Learning the Language of Touch
iCST Foundation Training Overview
“Be Still and Know.”
– Dr. William Garner Sutherland
Profound | Healing | Balancing
Objectives of the Training
Our entire series of seminars is designed to nurture and enable you to become a confident, competent, compassionate and effective Integrated Craniosacral Therapist. Integrated Craniosacral Therapy (iCST) is a non-intrusive, gentle touch technique that works on the body/mind complex and can help in alleviating a wide range of problems – from minor aches and pains to deep-rooted trauma.
CST is more than a century old and has a rich legacy of techniques and literature. You will be exposed to key concepts and the correct protocols of this technique which will lay a strong foundation for you to grow in this exciting field.
We believe that iCST is a unique combination of technical knowledge of the human body and spiritual practices in action. To succeed as a therapist, you will need knowledge of human anatomy, cultivate body awareness and develop the ability to meditate. All these form a core part of our training.
Pedagogy of the Training
Each seminar will have a spiritual component that will include Techniques and Knowledge to go deep within oneself – the place where true healing comes from. This will be part of the daily routine of the course, not something done on the side, because we firmly believe that to truly learn ICST you will need to know and practice meditation and learn about the human body-mind complex from the Craniosacral perspective.
Everything on our seminars is designed to be learned mostly through experience. There will be many, many hands-on sessions. Students giving sessions to other students and students giving and taking sessions from the teaching and tutor teams.
Anatomy and physiology that is required to be learned will be dealt with through interactive group sessions, games and projects and is included as a part of the course.
Concepts from Adult Learning Theory and NLP as well as studying techniques discussed in our book Ready Study Go! – Smart ways to learn, will be used throughout the seminar series to facilitate the study of the subject material and hopefully make the entire experience deep, intuitive and fun.
You don’t need to know anything from Adult Learning Theory or NLP, though reading Ready Study Go!, Happiness Express and Sleep Your Way to Success will help you a lot as a student embarking on this healing adventure.
Eligibility Criteria
- 18 years and above.
- Fluency in spoken and written English. The course will be conducted in English. Assignments and exams will need to be completed in English.
- All assignments will need to be typed and emailed – a working knowledge of Microsoft Word or an equivalent word processing software as well as using email would be required.
- No psychological issues. If you are taking any sort of psychiatric drugs, you need to wean yourself off these drugs before you can start to learn to become a therapist of this technique.
- Reasonably good health. A person with a severe, chronic or acute disease cannot undergo this training.
- You don’t need a medical background to be on this course. You will be learning a lot of anatomy and physiology though, so you will need to be prepared for that.
- There are exactly 60 seats available at each location. 61st person will need to wait for the next series.
- You have to complete all the seminars, related assignments and exams within 36 months of starting the training, to be eligible for certification. Failure to do this will mean you will have to undergo the entire training all over again.
- You will need to attend and complete all assignments of Seminars 1 to 5 to the satisfaction of your tutors, to be able to continue on to Seminars 6 though 9
- All payments need to be completed to be eligible for certification.
- There will be no refunds of payments under any circumstances
Seminar 1 – Culturing Touch
“You can’t turn off Touch”
-David Linden
Touch is the first sense we acquire. The right type of touch can create monumental shifts in our bodies and minds. We will begin to explore the Craniosacral approach of healing through touch. Students will be introduced to the basic concepts of CST through experiential activities and discussions around them.
Topics
- Five Principles of Craniosacral Therapy by William Garner Sutherland
- Ritual of Touch and Disengagement
- SOBA and Resources
- Felt Sense and Felt Resources
- Relational and Perceptual Fields – Settling Embodiment
- 3 Cavities
- Neutral Listening
- Primary Respiration
- CRI
- Mid-Tide
- Long-Tide
- Dynamic Stillness
- Pain and Dissociation
- WOSI (Weight, Outline, Skin, Inside) – Colour, Shape, Size, Texture
Anatomy and Holds
- Spine
- Sacrum and Sacrum Connections
- Pelvis
- llium
- Liver
Practice Development Modules
- General Do’s and Don’ts
- Practitioner and Client Interaction
- Importance of Comfort
- Template for Treatment Records
Seminar 2 – Finding Health
“Anyone can find disease. The job of a true healer is to find Health”
-Dr. Andrew Taylor Still
We will talk about Health and its expression in the body and the mind. We continue to delve into the body-mind complex and how it is organized around the mid-lines. Students will learn to harness these organizing forces to create well-being.
