Advanced Biodynamic Diploma courses

Body Intelligence Training offers a postgraduate programme for practicing biodynamic craniosacral therapists. The intention of the programme is to provide an exploratory learning space that enquires into the nature of the work and maintains the context of the clinical environment, keeping practitioners in touch with the latest developments within the biodynamic field. An Advanced Biodynamics Diploma (ABD) in craniosacral practice is being offered by Body Intelligence Training under it's membership of The International Affiliation of Biodynamic Trainings (IABT). For more details on the ABD click here. 

(NB 2012 London postgrad courses run by Steve Haines have been postponed)

October 2012

The Holistic System - The Neuroendocrineimmune Response

• England 25-28th October 2012 (4 days, thurs-sun, 9.30-5.30pm) with Ged Sumner @ British School of Shiatsu-Do, Unit 3 Thane Villas, London N7 7NU. Price: £400.

March 2013

Ignition and the Midline 

• New Zealand 14-17 March 2013 (4 days, thurs-sun, 9.30-5.30pm) with Michael Shea @ Blockhouse Boat Club, Blockhouse Bay, Auckland. Price NZ$800.

March 2013

How Bones Breathe - Biodynamic approaches to pregnancy and beyond

• Australia 21-24 March 2013 (4 days, thur-sun, 9.30-5.30pm) with Michael Shea @ Australian Shiatsu College, 103 Evans Street, Brunswick Victoria. Price A$800.

December 2013

Ignition and the Midline 

• Canada 5-8 December 2013 (4 days, thurs-sun, 9.30-5.30pm) with Michael Shea @ YWCA, 733 Beatty Street, Vancouver. Price C$800.

Ongoing

Working with Mothers, Babies and Children

• Regular 4 day seminars are held at each training location as an optional seminar 10 on the Foundation Training taught by a series of qualified teachers who have worked extensively in this field. These seminars are open to all qualified Biodynamic CST practitioners. Please consult the nearest training location to you from the main menu above.

Booking details

In order to book a place on any of the workshops a non-refundable deposit of NZ$150/A$150/C$150 is required. All workshops attract a 10% discount for full PACT members . Please only use the paypal button or register button associated with your course.

To book please fill out the application form opposite.

For enquiries please send an email to training@bodyintelligence.com 

Course Leader Biographies

Current Workshops

The Vagus Nerve and Emotional Expression

Our feelings and emotions are revealed on our face and in the tone of our voice. Musculoskeletal structures of the face, the ear and throat share a network of nerves, known as the Social Nervous System. This system co-ordinates facial expression and vocalisation with the regulation of heart rate and breathing. It enables orientation, communication, co-operation and empathy. Malfunctions of this system result in conditions in which a person can’t communicate, can’t feel pleasure and consequently lead to depression, isolation or anti-social behaviours. Central to the Social Nervous System is the Vagus Nerve. This massive and intricate cranial nerve is known for its rest and digest function. Not only is its motor output much more complex than that but the nerve is 90% sensory. Vagal input to our brains is fundamental to our sense of safety and our emotional intelligence. 

This 4-day course will explore: 

• The intricate bony structure of the face and the musculature of the face, the ear and the throat. These structures, together with their neural network, originate in the pharyngeal folds between the developing brain and heart,
• The Polyvagal Theory of Stephen Porges
• Vagal tone, heart rate variability and social engagement
• The importance of good vagal tone for babies and infants.
• Vagal afferents – how sensory input from the gut and the heart influence our emotional responses behaviour
• Practical biodynamic cranial strategies for enabling social engagement and healthy heart regulation as well as promoting emotional regulation by influencing enteric reflexes

Working with the Diaphragm

Learn to appreciate the central nature of the diaphragm to the functioning of the whole body.

As long as we are alive breathing is one of the few things we can take for granted. The endless imperative of breath is a constant reminder of our aliveness. Of the many structures involved in breathing the diaphragm is probably the most important. The majority of us do not use our diaphragm well. Researchers into breathing report that a third of normal people (no medical complaints) hyperventilate. For clients who present in clinic situations in pain that figure is certainly higher. It is an essential structure for the organs, lymph and blood return, posture, connective tissues and holding emotions. Following this workshop you will have a clear idea of the complex connections around the diaphragm and will have explored its felt sense and how to meet its patterns of experience.

