From the Chair:
Dear PACT Members
Apologies that it has been so long between newsletters! We haven't had anybody to focus on writing a newsletter for some time, but happily we now have a new committee member, Barbara Short, who is willing to take on the role of Newsletter Editor. So we look forward to bringing you regular, informative newsletters in the future.
Welcome to our new members:
Rashmi Ajay (INDIA), Mirai Rao (INDIA), Nicky Blackshaw (CAN), Terra Vaughan (CAN), Bhuvaneshwari Lakshminarayana (INDIA), Peter Engmark (DUBAI), Pooja Sreenivasa (INDIA), Scott Oda (AU), Shoba Abraham (INDIA), Bharti Odedra (AU). Karen Lewis (NZ), Megan Ballard (CAN), Yvonne Michaud (CAN), Anita Danson (NZ), Daniela Transchel (CAN), Sian Overfield (NZ), Lynet Anne Craig (NZ), May Nasser (CAN), Susan Herald (NZ), Laura Young (CAN), Dipika Belapurkar (INDIA), Janet Thomas (NZ), Rebecca Linton (AU).
And our new Student Members:
Matt Daniel (AU), Karin Lingaard (AU), Sarah Rickerby (AU), Chris Skidmore (AU), Carolyn Fox (NZ), Kate Mander (NZ), Tracey Pike (CAN), Lynne Butterworth (NZ), Belinda Silk (NZ).
In May this year the PACT AGM was held in Melbourne for the second year running, and proved to be a great success.
The weekend began with a very informative workshop on working with the TMJ, presented by PACT's Secretary, Deborah Williams. Deborah works in in a dental clinic so has a wealth of experience in this area. All of us who participated came away with so much more knowledge and increased confidence in working with issues involving the TMJ.
Day two began with a fascinating workshop presented by PACT's Web Manager, Tim Munro, on Tellington T-Touch. Tim works predominately with animals as a behaviourist, trainer and body therapist, and this introduction gave us a taste for this powerful therapy that could be used as an additional resource for our BCST clients. The goal of T-Touch is to stimulate the function and vitality of the cells in the body, and to activate unused neural pathways to the brain. The work involves different ways of movement, touch and sensory experiences to allow for changes in the nervous system, a reduction in stress and increased ability to learn. It was such a hit for we participants that we have asked Tim to run a full workshop in the future. So stay tuned for that opportunity.
We then held the AGM. Apart from the actual members present in Melbourne, we also had a number of people join us via conference phone, including a group in at Lynne McKay's home, where they had also held a mini workshop working with the psoas.
It is always good to have people participating even if they can't be there in person, and adds a real sense of community to our meeting when we tune in with members from around the globe.
This year PACT introduced reduced membership costs for members in India and South-East Asia to make it more viable for graduates in those countries to join PACT. We hope this will see an increase in membership from these countries.
Since our last AGM PACT created a Disciplinary and Complaints Policy and Procedure document. This is in line with PACT Rule 11, and I'd like to acknowledge Stacey O'Toole for her work in putting this document together.
PACT is almost ready to launch its new website. This will be new and improved on many levels. Members will be able to manage their own CPD and keep up to date with their points. They will also be able to have multiple clinic entries and there will be a searchable map for people to locate them. Registration will be simplified and renewals will be due from the date you join, rather than an annual renewal date for all. Members will also be issued with a membership number. The site will allow greater search engine optimisation.
The 2015 PACT AGM ended with a relaxing lunch at The Red Door in Brunswick. Thank you to all that attended and contributed to such a wonderful weekend.
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE RE SUPERVISION:
Supervision can be done face to face, by Skype or by telephone. To remain a registered member of PACT you are required to undertake at least six 1 hour sessions with one of these supervisors during your first year of practice or registration with PACT.
PLEASE NOTE - It is vital that you have supervision with one of the approved Supervisors for it to be counted as approved supervision.
Once you have completed the mandatory six sessions you are of course free to have supervision with whomever you choose. And please remember to space out your supervisory appointments evenly through the year - having all your supervision crammed into the last month before registration is of little benefit to you or your clients!
For more information on Supervision, please read the PACT Supervision Directive on our website, and visit the Supervisors page of our website for information on all of our Supervisors.
Post-Grad Coordinator
Hi Everyone, my name is Joanna Pittwood, I’m in New Plymouth on the west coast, North Island, New Zealand. I trained about 10yrs ago with Resonance training, which was held at the stunning Mana retreat centre in the Coromandel, N.Z. Anyone who hasn’t been there, go for it, it’s amazing!
