The foundations of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy were laid with the work of Dr. William G. Sutherland (1873-1954), the creator of Cranial Osteopathy and a student of Dr. Andrew Taylor Still (1828-1917), the founder of Osteopathy.
Sutherland had learned that the bones of the adult skull fused, losing mobility. However, observing the way these structures were assembled led him to believe they were designed to move.
He conducted a series of experiments on his own skull to prevent or change these potential movements; and he observed various physical, emotional, and cognitive disorders in his body. He concluded that the cranial sutures and associated bones needed to retain movement for the body to function properly.
He began with a biomechanical approach, applying gentle external forces to the skull to correct imbalances present in the body. Over time, moving away from a manipulative approach, he transitioned to a model focused on the body’s innate ability to balance itself, encouraging the client's system to find the tools for its own healing process.
Osteopaths Drs. Rollin Becker (1919-1996) and James S. Jealous (1943-2021) further developed and expanded Sutherland's findings, including embryonic and nonverbal stages imprints. It was the English psychotherapist and trainer Franklyn Sills (1947-2025) who continued to investigate and deepen its scope, establishing the name Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy in the early '90s.
Today, it is taught in numerous countries through schools and training associations that maintain international standards. Its development has been made possible by the work of many people in different countries. The contributions of Paul Vick, Michael Shea, Roger Gilchrist, Anna and John Chitty, Michael Kern, Cherionna Menzam-Sills, and many others have been key.
It is practiced as a profound and respectful therapy that invites us to listen to the body as a living territory that remembers, transforms, and heals.
“Allow physiological function to express its own unerring potency rather than applying blind external forces.” Dr. William G. Sutherland (1873-1954).
