The Upledger Institute
Dr. John E. Upledger, 1932-2012
Co-Founder, The Upledger Institute (now Upledger Institute International)
Medical Director (Retired), Upledger Clinical Services
1975-1983 clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at Michigan State University
Certified Fellow of the American Academy of Osteopathy
Academic Fellow of the British Society of Osteopathy
Doctor of Science, Medicina Alternativa
Author (books)
CranioSacral Therapy
CranioSacral Therapy II – Beyond The Dura
SomatoEmotional Release and Beyond
Your Inner Physician and You
A Brain is Born
CranioSacral Therapy, Touchstone for Natural Healing
Working Wonders, Changing Lives with CranioSacral Therapy
In addition to his books, Dr. Upledger developed study guides for classroom instruction and wrote dozens of articles for peer-reviewed and special interest publications.
Modality Developer
CranioSacral Therapy
SomatoEmotional Release
The Brain Speaks
Upledger Intensive Therapy Programs
CranioSacral – Dolphin Integrative Therapy Programs
CranioSacral – Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) Programs
Achievement Honors
Alternative Medicine Program Advisory Council for the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C.
TIME Magazine, one of America’s “Next Wave of Innovators” for his proven clinical applications of CranioSacral Therapy
In Memoriam
Dr. John E. Upledger is co-founder of The Upledger Institute International, Inc. and former medical director of Upledger Clinical Services. Born on February 10, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Upledger passed away on October 26, 2012 at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. For manual therapists and other healthcare practitioners worldwide, his legacy is his generosity of spirit in sharing his discoveries and knowledge and ensuring their right to practice, For his patients and the patients of his students, his legacy is an open mind and heart to the validity of non-traditional medical approaches.
Throughout his career as an osteopathic physician, Dr. Upledger was recognized as an innovator and leading proponent in the investigation of new therapies. His development of CranioSacral Therapy in particular has earned him international acclaim.
Although much of his experience was garnered through private clinical practice, Dr. Upledger served from 1975-1983 as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics at the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University. It was during those years that his team of anatomists, physiologists, biophysicists and bioengineers were tasked with performing the experiments testing the existence and influence of the craniosacral system.
The results of those scientific studies explained the function of the craniosacral system and its use in evaluating and treating poorly understood malfunctions of the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Upledger went on to develop CranioSacral Therapy and other complementary modalities that are now taught worldwide to healthcare professionals through Upledger Institute International’s educational programs. Over 100,000 practitioners trained in more than 100 countries have taken Upledger courses.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy
What is Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy?
from:
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy Association of North America … https://www.craniosacraltherapy.org
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle yet profound non-invasive, hands-on treatment for the whole body. Performed in a chair or on a massage table, the client is fully clothed and the touch is generally light and still. The treatment is focused on supporting the health of the whole being, especially the nervous system. This is the system that dictates all of the body’s functioning, constantly sending and receiving information.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapists understand how an optimally functioning healthy nervous system performs. We are trained for years to use acute perception skills to perceive subtle physiological changes. We also are aware of the energetic map that underlies one’s basic health and symptomology. We believe that health is never lost no matter what the ailment. We use our ability to identify the parts of the nervous system that are not functioning optimally and our awareness of the “always available health” in the body to assist the system in bringing itself back into balance. This supports greater ease and helps the body decrease symptoms. contact me
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM BIODYNAMIC CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY?
Because of the gentle non-invasive nature of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy (BCST), there are few contraindications for treatment. Everyone can benefit and it can even be enjoyed by those too young, old, frail or ill for other more manual therapies. The improvement after a session may be more dramatic with some clients than with others. Because BCST builds health in the brain and nervous system, it is effective in assisting the prevention of chronic conditions, including the problems of aging, stiffness, dryness, memory loss, inflammation and immune imbalances.
In Addition, BCST can be useful in addressing injuries, including those to the bones and tissues. BCST is also an effective modality for exploring and resolving issues that occurred long ago including birth trauma. Birth trauma commonly affects one throughout life until it is addressed.
ARE THERE MANIPULATIONS INVOLVED?
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is distinguished by its minimal reliance on manipulations of any kind. If the various Craniosacral methods could be characterized and compared based on this criterion, the Biodynamic style would be placed at the non-manipulative or yin end of the spectrum.
In the Biodynamic approach, the healing process comes from within the client, not from the outside by the practitioner, and the hand contacts are based on listening and following/reflecting the client’s process rather than pushing or manipulating the client towards a theoretical ideal state.
HOW DOES BIODYNAMIC CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY WORK?
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy begins after a level of safety is created for the client. This is achieved in the communication between client and practitioner who together negotiate the space and contact between therm. Once contact is established, the practitioner listens deeply to the fluctuations of the cerebrospinal fluid within the craniosacral system.
The fluctuation of the cerebrospinal fluid creates a variety of tides within the system. As the practitioner “from a place of stillness” listens to these internal tides, the client’s system begins to access its own inner resources. Perhaps a little like finding keys to previously locked doors. The cerebrospinal fluid ” as it bathes and protects the brain and spinal cord ” carries an intelligence and potency (life force), which becomes mixed with other bodily fluids via the dural membranes. A Biodynamic Craniosacral therapist learns to listen deeply to the system, tapping into its inherent intelligence, while focusing on the system remembering its original blueprint of health. The therapist encourages the client’s system to access its resources, offering new choices and possibilities for the system at every level. Training, then, includes deep perceptual and centering skills as well as extensive study of the anatomy, physiology, and inherent motion of the craniosacral system.