Topics
- Health
- Potency
- Grounding
- Inertial and Natural Fulcrums
- Still Points
- Structure and Function as related in the Human Body
- (W)holistic Shift
- Becker’s 3 Stage Healing Process – Seeking, Settling, Reorganisation
- Inherent Treatment Plan
- Basics of Embryology, Primal and Fluid Midlines
- PRM of the Big Skull Bones
Anatomy and Holds
- Becker’s Vault Hold
- Bi-polar Hold
- Lung hold (from top of and from underneath the shoulders)
- Temporal Hold
- Parietal Hold
- Frontal Bone Hold
- Cradle (Occiput) Hold
- Respiratory System
- Lungs
Practice Development Modules
- History Taking Format and Methodology
Seminar 3 – Bringing Balance
“When all the fulcrums are synchronised, there will be peace and harmony.”
– Dr. William Garner Sutherland
“Opposite values are complimentary”
– Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
We study the various diaphragms in the body and how they maintain posture. Our bodies are miracles of bio-tensegrity. We will explore how various opposing forces in our bodies are actually complementary to each other and contribute to overall health.
Topics
- Why do we fall sick?
- Potential of the body to heal itself
- Fascia
- Reciprocal Tension Membrane System (RTMS)
- Sutherland’s Fulcrum
- The Transverse Diaphragms
- Tentorium
- Thoracic Inlet
- Respiratory Diaphragm
- Pelvic Floor
- Knees
- Planter Fascia
Anatomy and Holds
- Cranial Tension Release Feet Hold
- Skull and Meninges – Flax and Tent Holds
- All the Diaphragm Holds
- Boonkie’s Bimbi Hold
- Stomach and Pancreas Hold
- Feet Balance Hold
Practice Development Modules
- Client Interaction
- Neck Exercises and the Source Voice Walk
- Fukuda Walk – Balance Assesment
- Cheetah Breath – Exercise for Respiratory Diaphragm
Seminar 4 – Conversations
“A conversation is so much more than words.”
– Annika Thor
We dive into the nervous system and study the Polyvagal Theory and se how the implications affect how we respond and react to circumstances and get an idea about how others do the same with us. Mirror neurons, dealing with Trauma and how memory works are all part of this Online only Seminar.
Topics
- Shuttling
- Trauma – Implications
- Trauma – Pacing and Containment
- Polyvagal Theory
- Mirror Neurons
- How conversations happen
- How memory works
- How to stimulate Cranial Nerves
- Vagus Nerve Activation Exercises
Anatomy and Holds
- Overview of Nervous System
- Exploring the Autonomic Nervous System
- The 12 Cranial Nerves
- The Spinal Nerves
- Trigeminal and Facial Nerves Stroking
- Hyoid Self Hold
Practice Development Modules
- Mantras and You
- Never instil fear in clients
- Importance of creating a safe environment for the client
Seminar 5 – Mission Vagus
“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is… Relax!!”
– Anonymous
We will learn the Vagus Nerve Protocol, a deeply relaxing and cleansing set of holds that will help you and your client transcend effortlessly. We will study and play with the concept of Bio Tensegrity as well.
