Craniosacral 1, October 4-6, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois with Ann Hoeffel
Join us for this unique workshop ! Read what students say, below.

Earn 16 Ortho-Bionomy® Program units / 20 NCBTMB CE Hours
Space is limited to 12. First come, first served.

NCBTMB approved CE units also qualify for license renewal for massage therapists in most states. State license renewal information for your state can be found through your licensing board online.

Workshop details and registration information is below the descriptions.


About Cranial Work, briefly

Cranial Work is delicate and deep. It requires a lot of listening, stillness, waiting, and a willingness to surrender to the body's intelligence, its timing and self-correcting process. As always, the focus is on clearly understanding principles, concepts and each technique.

What students say about their own and their clients' experiences:

"Last week I practiced everything we learned in (Cranial 1) class on every client. It was wonderful. They all loved it!”

“One client whom I’ve seen for years expressed amazement at how relaxed she felt.  She didn’t want to get off the table, and she’s someone who is highly reactive and stresses over absolutely everything.”

"One client gave me a $75 tip, yes tip! I told him he paid me too much money. He replied that anyone who can do that to me. . . it's well worth it. The next time he came, he said he'd have to take it (the tip) down to $55 because he would be coming every week from now on."

“The class refreshes and enlightens my practice. What more can I say!?”

About the Workshops

Craniosacral 1: A basic craniosacral session. Sensing the cranial rhythm throughout the body to identify the body's areas of restriction, where to work, and efectiveness of the treatment afterwards.

Arthur Pauls', DO, Cranial Work and The Craniosacral System, workshop content:

• History and development of Cranial Work. So inspiring.
• Anatomy, including the "Reciprocal Tension Membrane".
• Essential concepts and principles of the self-corrective process.
• Discussion of structures and muscles significant to the craniosacral system.
• Self-care for aligning and centering oneself using Arthur's Spirals.
• Holding Space, a Practitioner Ritual developed by the instructor for "getting out of the way" to allow the potency of the system to self-correct..
• Freeing the Dural Tube, the "core link."
• "Listening" to the Craniosacral Rhythm and sensing it in the body; assessing where there are restirctions, and where to work.
• Assessment and release of 4 key horizontal diaphragms of the body.
• Arthu Pauls' Cranial work balancing three planes / directions.
• Arthur’s 7 Basic Cranial Hand Positions.

Students appreciate Ann's in-depth knowledge, her 35 years of clinical experience, extensive training, 25 years teaching, and her playful style. And her workshop format:

• Being able to study the anatomy and concepts about the craniosacral system, repeatedly, before class and after, with the Home Study Course and manual.
• The step-by-step demonstrations and instructions.
• Having enough hands-on time to practice, become familiar with and develop skill to sense subtle movements.
• The manual with desrciptions of procedures, and images.
• Practitioners with prior training in craniosacral therapy have appreciated the slower pace, time for developing hands-on skill in how to sense into the body, and be able to adjust to how the client's body is responding.
• For new students, it's a deep first step into cranial work and a learning feast.

“I feel more aware and purposeful in my work.  The time just goes. The whole session goes a lot easier.”

“Since last week’s class, I’ve been working so differently.”

“I feel more calm and at peace (in my work).”  

Craniosacral 2: Expansion of a basic cranial session. The honing of listening skills and focus on TMJ.

• Review of Craniosacral 1 is integrated with new learning.
• Relevant anatomy.
• Focused review and practice to improve skill in "listening" to the cranial rhythms and for assessing where to work.
• Direction of Energy Technique with various applications.
• Five additional techniques for cranial balancing.
• Ear Balancing and Ear Pull.
• Introduction to natural occurring stillpoints.
• TMJ - Tempomandibular joint balancing, including joint and muscle work, pain-free trigger point release, trigeminal nerve information and how TMJ relates to constant on-engram.
• TMJ, the jaw and its relationship to the neck, to muscles and posture; the significance of this to the structural integrity of the body and the nervous system cannot be overemphasized.
• Lots of time for hands-on practice and clarification of technique.
  

“Oh, another thing I’ve been noticing is that people look differently after the cranial work. Their faces look much more relaxed.”

“I just feel so different (after receiving the work).

“It was incredible.  From the moment she picked up my feet I felt so relaxed.  Then when she did the releases at the occiput and went down the dural tube (inside the spinal column) I relaxed even deeper.  It was incredible.  I don’t know how else to describe it.”

Craniosacral 3: Deepening our experience, understanding, awareness and skill. Focus on Temporal bones and the most common cranial restrictions.

• Review is integrated into the workshop.
• A deeper look at cranial anatomy informs our listening and leads us to the next level of techniques.
• Review and expansion of Arthur's Spirals as an additional tool for assessment and release of restrictions.
• Additional cranial assessments, cross-referencing with spirals.
• Additional releases for pulls on the occiput external to the craniosacral system.
• Additional Direction of Energy Techniques for balancing the RTM, other key areas and applications.
• Deepening skill in sensing cranial rhythm, stillpoints, where the "pull" is coming from and, thus, which restrictions are key to improved well-being and function.
• Additional techniques for cranial balancing with a focus on the temporal bones and the most common cranial restrictions.

“My whole body felt very different, all week long.  For a full 36 hours I was processing the work done in class. The morning of the second day, I felt different.  Still, it’s as if my arms are floating.”

“Since last week’s class, I’ve been working so differently.”

About the Instructor's Training, briefly

NCBTMB Approved Continuing Education Provider and Registered Advanced Instructor and Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy, Ann Hoeffel earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has been teaching bodywork since 1997.

Ann began her study of Craniosacral Therapy in 1986 and Ortho-Bionomy in 1987. She feels very lucky to have trained with many expert instructors and the pioneers who founded their own training programs and healing systems, including John Upledger, DO, John Barnes, PT, and Arthur Lincoln Pauls, DO. She studied several different styles of cranial work and did assistant teaching in the 90's with the Upledger Institute to learn all she could. She continues to study and learn complementary modalities at advanced levels that work with the same principles of self-correction.

The principles are the same, whether hands-on or energy work. It's all about facilitating a self-healing and self-corrective process for the patient / client.

Join us at the October workshop and learn how. Register below.

Ann's extensive training and certifications also include LMT, CST, SER, CHt, SRR, Visceral Work, Neurolymphatic Balancing, Perrin Technique Practitioner, Divine Energy Healing and Distance Healing Practitioner, Coaching and more. Instructor Education and Certifications - click here for more information about the instructor's certifications and training.  

A Personal Note

A world of gratitude to the teachers and especially to the remarkable pioneers who persevered inspite of great duress to bring us this amazing healing art. Many thanks to the students who prodded me to teach what I've learned about Craniosacral Therapy and Ortho-Bionomy Cranial Work - I've learned so much more in the process! It's a thrill to share this work with you. ~ Ann

More information on CranioSacral Therapy. More information on Ortho-Bionomy.