top of page

CranioSacral Therapy

PROGRAM ON HOLD-NOT ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS

Sacred Journey Therapy (SJT) is a trauma-informed, somatic, and shamanic approach to CranioSacral Therapy that integrates body, mind, and spirit. This holistic modality weaves together principles from Osteopathy, Massage Therapy, and traditional CranioSacral work, while expanding into a multidimensional framework informed by transpersonal and traditional psychology, consciousness studies, subtle energy awareness, and core shamanic traditions.

At its essence, Sacred Journey Therapy honors the dynamic relationship between perception, intention, and the body’s subtle language. Practitioners are trained to engage the inner eye, inner ear, and empathic heart—cultivating deep presence and attunement to support healing across the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions. Through somatic awareness and meditative attention, SJT emphasizes nervous system regulation, mindfulness, and relational safety within the therapeutic process.

Our training is open to licensed massage therapists, professional counselors, and members of the public who feel called to explore the healing arts through an intuitive, heart-centered, and energetically attuned practice. Grounded in a humanistic, client-centered philosophy, Sacred Journey Therapy supports practitioners in creating safe, embodied, and transformative spaces where meaningful healing and integration can unfold.

The Team

Home.png

What SJI Students say...

"…I would like to applaud Don Massat for his efforts in bringing about a continued awareness of the capabilities that physical beings possess when they open their hearts and trust the Universe. Your connection to the Universe offers you many opportunities to tap into sources of information that will provide you with answers to satisfy your curious mind. No question is too difficult to offer a response which will open doors to many possibilities and lead you to an expansive place which allows availability to everyone. Endless information keeps alive the desire to know, wonder and search in ways that may seem unconventional to most yet offers Truth – plain and simple."

Purpose

Sacred Journey Foundation NFP

Sacred Journey Foundation, NFP is a nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) dedicated to supporting holistic healing, spiritual growth, and nervous system regulation through charitable, educational, and community-based programs.

Our purpose is to provide accessible opportunities for individuals and communities to engage in somatic education, energy-based healing practices, spiritual ceremonies, and integrative wellness experiences that promote emotional resilience, self-awareness, and overall well-being. We are committed to creating inclusive, trauma-informed spaces that honor the mind–body–spirit connection and support healing across the lifespan.

Through workshops, ceremonies, educational offerings, and community initiatives, Sacred Journey Foundation serves the public without regard to religious affiliation, fostering connection, restoration, and empowerment in service of individual and collective healing.

Home (3).png
Home (2).png

Some paths are chosen.
Others are remembered

​If you feel drawn to healing, service, and deeper connection, it may not be by accident. Your calling often begins as a quiet knowing—a pull toward meaning, purpose, and transformation. At Sacred Journey Institute, we believe your gifts are already within you, waiting to be refined, trusted, and embodied.

Through intentional training, guided exploration, and heart-centered practice, you are invited to reconnect with what moves you, clarifies you, and brings your work into alignment with who you truly are. This is where curiosity becomes devotion, and skill becomes service.

Continuing Education

“Visionary Approach” to Cranial Sacral Therapy

Sacred Journey Institute is an approved provider of continuing education through the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) for Professional Counselors and Social Workers.

We offer continuing education courses for licensed massage therapists, bodyworkers, professional counselors, and social workers who are seeking to expand their clinical knowledge while exploring personal and spiritual growth.

NCBTMB_edited.png
Home (4).png

What is CranioSacral Therapy?

The craniosacral system includes the brain, cerebrospinal fluid, the membranes within the cranium, all 22 cranial bones, the spine, and the sacrum. CranioSacral Therapy is rooted in Cranial Osteopathy, developed in the 1930s by American osteopath and visionary William Garner Sutherland. Sutherland combined rigorous osteopathic training with deep intuitive observation, discovering that subtle, precise adjustments within the body could support profound healing from the inside out—allowing the system to return to its natural rhythm and balance.

CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle, non-invasive, hands-on modality that works with the wave-like rhythmic pulse present throughout the body. This rhythmic motion reflects the movement of cerebrospinal fluid and the dynamic relationship between the brain, spinal cord, and surrounding structures. Originating from osteopathic principles, CranioSacral Therapy emphasizes the body’s inherent ability to self-regulate, self-correct, and heal when restrictions are released and safety is restored.

