Topics Archive
Continuing Education
Perhaps one of the most common questions I hear from students of biodynamics and, surprisingly often, from seasoned practitioners is: I feel something. Is this the Tide? Part of the confusion comes from the fact that there is actually little consensus about what exactly we mean when we say the Tide. In biodynamics, we are taught to…
Why does Biodynamics work? I’ve heard many practitioners say it’s effective because it regulates the nervous system. Indeed, that’s an essential aspect of any healing modality, especially in the frenzied atmosphere of sympathetic overload that burdens many of us. Some practitioners are particularly skillful in working therapeutically with specific elements of the nervous system. For…
While it’s the basis of the transformative work that we do, the Dynamic Stillness is not something that we can easily point to, because it’s not a thing or an experience. Meditation is one way that we can develop our recognition of this continuous, underlying stillness and thereby move our Biodynamic practice forward. We live…
Have you lost the perceptual cues that used to guide your way in Biodynamic sessions? This can happen when we get deeply familiar with the Dynamic Stillness. In Biodynamic Craniosacral we talk about the Dynamic Stillness as the end of our “map.” When I say map, I’m talking about the territory of clinical Biodynamic work.…
Have you seen the documentary film My Octopus Teacher? In it, Craig Foster develops a relationship with an octopus. Although an octopus is simply a sac of fluid, it can respond to circumstances with impressive shifts of appearance. It can take the form of a muscular sprinter, a barnacled rock, a predatory cloak, or a…
Early in my career I knew so much. Now, it’s almost laughable how little I know. Yet I’m confident that my sessions are fruitful for my clients; and they seem satisfied with the results. I’m describing a part of our skill development in which the practitioner’s perception of nitty gritty phenomena gets muffled by an…
Mastery seems like you should know more and more. Weirdly, in the field of Biodynamics, as we gain maturity in the work, we know less! How do we understand this slipping away of information that we used to take for granted? THE ASCENDING CURRENT AS A PATH OF KNOWING LESS AND LESS In my last…
What is a body? What is your felt experience of the substance your body is made of? Does that substance ever change in feeling, texture, tone, or quality? Does the body have boundaries? Where are they? What is healing? What embodied disposition is necessary for healing to happen? What are signs that that disposition is…
Biodynamic Craniosacral Work is about wholeness. So why does our field emphasize cranial bones, dural membranes, and cerebrospinal fluid? Books, education, and practice all place a high priority on these parts of the body. Biodynamic pioneer Dr. James Jealous memorably quoted a friend of his: “A visible segment is a segment in trouble.” But what…
A reader asked about the terms Cranial Wave, Fluid Tide, and Long Tide. Biodynamic Craniosacral Work typically uses these terms to describe three subtle motions, which we feel in or around the body. I use them in a more wide-ranging context. Yes, they are the foundation of Biodynamic practice. But I actually understand them as…