Brennan is an OSTCAN certified Osteopathic Manual Practitioner, M.OMSc (Master in Practice of Osteopathic Manipulative Sciences) who has advanced Upledger CranioSacral Therapy (CST) training and has been a practicing manual therapist for nearly 20 years.
Brennan is a graduate of the 4 year Masters in Osteopathic Manipulative Sciences program from the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy (CAO), where he recently had the pleasure of working as an intern instructor for a year. Prior to Osteopathy, he started as a registered massage therapist in 2006 then began his Upledger CST training in 2009. He then continued his CST education to include Somato Emotional Release, Advanced CST, and numerous other specialized trainings.
Brennan knows firsthand the tremendous capacity of Osteopathy and CranioSacral Therapy to facilitate self-healing within the body as these modalities played leading roles in helping him recover after numerous sports injuries, concussions and accidents. He uses his manual therapy skills to address the causes of bodily dysfunction in order to restore patients' mobility, vitality and health. Brennan takes a whole-person approach to facilitating healing with patients - showing up and being present to support them through their unique challenges on their individual path back to wellness.
When away from the clinic, Brennan also enjoys unwinding in nature, reading a good book, cooking, working on his own personal and spiritual development, and having fun with friends and loved ones. He is also trying to get over a love affair with hockey one day at a time.
All OSTCAN members must complete 4200 hours of education, and a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised clinical practice and training. As a national council, OSTCAN ensures that patients are guaranteed a standard of practice regardless of the province in which they seek care.
Brennan is a graduate of the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy's 4 year, full-time osteopathic program providing the highest standards of education and supervised clinical standards in Canada. He also had the privilege of being an intern instructor for a year at the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy's West campus.
With nearly 20 years of hands-on clinical experience, Brennan has completed the core CranioSacral Therapy and SomeatoEmotional Release curriculum as well as numerous Advanced and Upper Level courses.
All about CranioSacral and SER treatments provided by Brennan Wilson, M.OMSc, at the Edmonton Metro Osteopathic Clinc.
SomatoEmotional Release (SER) is a method of facilitating tissue release within the body where trapped emotions may be preventing the body from fully healing. SERs can come about organically in the course of normal treatment, or can be solicited via imagery or dialogue. The practitioner holds space for the patient and offers unconditional support without judgement for whatever the patient needs at that present time. This may involve areas which have experienced trauma, where the patient has less awareness or numbness, areas that are hypersensitive, or areas where the body needs additional resources or support to fully heal. The body's intuitive inner wisdom guides the way for the patient as they delve into their own body-mind-spirit awareness to bring to light whatever is needed. The practitioner coordinates this process with gentle physical support of the restricted tissues, engaging them in a specific way so the patient can focus on their own sensations and internal landscape. This level of supported connection frequently enables self-healing on multiple levels.
CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a light touch manual therapy modality pioneered in the late 70's and early 80's by Dr. John E. Upledger, D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathy) and his colleagues through scientific research at Michigan State University. Through gentle engagement and evaluation of the craniosacral system [membranous tissues and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) surrounding the central nervous system] the therapist can assist the body to release deeply held tensions to alleviate dysfunction and facilitate improved health throughout the body. Advanced and specialized applications of CST can also be used to affect specific structures and systems throughout the whole body such as joints, connective tissues, viscera/organs, the peripheral nervous system, and immune system. Patients frequently feel an increased sense of calm after treatment. Within the classical osteopathy paradigm CST would typically (depending on the application) be considered an application of deep treatment.
Advanced and specialized applications of CST can be used to address dysfunction and symptoms from a myriad of different conditions. These include various conditions of the neurological, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, endocrine, excretory and immunological systems. CST can also help address and alleviate symptoms from traumas and pain conditions such as headaches and migraines, concussions, TMJD, anxiety, joint pain (including back and neck), birth trauma, etc., as well as from conditions of unknown etiology such as multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, etc. While not a cure-all, CST's application is vast and may be used on a case-by-case basis depending on the patient's individual complaints.
Ultimately the difference in treatment comes down to the intent of the practitioner based on their palpation and assessment of the patient. From a classical osteopathy point of view, manual osteopathic treatment of the cranium could be any application of treatment throughout the body which alleviates cranial restrictions affecting the nerves, arteries, veins and lymphatics and thus improves cranial function. Within that treatment umbrella, cranial osteopathy can be used to assess and treat various layers of tissue throughout the cranium with specificity, including the cranial bones, and application of treatment may involve more force than CST (though is still usually quite gentle). CST on the other hand is a gentle treatment modality which affects specific structures typically deep within the body in order to enhance overall health. While CST cranial treatment frequently involves the cranial bones the intent generally is to restore the health of the central nervous system (CNS = brain and spinal cord). This involves improving cerebrospinal fluid flow within the CNS by restoring the health and function of the fascia and the meninges (protective membranes around the CNS), and may involve other anatomy on a case by case basis.
