Over time, Dr. Sutherland developed a system with no osteopathic-style manipulation of bones or soft tissue. Instead, the practitioner gently contacts the craniosacral system and trusts the system itself to carry out healing as it connects to the original health (also called the original blueprint) of the body.
This philosophy is intimately related to Dr. Sutherland’s experiments in immobilizing his cranial bones. In his first experiment, he almost passed out, reviving when he released the pressure of his helmet. When he did, he felt warm, fluidic motion along his spine; he also felt a corresponding movement in his sacrum. Several repetitions showed the same result.
He had already suspected that the cranial bones moved; now he knew that the sacrum did, too, via the membranes that connected them, and that the cerebrospinal fluid fluctuated along with that motion. These observations became a cornerstone of his work. As he later wrote, “… the Tide fluctuates; it ebbs and flows, comes in and goes out, like the tide of the ocean. It is something that you can depend upon to do the work for you. In other words, don’t try to drive the mechanism through any external force. Rely upon the Tide.”
Many years later, Franklyn Sills, DO, further developed this philosophy – the biodynamic approach — teaching that the most profound healing occurs when the practitioner quietly orients to the deeper organizing forces of the body. Other teachers, such as Michael Shea, PhD, Thomas Attlee, DO, and others, teach the same philosophy. This is the approach I learned at 3rdCoast Craniosacral (http://craniosacralevanston.com), where I studied with Ginger Crisenbery, BCST. In this approach, the practitioner settles into a quiet, calm, listening state; waits for the characteristic shift (the “holistic shift”) indicating that the craniosacral system is engaged, orienting to primary respiration, and tapping into the client’s inner resources for health; and then witnesses, staying out of the way, watching for what the client’s system chooses to show, quietly waiting to see what unfolds.