Through light, attentive touch, the practitioner helps release restrictions around the brain and spinal cord, supporting improved function of the central nervous system. Sessions are conducted in a calm, nurturing, and supportive environment, allowing the client’s nervous system to settle and initiate its own healing process. CranioSacral Therapy is considered safe and gentle, with no known adverse side effects when practiced within appropriate scope and training.

The craniosacral rhythm is an intelligent form of communication—much like the radial pulse used in acupuncture—offering valuable insight into the body’s internal state. Practitioners are trained to palpate, or feel, the subtle motion of the craniosacral system as a unified whole. With refined sensitivity and presence, the therapist listens for areas of restriction or imbalance within the cranium, spine, and sacrum.

Restrictions may arise from injury, trauma, structural strain, joint immobility, or dysfunction elsewhere in the body. These restrictions can disrupt the natural motion of the craniosacral system, leading to strain within the cranial mechanism and potentially contributing to discomfort, dysfunction, or compromised health—particularly within the brain and spinal cord. The purpose of CranioSacral Therapy is to support optimal function of this vital system, enhancing resilience, balance, and overall well-being.

CranioSacral Therapist Certification

Course List *subject to change*

Level-1 Laying the Foundation; Working from the Heart
Level-2 Unwinding; The Heart and Sacrum
Level-3 Unwinding; The Heart, Sphenoid and Facial Bones
Level-4 Unwinding; The Heart and Mandible Ritual
Level-5 Psychometry/Communication; The Heart Speaks
Level-6 Miasm Release Therapy; Clearing the Heart
Level-7 Sacred Journey Therapy; Following the Heart

CANCELLATION POLICY: Sacred Journey Institute will refund your deposit or full payment at 100% three weeks prior to the start of class. There will be no refunds granted past that point.

Classes Below

3 day class: $550, 24 CEs
4 day class: $695, 32 CEs

New prices for new students enrolling in 2023
Student that enrolled prior to 2023, we will honor the previous prices

Payment Plan:
You can break the class payment into 4 payments, the final payment is made 2 weeks prior to the class start date. Click the email icon to request a payment plan. The deadline to request a payment plan is 6 weeks prior to the class start date.

Practicums

This course provides an opportunity for students to review material covered in the Level 1-7 courses, share their cranial sacral experiences in a meditative and supportive atmosphere and refine their skills under the watchful eye of the instructor. Students are required to successfully complete a hands-on evaluation with an instructor to demonstrate their ability.

IMG_8091_edited.jpg
level 1.jpg

Cranial Sacral

Level 1

Laying the foundation; working from the heart 

This course introduces participants to both scientific and emotional perspectives of the cranial system, integrating a trauma-informed and somatic approach to Cranial Sacral Therapy. Participants will explore cranial anatomy using slides and disarticulated specimens, examining each individual cranial bone—its movement potential both in isolation and in synchrony with other bones—and its possible reflexive relationships with the body, mind, and nervous system.

With a strong emphasis on mindfulness and nervous system regulation, the course invites participants to deepen their capacity for presence and attunement. Experiential practices focus on centering, grounding, and accessing inner stillness, fostering the intuitive sensitivity necessary for responding to the subtle rhythms of the cranial system. This trauma-informed framework supports safety, regulation, and co-regulation during hands-on partner work.

Each day includes closely supervised practice, encouraging somatic awareness and practitioner self-regulation as foundational components of effective cranial work. On the final day, participants integrate techniques for each cranial bone into a basic protocol that can be adapted and safely introduced into their professional practice.

$550-695

level%204_edited.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 4

Unwinding; The Heart and Mandible Ritual

This course emphasizes the importance of the healer’s personal process as foundational to developing safe, effective, and attuned therapeutic skills. Rooted in a trauma-informed and somatic framework, the training highlights the value of presence, self-regulation, and embodied awareness in hands-on healing.

The power of ritual will be explored as a supportive container for transformation, leading into three-hour healing sessions focused on unwinding the mandible through a Shamanic approach. These extended sessions integrate intuitive touch, nervous system regulation, and energetic release, allowing students to experience and facilitate deep layers of healing.

Participants will also engage in small group work to cultivate psychic perception and intuitive awareness, enhancing their ability to attune to subtle cues and energetic shifts. This experiential learning is supported by detailed study of cranial anatomy, including the brain, mandible, palatine bones, and lateral pterygoid muscles, with attention to both structure and energetic relationships.

