Continuing Classes

I did take the two classes mentioned in my previous post. Both were highly informative. I'm still a newbie to the cranial-sacral technique. However, finding the rhythms and going through the routines are getting easier. I'm starting to combine structural work with working with the cranial-sacral rhythm when working on skulls. I find using both techniques in tandem help produce bigger results.

Just two weeks ago I finished a week long class in Claymont Virginia with Bill Morrow, see the photo above. Here is who attended from left to right starting at the back row: Evan (assistant teacher,) John, David, Dawn, Bill (The instructor,) Pete, Ray, Rob, Larry, Brian, Greer, Anna, myself, and Rachel.

The main difference between Bill's class and other classes is that he prioritizes seeing the person above teaching techniques. What do I mean by that?

Well, most classes showcase the technique. For example you'll see no end of classes advertising that they will teach you how to address plantar fasciitis or golfer's elbow. No one in the class has these problems? Well, we'll just pretend they do in order to teach you the technique. The tradeoff when teaching this way is that it encourages the therapist to superimpose ideas onto a structure where those problems do not exist. The most common problem I see with other body workers is that they are already doing this. Young, new or inexperienced bodyworkers are already taking a visualization from an anatomy book and superimposing it onto the body they are working with in order to "see" what's going on. Doing this is great in the beginning to get you really familiar with finding and identifying anatomical structures. However, continuing to do this as you gain experience actually blunts your ability to really see more complex patterns in the body that don't line up with a standard anatomy text book. By the way, no one matches an anatomy text book. It is a good rough sketch of the "average" person at best.

Instead, Bill took each person in the class as they were. Complete with all of our side-bends, rotations, flexion points, trauma, etc. and one by one we went through some pretty complex structural problems that brought us deeper into how structure works and the best way to test and find different restrictions. Bill is especially good at navigating positional stratagies. Every wonder why it only hurts when you move a certain way? Because the restriction only shows up when you're in a certain position. It was by far the most informative and fun class I've ever participated in.

I have felt like there has been an accelerator button pushed on my learning curve. This whole week and a half I've been back to the office I feel like I've been getting bigger changes and better results. The way I see bodies has been renewed and refreshed. I'm able to see compensation patterns more quickly, discern primary patterns from secondary patterns more easily, and I trust what I see more readily. It's easier to create ways to get into adhesions that disappear when someone is laying flat and my use of positional strategies is becoming more complex.

All in all, I consider the class a huge success and I'm really looking forward to going to work each morning!