as any stagnation would undermine the brain and nervous
    system.

    Cerebro spinal Fluid is produced in hollow spaces at the centre of the brain called ventricles and circulates throughout the membrane system.

    THE MEMBRANE SYSTEM

    Containing the cerebrospinal fluid is a tough waterproof sack made up of three membranous layers called the meninges which surround the brain and spinal cord. The meninges have horizontal infoldings in the cranium which separate the cerebrum from the cerebellum called the Tentorium Cerebelli and a vertical infolding called the Falx Cerebri and Falx Cerebelli which divide the right and left hemispheres of the Cerebrum and cerebellum respectively.

    THE FASCIA

    Fascia is a connective tissue which forms a continuous sheath throughout the body from the top of the head to the soles of the feet. It envelops every organ, nerve, blood vessel, muscle and indeed every structure throughout the body.

    This continuous fascial sheath forms a close connection to the meninges at the point where each peripheral nerve emanates from the spinal cord. As the spinal nerves penetrate the Dura they pull some of the Dura with them and this blends into the fascial sheath which covers the spinal nerve on its journey. This transition point from membrane to fascia is called the epineurium. It is one of the ways the Cranio Sacral Rhythm is translated to the rest of the body

    BONES

    The meninges are closely attached to the bones of the Cranium and also to the 2nd and 3rd Cervical Vertebrae (C2 and C3) and to the Sacrum and Coccyx. The outer layer of the Dura is so closely attached to the bones of the Cranium that it forms a periosteum or inner lining to these bones.

    Consequently, all the bones to which the membranes attach must inevitably follow any motion exhibited by the membrane, expanding and contracting in accordance with the membrane and reflecting every pull or tension within the membrane system.

    << Back to Basics 1 syllabus