Beryl Arbuckle, DO, was one of Dr. Sutherland's first table trainers/assistants when he began teaching in the 1940’s and 50’s. Dr. Arbuckle had some differing ideas about how the cranium works and left assisting Dr. Sutherland to branch off and follow her own path. Dr. Arbuckle went on to focus on the buttresses and the dura mater of the head and how to diagnose and treat their restrictions. It is a completely unique way of addressing the head and adds another layer to Sutherland’s ideas on cranial osteopathy. Dr. Arbuckle’s work might now be called a curved tensegrity approach to cranial. Its diagnostics and treatments are different than what is taut in other cranial courses - you will learn to locate and treat taught fibers within the reciprocal tension membrane, dura, cranial fossa's and other membranes. You will also learn about altered motion in the buttresses and thickenings in the skull and strain patterns within in the dura itself (this is different from the bony patterns taught in the traditional cranial courses). This course is a necessary addition to anyone hoping to treat the cranium more effectively and completely. This is a principle based course (in contrast to a technique based course) that covers Dr. Arbuckle’s work as well as addressing the concept of tensegrity in the curved structures of the body - allowing the knowledge gained in the course to be applied to the head as well as the pelvis, rib cage, fascia, etc.
In addition to what Dr. Arbuckle discovered, the student will learn how these strains translate into patterns in the body. Some of these patterns are dental, some postural, some effect the organs, and some translate into patterns of altered body motion - such as scoliosis. Knowing how the patterns form can greatly assist in correcting them and helping your patient achieve greater health. We will explore through palpation of the entire body how to locate these patterns that lead you to think of Dr. Arbuckle’s work.