This 1 day course will explore: 

• Models of how to breath, including the common pattern of hyperventilation and upper chest breathing.
• Organs and lymph and blood return.
• The diaphragm and the musculoskeletal system; exploring the Deep Front Line from Tom Myers’ Anatomy Trains.
• The phrenic nerve; ‘C3 ,4 and sometimes 5 keep the diaphragm alive’.
• The diaphragm as a transverse membrane and connections into RTM.
• The diaphragm as an extension of a continuous bag of soft tissues surrounding the abdominal cavity.
• The diaphragm and transverse abdominals are one sheet of tissue with different fibre directions.
• The diaphragm as a strong emotional centre.
• The diaphragm and its visceral connections.

The Nature of Dissociation

Spot when your clients are dissociating. It is fundamental to health and will transform your clinical effectiveness.

Dissociation is nearly always a clinical priority. It is very hard to support healing processes if someone is not embodied. It is something that responds extremely well to the biodynamic approach. Dissociation is frequently missed by other therapeutic approaches, especially other bodyworkers. The workshop will cover easy, safe ways to help create greater choice for clients to become more embodied.

This 1 day course will explore: 

• Why dissociation is so important - it is an underlying theme in nearly all chronic health problems.
• Case history questions that can draw out dissociation.
• Review of the underlying physiology of the trauma model - key signs of parasympathetic overwhelm.
• Supporting embodied awareness - in ourselves, whilst treating and suggestions for clients.
• Using verbal skills - questions and orientations that can draw out dissociation whilst working on the table.
• Orienting to the outline of the body - finding the bits that are missing.
• Working with awareness of the field to support resolution of dissociative processes.

The Throat Made Simple

Enhance the nerve and blood flow through the carotid sheaths, this flow is essential to brain function.

The throat is a very common area to hold deep and old patterns of experience with a strong emotional tone. The workshop will develop skills to help treat this complex transition zone between the head and the body. The goal is show hoe to treat this area how using simple and effective orientations. We will particularly look at pathway of the vagus nerve, carotid artery and jugular vein in the carotid sheath. The amazing neurological model from Stephen Porges, the polyvagal theory and the social nervous system, will also be explored.

This 1 day course will explore: 

• The social nervous system and the vagus nerve.
• The common sense of being feeling blocked or choked in the throat.
• Postural and fascial connections; the tubes of the neck.
• The floating, muscular tube of the pharynx and working with the hyoid.
• Differentiating the flow in the carotid sheaths.

Ignition and the Midline 

This course will detail the five step process of ignition – spark, ignition, permeation, augmentation and disengagement on the embryonic midline. These functions of ignition bring order and organization to all growth and development of the human body through the life span. This will be shown through lecture, audiovisual presentation, perceptual explorations and session exchanges. Various windows around the cranium, spine and coccyx will be taught to observe the ignition of Primary Respiration and stillness in the third ventricle. 

Differentiating the third ventricle, heart, umbilicus and notochord will be taught. This includes deepening into the lateral and longitudinal fluctuations of the fluid body. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on the deep imprinting of death anxiety on the early embryo and its relationship to dynamic stillness in biodynamic practice.  

• Deepen into the biodynamic experience of stillness.
• Learn the five step process of ignition on the midline.
• Practice igniting the third ventricle.
• Palpate ignition of the fluid body at the coccyx.

How Bones Breathe - Biodynamic approaches to pregnancy and beyond

This course details the effects of stress on the developing embryo and fetus and how to resolve it in biodynamic practice. New research on epigenesis shows that even moderate amounts of maternal stress can alter the development of the growing child inside the mother even before conception. Numerous disorders and diseases have now been identified from these early challenges such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, attention deficit disorder, low birth weight and numerous other problems. 

A new understanding of early development will be presented based on what is now called the ³primary period² from preconception up to the second year after birth. This includes information on the relationship of the cardiovascular system to the brain and structure of the body. Biodynamic approaches will be taught for use on all clients of any age or gender. 

Palpation will explore the vascular system and the bones with Primary Respiration. Participants will learn a specific protocol for the pelvis and lower extremities that facilitates normal birth and decreases the imprinting of fight-flight in the bones and blood. This includes sensing how the bones mold and grow around Primary Respiration in the bone marrow. Of particular interest will be on normalizing the relationship of the liver to the heart and vascular system with the help of Primary Respiration and direct palpation of the blood.

• Learn a biodynamic evaluation of the pelvis and lower extremities.
• Learn to differentiate biodynamic practices for early development.
• Understand bone development during embryonic development.
• Learn how to apply the work to any client.

