About Brendan and Joanna
Brendan is a Remedial Body therapist, Craniosacral Therapist and a Prenatal and Birth Therapist. He facilitates personal sessions as well as group process workshops. Brendan also teaches Craniosacral Therapy. His passion is working with babies and children, and birth related issues in general. He is a member of A.P.P.P.A.H, the Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health. P.A.C.T., the Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists. Brendan is a member of the Charter of Natural Health Practitioners.
Joanna is primarily mum to our children, and also practices as a Remedial Body therapist and a Craniosacral Therapist. She brings a lot of experience to working with mums and children... She is a member of P.A.C.T.
About the Therapies
Remedial Body Therapy
Remedial body therapy is an amalgamation of therapies. Massage, joint mobilisation, craniosacral therapy and more. All to do with assessing and treating structural and functional issues, neck, back, shoulders and so on, including organ function in some cases.
It is important to note here that we do not perform High Velocity Manipulations. The reality is that they are fraught with dangers and even though we have been professionally instructed as part of our trainings, we choose not! Rather than take any risk... we use other such techniques such as springing and or positional releases. They are far easier on the body and very very effective. Also the body tends to more readily accept and maintain the change or release. It is a good experience for everyone.
One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given was by my uncle who is a therapist of some 46 years in England. He said that as one earns they are taught many techniques and theory that they are to apply to the client. His advice was "don't do it! Not like that"...
The work we do and the perspective we have is that this way of working is an art... and we need to apply it as such. Learn the anatomy and physiology, and the Bio-mechanics well, then make up techniques or an approach to suit the person, don't make them suit what you know... Be creative!!
I love that!
Biodynamic Craniosacral
Therapy
BCST is a non-invasive, light touch, bodywork therapy that arises out of the roots of Cranial Osteopathy. The subtle healthy movement patterns of the bones, membranes and fluids, right through our bodies and down to the cells even, are affected by negative experience. BCST supports the body’s systems to move toward their innate healthy patterns and help the nervous system to settle and regulate. It is an extremely gentle therapy suitable for everyone, but especially babies. For more information please visit the Pacific Association of Craniosacral Therapists. We believe the model of Biodynamic Craniosacral therapy that we practice and teach (see Stillness Trainings) should be named BioResonant Craniosacral therapy because as far as is possible, it relieves us of the need to do, intervene or apply a technique to our patients. This then has the potential of empowering the client to participate and be part of their healing process and their journey. Safety, compassion and empathy are offered to the patient through a deep trust of the innate intelligence and the human system, focusing upon our unique quality of attention and a healthy resonant relationship with the patient. We believe these attributes work together supporting the discovery of our true potential and health.
One of the things I really appreciate about Biodynamic CST is that it is so multi layered. When the practitioner can truly be present so much can emerge for the client. Our physiology, bones and cells and stuff talk in their own language of motion and movement. Yes… there is movement present all of the time. I like that it can attend to the depths of who we are as people too. What I mean by that is we know from research being presented that our cells respond to experience or trauma from further back than is easily comprehensible and all of that experience has an impact on our behaviour and who we become. And this approach to treatment can support these compensations to be made sense of, thus supporting our journey to health and our true potential.
Because of the way this therapy works, it is possible to attend to some of the difficult stuff without needing to necessarily talk lots. Sometimes a lot of talk happens, but this therapy supports shifts beneath the surface of consciousness so that what emerges in the consciousness are the ah ha’s. (The “oh so that’s what that was about") type of experience, where we then get some freedom from what was going on. I like to couple that with mindfulness. This has a way of supporting the energy of the experience, (and when I say energy the charge of the memory and how the nervous system is orienting to the event) to shift out of the limbic system, or part of the brain that processes emotion to the pre-frontal cortex, (front of the brain) that helps us relate to others better, be compassionate, empathetic, understand morals better and so on.
So who really knows whether if we have a bad back whether it’s because we have a burdened life, or we just fell over or picked up something too heavy for us and didn’t ask for help for what ever reason. This is a great way to go back to the beginning and maybe, just maybe, figure it out and make sense of it.
What is Prenatal and Birth Therapy
Prenatal and birth therapy is a culmination of therapies that are utilised in the “Womb Surround process workshop, Personal Therapy and Family Therapy setting”. They are Osteopathic philosophy, Craniosacral therapy, Polarity therapy, Somatic reflection and Pre and Peri natal psychology. This amalgamation of therapies supports a re-patterning of experience and subsequent modifications in behaviour from the inside out. This means that all parts of our being can be supported in its changes of function and behaviour. Thus rather than needing to adopt strategies to create healthy behaviour or feelings, they can just be different. If the change can occur from the inside, it will feel much more natural and can be more readily held. We literally become different. Our discovery, our birth experience, how we were met and loved shapes brain development, self confidence, and emotional relationships as well as how we perceive the world. It will affect us in early development up to and including adulthood.
Who Comes To The Clinic?
Those who want to enhance their parenting skills.
Parents who are concerned that their own history may impact upon the child soon to be born into the family and how they will establish the best bond and unite as a family.
Families that have experienced difficulties such as a death or a high stress pregnancy.
Parents that are concerned about their babies or children that cry, seemingly without a cause, have trouble sleeping, breast feeding or making eye contact.
Parents that want to support their bond with an adopted child.
Parents who are frustrated about their family situation or their ability to communicate and recognise that there aren't sufficient resources to support their movement toward the healthy, integrated family.
Overview:
Individual sessions are made to suit you. Each session is determined by your intention or needs at that time. For more information contact us: