How long does a treatment session last?
Anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on what your body needs on the day. Less time for children depending on how long they can lie still for. Your average 2yr old won't lie down at all so I treat them as they play on the floor.

How many times will I need to come for treatment?
That depends on what you are coming for. The longest I've seen someone for was every week for 3 years. The shortest was one session. Generally speaking a treatment program runs for about 10 to 20 weeks. Children generally take less time. Treatment happens once a week and that point is important, any longer than weekly intervals and the whole thing becomes less effective and generally takes longer.

Will I need to keep coming back for 'maintenance' treatments?
No. Once you're finished, you're finished for good. When you understand that cranio sacral therapy helps trauma release from your body, then it makes sense that once restrictions are released in this way, they are gone for good. It's as simple as getting a big piece of cellophane and scrunching it into a ball and then assisting it to unravel itself.
Once it has unravelled itself, there's no need to 'maintain' its state of unravelled-ness, if you catch my drift.

Can I claim cranio sacral therapy on my private health fund?
Probably not. The official line from all the health funds on cranio sacral therapy is no. Having said that some of the people I have treated have been able to claim it. So it seems to be at the case officers discretion.

If what you are doing is so effective, why doesn't the government subsidise my treatment?
I couldn't agree more. I'm not a political type of person at all. So it's not an area I have focused on. What I have focused on is becoming expert at what I do.

I would be terrible at lobbying the government about the effectiveness of cranio sacral therapy. I'm not too optimistic about how effective my lobbying would be anyway. I only have to look at the experience of Dr John Holt in western Australia to know that.

When will I begin to see results?
Often you can feel the benefits immediately. If it takes longer you will generally see enough improvement after 4 weeks to know that it's going to work.

How did cranio sacral therapy originate?
People have been putting their hands on each other's heads for the purpose of healing for, yonks!
The first scientific analysis was made in the 1930's by an osteopath called William Sutherland. He recognised the importance of cranial bone mobility and the detrimental effects cranial restrictions had on the whole body. From his findings he developed cranial osteopathy.

In the 1970's, Dr John Upledger, an osteopathic surgeon, continued and deepened Sutherland's work. He shifted the focus from the cranial bones to the membranes and cerebro spinal fluid of the body. He called what he was doing cranio sacral therapy and I think I've almost forgiven him for coming up with such a terrible name.

'So, Cranial-psycho therapy that sounds interesting.'

There has been a lot of cross pollination between the different schools and styles of cranio sacral therapy. Like anything that is unsupported and marginalised, there is a lot of differences between the many schools teaching cranio sacral therapy around the world. Differences in philosophical approach, quality of training and quality of assessment.

It is practiced throughout the world today by many different kinds health care professionals, including dentists and doctors. It continues to be refined and enriched by the practitioners and the schools that teach it.

So what can it help with?
The short answer is, lots of things. Have a look at the conditions page to see what I mean. If you don't see the condition you are interested in on the list drop me an email to get more information.