Embryology in Practice

Learn a biodynamic evaluation of the pelvis and lower extremities. Learn to differentiate biodynamic practices for early development.Understand bone development during embryonic development.Learn how to apply the work to any client.Our feelings and emotions are revealed on our face and in theThe biodynamic model of Craniosacral therapy is based on an understanding of the forces of creation. In the human embryo these forces ignite all living processes and organise specific patterns of growth and developmental movement. These patterns remain linked to our physiology throughout life and can be sensed in the motility of our tissue and fluid fields. As an archetype, the embryo points to what is timeless in human experience. In this seminar we will explore aspects of embryonic development, which help us understand the impact of formative experiences during gestation and birth. The emphasis will be on practical cranial approaches to resolving imprints of early trauma in infants and adults and reconnecting with our optimal health.

Topics covered will include:

• The epic journey of conception, life or death, the ‘inner body’ and ‘outer body’
• The notochord as an effect of CNS growth, the apex of the notochord as the fulcrum for developmental movement for the embryonic disk
• The story of the ectoderm, developmental movements of the neural tube and ventricles, paraventricular structures and information molecules – ‘God’s own drugstore’
• An introduction to Blechschmidt’s concepts of metabolic fields and spatially ordered movements
• Cranial mesenchyme and metabolic fields, forces at work in the creation of the skull bones and membranes
• The heart in embryogenesis, the beat before the heart, the heart begins outside the body, function dictates structure – blood flow and cardiac tissue formation
• The heart of being: the mythic heart and heart ignition

The Heart in Biodynamic Practice

This advanced seminar will detail the basic shape of Primary Respiration in the fluid body in relationship to the heart. The embryonic heart is linked to the development of the face and brain as one complex. An introduction to the sequential development of the embryonic heart and blood will be presented. This includes palpation skills to contact the fluid fields of the trunk and shoulder girdle surrounding the adult heart.

This advanced training will also focus on new research in the embryonic development of the heart and its implications for biodynamic practice. The relationship of the developing heart to the developing brain in relation to the gut will be the specific focus of this class. Face work strongly influences the brain and cranium.

The heart grows at the top of the gut tube which is the face. There is a direct relationship between the face in front of the heart and the brain in back of the heart. The heart, brain and face are linked together as one unit of structure and function embryonically. Specific skills for decompressing the fluid body will be taught in order to balance the face, brain and neck.

Educational Objectives:

• Palpation of the newly discovered metabolic heart fields of the embryo. 
• Learn the skills of balancing the face, neck, heart and brain with Primary Respiration. 
•  Study the relationship of embryonic heart development to infant heart-brain development
• deepen an understanding of biodynamics being a heart centered practice

Trauma, Embodiment and the Holistic Shift

A post-graduate course designed to deepen your understanding of working with Trauma. The course aims to equip practitioners to recognise when their patients have a charge running through their autonomic nervous system making it impossible for them to enter the Holistic Shift where they can settle into the deeper tides.

Once we have defined shock and trauma we will look at Eugene Gendlin’s work of Focusing, the basis of our understanding of the ‘felt-sense’. We will examine Peter Levine and Franklyn Sills’ work on the trauma and healing vortices, tracking and titration, over and under coupling and recapitulation.

This course aims to provide practitioners with skills to work with both hyper and hypo arousal states safely and clinically with special reference being made to working with babies and infants. Open to professional biodynamic craniosacral therapists only.

• Define trauma in a psychological and spiritual perspective.
• Establish the importance of embodiment and resources in dealing with traumatised clients.
• Exploring and clarifying the work of Peter Levine and his Somatic Experiencing in dealing with traumatised clients
• Learning to recognise the psychological and physiological affects of hyper and hypo arousal in clients to ensure greater safety when approaching traumatised clients. Applying these principles when working with babies and children. 

The Holistic System - The Neuroendocrineimmune Response 

This workshop will look at how the body response is holistic in its very nature. The nervous system, endocrine system and immune systems are intricately linked and complementary, co-influencing our emotional and psychological states. Attachment theory and neuroscience will be examined as theories to help us understand what lies behind physical and emotional conditioning along with practical ways to bring this knowledge into the treatment room and meet your client's system in a holistic way.

Areas explored:

• the phenomenon of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
• metabolic fields and the thyroid
• immune system potency and the thymus
• the hormonal molecular fluid matrix
• regulation of the limbic system
• understanding the stress/inflammatory response

Working with Mothers, Babies and Children

Pregnancy, birth and early life are profound and formative times. These first moments can determine many aspects of our health and nature that condition the rest of our lives. Craniosacral Therapy offers a profound understanding of these events and through a unique and deep contact with the human system can help the expression of the innate life force within each individual. To be able to use these skills effectively can help the development of the embryo, foetus, baby and mother.

