Biodynamic is the term coined by the pioneering embryologist, Dr. Eric Blechschmidt, to describe the slow moving and formative forces shaping the developing embryo. He felt that metabolic fields of dynamic activity seemed to arise from the very geometry at the cellular foundations of life. William Sutherland, the father of cranial osteopathy, observed similar movements during his treatment sessions. The word Biodynamic was further developed and applied to Cranial Osteopathy by Dr. James Jealous. These naturally pulsating forces, moving through the natural environment and shaping all life forms are the same "regenerative" forces sustaining health and wholeness within the adult.

Holographic Touch is a process whereby a practitioner cultivates the feeling sense and experience of a perceptual shift in their own consciousness during a treatment session. The intertwining of consciousness and body sensation engages the practitioner in receptive listening to the system of another. In this way, the practitioner becomes the context for the transformative process.
Each state of consciousness is intimately connected to a different sensorial experience of touch. The practitioner learns to access other states of consciousness through a relaxed attention to their own perceptual and body sensations. These fluidic states of awareness ultimately serve as a portal to the underlying field of unity. Holographic Touch offers the sensorial experience of embracing wholeness.

1). A biodynamic approach is not based on the biomechanics of anatomy. Far from a Newtonian model which limits the body to a collection of moving parts to be repositioned or fixed, a biodynamic approach understands the body as a multidimensional process of unfolding wholeness: emotional, mental, spiritual and physical.
2). Each step of the training is designed to re-awaken perception and re-ignite a primal knowing within the practitioner. It is not the study of techniques applied according to a template or conceptual model.
3). A biodynamic approach realizes that the intelligence within all life forms extends beyond their "skin" boundary. Consequently, a sensitivity to the movement of Primary Respiration as an undiminished force moving through the natural world becomes a foundational experience for the practitioner.
4). Fundamental to a Biodynamic approach is the experiential understanding of embryonic development. One specific aspect of embryological study is the arising of the midline function as key to the survival of the system. A holographic midline organizes and directs the "geography" of all emerging forms and functions within the embryo and is the orienting principle for physiology and structure throughout life. An emphasis on midline function and its expression continues through the training.
5). Within the therapeutic context, the practitioner is encouraged to attune to their own perceptual and sensorial experiences which serve as an essential reflection of the therapeutic process of their client.
These are just a few of the key differences between a biodynamic approach and craniosacral trainings that teach through a biomechanical understanding.

The embryo, serves as a reminder of the perfect wholeness of our origins and as a blueprint for our bodies ability to heal. According to the embryologist Eric Blechschmidt, each part of the embryo develops in motion, and each motion impacts the development of each subsequent function as it develops into form. Embryology teaches kinetic anatomy, the anatomy of forming. Blechschmidt realized that embryological development is guided by fluid dynamics. In a Biodynamic approach to Craniosacral Therapy, these fluid dynamics are the forces moving through the natural world and are called the Breath of Life and Primary Respiration. As we cultivate our perceptual and instinctual knowledge, these dynamic forces guide the transformative process within ourselves and with the individuals we touch.

Yes, knowing the anatomy of the body is extremely important. Anatomy is a language. When a practitioner is secure in the knowledge of what her hands are in contact with, the client's system can more easily relax. However, it is equally important to refrain from a palpatory search for specific anatomical structures based on a concept driven by intention. Anatomy is taught as a way of reorienting the practitioner to the biodynamic and biokinetic forces sustaining wholeness. This training cultivates the sensory experience of the underlying unity or wholeness connecting all the systems within the body and ultimately with the underlying fabric of wholeness.
Cranial anatomy is included in every module of the basic training. It is important to know the physical as the ground for expanding your perceptual orientation.

In this approach there are two interrelated tracks: one is that of education, skill development and certification. The other track, which I have observed over the years with myself and with students, is the transformational potential of this study.
If you wish to touch wholeness within yourself and with another - an ongoing inquiry and deepening is required. A biodynamic approach to craniosacral therapy is a process and not a technique.
The transformative shifts that I continue to experience include the recognition that as my perceptual acuity and skill develop, I simultaneously deepen my inquiry into and through myself. A Biodynamic approach to CST opened a doorway to a transformational process that I had been unable to access through other forms of bodywork. I had been searching for the seamless melding of life style with work and teaching. Overtime, my immersion into a biodynamic approach became the agent for personal change. I was able to sit in the Stillness and slow rhythms that shifted both myself and my client. These rhythms are always there, it was my own perceptual armoring that prevented me from sensing their presence. I became aware of the speed in which I was "driving my life" and which created an over-riding rigidity in body, spirit and psyche. As I deepen into this work, these therapeutic rhythms of nature have changed me in the most gently powerful and heart-felt way.
My traditional mode of doing, applying techniques, or working from a template of what I imagined the body to be, melted away. As my hands became quiet, I was able to cultivate the quality of receptive listening. As I learn an immersion with the ever-resonating stillness beyond the boundary of my skin, the doorway to the field of nothing and everything opens.
The practitioner, engaging in this study, may find their worldviews, beliefs, and soma being naturally shifted by these undiminished and ever-present rhythms. The Biodynamic approach to Craniosacral Therapy ignites a transformative process that deepens over time and is unique to each individual.