Our Philosophy
... about our approach and workshops generally

Upledger's CranioSacral Therapy Training Is:

Flexible
Arranged in five principal stages, the Upledger CranioSacral Training program is built around a series of 4-5 day intensive workshops. You may move through these stages at your own pace, provided you allow time between workshops (typically least three months or more) to absorb and apply the practical work, further develop your palpatory skills, review the course notes and cover required reading. There is no time pressure or time limit so it really is up to you to decide the best route through the training for you. It is also possible to become qualified in Upledger CST by first getting some other bodywork training to begin to develop your palpatory skills, then going through the core training, working through the exam process and having sufficient background in the study of anatomy, physiology and pathology, and clinical practice. We are also now able to offer this background and foundation ourselves. See the Where to Begin page when you have finished in this section.
Experiential
The workshops are primarily experiential. There are numerous demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ exercises supported by clear, illustrated lectures, connecting the practical to the theory and the type of symptoms clients may experience. All aspects of each workshop’s syllabus are brought together in a form that can immediately be integrated into your own practice. Those who require greater degrees of technical depth and detail will find the textbooks and research work satisfying, but we emphasise that the aim of the workshops is to encourage and support an objective and compassionate therapeutic approach.
Practical
At each workshop you are provided with a comprehensive study guide of the course material with ample space for your own notes. All course material has been written and organised by Dr John Upledger, whose textbooks also provide a detailed anatomical, physiological and research background for the workshops and describe every technique; those that have changed since the textbooks were written will be clearly pointed out to you in class (or study groups).
High quality
Your workshop will be conducted by an Upledger Institute Certified Instructor. All our instructors have gone through pretty rigorous training – including an extensive programme of preparation, lecturing practice and time spent working with a number of other instructors. They will also be an experienced and practising health care professional. Current teaching formats draw on over 25 years of instruction to groups with widely differing therapeutic approaches and experience, and from all over the world. The Institute now has ombudsmen for each individual course who work with all of the teachers worldwide qualified to teach that course, to ensure consistency, collaboration and commitment to the essence of Dr John’s work and teaching.