What is the Breath of Life, potency, etc

[K Clifford]

When cranial osteopaths talk about the energy system, ie. the Breath of Life, potency, transmutation, etc, what do they really mean?

[Usteo]

Aww Kev, we were going along so well..........

Eyes glassing over

[K Clifford]

Yeah.  Thought I'd sneak that in, see if you were all awake or not...clearly you were.     It shouldn't be a hard question for those who espouse cranial osteopathy. The language of osteopathy is ever changing, so that those of us out of the loop remain out of the loop.  I would like some clarity without becoming more personally involved.

[Angie Bruce]

I definitely want an answer on this one.  As a mostly structural practitioner I have incorporated cranial into my practice - but I don't believe in any explanation I've read.  I'm surrounded by pseudoscience where I live and this is partly why I resist practicing something that I can't validate or even attempt to explain.  I had one 'psychic' talk to me about electromagnetism and incorporated string theory into the mix.  I wasn't convinced but it sounded the most plausible explanation to date.  Also, is the 'breath of life' the same as qi, chakras, etc.? 

[K Clifford]

A precis of a Wikpedia entry may cast some light

After confirming the presence of movement between the bones of the skull, Sutherland evolved the idea that the dural membranes act as 'guy-wires' for the movement of the cranial bones, holding tension for the opposite motion. He used the term reciprocal tension membrane system (RTM) to describe the three Cartesian axes held in reciprocal tension, or tensegrity, creating the cyclic movement of inhalation and exhalation of the cranium. He called this breathing movement the primary respiratory mechanism, and later described its origin as the Breath of Life,[5] from the Book of Genesis (2:7). This was an acknowledgement of the vital force as a fundamental aspect of osteopathic philosophy...

Towards the end of his life Sutherland began to sense a "power" which generated corrections from inside his clients' bodies without the influence of external forces applied by him as the therapist. Similar to Qi and Prana, this contact with the Breath of Life changed his entire treatment focus to one of spiritual reverence and subtle touch.[8] This spiritual approach to the work has come to be known as both 'biodynamic' craniosacral therapy and 'biodynamic' osteopathy, and has had further contributions from practitioners such as Becker and James Jealous (biodynamic osteopathy), and Franklyn Sills (biodynamic craniosacral therapy). The biodynamic approach recognises that embryological forces direct the embryonic cells to create the shape of the body, and places importance on recognition of these formative patterns for maximum therapeutic benefit, as this enhances the ability of the patient to access their health as an expression of the original intention of their existence.

[Usteo]

How do we get the Jedi's to speak?

[K Clifford]

You could just try tuning in to your "Sutherland's Fulcrum". 

May the force be with you...always!   

[Luke Rickards]

As a mostly structural practitioner I have incorporated cranial into my practice - but I don't believe in any explanation I've read.

Hi Angie,
There is an interesting take on cranial that Nic pointed me to years ago in the October 2003 issue of JOM, call "The analgesia of movement", by B. Dorko. You should have access to this on Science Direct as an AOA member (if you don't still have the hard copy).