Training Home

Posted by John Dalton on June 16, 2008

Hello and Welcome,

If you are reading this I am going to assume you interested in learning
to become a cranio sacral therapist and are wondering if it is the thing for you.

In my working life I have been a carpenter, a cameraman,
a scriptwriter, I have even been a television presenter. I can say without
question that being a cranio sacral 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 it’s core, helping people in pain
- physical, emotional or spiritual - is a wonderfully satisfying
practical application of compassion.

My motivation behind Open Source Cranio is making cranio sacral
therapy training information freely available to people in developing countries.

For me this is a no brainer as cranio sacral 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 cranio sacral therapists.

If you are from a developing country and want to learn cranio
sacral therapy I want you to know that I don’t pretend to even
begin to know the challenges you face in this endeavor.
I am counting on you to let me know how I can better tailor this site to help you.

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 cranio sacral 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 incompetant cranio sacral therapists

With Open Source Cranio I am making my cranio sacral training
information available on this site for FREE.

Do I think you can learn to become a cranio sacral 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.

I remember well my first day of Cranio Sacral training in Ireland.
We did a ‘getting to know each other’ session during which we
shared what our health care experience was to date.

Reflexologists,acupuncturists, physiotherapists, shiatsu practitioners
and other health care professionals surrounded me. When it was
my turn the trainer asked me what my experience was and I hesitantly
replied that I had done much of the camera work for ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles’ and I had just finished touring an exhibition of my photography
around Ireland. The trainer was a sensitive and subtle man but it was
plain from the look on his face he was thinking, ‘Who let this joker in?’

When I first heard the name cranio sacral therapy, six months earlier,
I knew I was going to do it. It was a gut thing. So it didn’t phase me
when the trainer was mentally scratching his head. I knew doing
cranio sacral therapy would satisfy something very deep within me
because it would allow me to help people in a practical way.

I began my training and low and behold I was pretty good at it.
I found the physiology and anatomy confusing and hard to remember,
but the people I was practicing on compelled my to go to the books.
How did their symptoms relate to the structures? I had to find out.

Right from the word go I began to see the remarkable results that were
possible with cranio sacral therapy. I found the effects on children
particularly impressive.

A child would come to see me. They would be heading down a particular
road in life, handicapped, labelled, difficult, ‘the problem’. At the end of
their treatment program they were on such a different road, normal, healthy, happy.
Far out!

I was and am very grateful for the privilege of being able to assist them in
making that profound change in their lives. I am grateful for learning
cranio sacral therapy which provided me with such a good vehicle for helping them.

The most beneficial aspect of becoming a cranio sacral therapist
for me has been the opportunity to give. To have a holiday from thinking
about myself and my problems and just give to another.
Mighty.

If you examine your motivation to become a cranio sacral therapist you
may find that you simply want to help ease the pain and suffering of
those who seek you out.

Let me encourage you to keep it in the forefront of your mind as you go
through your cranio sacral training and on into your practice. Everyone
who begins the training goes through at least one major personal barrier.
For some it is money, for others it is lack of time, some have trouble with
the studying, some find the depth of the work intimidating and nearly
everyone goes through intense self doubt.

In these difficult times I encourage you to remember the people you can help.
They are out there in their thousands, waiting, searching, hoping for
something and someone that will help them.

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