Topics
- Tensegrity
- Bio Tensegrity
- Dural Venous Sinuses
- Dural Venous Sinuses Drainage
- Lymphatic System
- Sphenoid as a Keystone in the Skull
- Sphenoid Relations and Attachments
- Spheno-Basilar Junction
- Dermatomes
Exam
- Theory (written – long form and multiple choice type questions)
- Hands-on Assessment by Tutors
Anatomy and Holds
- Connective Tissue Technique
- Trigeminal Nerve Hold
- Facial Nerve Hold
- Shoulder Hold (Spinal Accesory Nerve)
- Vagus Nerve Protocol
- Dermatomes Holds
- Occipito-Sphenoid Hold
- 5 Step Venous Drainage Protocol
Practice Development Modules
- Money – Being comfortable with charging for treatments
- Professional Approach as a Therapist
- Role Plays – On Tricky Situations that might arise in a Professional Clinic
- Individual Assessment – Hands-on Feedback by tutors
Seminar 6 – Synergy
“Synergy is the bonus that is achieved when things work together harmoniously.”
– Mark Twain
This seminar is all about bringing all the elements we have learned so far together, and making connections to synergistically forge ahead in our healing journey – learning to listen, not look will be the refrain during this time.
Topics
- The Jaw and its relationship to Emotional Entrapment
- TMJ and Hip Connection
- Kidneys and Knees Connection
- Ears and Maintenance of Equilibrium
- CSF Flow through the Brain and Spinal Cord
- Endocrine System
- Cranio-Pelvic Resonance
- Eyes – How we See
Anatomy and Holds
- Ventricular System of the Brain
- CV4
- Hormone Balance Protocol (Endocrine system balance)
- Ears protocol
- Temporo-Mandibular Joint protocol
- Kidneys hold
- Eye Protocol
Practice Development Modules
- Setting up and developing a CST Practice – I
Seminar 7 – The Beginning of You
“There are two great days in a person’s life. The day they were born and the day they discover why”
– William Barclay
“The third day, perhaps greater than these two is the day they find their Guru”
– Khurshed Batliwala
This seminar explores the very start of you. Through powerful processes and holds, you will experience the ignitions – sparks of life which bring various systems within you online and start to function for the very first time. You will begin to understand and experience the organizing and healing power of the original matrix of life as you time travel back to where it all began.
Topics
- Time Travel – Back to the Womb
- Birth and Birth Trauma
- Embryology
- Activity on Foetus development in the Womb
- Cranial Distortions because of Birth
- Umbilical Cord
- Treating pregnant women and nursing mothers
- Treating infants and children
- The Three Ignitions
- Conception
- Heart
- Birth
Anatomy and Holds
- EV4
- Conception Ignition
- Heart Ignition
- Umbilicus (Birth) Ignition
- Womb Experience
Practice Development Modules
- Setting up and developing a CST Practice – II
Seminar 8 – Graduation
“At the Stillpoint – That’s where the Dance is!”
– T. S. Elliot
We explore the HPA (Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Adrenal) Axis and figure out how these Master Glands affect almost everything about us. We visit the Heart and surrounding areas and see the awesome power of Life contained there. This is a 7 day seminar and will include the final exam and practicals..
Topics
- Cardiovascular System – Heart, Pericardium, Blood
- HPA (Hypothalamo – Pituitary – Adrenals) Axis
- Deepening into the Tides
- Inherent Treatment Plan revisited
- Revision of all protocols
Exam
- Hands-on Practicals
- Theory (written exam – long form answers)
- Discussion on Case Studies
Anatomy and Holds
- HPA holds
- Heart hold
- Sessions in Triads
Practice Development Modules
- Setting up and developing a CST Practice – III
- Attention to Details
Our Values
Keep it Simple
Things can get super complicated. We like to simplify, so our students and clients just "get it" - Get it?!
Have Authenticity
For us, authenticity and integrity are important. If we don't know, we say we don't know. If we cannot help, we say so, and point you in the best direction we would know
Make it Real
No unnecessary philosophy. We ensure that all we say or do has practical, real world application
Learn & Evolve
We keep learning and so should you. We are continuously improving everything about ourselves. We aim to move from one level of perfection to the next