Every session is different and customizable but follows a similar pattern. We begin the session by talking about what is present in your body today and any health concerns you have. I offer optional, guided grounding breathwork to help you slow down from the day. I then guide you through an exercise called “resourcing” where you connect with a positive felt sensation in your body or a memory of a positive physical space. 

We then transition to you lying on a massage table, fully clothed. We determine what position is most comfortable and supportive for you that day with the aid of props, blankets, lighting and music. Most of the time clients lie on their backs but other positions also work, including being seated. 

Starting at your feet, I will do a series of holds. I am not making physical adjustments, manipulating muscles, or putting energy into your system. I am simply holding a space from a heart-centered place in my body while maintaining a wide perceptual field. From your feet, I will get a sense of what is happening in your whole system. Your body at this point might settle and come into a deeper place of relaxation and wholeness called holistic shift. I will periodically check in with you and ask how the physical touch feels as well as my attentional distance. Most of the time clients cannot feel my hands because the touch is so light. 

Throughout a session it is common to feel tingling in various places in your body, or sensations like warmth, widening, relaxation or as if you are in a deep meditative state. It is also possible for memories to emerge. I will help the client have a present-time awareness throughout the session. Clients are welcome to share what they are experiencing or keep it to themselves. The pacing of the session is led by the client.

Starting at your feet, I’ll work to perceive the most important area of your body to focus on that day. I can sense where this is because of compressions and differences between the left and right sides of the body. 

Your body has three cycles (or tides): your craniosacral rhythm (CRI), fluid tide and long tide. These cycles have been organizing you since you came into existence. I will hold these and your midline (spine) in my awareness and see what they are telling me. From this knowledge, I will know where in the body I should go next. 

Then I'll move to a different position. I will again settle myself, negotiate physical touch and attentional distance, deepen into my midline and widen into my perceptual awareness. All your cells, tissues, bones and fluids move with these tides, and I will sense their compressions and movements.

I often use attentional awareness, a powerful perceptual tool that helps clients feel more or less “space” between themselves and the practitioner. Even before my hands are placed on your body, our fields will be interacting. This has to do with the energetic field around each of our hearts. If you notice any discomfort at this time, you can let me know. I can move my attentional distance further away by visualizing my midline (spine) behind me and my hands further away. This will allow your system more space. We can play around with this once you are on the table and see what feels best for your system that day.

How You Will Feel

The goal in BCST is to help you reorient yourself to your intrinsic health, no matter what conditions are currently present in your body.

After a 60 minute BCST session it is common to feel very relaxed, grounded, sleepy, or spacious in your body, and experience ease of breath and/or a sense of calm. Memories might have emerged during the session as well as images or scenes from a dream-like space. It is wonderful to journal and reflect on what you noticed in your body before, during and after the session as well as bodily sensations the following day. It takes around 36-72 hours for the session to fully integrate. Bones, soft tissue, organs and other things might have had slight movements during the session and your body will be adapting to these changes. To make the most out of your session, I recommend drinking plenty of water and planning for a peaceful remainder of your day.