Day 6

Day six is a wrap up day.  We go over questions that have come up for the students.  Then I provided frame work for all the skills they have acquired.  This is a type of flow chart versus a recipe type protocol.  My goal is to make a Therapist not a Technician. 

The majority of the day is spent treating each other.  We assess, document, treat, and re-assess. 

The wonderful thing is I am available throughout this process to ask questions and confirm assessment readings.  I am always pleased by this point in the workshop to witness everyones enhanced skills.  The palpation of landmarks and of the CRI is at a competent level and continuing to improve.  Confidence is building.  Their patients will be getting some excellent care.

Well done!  I fully enjoyed teaching this group.  It would seem I am always blessed with wonderful students in my courses.  Thank you.

Feedback on the course "Front of the Head"

Robert offers a unique blend of practical / theoretical and objective / subjective cranial therapeutic growth for the practitioner.  The environment and personality added to the great experience.

Robert is a very patient and articular teacher.  He clearly explains the material and encourages practise to let the skills evolve.  These courses are an invaluable wealth of practical tools that compliment my practice and I recommend them highly!

Robert was very patient and realistic with his expectations.  Very useful techniques that I can incorporate into my treatments right away and lots of room to study and grow!

Robert is an excellent and patient teacher.  The amount of information is vast and difficult to comprehend in such a short period of time but he was able to break it down into comprehensible pieces.

Thank you for your patients (infinite) and compassion.  You are an excellent teacher.  I loved all of the different ways you tried to teach us.  I especially liked your analogies, drawings, amazing excerpts from your e-mannual and your wonderful sense of humour.  Thank you for "dumming down" such a huge body of work that is so detailed and complicated.  It's so different from everything I have learned before.  I an so excited to keep learning and practicing.  You have no idea how beneficial this course and your teaching has been to me on so many different levels!

Great course!  Fun teaching style!



Day 4 and 5; Front of the Head

Day 4 and 5

Day four and five continued with our examination of the sphenoid bone.  We covered the lesser wing's landmarks and connections to other bones.  Then followed it up with practical applications by releasing these connections. 

Next the greater wing was discussed.  We looked at it's three surfaces: cerebral, lateral and orbital surfaces.  Also it's five boarders: zygomatic, frontal, posterior, squamosal and medial boarder.  These intimate classes allow me to take the real bones around for everyone to see.  The disarticulated bones really show the sutures in all their glory.  Plastic bones are helpful; but nothing beats the real thing. You need to see and appreciate the details in order to do precise cranial treatments. 

We also looked at the zygoma and palatine bones.  I think everyone was surprised at being able to palpate the CRI of the palatine bone in the mouth.

There was quite a bit of assessment skills learnt too, in the form of motion tests.  This is necessary to determine what and where we are going to treat.  Where are the restrictions? Are they in the coronal suture?  Can the greater wing of the sphenoid express its full motion without being inhibited?  Is the vomer synchronised properly to the sphenoid?  These lucky folks can answer these questions with confidence now. 

The corrections take into account the directions and orientation of the bones and their motion patterns.  This allows us to use variable treatment pressures as we know how to disengage one bone from another.  The students tested before and after a correction to satisfy themselves that the work performed did what it was intended to do.  It is always excellent when you can feel someones head "pump up" after freeing restrictions.

Day five ended with us again getting in the mouth to treat the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG).  This ganglion can be crowded, especially in a extension of the sphenoid and create a variety of symptoms.  It may be involved in pathology of the lacrimal glands, sinus infection, nasal mucus membranes, irritation of the nasopharynx and palate.  It is always a good idea to check the SPG in cases of TMJ problems also. 

Tomorrow bring this six day workshop to a close.  I look forward to telling you more then.

End of Day 3

Here I am in action.  This will put a face to the person writing the words.  We have now finished Day 3.

Day 2 and 3 are mainly concerned with getting to know base strains.  Namely what is happening at the sphenobasilar junction (SBJ).  There can be a multitude of dysfunctions that can occur:
Flexion / Extension
Superior / Inferior Vertical Strain
Torsions
Sidebending Rotation
Lateral Strain
Compression

I think the students really enjoyed having different methods to assess these lesions.  In particular the "Static" method which uses the position of the maxilla and temporal bones to tell us what is happening at the SBJ.  Palpation of these bones positions tells us so much, without even feeling the Cranial Rhythmical Impulse (CRI).

We also assessed using the CRI and the "Challenge" Test.  This further confirms our assessment of the SBJ.  Having multiple tests to confirm each other gives confidence, especially when learning to feel the CRI.  You don't have that feeling of "I don't feel anything" panic.

Here is a 4 handed decompression of the SBJ.  No he didn't grow and extra hand.  It is two therapists working together.

It was very convenient for a few people who actually had base strains.  After cleaning them up you could see the light come back into their eyes and colouring return to their faces.  Needless to say they were much sharper and happier too!

The end of day 3, we are now treating the ethmoid bone.  Time to "glove up."  You can see a tissue as well, this is to prevent slipping off the hard palate.  Everyone's ethmoid was Rock'n in the Free World after performing these releases.


Looking forward to the final three days of the "Front of the Head"  in two weeks time.

End of Day 1

It was a wonderful day. Six great people taking part in this course.  Here we are practising the "Bowl Balance" synchronizing the cranium and sacrum to the respiratory diaphragm. 

It was a fun day with lots of laughter, some at my expense!

Day 2 we start in on learning the cranial "base" lesions.  We learn two ways to confirm the position of the base: 1) statically, 2) dynamically.  This way we can confirm our findings, or easily have someone else confirm the findings.  The static method is extremely objective and many people like this method as it makes it much easier to determine what the skull is doing.

Once we learn to feel what the head is doing there is a very easy schematic charting system to document your findings.

Base stains here we come!