Dr. Michael J. Shea’s series on Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is based on healthcare providers physically sensing love and accessing a deep sense of warmth and stillness in the heart. He begins this third volume by emphasizing the therapeutic application of touch therapy skills. As in the previous two books, he teaches these skills by explaining the importance of practitioners being able to perceive Primary Respiration, a slow rhythmic tidal movement in the fluids of the body. He goes on to discuss the distinctive influence of human embryology on any therapeutic modality. A number of other experts in the field contribute chapters that illuminate the spiritual and psychological dimensions of human embryonic development, especially the heart. Dr. Shea offers valuable new skills for anyone, from midwives to pediatricians, working therapeutically with infants. In addition, he summarizes current thinking on infant brain development, discusses the long-term consequences of attachment issues between the mother and infant, and explores the importance of understanding the similarities of the mother-infant and the therapistpatient relationships.

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Michael J. Shea, PhD, was one of the first certified Full Instructors of Craniosacral Therapy in 1986 by the Upledger Institute. He teaches human embryology in the pre- and perinatal psychology doctoral programs at the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. His clinical focus is on treating infants and children with neurological problems and developmental delays. A student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and former apprentice with a Navajo medicine man, he lives in Juno Beach, FL.

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