Open Source Cranio

Hello and Welcome,
My name is John Dalton. If you’re reading this I’m going to assume you’re interested in learning to become a craniosacral therapist and are wondering if it is the thing for you.

In my working life, I’ve been a carpenter, a cameraman, a scriptwriter, I’ve even been a television presenter.

I can say without question that being a craniosacral therapist is the most fulfilling work I have ever done. It is challenging, demanding, and highly pressured work. It requires me to be very sharp mentally while at the same time deeply meditative. It demands a high level of confidence while at the same time being comfortable with uncertainty. At its core, helping people in pain – physical, emotional, or spiritual – is a wonderfully satisfying practical application of compassion.

Why?
My motivation behind Open Source Cranio is making craniosacral therapy training information freely available to people in developing countries. For me, this is a no-brainer as craniosacral therapy is very effective and doesn’t require any technology to practice.  Just a pair of hands.

My intention is to provide improved healthcare where it is needed so badly while at the same time creating jobs for the people who become craniosacral therapists.  If you are from a developing country and want to learn craniosacral therapy, please know that I don’t pretend to even begin to know the challenges you face in this endeavor.  I’m counting on you to let me know how I can better tailor this site to help you.

Open Source
I borrowed the term “Open Source” from the computing world where it is defined as, “A model of operation and decision making that allows concurrent input of different agendas, approaches, and priorities.”   The current model for craniosacral therapy training is to make the student pay for information and demonstration.  There is little focus on assessment and this has the long-term effect of devaluing the therapy because of inconsistent training outcomes.

Put another way, not focusing on assessment can produce some very incompetent craniosacral therapists.  With Open Source Cranio I’m making my craniosacral training information available on this site for FREE.

Do I think you can learn to become a craniosacral therapist from a website?
Certainly not.

But I do think you can get the same amount of information and instruction as you would attending a 4 day weekend in a class of 40 with one trainer.  What I think you should pay for is mentorship and assessment.  I hope that other schools will adopt this model and focus more on assessment and recognition of prior learning.

How To Get Started
To get you started I suggest you read the Training FAQs to get a better idea of what is involved. Please leave comments and feedback so I can improve this site.

Wishing you all the best,

John Dalton