Lecture and discussion will incorporate the roles of Primary and Secondary energy centers, with an emphasis on how these centers influence regulation, intuition, and healing. Throughout, students are invited to embody a mindful, heart-centered presence that supports safety, connection, and insight for both themselves and those they serve.

$550-695

spiritual-woman.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 7

Sacred Journey Therapy; Following the Heart

The foundation has now been set for Sacred Journey Therapy. This high art of healing is a very intimate form of energy work, touching the soul in such depth that it will often release deep seeded emotions, healing ancient wounds or perhaps sending the client into a wonderful euphoric state. It’s whatever the soul is searching for. This work may also change patterns that have continued with us form other lifetimes.
In this course we will introduce students to principles of Gestalt therapy and psychotherapy in order to work with multidimensional trauma. Concepts of Linear time and Astral Dynamics will be discussed. Exercises with other life readings and astral projection will take place in small groups.
A more expanded look at evolution and understanding of Akashic records will be discussed.
A protocol to induce trance and inner-body projection along with grounding techniques will be demonstrated.

$550-695

Artwork-Healing-hands-600x437.jpg

Sacred Journey Massage

Sacred Journey Therapy; Following the Heart

There are times with our clients which transcend the ordinary, when shifts and changes happen seemingly without effort.  This rarely results solely from physical manipulation, but rather from a combination of skilled touch and a deep sense of connection.
Sacred Massage uses a combination Esalen massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Lomi Lomi massage and Lymphatic drainage techniques along with the principles of Sacred Journey Therapy.  The body is worked a s a whole, not in segments.  Not only is a physical connection made, but an energetic connection between therapist and client and often a spiritual connection between the client and themselves.

Using intuition and creativity, this soothing bodywork emphasizes nurturing and empathy, creating deeper states of relaxation.  The continuous flow of this massage will enhance intuition, magnify the senses and communicate with your entire being.  Feel the stress melt away as the healing mechanisms of the body begin to dominate, helping you find peace and harmony.

$695

heartchakra.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 2

Unwinding; The Heart and Sacrum  

Building upon the foundational protocol introduced in the Level 1 course, this advanced training deepens participants’ skills through a trauma-informed, somatic, and energetically attuned lens. Participants will explore expanded possibilities for addressing physical and energetic relationships within the craniosacral and pelvic systems, with particular attention to nervous system regulation and practitioner-client co-regulation.

The concept of working from the heart—anchoring in presence, compassion, and intuition—will guide our approach to the sacrum. Supine techniques for engaging the sacral and pelvic bones and associated musculature will be demonstrated and practiced, supporting both structural and energetic release.

This course emphasizes somatic awareness, mindfulness, and safe attunement to unwinding processes. Participants will strengthen their palpation skills and learn separate trauma-sensitive protocols for facilitating unwinding in ways that respect individual pacing and capacity. Generous classroom time is dedicated to experiential learning, cultivating the sensitivity, presence, and nervous system literacy essential for this level of cranial and somatic work.

$550-695

5.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 5

Psychometry/Communication; The Heart Speaks

This course is dedicated to cultivating the essential Cranial Sacral skills of focused presence, perception, and intuitive attunement within a trauma-informed and somatically grounded framework. Participants will engage in exercises that develop perceptual awareness and strengthen their trust in intuitive processes, including the use of psychometry and symbolic readings.

Clinicians will explore ways to safely and ethically open to transpersonal experiences—such as communication with the expanded self, ancestral wisdom, inner guides, animal totems, and meaningful dreams—as tools for gaining insight and fostering healing. These practices are presented through a lens that supports nervous system regulation, inner resourcing, and mindful attunement to the therapeutic relationship.

The course emphasizes the importance of practitioner self-awareness, spiritual integration, and energetic boundaries when working with clients. These expanded perspectives are offered as supportive, respectful methods for accessing deeper layers of a client’s internal experience, especially when working with trauma, grief, or existential concerns.

$550-695

level 13.jpg

Level 13- Inside the Evolved Human

Advanced Class

By exploring connection to “Higher Self”, we will guide ourselves into our gifts and strengths offering ways to integrate this Sacred Journey into our every day lives, raising the vibration of our environment around us.

    Utilizing the gifts of the Sacred Journey Therapists, we will break down old behavioral patterns and concepts which feed the core structure of Miasm in order to free the soul and set ourselves deeper onto a path of personal growth and Peace.