• Mother and Baby Resonance
• Treating Mother and Baby for the first time after the Birth
• Health Expressions/Trauma Expressions in Mothers Babies and Children
• Postnatal Period and Changes that Occur
• O-A Birth
• Natural Labour
• Paediatric Conditions
• O-P Birth
• Labour Complications and the Medical Model
• Pain Relief
• C-S Birth
• Antenatal Care Profile – Women’s Choices
• Physiological Changes during Pregnancy
• Treating Pregnant Women & Acknowledging the Baby’s Presence
• Conditions that developed in the Antenatal Period
• Clinical practise
• Case taking of the Woman and Baby on the first visit
• Treating Mobile Infants

Primary Respiration and the Fluid Body

This class is designed for students who wish to deepen their perception and practice of Primary Respiration. This is also known as the Long Tide, which is a 100 second cycle recognized in the cranial osteopathic community since the time of Dr. Sutherland. The focus is to learn to distinguish in clinical practice the importance of Primary Respiration and its movement in the fluid body. The fluid body is the sum of all the different fluids in the body and is over 70% of the human body. The fluid body is also based on an understanding of the early development of the human embryo. The student learns to sense Primary Respiration in his or her own body first and then the client. Primary Respiration is the foundation of health in the body. This health is interconnected with and integrates through the embryological midline of the notochord still present in the adult.
 
Understanding and perceiving multiple aspects and layers of experience associated with both the stillness of the midline and Primary Respiration will be taught with meditation and visualization practices.
 
An introduction to the dynamic morphology of the human embryo will be explored theoretically and with table work.
 
Students will study the difference between embryonic radial symmetry – the arising of orienting fulcrums, and axial symmetry – the arising of an orienting midline. This process begins at conception and is maintained throughout the lifespan via Primary Respiration and stillness.
 

• The advanced biodynamic treatment process of orienting, synchronizing, attuning, ignition and disengagement
• The 4 stages of embryonic morphogenesis – compression, decompression, embodiment and folding and unfolding in the fluid body
• The notochord as primary organizer of the structure and function of the body
• The 3 bodies of the Primary Respiratory System – fluid, tidal and soma

The Spine and Nerve Flow

The spine is a very powerful place. The spine is the one of the clearest expressions of midline dynamics in the body. Developing confidence in how to spot and treat fulcrums within the spine can dramatically enhance practitioners ability to treat a wide range of painful conditions. Sutherland and Becker, as osteopaths, would have had fantastic skills around working with the spine. I trained as a chiropractor and spent 5 years studying and learning to adjust the spine as the main focus of treatment. This workshop represents how I have integrated this knowledge into a biodynamic craniosacral practice. The aim of the workshop is highlight some easy, effective ways of orienting to and treating this key structure.

Dissociation and Activation 

This workshop is both a review and a deepening of biodynamic cranial skills to work with trauma and overwhelm. Dissociation is always a clinical priority. It is very hard to support healing processes if someone is not embodied. It is something that responds extremely well to the biodynamic approach. We will cover easy, safe ways to help create greater choice for clients to become more embodied. Activation is something that can occur as clinic work unfolds or can be the basic state of your client when they first come for sessions. Understanding the physiology of being safe and gaining confidence in skills to slow down and contain activation can really enhance the healing process. 

Dynamic Stillness

Levels of stillness are abundantly available in the body and mind. We will look at opening up the field of possibilities for accessing the deep space of stillness that brings your body into a state of timelessness. The mysterious state of stillness takes you beyond your self and connects you with a universal order. The work will create a deepening in your relational field that opens up a new dimension for healing within your clients systems.

Biodynamic Potencies

This is a two day workshop exploring your relationship to the biodynamic potencies of the body and how to connect to them as regular phenomena in the fluid/tissue matrix. You will learn to be familiar with potency as a felt-sense experience so that the relational field you create is always informed by it. This will open up huge resources for your client's system. The workshop will look at places of potency with particular reference to the ventricles as deep potency spaces, potency in interstitial fluids and the potency field around the body. The two days will help you discern the different levels and qualities of potency expressed in the human system and enrich your practice whether you are an experienced practitioner or newly graduated. 

Previous Workshops

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