Craniosacral Therapy for Infants

Reading List

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I recommend that you read from the following list before class. Concentrate on an area or two about which you know the least. The more you know about Craniosacral Therapy, infants, breastfeeding, the birth process (including cesarean birth), fetal development and infant anatomy the more you will get out of this class and the better you will be able to serve your infant clients and their parents.

UNDERSTANDING BABIES

Welcoming Consciousness by Wendy Anne McCarty, PhD. One of the long standing leaders of the pre and perinatal psychology movement writes about infant consciousness form pre-conception through the first year. The Aware Baby  by Aletha J Solter A great book about infant consciousness

Voices From The Womb by Michael Gabriel, M.A. A hypnotherapist describes his adult clients’ re-experiences of gestation and birth.

Your Amazing Newborn  by Marshall H. Klaus and Phyllis H. Klaus. This is an easy read – mostly pictures.

The Mind of Your Newborn Baby  by David Chamberlain This is a rewrite of a book that used to be called Babies Remember Birth.

Our Babies Ourselves  by Meredith Small. This scholarly, yet very readable book examines how the ways in which we care for our babies meet their biological needs and/or our cultural needs.

Motor Skills Acquisition in the First Year by Lois Bly, M.A., PT. It helps to know what the range of normal development looks like. This book has good illustrations and is organized by month.

Unfolding of Infant’s Natural Gross Motor Development by Dr. Emmi Pikler. Charming illustrations and clear descriptions describe what infants naturally do when they are allowed to make their own discoveries rather than being urged by adults to develop their motor skills.

FETAL DEVELOPMENT

The Triumph of the Embryo by Lewis Wolpert

Life Before Birth by Marjorie A. England (This book could also be listed under anatomy atlases)

From Conception to Birth by Alexander Tsiaras

A Brain is Born by John Upledger, DO, OMM - this book traces the embryologic development of the central nervous system. The cartoony illustrations by Alice Quaid help some people grasp the mechanics of the process.

The Ontogenic Basis of Human Anatomy; A Biodynamic Approach to Development from Conception to Birth by Erich Bleschmidt - This book considers the wholeness humans from conception on rather than viewing people as an array of parts. After all - we do develop from a single fertilized cell. This book tracks embryologic biomechanical development as it occurs in a metabolic field. It has a great appendix that includes a glossary and various charts and lists that break down the information in easy-to-use chunks. The illustrations are great.

ANATOMY

There are next to no infant anatomy books in the world. The best I have found so far for this kind of work is Anatomy of the Newborn  by Edmund Crellin. This book is collectible, out of print and expensive, but one to consider. Functional Anatomy of the Newborn by Crelin is a sweet little book that explains the differences between infant anatomy and adult anatomy. It is available, inexpensive and worth having in your library.  Of course, it is a great companion to Crelin’s Atlas. While I’m describng rare, expensive, collectible anatomy books I’ll mention: Anatomy of the Infant Head by James Bosma. It is an amazing book - if you can find  and afford one. Second best: Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body by Johannes Rohen (author) et. al.  I found an excellent used copy used on Amazon.com.  Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank Netter has a picture of the newborn skull and good illustrations of cranial nerves. Sadly, most general anatomy books have little about infants. Anatomy by Carmine Clemente is also a nice general anatomy resource. Last, buy by no means least - the newest edition of Gray’s Anatomy is totally amazing. Anyone who is serious about learning anatomy should own one.

BREASTFEEDING

Many infants in my practice present with breastfeeding problems. It helps to know something about it.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by Diane Wiessinger, et. al. This is the book I now recommend most often to people who want to learn about breastfeeding. Be sure to get the most recent (2010) edition. It has the latest information about latching.

The Breastfeeding Answer Book by Mohrbacher and Stock – This one is more technical, great for troubleshooting.

Impact of Birthing Practices on Breastfeeding by Linda J. Smith is a must-have, evidence and research based book written for lactation consultants, other professionals and parents.  It is an excellent reference for bodyworkers who help infants. Chapter four, “Cascade of Interventions: Physics, Forces and Mechanics” really puts together the the anatomy and physiology of suck-swallow-breathe. She makes it easy to understand how the work we do really helps babies who have  breastfeeding difficulties.

Supporting Sucking Skills in Breastfeeding Infants by Catherine Watson Genna. This is a pathology book for lactation consultants. It is by far the most technical of the four books listed here about breastfeeding.

BIRTH

The Birth Partner by Simkin – This book will acquaint you with typical American birth procedures and describe the experience of labor and birth. Don't skip the part about cesarean birth. It's a reality for a third of American moms and babies.

Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin – great hippie birth stories – also read the part about pregnancy and birth written for midwives in the back of the book.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin – More birth stories plus sobering facts about the effects of medical interventions and strategies for avoiding them.

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering by Dr. Sarah J Buckley – A readable, well researched exploration of gentle birth written by an MD who gave birth at home.

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY

An Introduction to Craniosacral Therapy by Don Cohen is the best book for absolute beginners who want to learn about the basics of the work. This book is geared toward a general audience. It is also a helpful guide for more experienced practitioners who have a hard time finding the words to describe the work to clients and potential clients.

Rhythm and Touch by Anthony P. Arnold is the best actual textbook I have found on Craniosacral Therapy It has great illustrations plus clear definitions and instructions. I highly recommend this widely-used textbook.

John Upledger's textbooks are a little dense and technical, but they get more readable as you work your way through the series: Craniosacral Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy II: Beyond the Dura and SomatoEmotional Release. Your Inner Physician and You by John Upledger is Dr. John's most readable book.  I strongly recommend reading this if you have little or no CST exposure.

The Heart of Listening  by Hugh Milne is a two-volume set and a great read for people who have little or no exposure to the practice of therapeutic bodywork and CST. He presents both the historical/theoretical foundation and also some how-to.

Craniosacral Therapy and the Energetic Body by Roger Gilchrist -  This is another great book for the uninitiated and the experienced alike. Gilchrist presents a clearly written explanation of the deeper concepts at the core of the work.

Craniosacral Therapy for Babies and Small Children by Etienne and Neeto Peirsman is not a comprehensive guide or textbook, but a good addition to what you will learn in this class and beyond. There is next to nothing written about CST for little ones.  This is one I have found helpful in a practical sense. Baby Beautiful: A Handbook of Baby Head Shaping by Justine Dobson, DC - There are things I really don’t like about this book, but there are things I really do like, too.  The thing I like best is the information about visual assessment.  The descriptions about baby cranial anatomy are good, too.  I’m a little disturbed by the idea that parents can try these techniques at home with the goal of a pleasing cosmetic effect.

Atlas of Manipulative Techniques for the Cranium & Face by Alain Gehin. If you already have some CST experience, this is the next book. The illustrations are good and demonstrate ways to release more than one area at a time. Because babies' heads are small we will naturally do things like this. The book is a good guide.

Carol Gray is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education Approved Provider. These classes have been approved or are eligible for continuing education credit in a variety of health-related professions.