PACT Student Members and also Professional Members who are undertaking further studies that meet the PACT Continuing Professional Development Category 1 description, are both encouraged to apply for a PACT Professional Bursary Award.
PACT will determine, at each AGM, the number and value of Bursary Awards available for the next PACT year (1 October – 31st September). Bursary submissions must be received by 31st August (each year) and the winners will be notified in October each year.
PACT Bursary Award Winners will receive a write up about their Award on the PACT website, in the PACT newsletter ‘The Source’ and on the PACT Facebook page. There are 10 First Year Student Bursary Awards, 10 Second Year Student Bursary Awards and 4 Second Year Student Bursary Awards up for grabs this year, to a total value of $6770.
PACT Member spotlight: Tim Munro
I could probably write several pages on my journey to being involved with Craniosacral Therapy but I will try to keep it simple. I have always had a passion for animals having them around the house as companions, engaging with them in nature and continued this to study of animal behaviour through a Science degree with Honours. This progressed into working privately with animals (dogs mostly, but also horses, cats, birds, reptiles and native wildlife) with behaviour and training work.
My own life though was constantly dealing with pain problems and other health issues from an infant. From teenage years many of these things were greatly helped through various holistic and natural therapies. I realised that these would also benefit the animals I worked with so ventured into studying these as well. Some of the chronic issues were not fully resolving so my own experience of Craniosacral Therapy gave me an appreciation of just what could change (headaches, back pain, asthma - non existent now). The Biodynamic form of this work first encouraged me to work with people which none of the other therapies had ever done. Although I still mostly work with animals, the purity of what it engages with humans as well goes beyond the superficial, to the true animal being below the surface.
The depth of this work to facilitate trauma resolution has been my biggest passion to take into the animal world and a huge part of this encompasses embodiment. This has had a great alignment to another modality I use, Tellington TTouch which has some origins to the Feldenkrais method. Finding different ways to access self regulated change without imposing what we think something should be and keeping safety along with the growth and connections seems to be where the science is in agreement. I am excited by what we are discovering in science and I think it is adding more depth to what we can experience through felt sense of BCST. This along with the seemingly miracle type responses keeps me eager to practice more and more.
Tim Munro works from Melbourne Australia treating animals and humans alike. He is also teaching his various animal modalities locally and abroad and hopes to include BCST into this one day.
Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in Melbourne
In June this year a number of BCS therapists and a couple of Body Intelligence students generously donated their time for the purpose of promoting Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival (MBSF) in Melbourne. PACT & Body Intelligence Training provided the funding for the stand as well as marketing materials. It was a great opportunity to promote the amazing work we do, and also to catch up with old Cranio friends!
MBSF is marketed as the largest health, wellbeing and natural therapies show in Australia. It happens twice a year in Melbourne and Sydney and once a year in Brisbane. The event is held in the Melbourne Exhibition Centre (known as Jeff’s Shed to those Victorians over 40) & holds over 200 exhibitors with a number of free seminars and talks, and boasts an expected 70,000+ visitors.
MBSF is an interesting event, there is quite a variation as to what fits under the umbrella of mind, body, spirit – for some it is a healing with a Buddhist monk, a massage, a yoga weekend, perhaps a psychic reading and for others a special plumping mascara. By the last day mine was definitely coffee & a chocolate brownie!
We knew it would be a busy event with the number of people expected, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for the sheer numbers of people and the amount of interest in BCST. We all spoke at length with more people than we could count. The majority of people hadn’t heard of the treatment so it was an awesome opportunity for reconciling your explanation about ‘what BCST is’ and often, what it isn’t! In relation to training, there was a lot of interest; particularly it seemed from practicing massage therapists. As well as the stand we were also fortunate to have senior Body Intelligence tutor Angela Wheeler fly in from New Zealand and give a presentation. PACT’s Student Liaison Annie McCasland Pexton also gave a talk. We offered 20 min treatments for $20 and this booked out very quickly. It was less challenging to provide the treatment in such a busy venue than one might think.
What struck me most significantly was the number of people I spoke to who are experiencing high levels of trauma in their lives – particularly in relation to their experience with chronic pain. For many, it seemed more traumatic than the pain was their experience with the health system ‘I was told by my GP he can’t find anything wrong with me, he said the pain is in my head like I’m just making it up’. This was disturbingly far too common. How amazing that we have an opportunity to offer these people relief.
Jo Balmforth