Australian Craniofascial Therapy School

28/07/2026

The origins and meaning of cranial anatomy words can help in remembering them, or at least give you extra words for Scrabble

Anatomy in Motion Series (2 of 5)

Why is it called the sagittal plane? 🎯

Many people know that the sagittal plane divides the body into left and right.
Fewer know where the word sagittal comes from.

Around 1,000 years ago, Ibn Sina (Avicenna) described the suture running between the two parietal bones as ad-darz as-sahmī—the "arrow-like suture."
When Gerard of Cremona translated Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine from Arabic into Latin in twelfth-century Toledo, he translated the name almost directly as sutura sagittalis—the "arrow-like suture." 🎯

But this isn't just an interesting piece of anatomical history.

The name has remained with us ever since - and it does not mean an absolutely straight line. It simply refers to the forward flight of an arrow.

The sagittal plane is one of the three reference directions that allow us to organise movement. Like the points of a compass, anatomical planes don't describe what a joint is doing—they provide a shared language for direction.

Once we know the direction, we can describe the movement itself using terms that refer to joint and bone reactions - such as flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, rotation, and the joint mechanics of rolling, gliding, and spinning.

Understanding the language of anatomy isn't about memorising terminology.

It's about seeing how the terminology helps us organise the complexity of human movement.

Understanding anatomy—not simply learning it.

Next: The Coronal Plane — why crowns matter in anatomy. 👑

25/07/2026

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The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) Pathway is a vital neurological mechanism that stabilizes vision during head movements by coordinating signals between the inner ear, brainstem, and eye muscles. This diagram illustrates the complete VOR circuit, including the horizontal semicircular canals, vestibular nuclei, medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF), paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF), oculomotor (CN III) and abducens (CN VI) nuclei, along with the medial and lateral re**us muscles. It also demonstrates the effects of cold and warm caloric stimulation, explaining how temperature-induced endolymph movement triggers predictable eye movements (nystagmus). Understanding the VOR pathway is essential for evaluating dizziness, vertigo, brainstem function, vestibular disorders, and cranial nerve abnormalities in clinical neurology and neuro-ophthalmology.

05/12/2025

Anatomy relevant for Level Three face and mouthwork. Students like Katie Cresp will woner why this sort of 'functional' illustration is not more common

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20/05/2025

Treating an allergic reaction with Craniofascial therapy
Acute facial swelling, light sensitivity and cranial pressure were the features of this case
(see Before photo)

Cause
The client is somatically aware and believes a kiwifruit extract in an over-the-counter natural product recommended by a gastroenterologist she consulted for bloating was the specific trigger. I saw her 8 weeks later when the swelling had subsided

Treatment plan
Continuing with eye drops alone seemed inadequate. The hazardous area of the body involved, the specific symptoms and the prior medical specialists consulted, particularly without a firm diagnosis or symptom-relief being obtained, were all ‘orange flags’
Something had caused this case, and even if the kiwifruit extract was the culprit, there still needed to be a mechanism involving tissues and structures to account for the signs and symptoms
Although the facial swelling had subsided, the light sensitivity and perceived cranial pressure were still present, indicating that the tissue mechanism was still present. What could it have been?
As an experienced cranial practitioner I thought of what lay behind the eyes, and whether the sphenoid bone including its soft-tissue attachments was the primary structure involved; not as the cause, but as the mediating physical factor, the ‘symptom trigger’
Regarding the two particular hand skills used for treatment, the tentorium technique used is essentially dead simple while the sphenoid technique is not. What happened was not some high-level advanced application so much as an example of pure patience, guided by past experience

Results
The client felt an immediate change from craniofascial therapy and while she reported a “90%” improvement, there was still some light sensitivity and sense of cranial pressure present
A week later she had experienced no symptoms at all for many days and I was satisfied I had done enough in the short term
(See After photo in Comments)

Conclusion
Results can be achieved even with medical-grade symptoms using our Thinking Fingers, to use a term associated with William Sutherland, the founder of cranial therapy
This showcased the potential of cranial therapy, where the medical model in this case was failing to understand the issue and was not helping the client
I was pleasantly surprised but not amazed by the response. I think episodes like this may occur regularly with craniosacral therapy practitioners, but we are generally hidden and of perceived low professional standing in medical and bodywork hierarchies

More details are included in a document twice the length of this precis. Available on request

30/04/2025

Snippets from a Fascia Research Congress

I attended the Fascia Research Congress 2022, and it was an eye-opening experience! In this video, I share the key takeaways, groundbreaking insights, and th...

25/03/2025

Yes, that's right. The floor of the 4th ventricle is oriented vertically.
Maybe this made more physiological sense when 'humans' were still evolving from our original stance as quadripeds to being upright.

The nuclei of the dorsal vagus nerve is actually a part of the floor.
This one is the unmyelinated, 'primitive' branch that is associated with the freeze response of the parasympathetic nervous system.
This nuclei is moved every time the ventricle swells with more CSF or is partially drained of it, about 5 times every minute.

The Still Point technique of craniosacral therapy temporarily halts this inherent cyclical rhythm and may act to regulate the parasympathetic nervous system
Our intelligent hands can thereby influence this nuclei deep within the brain

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29/01/2025

20 years ago fascia was still 'off the radar' of most people in our industry. From little things ...

28/12/2024

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/it-has-no-cure-but-this-doctor-believes-he-has-an-answer-to-chronic-fatigue-20241113-p5kq8e.html

Craniosacral does not get name-checked in this article, but the cribiform plate (of the ethmoid bone) is; a specific structure that only craniosacral can address by mobilising local connective tissues to allow proper positioning and function

The cribiform cannot be directly touched and requires adjacent structures like the sphenoid it articulates with being mobilised as part of a package of techniques (Level 2 & 3 workshops)

Most lymph drains through the left duct beneath the collarbone and fascial shoulder girdle releases (Level 1 workshop) come into play as a specific preliminary techniques for lymph drainage

For 25 years, Dr Raymond Perrin has been developing a theory on how to treat myalgic encephalomyelitis. A new brain discovery might finally help confirm it.

12/12/2024

"In 2023, FRS and the National Institutes of Health in the United States hosted a robust virtual discussion between anatomists, surgeons, manual therapists, and researchers.

Our expanded understanding of the fascial system has drastically outpaced the terminology we use to describe it. In fact, this old terminology is constraining. How can we successfully communicate with other medical or health care providers if we use individually created definitions?"
Prof Rebecca Pratt, PhD President of Fascia Research Society

06/12/2024

The occipitomastoid suture is a small hollow on each side of the head behind the ear, and is crowded to start with by two other nerves, an artery and a vein all transiting through
It can easily get jammed up, particularly on the left IMO, and should be regularly targeted with craniosacral therapy techniques, especially when things go wrong, which can lead to a variety of symptoms

Why Is the Vagus Nerve Important?

Because information flows both to and from the brain via vagal pathways, the vagus nerve can be thought of as a major mind-body highway. The many branches of the vagus nerve are increasingly seen as pathways for promoting or restoring health and ameliorating the physiologic unease that gives rise to anxiety and other negative mental states.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/basics/vagus-nerve

CST can help reset your vagus nerve. Find a qualified practitioner here - https://www.craniosacral.co.uk/practitioner-directory/