 

    (Test review and study guide) will also be included in this class to complete Certificate of achievement for the Sacred Journey Institute. 

 

    Students may use a ($ 150) deposit to hold a space in this class.

$695

NCBTMB.png

Ethics

Ethics – Required by NCBTMB

Understanding boundaries is crucial to creating an ethical practice and building professional relationships. By increasing your awareness of both a client’s and your own boundaries, you improve the therapeutic relationship and avoid many inadvertent slips into unethical behavior. This class will cover the knowledge about Ethics, Scope of practice, the role of therapist in a therapeutic relationship in very simple to understand way. This course is covering 6 hours of requirements as CE hours for massage therapists. SJI is approved by NCBTMB as CE provider in the state of Illinois.

$45

Artwork-Healing-hands-600x437.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 3

Unwinding; The Heart, Sphenoid and Facial Bones

This course offers a comprehensive, trauma-informed protocol using somatic and Cranial Sacral techniques specifically designed to address headaches and migraines. Recognizing that headache disorders are among the most common and debilitating conditions, this training combines anatomical knowledge, energetic awareness, and mindful presence to support both practitioner and client in the healing process.

Participants will explore the physical structures and energetic patterns often involved in headache presentations, using a nervous system-informed approach to enhance safety and effectiveness. Through somatic attunement and regulation practices, practitioners will learn to “map” headache patterns with greater clarity and compassion—supporting clients in ways that reduce overwhelm, increase resilience, and promote integration.

The protocol taught in this course emphasizes both technical skill and practitioner presence, allowing participants to approach headache treatment with confidence, sensitivity, and a deepened awareness of the body-mind connection.

$550-695

level-6.jpg

Cranial Sacral Level 6

Miasm Release Therapy; Clearing the Heart

This course focuses on developing clinical and intuitive skills to perceive, relate to, and support the release of energetic patterns within the body that may influence psychological, emotional, and somatic health. Grounded in a trauma-informed and somatic framework, participants will learn how lower vibrational or dysregulated energies can be stored in the body, and how to safely support their integration and release through a structured therapeutic approach.

Students will be guided through a Miasm Release Protocol, using mindful presence and ethical, intentional touch to support energetic clearing—first within themselves, and then in others. This work is approached with clinical sensitivity and an emphasis on nervous system regulation, ensuring that practitioners support client safety and agency at all times.

Additionally, this course introduces cranial techniques focused on the sutures and sinuses, with an emphasis on three-dimensional, asymmetrical methods and the pre-visualization of target structures. Participants will deepen their perceptual skills, learning to track shifts in both physical tissues and states of consciousness, a foundational competency when working with clients who have experienced trauma, dissociation, or somatic symptoms linked to unresolved emotional patterns.

Through a combination of experiential practice, discussion, and hands-on protocols, students will leave with greater capacity to hold complex energetic and psychological dynamics in a grounded, ethical, and heart-centered way.

$550-695

Char-2-600x378.jpg

Practicums

Practicums-Cranial Sacral Program Levels 1-7

This course provides an opportunity for students to review material covered in the Level 1-7 courses, share their cranial sacral experiences in a meditative and supportive atmosphere and refine their skills under the watchful eye of the instructor. Students are required to successfully complete a hands-on evaluation with an instructor to demonstrate their ability.

$175

IMG_7802-001-600x518.jpg

THE ALCHEMY OF ESSENTIAL OILS

Lori Green

This class combines cranial sacral/sacred journey therapy together with vibrational aromatherapy, for emotional release.  The focus will be on clearing emotional patterns that cause physical dis-ease in the body, with the use of Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils and propitiatory blends. We will be discussing “What is aromatherapy?” “How and why oils work in the body.” We will be looking deeper into the chakra system, specifically for assisting us in letting go of painful emotions and any negative cellular memories. Then we can reestablish self-confidence, self-acceptance, and self-love.

Students will learn techniques/exercises for:

  • Chakra balancing

  • Grounding

  • Connecting to your sacred space

  • Regain your power in present time

$695

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Thanks for submitting!

Locations: 20550 S LaGrange Rd, STE 210, Frankfort IL 60423

P: 708-614-6860 E: info@sacredjourneyinstitute.com

©2021 by Dana Massat

bottom of page