Posts by Jennifer Smart

DPT, PRC

It was so appropriate to have my first attempt to be the lead instructor for the entire, two-day Cranial Resolution Course to occur on St Patrick’s Day, since I was feeling quite green regarding how to teach this tertiary material. Fortunately, people were very kind and appeared to appreciate my simplifications, analogies and/or clinical examples of the frequently complex didactic concepts that are introduced in this course (like how the ANS and CNS interact with each other). Ron, who was sitting in the front row, was remarkably restrained, even though it must have been hard for him since these are the concepts that have been behind PRI, and so dear to his heart, right from the very start.  

What I found so exciting was that out of the 46 people in attendance from all over the globe, half of them were attending Cranial Resolution for the first time! That indicates to me that more people are recognizing the need, and are now ready to start, to integrate neurological concepts into their PRI practice. From my own personal experience, I accept that learning when and how to consciously introduce such things as lateralized neural rhythms into your practice may take a while to grasp. What I truly wanted to get across, especially to those first-time attendees, was that the techniques taught in this cranial course were never meant to replace the foundational material from the primary and secondary courses, they were meant to augment it. And that appropriately using the concepts introduced in Cranial Resolution may be able to help your patients make changes faster, more effectively and in a way that is perceived differently. Learning how and when to utilize them may not be quite as algorithmic as techniques learned in the primary courses, but I hope that I was able to share enough specific examples to progress practitioners from ‘just trying’ seemingly random, sensory-modifying techniques to better understanding WHY and WHEN they might appropriately recruit them to each of their client’s unique situations.

 

I was thrilled to have 6 PRI faculty in attendance at my inaugural session of teaching this course. Their supportive presence constantly reminded me of the strong foundation this course stands upon. Because even though I personally have found that the concepts taught in Cranial Resolution have been a game changer for my practice, there is no way anything can ‘change the game’ if there isn’t already a game being played by a strong set of recognized and accepted premises and principles.  

I know I was nervous, I read from the slides more than I wanted to, and I spoke too fast. These are all issues that I will actively work on for future renditions of this course. But like I said earlier, even though I may be comfortable with the material presented, I am still green at presenting it, especially to all the bright and inquisitive individuals who have pursued PRI to this tertiary level. What I hope came across, however, is how much I love this material – and want to get others to feel the same way. It’s not hard, it’s just different. And ‘different’ is cyclically needed, otherwise we have nothing to which we can compare or reference normal.  

Thanks to all who attended – and plan to attend in the future!

Posted April 4, 2023 at 4:15PM
Categories: Courses Science

No one could have chosen a better place than Alpine PT in Seattle to initiate my presentation of Cranial Resolution. Although the content of this extensively researched course remains the same, the institute is turning the delivery of the material over to a clinician, someone who has spent nearly four decades integrating the concepts behind this course into her practice. And, fortunately, the people attending this past rendition of the course in Seattle appeared to truly embrace this transition.

The evolution of the questions they asked and the comments they made over the weekend, from both the repeat and first-time attendees, reflected a progressive understanding of:


•    How postural compensations of the body relate to lateralized physical, physiological and psychological adaptations of the brain;
•    How oscillatory frequencies influence the ANS and, subsequently, the CNS;  
•    How poor pressure regulation can lead to dysafferentation and over-convergence of occlusion, hearing, sight, and sound production; and,
•    How, why, when and which non-manual techniques (and some manual techniques featured in the manual) can be used to influence these systems.


It was worth flying across the country, from the eastern seaboard of NC to the Pacific coast, to join Ron in teaching this course, even if the 3-hour time zone difference wreaked temporary havoc with my own ultradian rhythms. I met so many remarkable people: The owners of Alpine PT, Eli, Jeremiah and Murph, could not have been kinder, sharing local coffee and their local bridge troll. Eva, who works at Alpine, made an excellent lab specimen, allowing us to clearly demonstrate both the negative and positive effects biased nasal respiration has on autonomics. And having a dentist, Dr. Jason Pehling, present was such a plus since discussions of patients he shares with several of the local PRI therapists truly brought the course concepts to life. Brandon, Lucas, Paige and Matt all asked such insightful questions and Kevin, who spoke of how he planned to use the concepts from this course to treat crazed horses, were all wonderful to meet. And Kelsey, who took this course to be able to integrate the material into a fitness program she runs for clients with Parkinson’s Disease, touched my heart since it was through my extensive work with this population that I first discovered the role posture and pressure played in the dysfunctional oscillations that are associated with the development of dysautonomia, dystonia and dyskinesia. And, Zac, who gave me the biggest confidence boost of all when, being someone so seasoned in PRI, he came up to me and told me that one of my illustrations regarding how sensory perception affects our autonomic tension "was pure gold." It meant the world to me to hear this from him.

It was my first outing in delivering this material, thanks to everyone for being so kind and giving me such constructive feedback. We will all improve as a result of this experience.  

Posted November 1, 2022 at 7:56PM
Categories: Courses Clinicians Science

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